Information About Changes to Value-Added Tax (VAT)

Since Chrono24 is located in Germany, we are subject to EU law. The European Union's current VAT regulations apply to both EU and non-EU dealers. Therefore, please read through the information below to see if you are affected.

Please note that, due to the legal situation's complexity, the information we provide does not constitute tax advice. We strongly recommend talking to your accountant or tax advisor.

For businesses located in the European Union

If your business is located in the EU and you ship goods from within the EU:

The EU-wide turnover threshold has been set at 10,000 euros.

Once an EU seller's total intra-EU cross-border sales of goods subject to standard taxation and shipped to EU end-users exceeds 10,000 euros in the previous or current calendar year, he or she must pay VAT in the EU destination country. Please note that this includes sales across all channels, online and offline, and not just sales on Chrono24.

On July 1, 2021, new VAT requirements for online marketplaces went into effect in Germany.
If you exceed the 10,000-euro threshold, you must proceed as follows:

• Register for VAT in each EU member state where you ship goods; or,
• Register for the One Stop Shop (OSS) scheme and provide us with the valid VAT number you used to register
• And separately declare the destination country's taxes on the invoice and pay said taxes

Please enter your VAT and OSS information in the Market Portal.
Enter information now

As a marketplace, we are required to check that you are meeting your tax obligations.
Restrictions will be placed upon the accounts of dealers who are required to register for VAT in Germany but fail to provide a valid VAT number.
The requirement to submit a physical certificate according to section 22f of the German Value-Added Tax Law (Umsatzsteuergesetz, or "UStG") does not apply.

Always include the item's taxation method when creating a listing. You can choose between "Standard taxation" and "Margin tax scheme." Buyers will not be shown this information.

Based on the information you provide, we will use the destination principle for items subject to standard taxation that are shipped to an EU address, as long as the requirements are met. This means that the item price you submit will be displayed to potential buyers on the marketplace with his or her country's taxes already included if the buyer is located in the EU. Chrono24 neither retains nor pays these taxes.

You can find more information under "Displaying item prices."

Note: If you ship goods from a non-EU country to France on Monaco, please read the "Special case" section.

For businesses located outside the European Union

Since Chrono24 is located in Germany, we are subject to EU law. The European Union's current VAT regulations apply to both EU and non-EU dealers. If you ship items to Germany taxed and with duty paid, we require your German VAT number.
Please enter your VAT information in the Market Portal.
Enter information now

If your business is located outside the EU but you send goods located in the EU to a buyer outside the EU:

• The item location must correspond to the location where shipment of the item begins – please state this correctly in your listings.
• You commit to only selling and shipping items from the EU if you previously correctly imported them into the EU.
• Please also read the following section closely:

If your business is located outside the EU but you send goods located in the EU to a buyer also in the EU:

• The item location must correspond to the location where shipment of the item begins – please state this correctly in your listings.
• Whenever you sell an item located in the EU to a buyer also in the EU, Chrono24 automatically calculates, collects, and pays the taxes to the destination country.
• For shipments to the EU, if you change the country where shipment begins, you may incur additional costs due to subsequent tax calculations.
• Upon completion of the transaction, we will transfer you payout of the sales prices minus the commission fee and the retained taxes.
• Internationally active sellers should check how this will affect their business and adjust accordingly.
• You commit to only selling and shipping items from the EU if you previously correctly imported them into the EU.
• Do not issue the buyer a VAT invoice for this transaction.
• Your shipment to Chrono24 is not subject to taxes in the EU.
• Unfortunately, we cannot account for possible margin-scheme taxation: Chrono24 makes its calculations based on the destination country's full tax rate according to standard taxation.

If your business is located outside the EU and you ship goods from a non-EU country to the EU:

• The "item location" should be the country from which you ship the item. Please enter the correct information in your listings.
• If you ship goods from a non-EU country to France on Monaco, please read the "Special case" section.
• When shipping goods with a material value up to and including €150 from a non-EU country, please read the section “Special case: Shipping goods with a material value up to and including €150 from outside the EU to the EU.”
• If you ship an item worth more than €150 from outside the EU to Germany, you should ship the item taxed and with duty paid and provide us with your German VAT number. If you ship the item untaxed and without duty paid, the buyer will incur these costs.

Special case: Shipping goods from outside the EU to France or Monaco 

We are required to collect and pay taxes for the destination country. Import taxes do not apply.

In order for the package to be cleared correctly by customs, submit the following information to the shipping provider:

• Our French taxpayer ID number (TIN), as indicated on the shipping page for the transaction
• Our business address
• Buyer's name and address

Special case: Shipping goods with a material value up to and including €150 to the EU from outside the EU

If the material value of an item (not including taxes, shipping, or insurance) is equal to or less than €150, we are required to collect and pay taxes for the destination country. Import taxes do not apply.

In order for the package to be cleared correctly by customs, submit the following information to the shipping provider:

• Our IOSS (Import One-Stop Shop) number, as indicated on the shipping page for the transaction
• Item price (not including shipping and insurance)
• Order number

Business Location Outside the United Kingdom

If you are not based in the UK and are shipping goods from the UK to a buyer in the UK:

• The item location must correspond to the location where shipment of the item begins – please state this correctly in your listings.
• If you sell an item located in the United Kingdom to a buyer from the United Kingdom, Chrono24 will automatically withhold and remit VAT.
• For shipments to the UK, if you change the country where shipment begins, you may incur additional costs due to subsequent tax calculations.
• Upon completion of the transaction, we will transfer you payout of the sales price minus the commission fee and withheld taxes.
• Sellers operating internationally should check how this will affect their business and adjust accordingly.
• You agree to exclusively sell and ship items from the UK that have been correctly imported into the UK in advance.
• Do not issue the buyer a VAT invoice for this transaction.
• Unfortunately, we cannot account for margin-scheme taxation: Chrono24 makes its calculations based on the destination country's full tax rate according to standard taxation.
• Underlying tax legislation: In addition to the HMRC VAT guidance, the UK Value Added Tax Act 1994 (Section 5A) applies: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1994/23/section/5A

Item Located in Switzerland or Liechtenstein

If you send goods from Switzerland or Liechtenstein to a buyer from Switzerland or Liechtenstein:

• The item location must correspond to the location where shipment of the item begins – please state this correctly in your listings.
• Changes to the Swiss VAT Act with regard to platform taxation (Art. 20a MWSTG) came into effect on January 1, 2025.
• If you sell an item located in Switzerland or Liechtenstein to a buyer from Switzerland or Liechtenstein, Chrono24 automatically withholds and remits VAT.

Item Located Outside Switzerland or Liechtenstein

If you send goods from outside Switzerland or Liechtenstein to a buyer from Switzerland or Liechtenstein:

• The item location must correspond to the location where shipment of the item begins – please state this correctly in your listings.
• Changes to the Swiss VAT Act with regard to platform taxation (Art. 20a MWSTG) came into effect on January 1, 2025.
• These changes affect all dealers who ship goods to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. To ensure a smooth delivery, you will need to designate the buyer in Switzerland or Liechtenstein as the debtor of import duties on the customs declaration. Please be sure to enter this information correctly on the customs form.

Displaying item prices

All sellers on Chrono24 are required to disclose whether their listing prices include taxes or not. Based on your business location, we have implemented default settings that you can find in your listing settings. If these settings are incorrect, please adjust them accordingly.

For dealers outside the EU: Buyers will still see the listing prices you set. Our long-term goal is to offer such price transparency across the entire platform and also display the correct taxes for you.

For dealers in the EU: If you include taxes in your listing prices, the tax rate you enter will apply to all current and future listings subject to standard taxation.
If you only offer items taxed according to a margin scheme, please still save the settings for the taxation method based on your business location. If you list an item subject to standard taxation in the future, the settings you enter will apply to that listing. Please also make sure to indicate whether the item is subject to standard or margin-scheme taxation in each listing.

How are taxes calculated, and what is paid to you?

If taxation according to the destination principle is activated:

• If you include taxes in your item prices, we reduce the item price according to the tax rate you entered in your listing settings. After that, we apply the current tax rate of the destination country. That way, the buyer can see the correct price including the taxes required by their country.
• If you do not include taxes in your listing prices, we apply the current tax rate of the destination country to the listing price.

If taxation according to the destination principle is deactivated:

• We apply the current tax rate of the item's location. If this location differs from your business location, we reduce the item price according to the tax rate you entered in your listing settings and then apply the tax rate of the item's location.
• These calculations do not apply to items taxed according to a margin scheme. The prices you enter will be shown to buyers unaltered.
• Chrono24 does not collect or pay taxes for transactions involving an item located in the EU that is sold to a buyer also in the EU. The calculation we make serves only to facilitate price transparency on the marketplace.
• Chrono24 does collect and pay taxes on the seller's behalf in certain circumstances. You can find these circumstances listed in the previous sections.
• Chrono24 transfers you, the seller, the total price or the item price minus taxes (whichever is appropriate). The taxes are then paid to the relevant tax authorities.

Two simplified examples with the destination principle:

A German dealer lists a watch for €2,000. This price includes Germany's 19% VAT rate.

Chrono24 automatically calculates the watch's net price: €2,000 - 19% (€319) = €1,681

Chrono24 then automatically calculates how much the potential buyer would have to pay by applying his or her country's VAT rate to the net price. For example: If a French buyer views the listing, they will see a price of €2,017, i.e., the net price (€1,681) + 20% (€336) in VAT.

A dealer located in Spain lists a watch for €2,000. This price does not include any taxes.

Chrono24 automatically calculates how much the potential buyer would have to pay by applying his or her country's VAT rate to the net price. For example: If a French buyer views the listing, they will see a price of €2.400, i.e., the item price (€2,000) + 20% (€400) in VAT.