Some parcels on Citadel cross a customs border. This page explains what that means for buyers and sellers.
This page explains our terms in plain words; the Buyer and Seller Terms are binding. Buyer Terms · Seller Terms
For buyers
What is a customs border?
A parcel crosses a customs border when the seller ships it from a different customs territory than your delivery address — for example from the United Kingdom to the EU, from the EU to the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway or the United States, or between mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. Northern Ireland follows EU rules for goods, so parcels between the EU and Northern Ireland do not cross one.
What the "!" means
We show a "!" on the listing, in the cart and at checkout when we can tell that a parcel crosses a customs border, and we repeat it in your order confirmation. It is based on where the seller says the parcel ships from and on your delivery address.
Who pays, and to whom?
For such parcels you are the importer. Import VAT, customs duty and the carrier's handling or clearance fee are not included in the price. You pay them to the carrier or the customs authority on delivery. Their amount depends on your country's rules and on the carrier, so we cannot calculate it in advance.
United Kingdom: VAT already included
When checkout says that Citadel has collected the UK VAT, Citadel is the deemed supplier for UK VAT (registration GB 529 7792 34). This applies to consumers in Great Britain buying from professional sellers, for parcels worth £135 or less. Such parcels are currently free of UK customs duty, so you should not have to pay anything on delivery. If a carrier still asks you for UK VAT, contact us and we give you a statement for the carrier.
If you don't want to pay import charges
Refusing a parcel is not the same as withdrawing from the purchase. Before you refuse a parcel, tell the seller in a message on the order, or our support, that you withdraw. With a professional seller, once the parcel is back you get the price of the goods and the original standard delivery charge; only the carrier's return charge may be deducted. With a private seller there is no statutory right of withdrawal; once the parcel is back you get the price of the goods minus the original delivery charge and the return and carrier fees charged to the seller. If the parcel never returns, our dispute procedure decides.
Getting import charges back
Import charges go to the authorities, not to us or the seller. In the United Kingdom you can reclaim them when you return or reject goods: form BOR 286 for Royal Mail and Parcelforce, form C285 for other carriers. In the EU you can usually reclaim them only when the goods were defective or not as described, through your customs authority.
For sellers
Filling in the customs declaration
Fill in the CN22/CN23 or your carrier's electronic customs data truthfully: type "Sale of goods", the price actually paid in the order, a description such as "Trading cards" (tariff code 9504 40), one parcel per order. Splitting orders or undervaluing parcels is prohibited.
Never "Gift"
A sale declared as a gift is a false declaration. It is an offence, and the goods can be seized.
Citadel's UK VAT number
Only on orders that say "UK VAT collected by Citadel": enter Citadel's UK VAT number GB529779234 in your carrier's electronic customs data and, where the form has the field, as "Importer's reference" on the CN23, attach the customs document from the order, and do not charge UK VAT yourself. Never use the number for any other parcel. Private sellers never use it.
Returned goods
When a buyer returns goods across a border, ask them to mark the parcel "Returned goods" so you are not charged import charges on it.
Who can't sell where yet
Until Citadel supports the necessary tax schemes, professional sellers established or shipping outside the EU cannot sell to buyers in the EU, and professional sellers established outside the UK cannot sell to buyers in Great Britain. Your shipping profiles show it, and we will tell you when this changes.