Tax and VAT on coin swaps?

Inside Euroland we don't pay anything for an envelope containing coins.

I have paid tax / VAT on envelopes from

the UK (after the Brexit!),

Israel,

USA

without having been able to figure out on which value the French PO bases their calculations!

So I try to exchange inside Europe, since that's the cheapest way for me. 

I noticed that if I ship coins in regular envelopes from the USA to Europe, not in small packages, nobody pays any tax on them in Europe. And there are no declarations on the envelopes either.

Hello,

    in Italy we should pay nothing for values under 45 euros for letters sent from extra EU… in theory. In practice Poste Italiane do not care at all, and they charge 22% VAT on the declared value (+2 € of fixed amount). This is completely irregular according to the rules showed on their very site, but they behave like a bully and if you do not pay they won't give you the letter. This is why I advice to declare always a minimal value or better to send without custom declaration; the latter works when swapping not many coins, so that the weight is not excessive. 

Lately I've had some envelopes that got stopped in customs and I've had to pay a fee to redeem it. All cases has one common factor, people have written “COINS” on the custom declaration, even though I've asked them not to. I've even written a long pleading text on my profile of what to write.

fsbuccio

Hello,

    in Italy we should pay nothing for values under 45 euros for letters sent from extra EU… in theory. In practice Poste Italiane do not care at all, and they charge 22% VAT on the declared value (+2 € of fixed amount). This is completely irregular according to the rules showed on their very site, but they behave like a bully and if you do not pay they won't give you the letter. This is why I advice to declare always a minimal value or better to send without custom declaration; the latter works when swapping not many coins, so that they weight is not excessive. 

Not always. From brexit I swapped and I bought from UK. When I buy and the seller doesn't fill the custom declaration I pay always 15€ (declared value <45,00€). When the declaration is present I pay VAT + something else also for declared value <45,00€. For swaps declared as “gift” of low value I haven't paid until now. 

Anto coin

 

Not always. From brexit I swapped and I bought from UK. When I buy and the seller doesn't fill the custom declaration I pay always 15€ (declared value <45,00€). When the declaration is present I pay VAT + something else also for declared value <45,00€. For swaps declared as “gift” of low value I haven't paid until now. 

Right, but I guess you refer to purchases. When swapping between private collectors it is something different, especially if the letter is light and the content well disguised. Did it happen to you to pay 15€ when swapping with someone? I only once swapped with a collector from Canada, he applied stamps and the delivery was quick and smooth… but maybe I was lucky in that occasion. If anyone wants to tell his/her experience it's welcome, in order to understand if without declaration the risk is effective or not.

In Cyprus the rule is that if the declared value plus shipping is above 45 euro you pay taxes. (19% + 3.50 euro for custom services).

Once I had an exchange with Canada and because the shipping alone was 75 usd I had to pay another 20 euro for custom fees. 

Another time, a swap from Taiwan, the declared value was 10usd and the shipping cost 6usd but again I had to pay custom fees (around 5 euro so I didn't bother asking why).

I always complete the customs declaration form, because the post office employees of my neighborhood instinct that it is mandatory for all non letter mail even inside the EU, even though the official post office website states otherwise.

Also I declare my packages as “Hobby material”. If the declared package is label as “Coins” and it comes outside the EU, they may send the coins to the department of antiquities to check the coins. That happened to me 3 times, even for coins coming from Spain. In that case the package may take 2-3 months to arrive.

flomaster71

Also I declare my packages as “Hobby material”.

I always put “metal samples”, just in case they would note it's something metallic in the packages when scanning it.

I use “Hobby material”, but it's a long time ago I sent coins anywhere making a declaration…..