VAT for american customer?

[mrgazer]

Hi all

I am a UK vat registered business, if I receive an order from an american customer, but he uses a parcel forwarding service in the UK. Ie. I send the order to this ABC parcel forwarding company directly, they then forward it to the customer in USA.

Do I charge VAT on this order or not?

Thank you

 

[kulture]

What guarantees do you have that the shipment will actually leave the UK?

When I give a parcel to FedEx it goes to a UK hub and then gets sent to the USA. I don’t charge VAT on such a parcel.

if you can prove that this is just a slow delivery service and the contents are not opened until it reaches the USA then I don’t see that you would need to charge VAT

 

[mrgazer]

What guarantees do you have that the shipment will actually leave the UK?

When I give a parcel to FedEx it goes to a UK hub and then gets sent to the USA. I don’t charge VAT on such a parcel.

if you can prove that this is just a slow delivery service and the contents are not opened until it reaches the USA then I don’t see that you would need to charge VAT

Many thanks that makes perfect sense!

 

[Paul Norman]

I would not charge VAT on this order.

These services are effectively cut price posting services. There is, I guess, a slight risk that the parcel never arrives with the customer. In practice, a small number of customers over the years have used this kind of thing, and I have never had a problem.

 

[mrgazer]

I would not charge VAT on this order.

These services are effectively cut price posting services. There is, I guess, a slight risk that the parcel never arrives with the customer. In practice, a small number of customers over the years have used this kind of thing, and I have never had a problem.

many thanks