[rallport]

Quick question, say I'm an online shop based in the UK and sell and item to a country outside the EU, do I need to include or exclude VAT?

[zed]

http://www.hmrc.gov....ional/index.htm

I called HMRC in the end to get a definitive answer as it can depend on a whole variety of factors.

[pandadoodle]

Depends where its going you have to get a form (cant remember what its called) and sell the item EX VAT then you claim that back on your vat return.

The biggest factor is if its a sale (single item) or your exporting (more than 1 i.e 10+)

Been ages since I done it but as Zed mentioned HMRC are the ones to call.

This post has been edited by pandadoodle: 22 September 2011 - 06:30 PM

[necrobyter]

The simple rule of thumb is that if it's in the EU vat applies, if not it does not.

However you will be entering a mine field of customs and excise duty for non-VAT countries.

I'll give you an example, I recently ordered some wedding favours for my up coming wedding, they were exported from China and arrived via UPS.

However when they arrived I had to pay import duty because it's out of the EU, this made them much more expensive then they should have been.

The best thing you can do, is use software and scripts that are aware of the issues with shipping world wide, however if you really have to do it yourself, get in touch with your local HMRC... I've always found the hold times reasonable and the people really helpful.