Customs tax

I would take a look at the seller’s T&Cs Doodledog .

Not sure what the seller can do - usually the buyer is responsible for paying the taxes for the goods to enter their country.
The seller can tell me if this is usual, so I know whether or not it is a scam.

Cold

Since Brexit you have to pay customs duties on anything you import from the EU and the EU countries have to pay duties on stuff they import from the UK.

Your purchase is usually held up until the amount is paid. Some companies arrange for the customs duty to be paid in advance when you purchase (M&S, Amazon etc) but probably not a small Etsy shop

I bought some fabric last year that was despatched from Germany - the enclosed paperwork, one sheet of A4 per cut length of cloth, stated that NO customs duty was payable. I did keep the paperwork as it included the cost off the fabric and I presented copies to my customers once their garments were ready for collection.

Doodledog

I'm not sure what to do. I will start by contacting the seller, and see what happens. I know a few companies have stopped trading in the UK since the Brexit rules came in (eg Yves Rocher), but others are up-front about taxes. I used to buy from Onling (a yarn shop in Denmark) and VIBAe (footwear in Finland), but their import charges are so high now that I have stopped doing so. The charge seems very high for a bag, unless it is based on the weight and size of the parcel.

Customs duty is based on the value of the item - plus there may be a customs handling charge.

Not sure what the seller can do - usually the buyer is responsible for paying the taxes for the goods to enter their country.

Hotter shoes have stopped selling to the EU but when they did I used to have to budget an extra £40 per pair of shoes.

Since Brexit you have to pay customs duties on anything you import from the EU and the EU countries have to pay duties on stuff they import from the UK.

Your purchase is usually held up until the amount is paid. Some companies arrange for the customs duty to be paid in advance when you purchase (M&S, Amazon etc) but probably not a small Etsy shop

keepingquiet

No- I don't buy stuff on-line. Fed ex is an American company.

Fed ex are world wide now keepingquiet
I’d still check it out Doodledogs most payments like this are required before or on delivery, no payment, no goods.

Claremont

Friend bought a made to measure wedding dress from Bulgaria. Got a not from Customs that she had to pay £350 import tax before it could be delivered. She has been in denial about the damage done by Brexit- but she phoned me to say she'd got the message now!

Yes, it's the retrospective nature of the charge that is so annoying. If they had stated in the listing that there would be a charge I could have decided whether or not to go ahead. There are plenty of bags in the world - I don't know that I'd have bought this one if I'd known.

I'm not sure what to do. I will start by contacting the seller, and see what happens. I know a few companies have stopped trading in the UK since the Brexit rules came in (eg Yves Rocher), but others are up-front about taxes. I used to buy from Onling (a yarn shop in Denmark) and VIBAe (footwear in Finland), but their import charges are so high now that I have stopped doing so. The charge seems very high for a bag, unless it is based on the weight and size of the parcel.

Friend bought a made to measure wedding dress from Bulgaria. Got a not from Customs that she had to pay £350 import tax before it could be delivered. She has been in denial about the damage done by Brexit- but she phoned me to say she'd got the message now!

No- I don't buy stuff on-line. Fed ex is an American company.

Well, I did wonder, but the details of the bag are with the letter, so how would a scammer know that?

I googled, and Fedex do charge customs tax. I agree that it seems more likely that the tax would be charged at the time, but this is not a situation I have been in before.

Has anyone on here had this happen?

Contact Fedex and ask for confirmation.

Sounds like a scam - they wouldn’t deliver the goods and ask for tax later.

I'd try contacting the seller on Etsy.
Ask if they were aware of the custom tax.
It is possible, as others have said, be a scam.

Sounds a bit suspicious to me.......I wouldn't be paying until I had done some more research.

Are you sure it's not a scam?