If additional tax is applicable on your eBay purchase, you'll see this indicated on the listing page and the tax amount will be shown on the checkout page before you pay.

Are you a seller looking for information about tax on your eBay sales? Read our article on taxes and import charges for sellers.

Items delivered to the UK (including digital goods or eservices)

Value Added Tax (VAT) generally applies to purchases by UK consumers, and prices on eBay.co.uk are shown inclusive of VAT.

How VAT is calculated

VAT is calculated on the order total including item price, shipping and any additional costs such as insurance.

The standard UK VAT rate is 20%, although reduced rates of 5% and 0% may apply to certain items as defined by the UK legislation. More information about UK VAT on gov.uk: VAT rates.

Goods shipped to the UK from abroad

Effective 1 January 2021, eBay is required to collect VAT on certain orders delivered to UK addresses:

Orders up to £135 sent from outside the UK
Orders of any value where the item is located in the UK, but the seller is not a UK seller

For higher value items, VAT and duties are also likely to apply. However, VAT on purchases valued at over £135 will be payable directly to the UK customs authorities by the buyer.

VAT on digital goods

From 28 April 2022, eBay will collect UK VAT from buyers of digital goods, and will remit that VAT directly to the UK tax authorities.

Digital goods (also known as eservices) are services which are provided electronically to buyers. Examples include the supply of software and the updating of software, the supply of images, text and information (such as ebooks), the supply of music, films and games online or by download.

A list of digital goods can be found at the HMRC site.

Note: If a buyer is a VAT registered business, eBay will not collect VAT and instead the seller retains responsibility.

eBay delivery fee

eBay has introduced a delivery fee for certain items purchased on eBay.co.uk, and charges VAT on the eBay delivery fee where the fee applies.

If eBay is obliged to collect VAT under the deemed reseller rules, VAT will be collected on the full value of the item plus the eBay delivery fee in accordance with applicable laws.

How VAT appears at checkout

You'll see the VAT included in your order total at checkout. On desktop, you can view and download a tax invoice by going to your Purchase history, choosing View order details, and then selecting View invoice on the order details page.

Unless otherwise specified, eBay will apply discounts to the total order price, after VAT has been calculated.

For more information about buying from overseas sellers, see our article about international purchases and postage.

More information can be found at the following sites:

Items delivered to European Union countries

Value Added Tax (VAT) generally applies to purchases by EU consumers. The VAT rate applied is set by the country to which the package is shipped and depends on the items sold.

How VAT is calculated

VAT is calculated on the order total including item price, shipping and any additional costs such as insurance.

Unless otherwise specified, eBay will apply discounts to the total order price, after VAT has been calculated.

Goods shipping between EU countries

If the item is being sent from one EU country to another EU country, customs duty is not applied but buyers will still need to pay VAT. As of 1 July 2021, EU-based sellers with sales to other EU countries greater than EUR 10,000 need to collect VAT based on the delivery country of the goods.

How VAT appears at checkout

If the item is located in the EU, the purchase price is VAT-inclusive, where applicable.

In cases where eBay has collected VAT, you'll see the VAT included in your order total at checkout, and you can view and download a tax invoice from the Order details page in your Purchase history.

Goods shipped to EU from countries or sellers outside the EU

If the item is being sent from outside the EU, the recipient may need to pay VAT and customs duty. This will either be collected by eBay or by the carrier on behalf of the relevant customs/tax authorities.

As of 1 July 2021, there is no longer a VAT exemption for small consignments up to EUR 22 and eBay will be required to collect VAT on certain orders delivered to EU addresses:

Orders up to a value of EUR 150 imported into the EU and sold to consumers (for shipments to Metropolitan France and Monaco, see next point)
Orders of any value shipped from outside of the EU to consumer buyers in France or Monaco
For shipments of any value where the seller is a non-EU business, but the goods are already within the EU

In cases where eBay is not responsible for collecting VAT, the amount of VAT and customs duty will be determined upon entry into the destination country. As a result, buyers may need to pay additional charges that are not included in the total price displayed at checkout such as VAT, duty and an import processing fee from the carrier.

More information can be found on Buying goods online coming from a non-European Union country page.

Items delivered to other countries

If you have an order delivered to an address outside of the UK or EU, local consumer tax and/or customs duty may apply. Online marketplaces such as eBay may be responsible for collecting the tax, or the parcel's recipient may need to pay these as part of clearing the parcel through customs.

While we've included basic information for some countries here, it's only intended as a guide and is by no means exhaustive. For more information, please check the local tax and customs regulations.

Items delivered to the US – sales tax

Items delivered to Australia or New Zealand – Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Items delivered to Norway – Value Added Tax on E-commerce (VOEC)

Items delivered to Kazakhstan – Value Added Tax (VAT)

Items delivered to Belarus – Value Added Tax (VAT)

Items delivered to Jersey – Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Items delivered to Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Buesingen - Value Added Tax (VAT)

Refunded purchases

If you paid tax on your purchase through eBay and you get a refund for your order, you'll also get a refund for the proportionate amount of tax. For example, if you receive a full refund, you'll get the entire tax back. If you receive a 50% partial refund, you'll get 50% of the tax back. Any refunds processed outside eBay's systems are not eligible for a tax refund.

If you paid import taxes or duty as part of clearing your parcel through customs but you then returned the item, please contact the customs authority regarding a refund of the charges.

Request a VAT refund

To request a VAT refund on a completed order, please login and upload proof of overpayment.

Tax on buyer fees

We may charge buyers a fee for some eBay services. If we are required to collect tax on eBay fees in your jurisdiction, we will add the tax as a separate charge at checkout or include the tax in our fees.

Learn more about the Buyer Protection fee - opens in new window or tab which applies to some purchases completed on eBay.co.uk.

Helpful links

Tax policy: tax regulations that apply to eBay sales
Taxes and import charges
Your VAT obligations in the UK & EU

Payments