Flat Rate VAT in Import

Greetings HMRC Team, I have a company in the UK and I have a store on Amazon UK on behalf of my company. I sell products on Amazon and source them from the United States. I want to register for VAT, but I was wondering if I can register as Flat Rate. The average price of the products sold is £15-£20, mostly cosmetics. My accountant said it would be meaningless to register for Flat Rate because I will pay 20% at customs. However, I read that as a retailer, the flat rate VAT rate is 7.5%. If I register for Flat Rate VAT, will I still pay 20% tax? If I'm already paying 20% customs duty, why would I also have to pay an additional 7.5% tax? I appreciate for your help. Kind Regards

Hi atahan150,
You will still need to pay import VAT at the standard rate which you would be unable to reclaim if your are on the Flat Rate Scheme. However, you can still apply for the scheme (as long as conditions are met) but you will need to weigh up for yourself whether this would be beneficial. Please refer to the following guidance for more information - Flat Rate Scheme for small businesses (VAT Notice 733).
Thank you.