Bear in mind that Askaboutmoney is an Irish site focusing primarily on Irish personal finance and related issues. So while the reference to HMRC and rates above is correct for somebody in the UK (including NI) it's not correct for somebody in the Republic of Ireland. I wish our VAT rate was 15%!What is the product? Yes, you can check with HMRC.
Import VAT (at 15%) is charged on the CIF value, PLUS any customs duty, i.e. on a duty inclusive value.