Earth needed?

Buy cheap, buy twice.

My experience too. Although I wouldn't buy a guitar from China, I've had two real bargains second-hand from eBay and FB marketplace.

The Chinese suppliers are supposed to now charge the VAT at source. The should supply a VAT receipt.

I read something like 'we supply a very low commercial invoice, so that customs duty is small'

I very much dont think that Naughty Boy Shop in wu feng is going to fill in UK VAT forms

They might not (and often they're still lying about the value on the outside of packages), but it doesn't matter. If you buy from a platform like Aliexpress, Banggood, etc, they must by law and do charge UK VAT in the correct way, and provide the right paperwork. It's just added to your invoice - Aliexpress don't even label it as VAT in the checkout process.

If you're buying direct and haven't paid VAT then the parcel will likely get stopped at customs given LVCR (the previous scheme where things <£15 were VAT free) has been rescinded, so all parcels need to pay VAT and duty - either in advance (technically called Delivery Duty Paid) or at the port of entry.

If the Naughty Boy Shop is using a courier like DHL, they also operate a DDP scheme so you pay at source and DHL do the VAT paperwork, which saves the item getting stuck in DHL's warehouse at East Midlands.

Theo

Not at checkout, but they do provide a "download invoice" link somewhere, that shows all the GBP->USD->RMB currency conversions and VAT being charged.

Also VAT and duty doesn't apply to transactions (item+shipping) below £135 alibanggood had this up and running in January while dutchbikebits were complaining it was now impossible to export to the uk.

VAT is payable on all transactions. On transactions below £135 the VAT is charged at source by the seller (as you report above for AliExpress etc.). On larger transactions the VAT and duty if any is due is charged on entry into the UK, not by the seller.

Yes, you're right, I knew they'd aligned the vat threshold with the duty threshold, but forgot that the vat was the responsibility of the seller below the threshold and of the importer above it, the duty only ever applies above it.

That is simply not what they say on the aliexpress website.

Unless teh stated value was so low it took it under the £20 threshold for VAT at all, or the £135 threshold where alixepress picks up the bill

UPS, and again, no paperwork like what happens when you ship from the USA.

I've only ordered one item from aliexpress this year, for the grand sum of $2.99 plus 0.38¢ postage. The PDF invoice for the order , shows the $3.37 converted to £2.71, 51p VAT added taking it to £3.06