Using a .ie domain name doesn't mean you are buying Irish

Since Brexit, many consumers have been hit with unexpected charges and delivery delays — it pays to know the origin of your goods

Just because you’re buying from a .ie domain name doesn’t mean that you’re buying Irish. 

Since Brexit became a reality on January 1, we’ve seen more and more people get caught with higher prices and undeliverable goods because what appeared to be local, well, wasn’t.

Currys/PC World customers in particular have been grappling with Brexit-related woes in the last few weeks. Long delivery delays, unexpected Vat bills, and cancelled orders led to a flurry of complaints against the retailer.

The European Consumer Centre (ECC Ireland) reports that they, too, have been in receipt of a range of customer complaints related to Brexit and misunderstandings around exactly where businesses are based. 

They say that consumers are unaware that many .ie domains are based elsewhere, and that this has led to delays, cancelled orders and unexpected customs charges.

Be aware of your rights as a consumer.

As it stands there are now 309,953 .ie domains in operation — with just over 65,000 of these registered last year. 

Country domain registrations such as Ireland’s .ie are based on a specific national vetting process that is operated currently by the IE Domain Registry.

The registry is not a governing or regulatory body.  It simply administers and manages the .ie namespace, as appointed and regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation.

In order to register a .ie domain name, commercial applicants must provide a ‘real and substantive connection to the island of Ireland’. 

If they’re not resident here, they may still be eligible to register if they sell goods or services to consumers or businesses in the island of Ireland and can provide evidence of this.

Legitimate sites

Some 4,219 new international .ie domains were registered last year. There is no reason to believe that these websites are not legitimate. 

Just because a website selling to the Irish market is not based in Ireland or does not belong to an Irish company doesn’t make it fraudulent. 

Nor is it misleading to use a .ie domain if you’re not based here.

As ECC Ireland points out, it’s simply in the nature of global business, especially e-commerce, to continually expand selling capabilities by using technology that defies geographical borders.

And just as international businesses can own an .ie domain, Irish businesses can apply for a country domain wherever they operate in the world. Nor do Irish companies have to have a .ie domain name. 

Many Irish companies — especially exporting companies — will have a .com or a .eu. Many won’t use a .ie because they don’t want to be perceived as selling domestically only.

Legitimate international businesses can include direct sellers or retailers who may or may not hold their goods in stock at their Irish base. 

Import/export businesses

They can include import/export businesses such as distributors, international corporations or marketing sites which advertise services and products available here, but which ship orders from suppliers or manufacturers overseas.

But it is misleading to deliberately hide company information and identifying details like sale contract and shipping terms that might affect a consumer's buying decision.

To find out where the business behind the site is based/registered, check the business’s registered/postal address in the ‘About Us’ section, the ‘Contact Us’ section or in the terms and conditions.

The T&Cs section is the most important because the contract of sale you enter into will be with the business listed here. 

Even if the business has other branches or subsidiaries both in Ireland and elsewhere, the contract of sale is always named in the T&Cs.

If you’re on an international website — one ending in .com — and you’re shopping from Ireland, you will be redirected to another part of the site, most likely in the format .com/ie. 

Again, recheck the T&Cs because they’ll be different for each market.

The big question then is this: how do you know where your goods will be shipped from. This is sometimes listed in the shipping and/or delivery sections. 

Delivery times

If not, delivery times are always a giveaway. If you’re looking at a two-week wait, it’s unlikely they’re shipping from here, or indeed from within the EU.

If you’re looking at one to two months for delivery, the order will almost certainly be shipped from outside the EU.

While under EU law, businesses must provide customers with delivery information, they are under no obligation to legally state where they are shipping from. 

Supply and shipping chains are very sophisticated nowadays and many companies have several suppliers. Sometimes shipping is handled by the manufacturer or indeed a third party. 

If the .ie owner is based in the Republic of Ireland or any country in the EU/EEA, the business must automatically comply with all the EU standard protections.

Always read the terms and conditions — you don't always save money.

ECC Ireland points out however that if the .ie owner is based in or is trading from the UK or indeed anywhere outside the EU, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the same consumer rights. 

While UK consumer law is almost identical to EU consumer law, the protections therein may not be automatically extended to consumers outside the UK, even though the UK-EU trade agreement implies that this co-operation will be maintained until further notice.

Here’s a key point: all companies, both in EU and outside of the EU/EEA, must adhere to the basic framework of consumer rights if they sell in the EU/EEA.

Critically, online shopping within the EU gives you an automatic right to cancel any order within 14 days from the purchase transaction, without giving a reason. You can also cancel and return an order before or upon delivery. 

Afterwards, if the product is not suitable or defective in any way, you are entitled to a full refund.

Even non-EU companies — if they’re marketing and selling their products into the EU — are bound by these requirements.

The essential difference is that the enforcement of consumer rights may be problematic, and your consumer rights are not guaranteed; nor are the redress options normally available to consumers within the EU. 

If you don’t see the standard EU consumer rights in the T&Cs, you’re making a purchase at your own risk.

When it comes to additional charges, if you’re buying from outside the EU, there’s nothing extra to be paid if the total bill (including shipping, delivery and insurance) comes to €22 or less. 

If it’s over that, Vat will be payable. Customs duty — in addition to Vat — kicks in at €150. Alcohol, tobacco and perfumes are excluded from these conditions however — you’ll pay Vat, customs and excise duty on the full price, no matter how low.