If this is the future, my hobby ends here. :(

[Model Builder 4]

Purchases from Aliexpress are the same here in the UK at the minute as well, you pay a little extra at the checkout stage and that's it, no problems or charges with customs or the postal service then

Cheers,Lee.

[Rad_Schuhart]

So far it seems the only country doing the wrong things is Austria...

[Tiger6]

Does this mean that the UK government are getting the vat?

Yes, that is the only thing that has changed - unless your order is more than the minimum threshold for import duty (£135 I think?) in which case the VAT and import duty get assessed at the border, and you get stiffed by the post office or whoever for handling fees for collecting that tax on top of everything else.

[General Jumbo01]

It arrived UPS two minutes ago with no charges or delay so that worked okay.

[MikeHamilton]

Raising my head momentarily above the parapet. I will say that if you think modelling 1:16 scale tanks is expensive, then try modelling an N Gauge model railway layouts (1:148 scale). The prices are horrendously obscene.
I think it’s down to niche markets? If everyone was modelling RC tanks or N Gauge then the prices would tumble. Compounded with a fairly limited number of manufacturers who can charge essentially what they can get and are fully savvy that people will pay.

[General Jumbo01]

The model railway scene, any scale, is going through a crisis at the moment. Prices have doubled over the past few years yet there's been no advancement in technology since the adoption of Digital Control some years ago. The chipping of a loco is now very affordable but the purchase cost of a loco (or any aspect of the hobby) is now plain stupid. Hornby blame Bachman who blame Hattons etc etc but the truth is they've all just lost the plot. I retired my interest due to costs and l really can't see how the spiral can be stopped. Good 'ol RC tanks!

[NAB]

Does this mean that the UK government are getting the vat?

Yes, that is the only thing that has changed - unless your order is more than the minimum threshold for import duty (£135 I think?) in which case the VAT and import duty get assessed at the border, and you get stiffed by the post office or whoever for handling fees for collecting that tax on top of everything else.

I find it random. I think only twice I've had to collect from the post office and pay import fees.

Sent from my KB2003 using Tapatalk

[jarndice]

Raising my head momentarily above the parapet. I will say that if you think modelling 1:16 scale tanks is expensive, then try modelling an N Gauge model railway layouts (1:148 scale). The prices are horrendously obscene.
I think it’s down to niche markets? If everyone was modelling RC tanks or N Gauge then the prices would tumble. Compounded with a fairly limited number of manufacturers who can charge essentially what they can get and are fully savvy that people will pay.

A Pharmaceutical company was issued with a multi thousand £££ fine by the British regulator today because over a five year period they raised the price of a particular drug over 6,000% to the NHS purely because it was the only source,
The drug was no longer under licence but it was not easy to make so this company made it a practice to make hard to make drugs and make a very fat profit BUT 6,000% is more than a rip off it is theft.

[Tiger6]

A Pharmaceutical company was issued with a multi thousand £££ fine by the British regulator today because over a five year period they raised the price of a particular drug over 6,000% to the NHS purely because it was the only source,
The drug was no longer under licence but it was not easy to make so this company made it a practice to make hard to make drugs and make a very fat profit BUT 6,000% is more than a rip off it is theft.

Overriding the free market to regulate the cost of drugs for a Nationalised Health Service?! What kind of Communism is this?!?!?

[RenoirLV]

So far it seems the only country doing the wrong things is Austria...

I had a small package for which I had not paid vat at checkout. It came with a link from our customs office. So I could use their clearing service which cost me 0.88€ plus VAT 21% on the goods. I paid about 1.5€ for the package that was sent before they introduced VAT charge on AliExpress. It was a 2€ shipment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk