The European Union's Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS)

Great news! We've reintroduced the EU's Import One-Stop Shop to The Needle Store. The IOSS was created to facilitate and simplify the declaration and payment of VAT for imported goods to the EU with a value not exceeding €150. This means we can charge EU Member State Value Added Tax (VAT) on these sales through the store - there will be no VAT due on import, no duty and no custom clearance charges. The cost you pay online will be your final cost. This is excellent news for our valued European Union Customers.

We've tried to answer some common questions on the IOSS below, and we hope it helps. If you have any additional questions, please use the comments section below. This will help other customers who may have the same question. Click here if you would prefer to contact us directly.

What's the definition of goods?

This is the value of all of your products in the order excluding VAT and shipping costs. We'll do the checking for you, so if you see VAT on your order, we've calculated that the value of your goods is below €150.

What if the total value of my goods is above €150?

We're unable to charge VAT through the store; therefore, no VAT will be applied to your order during checkout. Your order will, however, be subject to EU Member State VAT when imported. It may also be subject to duties and custom clearance charges. If applicable, payment is made by you through the shipping provider. I'm afraid the Needle Store is not responsible for any of these charges.

How does the IOSS work within The Needle Store?

If you live in the EU and you visit The Needle Store, you'll see a pop-up confirming the country your visiting from and the associated currency. Click on 'Shop now'.

In this example, the store will change the currency to EUR € as well as include Spanish VAT (IVA) to all product prices. If you don't see the pop-up, scroll to the bottom of any page, and you'll be able to select your EU Member State from the drop-down menu.

When you reach checkout, and you've selected your shipping option, you'll see your total. This will confirm how much VAT you'll pay as part of the total cost. We'll collect this and pay the EU via an intermediary. This allows you to import the order with no additional VAT to pay, no duties and no customs clearance charges. 

Please note that your shipping address will need to match the same EU Member State you've selected within the store. If it doesn't, we'll automatically change the VAT rate to reflect the EU Member State as per your shipping address.

Example showing the total value of goods below €150. EU Member State VAT is included in the product price and confirmed as part of the total, including shipping costs. This can proceed within the rules of IOSS - no additional VAT to pay, no duties and no customs clearance charges. 

Example showing the total value of goods above €150. No VAT included in the product price, nor shown in the total. The total will be the value of your goods, excluding VAT, plus shipping costs. This falls outside of the rules of the IOSS and will be subject to VAT at importation to the EU Member State as well as potential duties and custom clearance charges.

Example showing total cost above €150 with the IOSS rules still applying. Even though the total cost is above €150 we can still apply the IOSS rules as the €150 limit applies to the cost of the goods without VAT and postage costs. If we take off the 21% Spanish VAT (IVA) from the subtotal, this comes to €148.24 - below the IOSS limit of €150. If you see VAT being applied to your order, you're below the €150. If you see no VAT, you're above the IOSS limit. 

Where does The Needle Store ship to?

We ship to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

What rate of VAT will I pay?

This depends on the EU Member State you want your order to be shipped to - click here for VAT rates for The European Union as of 2023 (source: @taxfoundation)