Here is some information and a few suggestions. If you have experienced problems yourself, please let us know and if you were able to resolve them, how you were successful.
Note: in general, none of these changes apply to Northern Ireland because of the (current) Northern Ireland Protocol
Customs Duties
Make sure all the necessary customs documentation is completed before the parcel is sent. Most online stores should do this automatically for you.
UK to France
For small items (less than €45 in value), no duty or VAT should be liable. While your postman may ask for payment before you can receive your parcel, you should ask for an invoice (facture) detailing the nature of the charge and of course a receipt for payment - this will help you make a claim for a refund if necessary.
- see the government site (in French)
- see the La Poste site (in French).
- for the sender: Post Office Customs Forms
France to UK
You should not have to pay anything for gifts less than £39 or other goods less than £135. Your UK postman or courier should provide a bill stating exactly which fees you need to pay; you will sometimes receive an invoice by post before a delivery is even attempted.
- see the UK gov page Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad
- for the sender: La Poste Customs Declaration online
If you believe you have been charged in error, there are various processes to go through but make sure you have the necessary documentation detailing the nature of your charge and a receipt for payment.
Also, be aware that carriers may legitimately charge Customs Fees. These are fees associated with customs clearance operations and have no connection with customs services or duty. In general these should only be applied to higher value items or items which pass through customs clearance.
Workarounds
There are ways to avoid all these customs pitfalls, buy goods online in the country where your recipient lives.
- Amazon: use the site appropriate to where your recipient lives: for example UK amazon.co.uk, France amazon.fr, USA amazon.com. You can use your existing account regardless of where you created it or where your home address is. You may need to add a new delivery address. If you have Amazon Prime, free delivery only applies in the country of your Prime account.
- Other sites: Many online retailers have different EU and UK stores, make sure you use the appropriate one. If they only have one site, double check they do support international deliveries - some companies have just given up selling and shipping internationally. If you suspect the post office may charge you duty, make sure you know how to deal with the postman when the delivery is made.
- Payments: If you have multiple credit cards in different currencies, use the most appropriate one to avoid currency exchange charges.
Advantages
There are some benefits from the new customs status though
- you may now be entitled to duty free purchases when traveling between the EU and the UK. Of course, that doesn't mean prices are automatically cheaper!
- you may be able to claim back any VAT you have paid for purchases while you have been "abroad" i.e. UK visitors to the EU or EU visitors to the UK
