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Post by jimmydean on Nov 22, 2022 11:49:24 GMT
I've been charged VAT (20%) by not getting my retail price reduced. My understanding is that the listed price of 169.99 GBP already includes 20% VAT within that price. I've paid Canadian VAT of 5% on import.
Is Queenonline different from Amazon.co.uk? If so, then I agree, UM is not charging me VAT. Typically when I purchase from Amazon.co.uk they list a price inclusive of VAT and then reduce it to the amount that excludes VAT and charge me shipping. So in the example above - amazon.co.uk would charge me 141.66 + shipping and not the listed 169.99 + shipping. UM charges me 169.99 + Shipping. Therefore, from my understanding, I've been charged VAT even thought the invoice says VAT charged is 0.
As a Canadian recipient, I'm not subject to VAT. But if UM decides that 169.99 is my price and indicate that VAT included = 0, they are within their right to do so. So from a UK resident, they would only keep the 141.66 in my example above, and give the rest to HMRC (I assume).... whereas from a sale to a non-UK resident, they would keep the full 169.99, thus, the foreigner surcharge.
My point is - if i am correct about the listed price on the queenonline website (169.99) being inclusive of VAT, then UM is sneaking though a surcharge within their right, so it seems.
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Nov 22, 2022 13:09:45 GMT
It's a complex issue and I don't pretend to understand it. But, as far as I am aware, QOL / UM have to pay 20% to the UK government on each sale, so that has to be charged somewhere. The UK sale price of the box includes the VAT, but if they don't include the VAT when shipping abroad, then who pays it? Even if they somehow reclaimed the 5% sales tax you were charged, that's not 20%.
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Post by jimmydean on Nov 22, 2022 17:16:00 GMT
In many countries such as Canada and US - VAT is added to the price you see in a shop or online... however not the case in the UK --> "Any VAT due is already included in the price of something you buy in a shop. No tax is added when you pay." --> www.gov.uk/tax-on-shopping/where-you-see vat#:~:text=Any%20VAT%20due%20is%20already,is%20added%20when%20you%20pay. My only experience is amazon.co.uk where the prices indicated already include VAT and when I purchase (from Canada), they reduce it by 20% before getting to the final window for payment. Now if those of you in the UK are actually paying 20% over the prices listed on queenonline.com then - that would provide some comfort that I'm not being charged VAT in Canada. However, to drive my point home - if i am indeed indirectly charge this 20% by UM (being embedded in the price i paid) and another 5% by the shipping company (DHL) to satisfy Canadian duty/sales tax... then i am paying a 25% sales tax when i should only be paying 5% locally. |
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Post by macduff77 on Nov 22, 2022 18:39:08 GMT
Hi, I'm in the same boat. I've ordered before from Queenonline store and never had to pay customs fees. This time, it was shipped by DHL and ofcourse they have charged me $23 in extra fees. Like you, I ordered the box set and the picture disc. When you look at the invoice, it says brokerage fees + tax. When you look at the webpage on DHL where you pay the amount, it is listed as VAT. As you've mentioned, when I order something from amazon.co.uk, I pay less than the listed price because the listed Amazon price includes VAT. As a resident of Canada, I do not need to pay the VAT (or so I've been led to believe). So for something that may be listed as 20 pounds on Amazon, I only pay like 16-17 pounds (whatever the percentage is). What is odd about Queeonlinestore is that I pay the same amount for the product as someone from the UK does. In theory, if that listed price includes VAT, then I should of paid for a cheaper price. So, it may seem like we paid for a product + VAT + custom fees. It's a bit confusing and I'm not saying it's all wrong, but kinda cheesed off at DHL. They always seem to charge me when other couriers haven't. I emailed Universal Music, but I don't expect any response. So I'm from Canada - and what is clear is the invoice mentions 0 VAT is charged... yet i'm charged the full UK price! i asked UM about it - and the agents have no clue what i'm saying... i explain that i'm being charge VAT as there is no reduction from the posted UK price (as per the website). Then they point out that the invoice says 0 VAT included in amount. So then I asked whether there is foreigner surcharge, as that would mean any non-VAT paying person would simply be charged the full price VAT included as the retail charge of that particular item.... after asking them to confirm that, I got a generic email saying I should show my invoice with proof that VAT was charged to my local customs agent (which of course is impossible as it indicates VAT was not charged on my invoice even though the price listed is exactly the same as the website.... 169.99 GBP (box + EPK) and 31.99 GBP for the picdisc. Anyways, of course DHL is charging me local sales tax which isn't too bad at 5% + a small brokerage fee of maybe 10$ (much much less than FedEx charges!)... but i should not be charged the almost 20% VAT included in the price. If it weren't for the weak GBP + the exclusive EPK + my birthday discount of 10% - I would not have bought the box set from queenonline for exactly this reason. |
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mkls
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Post by mkls on Nov 22, 2022 18:52:05 GMT
It's a complex issue and I don't pretend to understand it. But, as far as I am aware, QOL / UM have to pay 20% to the UK government on each sale, so that has to be charged somewhere. The UK sale price of the box includes the VAT, but if they don't include the VAT when shipping abroad, then who pays it? Even if they somehow reclaimed the 5% sales tax you were charged, that's not 20%. WRONG. Exporting goods , they dont have to add local VAT . And again repeated: no proper invoice included -EVER . I wont comment further just in case I get a ban . (feel free of course..) |
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Nov 22, 2022 19:47:32 GMT
Apologies, it does seem I was wrong regarding UK VAT on exports. I haven't read all of this, but the headline seems to be: VAT is a tax levied on goods and services consumed in the UK. When goods are exported they are 'consumed' outside the UK and to impose VAT on such goods would be contrary to the purpose of the tax. Therefore, the supply of exported goods is zero-rated provided the conditions in this notice are met. 31 Dec 2020www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-on-goods-exported-from-the-uk-notice-703 |
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Post by jimmydean on Nov 22, 2022 19:58:07 GMT
Yes correct.
And i have an update... just got my box a couple of hours ago and the invoice included in the box actually indicates VAT included 35 GBP. My online invoice said VAT included = 0.
Something fishy going on... I will re-attempt to get my VAT, now clearly indicated on my updated invoice, refunded by UM.
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Post by jimmydean on Nov 22, 2022 20:00:48 GMT
Hi, I'm in the same boat. I've ordered before from Queenonline store and never had to pay customs fees. This time, it was shipped by DHL and ofcourse they have charged me $23 in extra fees. Like you, I ordered the box set and the picture disc. When you look at the invoice, it says brokerage fees + tax. When you look at the webpage on DHL where you pay the amount, it is listed as VAT. As you've mentioned, when I order something from amazon.co.uk, I pay less than the listed price because the listed Amazon price includes VAT. As a resident of Canada, I do not need to pay the VAT (or so I've been led to believe). So for something that may be listed as 20 pounds on Amazon, I only pay like 16-17 pounds (whatever the percentage is). What is odd about Queeonlinestore is that I pay the same amount for the product as someone from the UK does. In theory, if that listed price includes VAT, then I should of paid for a cheaper price. So, it may seem like we paid for a product + VAT + custom fees. It's a bit confusing and I'm not saying it's all wrong, but kinda cheesed off at DHL. They always seem to charge me when other couriers haven't. I emailed Universal Music, but I don't expect any response. So I'm from Canada - and what is clear is the invoice mentions 0 VAT is charged... yet i'm charged the full UK price! i asked UM about it - and the agents have no clue what i'm saying... i explain that i'm being charge VAT as there is no reduction from the posted UK price (as per the website). Then they point out that the invoice says 0 VAT included in amount. So then I asked whether there is foreigner surcharge, as that would mean any non-VAT paying person would simply be charged the full price VAT included as the retail charge of that particular item.... after asking them to confirm that, I got a generic email saying I should show my invoice with proof that VAT was charged to my local customs agent (which of course is impossible as it indicates VAT was not charged on my invoice even though the price listed is exactly the same as the website.... 169.99 GBP (box + EPK) and 31.99 GBP for the picdisc. Anyways, of course DHL is charging me local sales tax which isn't too bad at 5% + a small brokerage fee of maybe 10$ (much much less than FedEx charges!)... but i should not be charged the almost 20% VAT included in the price. If it weren't for the weak GBP + the exclusive EPK + my birthday discount of 10% - I would not have bought the box set from queenonline for exactly this reason. DHL were correct to charge you. It's UM that should not have charged the VAT. As Canadians we have to pay the 5% GST on imports (or duty if applicable). Some carriers such as Canada Post do not if it's below a certain threshold. Whereas other like FedEX charge insance brokerage fees. I once got charged 75$ of duty and brokerage... 15$ duty, 60$ brokerage and admin.... F**ED(EX) |
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jeroeng
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Post by jeroeng on Nov 26, 2022 20:39:56 GMT
Just a message to say that my Miracle package arrived this evening (yes delivered in the evening) in the Netherlands.
It contained TM picture disc, TM 2CD, TM cassette and FIA 7".
Sent with standard delivery (not courier) and.... no customs asking for extra VAT this time!
There was a sticker on the package with customs declaration and an address in Germany..... So does that mean it was sent from Germany, not UK?
That might explain why no extra VAT was asked?
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Plengel
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Post by Plengel on Dec 4, 2022 14:39:14 GMT
As I expected, I got a reply from the UMUK store this week about my VAT inquiry. They said they were very sorry and refunded the second instance VAT was charged.
So in the end, no double VAT was paid. I really hope they will solve this on the front end. It would save me and others quite the trouble in future instances...
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Post by badboybez on Dec 4, 2022 16:39:30 GMT
Be good if they could also sort out the packing part - as in send out the stuff that’s ordered!
Shambles
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Dec 4, 2022 16:57:32 GMT
As I expected, I got a reply from the UMUK store this week about my VAT inquiry. They said they were very sorry and refunded the second instance VAT was charged. So in the end, no double VAT was paid. I really hope they will solve this on the front end. It would save me and others quite the trouble in future instances... Good news. It makes you wonder how much of this extra tax is being paid, and who it's going to. I'm sure there must be some who either don't realise or can't be bothered to try to claim it back. |
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dane
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Post by dane on Dec 5, 2022 8:33:10 GMT
Just got confirmation from UMUK that I will get a full refund for the VAT. Very nice of them.
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Post by jimmydean on Dec 6, 2022 5:19:09 GMT
Today they refunded the VAT charged on my export to Canada. All good.
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Post by aleksgutt on Dec 6, 2022 9:13:49 GMT
Told them about the double VAT payment on my Miracle order and they say they don’t include VAT on items in store
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Post by macduff77 on Dec 6, 2022 15:50:22 GMT
That's good - I'm still awaiting an update from them. I've asked for an update again. Today they refunded the VAT charged on my export to Canada. All good. |
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Plengel
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Post by Plengel on Dec 6, 2022 19:38:02 GMT
As I expected, I got a reply from the UMUK store this week about my VAT inquiry. They said they were very sorry and refunded the second instance VAT was charged. So in the end, no double VAT was paid. I really hope they will solve this on the front end. It would save me and others quite the trouble in future instances... Good news. It makes you wonder how much of this extra tax is being paid, and who it's going to. I'm sure there must be some who either don't realise or can't be bothered to try to claim it back. I would assume the extra tax paid flows back to the UK government as the seller is located in that country, right? Indeed there will be quite some people not noticing or bothering to try and claim it back, so that's extra inkomen for the state. |
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jeroeng
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Post by jeroeng on Dec 7, 2022 8:38:45 GMT
Good news. It makes you wonder how much of this extra tax is being paid, and who it's going to. I'm sure there must be some who either don't realise or can't be bothered to try to claim it back. I would assume the extra tax paid flows back to the UK government as the seller is located in that country, right? Indeed there will be quite some people not noticing or bothering to try and claim it back, so that's extra inkomen for the state. I had a conversation with someone from the postal service in my country, when trying to fix one of the attempts of double VAT last years, and they insinuated (not literally said it, but if you listened between the lines it was clear what they ment) that the extra paid VAT stays at Universal (or as the postal employee said: "They probably have a nice extra income from this") Technically they have to give the extra money they charge for VAT to the country of the customer (not the UK country), but since they don't fill in the papers correctly using IOSS, the money will never be claimed by the customer's country, and thus stays with Universal... That's what the postal employee insinuated to me, at least. |
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rvddoorn
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Post by rvddoorn on Dec 7, 2022 13:58:27 GMT
Thank you jeroeng for pointing this out, invoice says Netherlands VAT 21% included. I already noticed something weird was going on when I had to pay the VAT but didnt look into it yet because I preffered having the Miracle box... I filled in the form yesterday to complain. |
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Post by PROTOCOLMAN on Dec 9, 2022 18:05:52 GMT
Thanks jeroeng for your help. Universal Music has refunded me the VAT from my last order. It's a shame they keep on doing things bad but now I know that every time I have to pay for customs and VAT, I have to ask for a refund. |
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rvddoorn
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Post by rvddoorn on Dec 13, 2022 8:43:43 GMT
No reply whatsoever yet from the store after my complaint on the 7th of December. I think this issue is quite relevent...
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Post by jimmydean on Dec 13, 2022 14:18:49 GMT
When I first complained, they asked for backup almost instantly. When I sent it, I received a reply saying that universal did not charge VAT twice.  . I replied explaining that in my case as a Canadian citizen any exports to me should not be charged VAT at all. Then no reply for almost two weeks. And finally, an email confirming they would refund me…. Which they did. What’s clear is, they don’t leave an email unanswered. At least not in my case. Every email I sent was responded to at some point. |
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Plengel
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Post by Plengel on Dec 13, 2022 20:23:21 GMT
No reply whatsoever yet from the store after my complaint on the 7th of December. I think this issue is quite relevent... Give it some time. I've been through it twice now and both instances it took them a week to reply. Money was back on my account max. two days later. |
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Post by macduff77 on Dec 14, 2022 15:53:25 GMT
Got a response today that I'll receive a refund of 41 pounds in 2-3 days. That's $70 Canadian, so no small change. Happy with that.
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Lord Fickle
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Post by Lord Fickle on Dec 14, 2022 15:57:11 GMT
Got a response today that I'll receive a refund of 41 pounds in 2-3 days. That's $70 Canadian, so no small change. Happy with that. You'd think they'd get this sorted rather than having the hassle and extra admin of having to issue refunds. Unless they're doing quite well out of people not bothering to claim it back. 🤔 |
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Post by ThomasQuinn on Dec 15, 2022 6:09:50 GMT
Got a response today that I'll receive a refund of 41 pounds in 2-3 days. That's $70 Canadian, so no small change. Happy with that. You'd think they'd get this sorted rather than having the hassle and extra admin of having to issue refunds. Unless they're doing quite well out of people not bothering to claim it back. 🤔 Sorry for the pun, but my money is on the bolded part. Never ascribe to incompetence what is adequately explained by unethical corporate money-grubbing, to paraphrase the saying. |
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Post by alexlizzy on Jan 15, 2023 20:40:00 GMT
Didn't read the whole thread, but yeah, ive noticed the same, since I live in Europe - sometimes (but not always!) they claim "VAT already paid" on the receipt, but since they dont have IOSS I have to pay it again for the customs. It was a small amount couple of times, so didn't have energy to make them return my money...
In general trying to avoid Queenonline Store for many reasons, this is not the only one....
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jeroeng
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Post by jeroeng on Jun 1, 2023 14:29:02 GMT
Let's keep an eye open to see what will happen now that the Star Fleet releases can be pre-ordered... Hopefully QOL has learned how to properly send packages outside of the UK, so that no double VAT will be charged again (but to be honest, I doubt it)
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wijnand
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Post by wijnand on Jul 13, 2023 12:16:17 GMT
Just received an invoice for import duties and Dutch VAT for the Star Fleet release. Filled in the form to reclaim VAT charged... Let's wait and see...
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jeroeng
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Post by jeroeng on Jul 20, 2023 14:59:57 GMT
Let's keep an eye open to see what will happen now that the Star Fleet releases can be pre-ordered... Hopefully QOL has learned how to properly send packages outside of the UK, so that no double VAT will be charged again (but to be honest, I doubt it) What I expected indeed happened: Today I was charged double VAT for my order. QOL still hasn't learned anything! I had to pay it, otherwise customs wouldn't let it sent to my home, so I filled a claim at QOL to refund my double VAT. Let's see how quick they will respond. |
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. I replied explaining that in my case as a Canadian citizen any exports to me should not be charged VAT at all. Then no reply for almost two weeks. And finally, an email confirming they would refund me…. Which they did.
