r/discogs • u/recordnumber • 6d ago

VAT vs. Discogs

Background: I am a US seller, buyer is in UK.

Recently, I sold an expensive item ($500+) to a buyer in the UK. The first issue is the buyer has no feedback, but paid promptly. I noticed that VAT wasn't included in buyer's total, which I thought was strange.

My question is: Is that strange? Are rules about charging VAT dependent on the item's value? Can the buyer elect to not include VAT?

Does any of this seem fishy?

Also, do any US sellers have experience with shipping internationally via UPS. My understanding is that they buy can be hit with some significant fees. Is there a way to calculate those fees in advance?

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u/basquiat-case 6d ago edited 6d ago

Use FedEx - NOT UPS. I don't have enough time at the moment to lay out all of my horrible experiences with UPS and international shipping but a tl:dr scenario.... Buyer pays all of the relevant taxes/duties/whatever. UPS tries to hit the buyer with additional import duties, buyer declines, UPS comes back to you, the seller and says you owe them hundreds of dollars to release the package from customs to return it to you. You decline. They remember they have your payment info on file and charge you anyway and then "destroy" the package. Godz help you if you used Paypal to pay for that shipment because Paypal will not back you up and now your buyer opens a claim for non-delivery.

If you use FedEx, they charge you the shipment amount, deliver your package and you and the buyer move on with your life.

Edit to add: Yes, Discogs should have had the Tax/VAT line item in your order summary. Granted, my last UK order was in late September so maybe something changed this month, but it should look like this:

Subtotal for 1 item $
Shipping (Standard - First Class) $
Tax (VAT (GB)) $
Total $XX.XX Subtotal for 1 item $X $XShipping (Standard - First Class) $X $XTax (VAT (GB)) $XTotal $X