Cyckelgalen wrote: ↑21 Feb 2024, 8:07pm
Instead of taking the ferry to The Netherlands yourself, have you thought of having your EU-resident relative come over to the UK on a cycling tour with that gorgeous new bike?
Totally legal for them to bring the bike into the UK, just like driving your car across a border on holiday.
If said relative doesn't take the bike back with them, then they are liable for the UK duty and VAT.
Currently, it's unlikely it would be noticed, but you never know when an ANPR system that shows entry photos at the point of exit might come in.
Basically, everything bought in to the country on a permanent basis is liable to duty & VAT, based on what was actually paid. There are no exemptions for private transactions or second hand goods.
Even temporary imports can get sometimes charged, with the charges needing to be claimed back on re-export. This has happened on group bike tours, in cases where the bike owner isn't with their bike as the group is saving on transport costs by using a van for a bunch of bikes, with the riders travelling separately by train or cheap flight.