Customs & VAT

[irishmail]

I dont have  Twitter account,  Tried the web chat but keep getting oscar bot! which is of no help.

[amdaley]

3 hours ago, irishmail said:

I dont have  Twitter account,  Tried the web chat but keep getting oscar bot! which is of no help.

Sorry but I've only ever contacted them on Twitter.

[Sean]

9 hours ago, irishmail said:

Looks like Anpost are back to thier antics once again!   Got an order from Hattons, say they were unable to deliver, but have never tried, it has not left Dublin!

01 March 2023 01:12

Your post has left An Post DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12

24 February 2023 16:26

We could not deliver your post. We will try to return it to the sender. DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12

 

Check the tracking on royal mail; mine showed up like this whilst on the royal mail site it shows them up as having being refused by customs. and returned 

 

the anpost tracking seems to stick up a generic message like this every time the item gets scanned within the country that doesnt actually tell the customer what is going on at all. one of the packages i was sent on feb 7th is now showing up as the item is no longer with anpost whilst on the royal mail tracking it shows "your item is now leaving the uk." despite it being back within the uk postal system somewhere.

 

hattons recieved back my other package and refunded that one, this one has been in limbo since feb 16th but the tracking pattern was the exact same so it should be back with them soon.....

 

at the same time i reordered on dhl and had the stuff within 48 hours which kinda made the outrageous price(for me at least) a little bit worth it. all customs bullshit was taken care of before the item even landed in Ireland and it was out for delivery on the next van after it landed.

[irishmail]

Having now had two parcels now on thier way back to Hatton's , Yesterday I phoned Hattons telling them about this problem,  and they said for some reason they are currently having problems with shipments to Ireland.   It seems to be when using Royalmail - Anpost,  not aware of any issues with DHL, which is the only other shipping option, but expensive at £23.00!!!

 

Anyway, once Hattons recive the items back I should get an email from them giving me options of refunding or resending the item,  so watch this space and see what happens.

[murphaph]

Didn't the An Post CEO write an open letter in the FT about this, openly blaming Royal Mail for not implementing some required software solution that shipments to the EU as a whole will require quite soon, but which Ireland is already implementing as a sort of guinea pig to give RM a bit of a chance to get things sorted without millions of parcels from the whole EU being returned to it? 

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/an-post-boss-criticises-royal-mail-amid-parcel-issues-from-the-uk-1405001.html

The FT letter was more detailed but I can't find it right now.

[Broithe]

5 minutes ago, murphaph said:

Didn't the An Post CEO write an open letter in the FT about this, openly blaming Royal Mail for not implementing some required software solution that shipments to the EU as a whole will require quite soon, but which Ireland is already implementing as a sort of guinea pig to give RM a bit of a chance to get things sorted without millions of parcels from the whole EU being returned to it? 

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/an-post-boss-criticises-royal-mail-amid-parcel-issues-from-the-uk-1405001.html

The FT letter was more detailed but I can't find it right now.

https://www.ft.com/content/19df5640-af10-4716-b10d-083a1bdf7f44

[amdaley]

Royal Mail are all over the place.

Royal Mail tracking says my package from Hattons is in Milton Keynes.

Well news flash to Royal Mail.

The package is on my kitchen table in South Kerry

[skinner75]

20 minutes ago, amdaley said:

Royal Mail are all over the place.

Royal Mail tracking says my package from Hattons is in Milton Keynes.

Well news flash to Royal Mail.

The package is on my kitchen table in South Kerry

Start busting their chops over it!

[Broithe]

31 minutes ago, amdaley said:

Royal Mail are all over the place.

Royal Mail tracking says my package from Hattons is in Milton Keynes.

Well news flash to Royal Mail.

The package is on my kitchen table in South Kerry

I probably* still have one in the system, from a few years ago, where they claimed it was going to be delivered the day before it was despatched.

When it was finally delivered, the system seemed unable to cope with such a time paradox and left it existing in some sort of Back the Future limbo.

 

* They now can't find it at all, three years later - "Sorry, we're currently unable to confirm the status of your item with reference GQ171144677GB . Please try again tomorrow."

It did finally appear, but the system never got further than shown in the picture, I looked every now and then until I got fed up.

[DJ Dangerous]

So everything that An Post have been mucking up, consistently, for several years, is because Ireland is the EU's guinea pig for a software rollout?

Two years of IRM orders and local post office packages being sent to me with no CN23's (An Post muppets insisting that customs declarations are not required when they clearly are) and subsequently returned, along with An Post charging VAT on items clearly declared electronically and physically as gifts, plus charging VAT on a random selection of parcels sent to Ireland from the UK (no logic, some are charged and some aren't), and it's not down to incompetence and operational failure, it's all a trial software issue...

Now I get it it.

Edited March 7, 2023 by DJ Dangerous

[Georgeconna]

Jeekers you lads have some bad luck for sure, I just got some stuff in from SCOGRAIL. Posted through RM , Came in via An Post, No hassle.

 

[irishmail]

Seems like Anpost make the rules up and change them to suit themselves.  With my orders apparently they just got rejected and supposedly being sent back!   All the info I got was 'unable to deliver',   they did not even try or contact me about the packages, instead some idiot in the Anpost Dublin 12 sorting office deciding to send it back.  

Where is the logic in sending items back, especially in this day and age of climate change, does not make sense.  

[Sean]

John this is exactly what happened with my two packages its a joke really...

 

one of them took two weeks to get back to hattons and the other one only got back today!

a full month in postal limbo,  hattons are actually very decent about it, made my latest order via germany  to avoid these headaches as the DHL fee isnt worth it for a single item for me.

 

the packages did a LOT of sitting around doing nothing over that month before it got back to them as well.

 

[the Bandon tank]

The same here,a small order with Hattons, One 1:76 scale Oxford diecast model worth about eight euro sent back by an Post, they said the wrong form attached. Hattons say it is sitting in Milton Keynes since the 16th Feb. The same story as above. My worry is not the the above small order but when the Irish Genesis coaches are released. I certainly hope this shambles is sorted out as i have three orders in for them, worth a couple hundred euro.

[Sean]

certainly wouldn't be bad to upgrade such an order to DHL for ones own peace of mind.

 

not worth it on small stuff but thats an exception id make

[irishmail]

On 7/3/2023 at 8:57 AM, irishmail said:

Having now had two parcels now on thier way back to Hatton's , Yesterday I phoned Hattons telling them about this problem,  and they said for some reason they are currently having problems with shipments to Ireland.   It seems to be when using Royalmail - Anpost,  not aware of any issues with DHL, which is the only other shipping option, but expensive at £23.00!!!

 

Anyway, once Hattons recive the items back I should get an email from them giving me options of refunding or resending the item,  so watch this space and see what happens.

An Post are a joke now! They have stopped for a second time my parcel from Hatton's which they resent having previously been returned as 'supposedly' it did not have the correct customs info. Ordered 20th Feb, Anpost sent back to Hattons, they resent on 8th March and now going to be sent back again! Waste of time trying to contact An Post customer service as they just fob you off with feeble excuses!

 

14 March 2023 01:36

We could not deliver your post. We will try to return it to the sender. DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12

01 March 2023 01:12

Your post has left An Post DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12

24 February 2023 16:26

We could not deliver your post. We will try to return it to the sender. DUBLIN MAIL CENTRE, DUBLIN 12

[irishmail]

Latest update on my recent Hattons order, this is an email that I have had from them today. It seems that the IOSS system had changed!! This is the first parcel that they had already resent, the other is still floating around in the system somewhere!!

"Dear John,

I'm e-mailing in regards to order reference XXXXXXX, where I'm sorry to inform you that your parcel has been returned due to an issue with our IOSS number.

Unfortunately, we are currently in the small interim period where the old IOSS service has ended and we're awaiting the new IOSS service to take over, where this is required for orders sent with DPD and Royal Mail.

We do apologise for the delay in you receiving your items and for any inconvenience you may have been caused. We are working hard to get this resolved as soon as possible, and as soon as I have a further update, I send you a separate e-mail to keep you informed."

[PJR]

I just have had a parcel form Hatton's returned due to lack of correct information. No information from An Post other that parcel has been sorted in Dublin 12 mail center  and and left Dublin 12 Mail Centre . When I checked with Royal mail it said it was than leaving the UK ,until yesterday when I checked it had been delivered back to Hatton .  Hatton's are going to refund me .I for one will not be buying from Brixland until they get there act together in royal Mail and An Post

[Sean]

The big question I have is just WHY oh WHY havent hattons suspended domestic mailing to ireland when this seems to be an ongoing issue effecting a lot of their customers.

 

someone suggested using addresspal the other day as a work around. skips all this bullshit and the package gets imported properly and actually delivered.

[Billycan]

3 hours ago, PJR said:

I just have had a parcel form Hatton's returned due to lack of correct information. No information from An Post other that parcel has been sorted in Dublin 12 mail center  and and left Dublin 12 Mail Centre . When I checked with Royal mail it said it was than leaving the UK ,until yesterday when I checked it had been delivered back to Hatton .  Hatton's are going to refund me .I for one will not be buying from Brixland until they get there act together in royal Mail and An Post

I have received a number of parcels from different suppliers in the UK and all have been received without hassle.  The goods arrive in Ireland free of UK VAT, An Post notify me in a card in a sealed envelope of what has arrived, who sent it and what charges are due, and I pay the Irish VAT and fee online.  Straight forward and there has never been anything returned to the UK sender.  So, perhaps Hattons are trying to be too helpful at this time and given that later this year the Genesis coaches will be arriving it might be wiser for Hattons to change their approach an row in with what works for the other UK exporters to Ireland.  Just thinking out loud.

[Noel]

9 minutes ago, Billycan said:

I have received a number of parcels from different suppliers in the UK and all have been received without hassle.  The goods arrive in Ireland free of UK VAT, An Post notify me in a card in a sealed envelope of what has arrived, who sent it and what charges are due, and I pay the Irish VAT and fee online.  Straight forward and there has never been anything returned to the UK sender.  So, perhaps Hattons are trying to be too helpful at this time and given that later this year the Genesis coaches will be arriving it might be wiser for Hattons to change their approach an row in with what works for the other UK exporters to Ireland.  Just thinking out loud.

Personally to date Hattons having DDP (Delivery Duties Paid) have been the most painless supplier in UK to deal with. They are registered for VAT here so no delays in post, no extra fees payable here. Hattons pay the vat. No fuss, no delays.  Some of the others if you ask who are not set up for DDP will deduct UK VAT so you only pay vat here but still have the delay in that process.

[Broithe]

And be careful about being near the weight threshold in damp weather.

 

[Chris Morris]

Hattons is the main retailer int he UK I use and the DDP has always been very helpful for me anyway

But I use the trunk option save up and have one larger parcel delivered via DHL so maybe that is a difference

[amdaley]

1 hour ago, Broithe said:

And be careful about being near the weight threshold in damp weather.

 

Bloody jobsworth. 

There always has to be one doesn't there 

2 hours ago, Noel said:

Personally to date Hattons having DDP (Delivery Duties Paid) have been the most painless supplier in UK to deal with. They are registered for VAT here so no delays in post, no extra fees payable here. Hattons pay the vat. No fuss, no delays.  Some of the others if you ask who are not set up for DDP will deduct UK VAT so you only pay vat here but still have the delay in that process.

It works fine as long as the value is €150 or less.

Over that & you get charged the VAT again even though you have already paid it.

However Hattons are very quick to refund the Vat you paid them.

[Chris Morris]

34 minutes ago, amdaley said:

Bloody jobsworth. 

There always has to be one doesn't there 

It works fine as long as the value is €150 or less.

Over that & you get charged the VAT again even though you have already paid it.

However Hattons are very quick to refund the Vat you paid them.

 what delivery option have you been using, I only ever had this using anpost

Chris

[Billycan]

1 hour ago, amdaley said:

Bloody jobsworth. 

There always has to be one doesn't there 

Don't understand that.

1 hour ago, amdaley said:

It works fine as long as the value is €150 or less.

Over that & you get charged the VAT again even though you have already paid it.

However Hattons are very quick to refund the Vat you paid them.

So, given that orders for the Genesis coaches + lighting will easily exceed this €150 that seems to mean there will be hassle with the VAT?

[Broithe]

1 minute ago, Billycan said:

Don't understand that.

The package was accepted at the Post Office as being 250g, but reweighed when subsequently arriving at 'Royal' Mail and declared to be 2g overweight, resulting in the recipient being surcharged for the delivery.

[Billycan]

47 minutes ago, Broithe said:

The package was accepted at the Post Office as being 250g, but reweighed when subsequently arriving at 'Royal' Mail and declared to be 2g overweight, resulting in the recipient being surcharged for the delivery.

Understand that alright.

And what does this mean?

There always has to be one doesn't there?

 

 

[Broithe]

1 hour ago, Billycan said:

Understand that alright.

And what does this mean?

There always has to be one doesn't there?

I'll leave that for the poster.

[PJR]

I have to say that Hatton where very good and fast refunding the 48 uk pounds to my account once the goods had been returned to them . I quote Hattons :I am sorry to hear of the issues you have experienced with your parcel from order 000000. Unfortunately, we are aware that there are some issues with the customs declarations we are sending to Ireland, however, are working on a resolution for this with our shipping department here at Hattons and can only apologise profusely for the inconvenience caused by this.

 

I have made a note on your order that you wish for this order to be fully refunded once back with us, and have arranged this with our Returns Department. As soon as this package is back with us, this will be actioned and a full refund will be made back to your PayPal account. Unfortunately, there are no timescales for exactly when this parcel may arrive back with us, and there is little we can do to hurry these up with Royal Mail - they do have to go back through UK customs to reach us and this can sometimes take a while. Rest assured we will be refunding this order as soon as it has been received and honour your wishes. All the very best in the meantime Paddy.

[amdaley]

21 hours ago, Chris Morris said:

 what delivery option have you been using, I only ever had this using anpost

Chris

I used DHL for one order & it cost £17.

However the DHL price has now gone up to £23 

I normally just use Royal Mail signed for & when I get charged the Vat again by AnPost Hattons refund it straight away.

[Chris Morris]

17 minutes ago, amdaley said:

I used DHL for one order & it cost £17.

However the DHL price has now gone up to £23 

I normally just use Royal Mail signed for & when I get charged the Vat again by AnPost Hattons refund it straight away.

I normally save up 6 months of purchases in the trunk so DHL is probably a better deal for me

[murphaph]

Just for comparison, the German post/customs messes this stuff up with alarming regularity too. My two most recent cases, both from this year:

1) Gift parcel from outside the EU VAT area but declared under €45 value stopped and VAT + €6 handling charge applied anyway. Appeal in progress.

2) Printed book from UK assigned the HS code for foolscap and taxed at 19% VAT. Books are subject to 7% VAT. €6 handling charge also applied of course. This appeal has been won and because the VAT collected should have been below €5, the entire amount will be refunded as VAT amounts below €5 are not collected. The refund will issue in a few weeks for some reason. I think it's because DHL hasn't actually forwarded the VAT to customs yet. This means the €6 handling charge can also be reclaimed and DHL has already accepted that and will issue a refund shortly.

These aren't the first gifts or books to be taxed incorrectly. It's an ongoing problem.

[Sean]

I think the issue is more so that loads of us have been getting stuff off hattons problem free for ages because they had everything set up properly for EU trade and now all of a sudden it seems like ALL of their stuff is being returned from Ireland and leaving customers stuck in limbo for a month or more.

the other channels they are using to send stuff to Ireland are all working fine albeit at a much higher cost.

Surely all of this back and forth of packages is causing a lot of extra work and expense for RM anpost and Both sets of customs as well as hattons themselves, and theres absolutely no warning for the buyers until they find out their package has been rejected and may well spend the next month sitting around doing nothing.

[amdaley]

2 hours ago, Chris Morris said:

I normally save up 6 months of purchases in the trunk so DHL is probably a better deal for me

How does the Vat work with DHL as its a while since I used DHL & can't remember the arrangement the last time I used them ?