Irish shoppers have being warned that Britain's exit from the EU could make buying online more expensive.

With a hard Brexit looking increasingly likely, the Irish government has been outlining how people here would be affected in a no-deal scenario. Ordering from UK websites would be more costly thanks to extra taxes, it has said. Returning items would also be trickier due to excise duty and it's expected that delivery times will be longer over customs checks. As it stands, buying from British sites means that shoppers only cover the delivery cost as UK taxes are included in the items' costs. In a hard Brexit, purchases will be subject to import duties and additional VAT. It would effectively make buying from online stores in the UK like buying from sites in the US or outside Europe. Items like cosmetics, tech products and toys will jump 23 per cent in price over VAT alone. Speaking this morning, Minister of State Helen McEntee said that it could mean the end of ordering multiple items and then sending some back.

"I know plenty of people who might order five or six dresses, they get them, they try them on and they send a few back," she said on RTÉ Radio One's Morning Ireland. "If you've already paid taxes on them, how do you negate that?"

Irish people are among the biggest online shoppers in the world, spending around €5 billion each year on online purchases. The Irish Independent had reported that Revenue is planning to increase An Post staff to deal with customs checks from parcels coming from the UK in the event of a hard Brexit.