Anyone shit hot on import duty from UK to Ireland?

[Blindduty]

Have spent the evening looking up the rules but I'm still confused, so if anyone runs a business that experts to Ireland or is in Ireland who understands import duty, then pleeeease help!

I'm in Ireland. Ordered some curtains from what I thought was an Irish website (think curtains.ie). They have a .ie email address and an Irish phone number and the headline on the website is e.g. 'Curtains Ireland'. Turns out, they're a UK (England based) company and this 'Irish' website is just what comes up when you search from Ireland.

I've now got an import bill of €65 from DHL to pay before they'll deliver. From what I can find out, I have to pay the VAT part of the fee, but there shouldn't be customs duty to pay because the goods were manufactured in the UK (the fee does include customs duty though). Is that right? But also, should the company have charged me UK VAT too? (They have).

I'm pissed off because we're on a really tight budget due to loss of earnings right now and €65 is a lot to us. It's a new house and has no curtains so not like we are redecorating. I'm pissed off with myself because I thought I'd really researched and found the very best deal and can't believe I missed that they were UK based. I'm pissed off that what turns out to be a large company has nothing on their 'Irish' website about import duty at all - no where in their t&cs, or their delivery details. I'm pissed of at DHL that within that €65 is their €15 admin fee for the privilege of taking my money.

I'll contact the company tomorrow, but just wanted to know if anyone understands the fees better so I know what I'm talking about. I'll ask them if they should have charged me VAT. I also presume it is DHL I need to contact about the customs duty that I think shouldn't have been charged, but I doubt I'll get far with them.

Anyone?

You wont get anywhere with DHL they slap big handling fees on too. If you don't pay then DHL will return to the company and they can refund you minus the carriage. Really naughty of them to make out they were in Ireland. Curtains weren't custom made were they?

Our UK company website has a big disclaimer to inform anyone outside the UK that they might incur customs fees.

www.haysmacintyre.com/blog/uk-businesses-selling-goods-to-eu-consumers-following-brexit

This is helpful - in short it’s probably right you’ve been charged VAT, and it’s not just brexit related, the rules are changing throughout the Eu this year.

To flag, it’s the way it’s been held out for sale that annoying, but you typically always pay VAT on goods. Normally they show the price VAT inclusive (so you just pay the price on the website). By making you pay it on top, they making a cheeky mark up.

Customs may or may not be due - it’s a complex area but if the goods originated in the U.K. potentially no customs.

You shouldn't have to pay customs duty, but they might be charging you the customs fee - the cost to a business of putting the paperwork through.