EU custom tax

So I was about to buy that cool figure from Onesixthkit, and then I realized that I would probably have to pay some hidden extras:
- VAT tax
- Custom tax

I live in the EU, France. If you live in the EU and have already bought from a chinese retailer, I am interested to hear about your experience with those taxes. What amount / percentage do I have to expect for a boxed 1/6 figure ?

Thank you very much for attention.

EDIT: talked with someone at OSK. They say there will be no tax on my side. I'm doubtful.

I'm in the EU (Netherlands). I haven't ordered from onesixthkit, but have ordered from Gianttoy and some Japanese webshops (Hobbysearch, Amiami, Goodsmile and Solaris Japan). With some webshops you pay VAT and customs at the shop, this is the case with Gianttoy and Hobbysearch. In that case it's easy and there are no added costs after the checkout in the webshop.

With the others (Amiami, Goodsmile and Solaris Japan) I had to pay VAT when the package entered the country. If I didn't pay it, the package would get sent back. It's handled by the shipping company. I got an email or a textmessage that the package is at customs and I needed to pay within two weeks, or it gets sent back. Usually there was a link in the mail or message to a payment service (in the Netherlands usually with Ideal). Whenever you get such a mail or message, always check if the amount is what you expect and the shipping company is legit! There are scammers sending similar mails and messages to random people (I usually check the track and trace number on the website of the shipping company, there will also be information about the package and the payment).

Up to €150 you only pay VAT, above that also customs. I'm not sure what that rate is, it might even be that toys are free of customs, I'm not entirely sure. The shipping company usually also charges a handling fee. For instance DHL charge more than Postnl. I prefer to shop at a webshop that handles the VAT and taxes.

Be aware that you also pay VAT and customs over shippingcosts. So if you order for €130, and shipping is €30, you're above €150 and will also have to pay customs.

You can be fairly sure your package will not slip unnoticed through customs and you will need to pay VAT.

I hope this helps.

Urushi wrote:
EDIT: talked with someone at OSK. They say there will be no tax on my side. I'm doubtful.

I didn't see the edit before I posted. The Onesixthkit website says:

We are not responsible for any customs or import duties for destination countries. Please check with your country’s custom & import policy for any extra charges.

We are able to declare lower item value on the shipping label to aviod/lower down extra charges for you, please contact us before you place order if you need assistance.

https://onesixthkit.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=3

I guess the one you talked to should read their own website.

The VAT-rate is whatever it is in France. Customs tax I'm not sure of.
So you should take the VAT-rate in account, then somewhere between €8-€15 administrationcosts by the shipping company.

As I mentioned I'm not sure if custom taxes are added. Last week a figure was delivered from Hobbysearch. Shipping was much more expensive than I thought, which meant it went over the €150 threshold. Figure 19,000 Yen, Shipping 7750 Yen, taxes 5660Yen. Which means I only paid the 21% (dutch) VAT. So apparantly no customs tax.

TravelGuide wrote: I guess the one you talked to should read their own website.

I do think so. I read them too.

What also makes me suspicious is that I tried another order from a chinese seller on ebay that looked legit. The shipping from China was already 80€, and then the custom tax is calculated at checkout and it's another 100€ coming from nowhere that's added !

Anyway your informations are precious. VAT is 20% in France, and you confirm that I do have to take it into account when ordering from asian retailers. What bugs me is the custom tax, as there's no way I can calculate it, even roughly. The fig I wanted to order was above the 150$ limit you mentioned.

Thank you very much for taking the time to elaborate.

im not sure how he does it OSK does get packages through without any stoppages or extra money to pay, i think you pay slightly more for him to take care of it for you?
i live in the the UK and they usually love to rip you off any chance they get as i pay quite a lot for a LOT of packages i receive through work, but have never through OSK.
hope this helps some?

I’m also in the UK and never had issues with OSK, everything arrived fast with no extra charges.

skywalkersaga wrote:I’m also in the UK and never had issues with OSK, everything arrived fast with no extra charges.

Indeed. I said it somewhere else, but I should update here too. I received my order only one week after the purchase, which really impressed me. And I didn't have to pay anything more than the price of the actual figure, no shipping, no tax. I'll definitely buy more from them.

To find out the taxes, you have a free French customs number and they will explain everything you will have to pay.
The number is 0800 94 40 40.
They give general information. They will tell you that it is for professionals, but it also works if you are an individual. I have already called them several times.


For example, if you buy in China, you have TVA (20%) and import taxes depending on the product.
But if you buy on Ali Express, TVA is already included and you pay import taxes from 150 € of purchase, shipping included.

You have to be careful, I wanted to buy an item in the United States of America and I had with TVA, customs and handling fees, almost 50% more.
So I preferred not to buy it, because it was really too expensive.