Base.com

[malcy30]

Originally Posted by UnionJackMix

I know, except that as I wrote, in this case, there is no deduction or addition.

What is a vinly ? presume a typo.

Items like books aren't subject to VAT in UK so may appear on website differently.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Jezza

Playing Devil's Advocate here, Base are not a giant retailer like Amazon or even Zavvi, they're a small retailer that deal with a small, niche market for the UK, and the occasional international order.

This is the reality of the situation, I don't like it, but better to accept it than morn the lose of something you never 'should' have been able to buy in the first place.

I can imagine that the Dawn of the Dead sets put them over the export limit and they've decided that it not worth going into the bracket occupied by retailers like Amazon.

I can imagine Second Sight are concerned that they've lost a large portion of sales. A few thousand units is massive when you're in the £60-80 price bracket.

I get what you're saying, content is designed for different markets and not meant for export, but movie fans have been receiving content from around the world since the days of 16mm prints. They find a way.

[malcy30]

Is there any fact in all this discussion or only conjecture ?

If Second Sight are worried about sales from rival retailers why not delist them for all products as Indicator did recently with HMV.

I can’t see them being worried about sales by only Base into the US. Zavvi are still selling this worldwide and Sexond Sight don’t seem to have said they will refuse to supply the order from Diabolik. Unless they go through a wholesaler so not clear to Second Sight who ultimate seller is.

Surely the issue here is the massively increased prices for international mail because of COVID which have been implemented between pre-orders going up and today, with current prices mailing a big box to the US now costs a fortune plus they have had probably had many complaints about delayed and lost packages for earlier shipments. So why take the hassle of mailing outside Europe.

My challenge would be to Amazon. If they can ship other items to the US why not DOTD. Does it come down to size and weight again. That’s where someone like Zavvi have it sorted as I believe they so like WoWHD of shipping items in bulk on large pallets and you only split into individual customer packages once it’s made it across the Atlantic.

[chip75]

I don't think Second Sight would be worried about sales from Base going to the US, they'll lose money because those orders were cancelled. 1,000 copies is a huge chunk off their pre-orders.

Diabolik were allotted a very limited number. Whether this was through some stipulation by the rights holder*, I'm not sure. I'd guess they could state they can't sell direct, but they'd have no sway over over retailers (Second Sight would have to do that).

This may well be a postage/potential lost package issue (I think it's also Base creeping over their export limit that might be an issue), where they're worried that they won't be able to cover themselves if items go missing or are damaged (if 200 copies disappear they're out £15,000 if the sets are £75).

*If that's an issue we have to wonder why other retailers are allowed to export the set.

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by malcy30

I can’t see them being worried about sales by only Base into the US. Zavvi are still selling this worldwide

Zavvi are owned by thehut, who have big bucks behind them and is positioning itself as the next Amazon after its absurdly overprice $6.99b listing. I'm guessing base don't have that kind of money behind them.

My challenge would be to Amazon. If they can ship other items to the US why not DOTD. Does it come down to size and weight again.

It probably comes down to not being able to pre-order unless you're within the UK in case of more postal disruption as the current unpleasantness flares up into a second wave. Once it's released they'll probably sell it.

[malcy30]

Ordered Second Sight's Strangers from them which finally arrived today after 6 days in the mail.

Reason for the delay was because they sent it UK -> Switzerland -> UK. They could only do this because the customs declaration claimed it was valued at £14.99 when I paid £21.99

Historically Base.com have sold low value (under £15) back catalogue items using this method, but those are marked on the product page as sold by Base_CH not Base, although I am sure most customers wouldn't know the difference.

For me is now a company to avoid. Which is sad as they have been great over the years, especially their low prices on BFI titles.

[gouryella]

Originally Posted by malcy30

Ordered Second Sight's Strangers from them which finally arrived today after 6 days in the mail.

Reason for the delay was because they sent it UK -> Switzerland -> UK. They could only do this because the customs declaration claimed it was valued at £14.99 when I paid £21.99

Historically Base.com have sold low value (under £15) back catalogue items using this method, but those are marked on the product page as sold by Base_CH not Base, although I am sure most customers wouldn't know the difference.

For me is now a company to avoid. Which is sad as they have been great over the years, especially their low prices on BFI titles.

If the item is in the UK and it's being sent to a UK address why would they do that?

[jkoffman]

Base officially cancelled my pre-orders to the U.S. today.

[malcy30]

Originally Posted by gouryella

If the item is in the UK and it's being sent to a UK address why would they do that?

Because they can reclaim the VAT.

They can export from UK to Switzerland as it is outside the EU and reclaim the VAT they have paid Second Sight, as exports in this case are VAT free.

Then shipping back from Switzerland to UK the customer is at risk of customs charges but they avoid this by declaring a value of £14.99 which is below the UK's personal tax free import threshold which today stands at £15.

So they get to keep all the £21.99 I paid, less whatever this convolued shipping route cost them.

However, Amazon are also charging a UK customer £21.99 but have to pay to the Government £3.66 in VAT as it is shipped from within the UK and also they need to cover the cost of shipping to customer out of what you pay.

Okay Base almost certainly don't get the bulk purchase discounts from suppliers Amazon do, but this process saves them money.

The Government stopped this tax dodge when years back retailers like HMV, Zavvi and even Amazon (Starfish Indigo if anyone remembers their Channel Island resale company) did this sending parcels to the Channel Islands, reclaiming the VAT and then sending back. To stop the dodge there is now a zero tax free limit on imports from the Channel Islands to rest of UK so they must add on the VAT and pay it to the UK Government.

[awags5]

Anyone have an estimate how long base.com usually takes to ship to US? I got the strangers shipped right before they started cancelling. Just curious!

[jkoffman]

Originally Posted by awags5

Anyone have an estimate how long base.com usually takes to ship to US? I got the strangers shipped right before they started cancelling. Just curious!

For all the Base bashing, they did send me 2 BRs I ordered just days before their announcement, with 1 of them shipping on 10/1, the day the new policy started. They each took a little over a week to arrive in the U.S.

[awags5]

Originally Posted by jkoffman

For all the Base bashing, they did send me 2 BRs I ordered just days before their announcement, with 1 of them shipping on 10/1, the day the new policy started. They each took a little over a week to arrive in the U.S.

Hmm damn. Mine shipped the 25th and still haven’t seen it yet

[dr727]

Originally Posted by awags5

Hmm damn. Mine shipped the 25th and still haven’t seen it yet

I've had some arrive within a week or two, others a few weeks, and—during 2020—a select few 2-3 months later. I've never had anything not arrive and I've ordered 100+ discs from Base to the US. I wouldn't worry yet and their CS is top-tier if it ends up being an issue.

[awags5]

Originally Posted by dr727

I've had some arrive within a week or two, others a few weeks, and—during 2020—a select few 2-3 months later. I've never had anything not arrive and I've ordered 100+ discs from Base to the US. I wouldn't worry yet and their CS is top-tier if it ends up being an issue.

Ahhh thank you so much!! That eases my mind haha

[andreasy969]

Just noticed that base.com won't ship items to Germany anymore, which would ship only starting 1st July ("Sorry, the following items can not be bought"):

Reason:

From 1st July 2021
New EU e-Commerce Rules

The EU’s rules for e-Commerce are changing from 1st July 2021. From this date the seller will be responsible for collecting, and paying to the EU, the VAT on every shipment under €150. At present we have been unable to implement the EU’s proposed mechanism for processing the VAT and thus we are currently unable to accept any orders that would be shipped to EU countries after 01.07.2021

So another UK option gone for now. Congratz on Brexit once again.

[WouldItBeGreat]

Originally Posted by andreasy969

Just noticed that base.com won't ship items to Germany anymore, which would ship only starting 1st July ("Sorry, the following items can not be bought"):

Reason:


So another UK option gone for now. Congratz on Brexit once again.

This has nothing to do with Brexit, the same rules apply for countries in the EU selling across borders so an online store in Italy selling to a customer in Germany has to charge and pay the VAT to Germany. It's a joke.

[andreasy969]

Originally Posted by WouldItBeGreat

This has nothing to do with Brexit, the same rules apply for countries in the EU selling across borders so an online store in Italy selling to a customer in Germany has to charge and pay the VAT to Germany. It's a joke.

And I'm sure you got that wrong. With me, living in Germany, it only affects "Drittländer", i.e. non EU members. Hence it affects the UK only because of Brexit.

[WouldItBeGreat]

Originally Posted by andreasy969

And I'm sure you got that wrong. With me, living in Germany, it only affects "Drittländer", i.e. non EU members. Hence it affects the UK only because of Brexit.

I think you are misinformed my friend, "VAT is paid where consumption of goods takes place" for ALL inter-country trade EU and Non-EU...

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_custom...-e-commerce_en

also the "The VAT exemption at importation of small consignments of a value up to EUR 22 will be removed" that has nothing to do with Brexit, that's EU regime rule changes.

[andreasy969]

Originally Posted by WouldItBeGreat

I think you are misinformed my friend, "VAT is paid where consumption of goods takes place" for ALL inter-country trade EU and Non-EU...

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_custom...-e-commerce_en

And I think you are. I had a link to zoll.de added, but (for whatever reason) it doesn't work here, but you can copy paste it. It only applies to imports from non EU members.

https://www.zoll.de/DE/Privatpersonen/Postsendungen-Internetbestellungen/Sendungen-aus-einem-Nicht-EU-Staat/Zoll-und-Steuern/Aenderungen_ab_01072021/aenderungen_ab_01072021_node.html

Maybe we're talking about different things though and you are right that the reason they don't ship has nothing to do with the import tax, which applies in full now and only due to Brexit.

[andreasy969]

Originally Posted by WouldItBeGreat

"The VAT exemption at importation of small consignments of a value up to EUR 22 will be removed" that has nothing to do with Brexit, that's EU regime rule changes.

You also did omit the second part here:

The VAT exemption at importation of small consignments of a value up to EUR 22 will be removed. This means all goods imported in the EU will now be subject to VAT.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but the "small consignments of a value up to EUR 22" stuff only affects the UK because of Brexit, because it only affects imports from non EU countries.

Which might have nothing to do with base.com not shipping though.