> I wonder how often the US consumer actually gets a VAT rebate on their imported purchases, or how many US consumers are even aware of this. It's quite unlike

> I wonder how often the US consumer actually gets a VAT rebate on their imported purchases, or how many US consumers are even aware of this. It's quite unlikely they would have been charged VAT in the first place if buying online. The seller would have noted that the destination was not within the common market, and shown prices without VAT included. This mostly matters when you're physically in the EU when making the purchase but will leave the EU before using the item. In that case you can get a VAT refund when leaving the country. This tends to be well advertised both at the airport and at the stores that tourists are most likely to shop at.