A woman was asked to fork out £140 in custom duties after buying clothes from Europe online.
Twenty-six-year-old Ellie Huddleston decided to splash out in the January sales and treated herself to a new £200 coat and £180 worth of tops.
Ellie, from London, told the BBC that both deliveries were held up at customs for 'at least a week' and when the first one did eventually make its way over she was sent a text from courier DPD asking her to stump up £58 to cover custom duties, VAT and additional charges.
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Several days later her coat arrived and she was asked by courier UPS for an £82 additional payment.
In the end, Ellie decided not to pay the additional charges and instead sent the clothes back.
Speaking to the BBC, she explained: "I didn't even know when the parcels would be coming - so I sent both back without paying the extra fees and won't be ordering anything from Europe again any time soon.
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"With all that uncertainty around things and whether or not these charges might change, I'd rather just avoid the hassle."
When Britain was still in the EU goods were able to move freely, but since leaving, retailers in the EU have to ensure they fill out custom declaration forms, which can lead to an extra charge that customers are expected to pay.
These charges often cannot be paid in advance, meaning a situation like the one Ellie found herself in could end up being fairly common.
The new rules mean that Brits ordering items from Europe that cost more than £39 is likely to be given a VAT bill.
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While customs duties of between zero and 25 percent can be placed on items that cost more than £135.
A government spokesperson said: "The new VAT model ensures goods from EU and non-EU countries are treated in the same way and that UK businesses are not disadvantaged by competition from VAT-free imports.
"The new system also addresses the problem of overseas sellers failing to pay the right amount of VAT when they sell goods in the UK.
"We anticipate this will bring in £300m in tax every year, to fund essential UK public services."
Featured Image Credit: PA