Please note that we are not based in the UK and your order will be dispatched from Germany.
The following is information for UK based customers (currently excluding NI). How VAT on your order is handled:
New rules from 1st Jan 2021 mean that any order up to £135 will have VAT applied at source, in other words, we will charge the VAT. You will pay for your order including VAT as you would from a UK based company.
If your order is above £135 it will be treated like any other 3rd country import and will be dispatched by us nett of VAT (i.e. without VAT). You will have to pay the VAT through the courier company before you receive your order.
Although this simply means you pay the VAT one way or another, please note that the courier will add their "brokerage" charge for processing an order over £135 and paying the VAT on your behalf. (This is poor practice from the courier companies, who should charge one price and not add a hidden charge to the recipient, but all courier companies operate this way.)
Please note that our system cannot differentiate between orders that should and should not be charged VAT. For orders over £135 your order will be charged VAT at the check out and we will refund the VAT to you when we process your order.
Please also note that the prices shown on the website include VAT and will only show UK VAT if you are signed in with a UK address or choose "GB" from the country menu.
Customs Tariffs / Charges
Customs Tariffs are due on any orders over £135. As the importer of goods, you are responsible for paying duties, which will be collected by the courier before you receive your delivery.
Please note that there is currently an anti-dumping tariff on porcelain products made in China which will add as much as 44% in total to the value of the item. Otherwise tariff charges usually range from around 8% to 12%. Please check the individual product description to see whether an item is made in China. We will inform you prior to processing your order if you have ordered porcelain made in China.
Unfortunately courier companies also add charges for collecting and processing these tariffs, which will also have to be paid by you before you receive your order. These charges lack transparency and we are unable to advise exactly what they will be in advance, although it is usually only a small percentage of the tariff charges.
Please note that refusing to pay these charges, even if they have been incorrectly made, will result in the parcel being returned to us. The courier will not re-issue a corrected invoice, as they have already paid the charges to HMRC. They will simply return the parcel to us at our cost. Please understand that we cannot absorb these costs and continue to send out the same parcel in the hope that it is processed correctly. The only way to receive your order is to pay the incorrect charges and claim back. We may charge an administration fee if a delivery is refused by you.
The government online form to claim back incorrect charges is here:
Royal Mail or Parcelforce: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-customs-dutyimport-vat-relating-to-imports-by-post-bor286
Other courier: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-apply-for-a-repayment-of-import-duty-and-vat-if-youve-overpaid-c285
The government website page explaining VAT and customs charges on imports is here:
https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty
The government website page listing the different custom tariff charges is here:
https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/find_commodity