This would be the link for all german customers, read through it, inform yourself.
http://www.zoll.de/DE/Fachthemen/Steuern/Einfuhrumsatzsteuer/einfuhrumsatzsteuer_node.html;jsessionid=C59F02000C45E91DD69F078470D35294will there be a chance to reduce those 19%? Or even get around it? I dont care if you guys think its the right thing to pay 19%, in my opinion its not, i dont see why i would pay my government 19% from something i bought with dollar, made in the USA.
So what possibilities are there? Put no bill inside and afterwards tell them you got it from ebay or what? Asking for a bill that states something cheaper?
Simply put, in the USA if you buy something you've got to pay sales tax.
In Germany/United Kingdom, if you buy something you've got to pay MWSt/VAT.
What I'm trying to say is, as an end-customer you've always got to pay tax.
If you own a company you can make use of pre tax deduction, and get the tax you payed, back, but as I mentioned before this is not as easy as it sounds.
You're getting hung up on different terms. Although sales tax is much lower then VAT/MwSt, it more or less is the same.
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Also, following discussions about this topic should start in a new thread as this is a topic for everyone buying something from the US and enough information can be found on the web.
Tom's thread has been derailed enough for a day.