New customs rules in the UK have made life difficult for some people - I've been trying to work out how they affect my use of JLCPCB/LCSC, so some of the following may be incorrect, but it's a clear as I can work it out.
Previously, any items worth less than £15 weren't charged sales tax on import. This has now changed, and all imports will be charged UK VAT (+20%). Annoyingly, this needs to be paid at point of sale - The merchant needs to be registered with the UK HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs). For instance, AliExpress are registered, and now add a 20% surcharge to orders shipped to the UK. The package needs to be shipped with the UK VAT Registration number on the packaging.
It's currently unclear what happens if incoming parcels have a customs declaration but no VAT registration number. The best reference I can find says parcels will be returned to their sender. The UK Royal Mail used to collect the customs and VAT charges for incoming parcels (for a surcharge), but that's apparently not happening any more.
I don't really want to place an order using regular airmail delivery at the moment, as I have no confidence it will actually arrive. The only option which seems to take care of this is the DHL pre-paid option, which often costs 2-3 times as much as my whole order - I don't mind paying the VAT, but adding £30+ to any order will effectively kill my hobbyist usage of your services.
I know that the situation is difficult, and the explanation above may not be clear. Please let me know if you have any questions, and I'll do my best to find the answers.
So - Are you folks currently VAT registered, or do you have any plans for this in the future?
Thanks,
Pete
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