Do you have to pay import VAT/duties for Mouser/Digikey in Europe? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ironcurtain
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 07:14:14 am
content: I have a fairly large order right around the corner and I'm debating whether I use Mouser or Digikey. I live in Europe right now and I want to know if both charge VAT/import duties, or they use shipping hubs located within the EU. A friend told me Mouser ships from inside the EU. Is that the case?Thanks!

author: jc101
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 07:55:54 am
content: I know about deliveries to the UK, as I have ordered lots from both recently.Mouser, no VAT added once I gave them my VAT number, they pay all import duties etc. if you go with their normal courierDigikey, add the VAT (which I claim back as normal), they pay all import duties etc. if you go with their normal courierEverything from both ships from the USA, recent orders have come direct to the UK but previously they have landed goods in France for EU clearance before they arrived.Goods generally arrived 2-3 days from date of order. All invoices have been in GBP.I now treat RS, Farnell, Rapid, DigiKey, and Mouser as equal in terms of sources for various bits. Some things a much cheaper with one over another, and between them they pretty much carry everything I could want.

author: eliocor
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 09:14:11 am
content: Never used Mouser.In Italy, on orders from Digikey you have to consider you must pay also for:- importing duties/taxes- VAT- customs handling feesthe carrier (UPS/FedExp/...) will collect the requested money.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 09:22:40 am
content: Quote from: jc101 on June 08, 2015, 07:55:54 amAll my mouser orders have come from Hong Kong.Didn't know they had other distribution centers

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 09:32:41 am
content: After you've received the shipment.You will receive an invoice for vat + import duty if applicable + administrations fee, from your friends at UPS.They can also demand payment, in cash, at the door.

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 11:04:21 am
content: UPS would be taking it home with them then in my case, I thought in europe there was a common market and the Euro is meant to be , or rather was intended to be a single currency with a 1:1 rate. As dave said earlier everytime he does a review, the price of that item on ebay etc goes up, and I noticed that the miniprog A versus CS price went up as soon as someone on here mentioned the differences, now the CS is as expensive as the A version.Ebay UK is a joke to me, I was searching for a Keithley or HP Bench meter , I found a number in the USA for around £50+pp but in the UK those same things were going for say £400. I mentioned a particular french Sig gen ELC for £139, as soon as it was on here the seller then shot the price to about £199, I left it there. God knows what the VAT etc would be on that as well. The chinese have got very savvy on imports now, £8 from China, same item in the UK already is £30 and they know no one really wants to wait for it to get here or get caught for import tax etc so you buy it here. the list of problems is endless, to me anyway.I watched Dave do a search for oscilloscopes on the blog a while back, I looked for some of his search terms on the UK site and couldn't find them, it annoyed me that Ebay would do that from country to country.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 11:31:12 am
content: Quote from: Jeroen3 on June 08, 2015, 09:32:41 amThat's no longer the case for Digikey in the UK, hasn't been for a couple of years - it's all prepaid. Other countries may vary

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 11:43:30 am
content: In my case the initial invoice was business (cc payment), delivered at individual residential address, but the tax invoice was addressed for the individual.You should just try it, and see what happens. They're not going to swat your house, right?You can also call them. They have local offices.

author: ciccio
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 11:52:38 am
content: No recent experience with Digikey.Years ago I had to pay the courier for custom duties.When I order from Mouser I receive what they label a receipt, but in fact is an invoice issued from a Company in France, whit a French VAT number.So I do not pay VAT (I'm importing the goods), but I'm obliged to pay my accountant for filing what in Italy is called INTRASTAT, that is something like a declaration of import from a country inside EU, in a VAT exemption regime.This is valid for Companies subject to VAT.An individual has to pay VAT in the Country of origin, so I think he has to pay VAT in France (not sure, I've never done).Best regards

author: Kibi
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 03:34:14 pm
content: Both Mouser and Digikey employ pre paid VAT systems on orders to the UK, or that is what I have experienced.I once had a bit of grief from Digikey when ordering a gyro. Their sales person and I exchanged a few emails and once they had established that I was not going to build an ICBM they processed my order.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 04:49:17 pm
content: Couple of months ago I ordered some stuff from Mouser.The order was apparently handled by the Swedish office. I paid in Euro and the receipt included VAT (also the correct one applied for these kind of items here in Finland).However the order was actually delivered from USA (Mansfield, Texas) via FedEx. I did not have to pay extra separately for customs duties, etc.

author: bson
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 07:06:40 pm
content: When I sell something on eBay I never ship internationally. Apart from the extra paperwork the VAT means it's difficult to simply return for a refund if it should be DOA. The buyer would very likely, and reasonably, expect me to reimburse them for the VAT they had to pay. I don't have any interest in doing this, so won't ship internationally.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2015, 07:18:08 pm
content: Quote from: bson on June 08, 2015, 07:06:40 pmIt would not be reasonable to expect an international seller to refund VAT - in principle they ought to be able to recover this at their end but not sure how they'd go about it.Surely an option would be to simply say that no refunds are offered on international sales.

author: ironcurtain
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2015, 05:37:11 pm
content: I have read through the thread and I'm now confused. Can we come up with an agreement about who charges VAT/makes the process easy *NOW* versus those who don't or such? Perhaps we should limit experiences to within the last 12 months.I have put my VAT number in my Mouser account. What I don't want to deal with is the criminal "extra fee" that the private courier slaps unto your final price, which is 100% unrelated to import duties, state taxes, etc. The mob-like "admin fees" they add for doing "paperwork" (which amounts up to filing 4-5 fields in an online form!).

author: jc101
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2015, 05:45:13 pm
content: Quote from: ironcurtain on June 17, 2015, 05:37:11 pmTo update my previous post;Last order date, May & June 2015, delivery to the UK.Mouserno VAT added once I gave them my VAT numberno additional import duty/tax chargedno additional courier handling feescourier: FedEx (default offered)Digikeyadded VAT at time of order, just like a UK supplierno additional import duty/tax chargedno additional courier handling feescourier: UPS (default offered)

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2015, 06:22:22 pm
content: QuoteThat's odd - they still have a US address on the invoice, not an EU one.So how is VAT getting paid on the import?

author: jc101
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2015, 06:27:08 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on June 17, 2015, 06:22:22 pmThey 'land' the goods via France - although often not physically. The VAT number on the Mouser invoice is French, and at the very bottom of the invoice is...French Fiscal Representative: Fiscal Solutions S.A.R.L, 23 Rue du Clos d'Orléans, Fontenay-sous-Bois, 94 120, FR...so it does get sorted out, somehow.

author: elektronchika
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2016, 09:40:13 pm
content: Hello,I want to order some stuff from Digikey as a private person for my hobby. I live in Austria, Europe and I'm also interested how things are working. If I understood correctly, when I place the order, I pay for example with VISA card. Then, when the package is delivered, I can pay directly to the courier (UPS as a standard) the VAT and duty taxed, fees. Has someone done this before as a private person? Thank you!Best regards,Lazar

author: TheAmmoniacal
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 17, 2016, 10:04:08 pm
content: What surprises me is how happy a lot of people appear to be with couriers like FedEx, DHL, UPS, TNT etc. I've had to stop buying from the major distributors because these couriers have fucked me over for years, and I'm sick of it. They've never been able to do a VAT calculations correctly, their basic handling fee is more than twice that of the national postal service, they get the tax laws wrong, they even get currencies wrong. They invent a new fee every other month, they only deliver during work hours, they deliver packages I am not allowed to open (not been customs cleared, and not giving me any means to know when it has), and they are impossible to reason with when they do mistakes. Countless times I've had their invoice sent to me /on the due date/, I've even had my package delivered to another person! (thankfully the seller sent a replacement)I've yet to receive a hassle-free delivery from any of the couriers mentioned above. Am I just very unlucky?

author: bingo600
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2016, 10:04:41 am
content: I recently received a HP 53321A Freq. Counter from Canada , via UPS. As a private person.It went quite painless.I had to pay 120 dkk in VAT handling fee (that would be 160 dkk , if handled va DK-Mail)The VAT & TAX seemed to be correct calculated, and i got an invoice (meaning no payment @the door)The only "Stupid thing" was that i received the UPS Invoice on the 9'th , with a "last paydate on the 8'th"I payed the 9'th, and haven't heard/received any complaints .... yet/Bingo

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2016, 11:59:59 am
content: Quote from: bingo600 on June 18, 2016, 10:04:41 amThis happened to me too. I ordered DigiKey stuff and received the VAT invoice later. But it was already past due when it arrived.A Dutch sales representative eventually called me to ask who they had sold to.

author: neslekkim
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 08:24:00 am
content: Quote from: TheAmmoniacal on June 17, 2016, 10:04:08 pmSimilar here, they even guesse shippingcost of some deliveries that was noted as shippingcost 0, so I got huge vat+handlingfee bills.. took some months to fix that up.this is one of my cases:http://www.dinside.no/933958/tollvesenet-vi-belastes-av-klager-paa-350-kronersgrensa

author: l0wside
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2016, 01:05:11 pm
content: Experiences from Germany (w/o VAT number):- Mouser: have a Munich office, charge net amount + VAT, deliver from Mansfield TX by FedEx, no extra charges.- Farnell: Intra-EU shipping from Belgium or GB, no extra charges- Digikey: no recent experience. Had some major hassle about import duties on a Digikey order a few years back, in the end the VAT somehow got paid twice.- Shipments from China by normal mail: either slip through customs, or customs summon me to their office.- Shipments from China by FexEx, DHL and the like: DHL requires payment on the spot, FedEx sends an invoice. Both have handling fees in the 10..20 EUR range.Max

author: Neganur
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2016, 08:37:56 pm
content: Digikey to Finland as individual (non-company) is delivered by UPS express. You will receive an invoice for the VAT a week later or so from them (=UPS).I'll have to pull out an old invoice to check if there was anything that has customs on it but I think the usual components etc don't.Mouser, you can choose to pay VAT in advance. Dark memories about something related to which courier you choose during checkout (FedEx...?)EDIT: just checked an old DigiKey invoice. All items are listed with TARIC number (HTSUS number) e.g. 8533.21.0030 for a resistor, and it has 0% 3rd country dutyhttp://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/measures.jsp?Lang=en&SimDate=20160623&Area=US&Taric=8533210000&LangDescr=en

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2016, 08:40:22 pm
content: Quote from: elektronchika on June 17, 2016, 09:40:13 pmIt depends very much where you live.I have used Digikey years ago from Denmark (2008-ish) and had no issues. They have even sent me a free paper catalogue - an enormous volume that weighs a few kilos. Must have cost a fortune.Then I have moved to France and here items arrive by UPS (or Fedex, not sure anymore) and you have to pay the VAT on the spot to the driver. Then a week or so later you get a bill for the UPS handling fees because they handled customs/import paperwork for you, even if no customs fees are actually due. AFAIK, Digikey doesn't have EU depots, everything is coming from the US, so that's why all the extra fees and papework.And that assumes you actually manage to place the order in the first place - the last time I tried I had my credit card refused because Digikey was unable to process the "Verified by Visa" system (where you get a code by SMS and have to enter it into the form), but they "helpfully" offered to process my card over phone for $20 fee ... They have also demanded several pages of US export forms - for a few PICs. So I have cancelled the order with a corresponding commentary to the customer rep I was talking to and I am not bothering with Digikey anymore. The online prices are better than Farnell/RS or Mouser, but once you add the VAT and the courier fees it stops being so good.For the other distributors - I always pay VAT as a private person, because they ship from EU depots. Which also means no customs or import issues.RS is the cheapest here in France, I am living about an hour from their depot in Beauvais, so I get the items in a day or two by TNT. The only issue is that they insist on sending every chip packed separately and ideally in a separate package too. The last time I had the poor delivery chap come to the office twice on the same day with their packages - from the same order. And one was still missing and arrived the day after! Really the pinnacle of effectiveness. I assume they are doing it because they have several depots both in France and in UK and possibly not all items are arriving from the same one.Farnell is OK too, they ship using courier as well (don't remember which one now). Mouser is the same as Farnell in this regard. Just with these two you have to be very careful to check the box that you don't want to have the US stock displayed. Otherwise you could get a nasty surprise in the excessive shipping fee and the extra customs handling fees.

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2016, 08:48:42 pm
content: Quote from: ironcurtain on June 08, 2015, 07:14:14 ammouser does NOT ship from the EU, and you pay import taxes in advance, thats why the INCOTERM is DDP, and thats why they have people working for them in every eu country, to pay the taxes for youTo me thats a great advantage, no ripoff from ups or fedex in the import fees...

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2016, 11:45:41 am
content: Both mouser and digikey have Chinese operations, and several aliexpress sellers sell goods from both

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2016, 02:24:38 pm
content: Quote from: MasterTech on June 24, 2016, 08:48:42 pmI don't know how they are handling customs - maybe they are bringing the stuff from the US in bulk instead pushing every individual order through customs (like Digikey does) and letting the shipping company/end user deal with it.I didn't have to pay customs/import fees on Mouser orders, but as a private customer you still have to pay VAT, of course.

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2016, 04:44:40 pm
content: Quote from: janoc on August 03, 2016, 02:24:38 pmcustom/import fees are the taxes (vat) you have to pay, and that you actually pay to your goverment indirectly through mouser. They have an agreement in which theyll automatically pay for each package that arrives in your country from the US.