*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 09:49:14 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 1686453
  • Total Topics: 118100
  • Online Today: 811
  • Online Ever: 2235
  • (October 29, 2023, 12:32:45 AM)
Users Online

Recent

Author Topic: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): What's the situation for customers and traders?  (Read 79345 times)

Offline Andrew66

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 49
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #30 on: January 14, 2021, 01:59:03 AM »
Yes it should be straight forward , but I guess that some companies for whatever reason did not prepare , two companies I contacted came back with response “we will be looking into it shortly” and “we are trying to find a way through the red tape” both companies are high profile and VAT registered, the good thing to come out of this is my lead mountain will decrease, as they say every cloud has a silver lining

Offline GrahamC

  • Bookworm
  • Posts: 66
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #31 on: January 14, 2021, 08:20:46 AM »
I guess as a small non vat registered one man company there isn’t a lot I can do re this and I anticipate a drop in sales from the EU or smaller orders to keep under the individual countries thresholds.
The reverse is also true Khurasan in America have already said he won’t send orders of less than a £135 to the U.K. ( the point where VAT is collected at point of entry) because it’s just too much hassle for a one man operation. I know he is looking at an eBay workaround but that could increase costs. So that coupled with Royal Mail constantly increasing prices is going to make it quite tough for us little guys I guess.

Offline Andrew66

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 49
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #32 on: January 14, 2021, 11:42:51 AM »
If a company is not vat registered then there prices do tend to be lower , so absorbing the vat at this end is bearable, but still there is customs processing charges are high , here is an example of what the future holds
 One company who is vat registered replied to my enquiry, said that no plans for zero vat but offering postage discounts so for example prior Brexit a box of plastic figures would be £22.50 (inc VAT)plus free postage
Post Brexit same box £22.50 inc Vat + 23% Irish VAT £5.17 +£10.16 customs process =£37.83 free postage
It is a big jump for sure , for some the hassle of going through the red tape to sell to the eu may not be worth it and they are prepared to take the hit , I hope it does get sorted soon for sure

Offline Ray Rivers

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 5911
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #33 on: January 14, 2021, 12:31:08 PM »
@ Andrew

Are you saying that folks in the EU will have to pay a 10 pound import duty on a 22 pound box of minis? Or is this an export duty from the UK?

From what I understand, UK import duties make it almost impossible for folks in the UK to buy stuff from the US. Here in Spain I pay no import duties on products from the US.

Offline v_lazy_dragon

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1829
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #34 on: January 14, 2021, 01:01:53 PM »
I think the £10 in Andrew's example is a flat handling fee. e.g. I was once hit for a £8 handling fee for £0.18 of tax... I have also paid the same fee when it's over £30 of tax.
Xander
Army painters thread: leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=56540.msg671536#new
WinterApoc thread: leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=50815.0

Offline Citizen Sade

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Mad Scientist
  • *
  • Posts: 766
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #35 on: January 14, 2021, 01:26:38 PM »
From what I understand, UK import duties make it almost impossible for folks in the UK to buy stuff from the US. Here in Spain I pay no import duties on products from the US.
In my experience, U.K. import duty is not the problem. Rather, it’s a combination of the postage cost, the exchange rate and the Royal Mail handling fee.

Offline v_lazy_dragon

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1829
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #36 on: January 14, 2021, 01:49:14 PM »
In my experience, U.K. import duty is not the problem. Rather, it’s a combination of the postage cost, the exchange rate and the Royal Mail handling fee.
As a Brit that buys from the US semi-regularly (curse you Brigade games and your tempting ranges!); it's postage + the Royal Mail handling fee that puts me off. Postage always seems to start at $35 - regardless of if I am buying 1 figure(!), 1 packet or 10+ packets. On an order of 10 packets, it's a lot more acceptable. Ditto the RM handling fee (the tax itself is usually negligible) - £8-10 is painful on a small order, less so on a bigger one. My usual solution has been to buy in bulk (frequently combining orders with a mate who lives locally) to maximize figures in a parcel and split the pain of the handling fee.

Offline Citizen Sade

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Mad Scientist
  • *
  • Posts: 766
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #37 on: January 14, 2021, 02:13:28 PM »
That’ll be postage + Royal Mail handling fee + the certainty of paying 20% VAT on imports now.

What to do? Take more regular holidays abroad coinciding with major shows, hope for more local distributors to take the worst of the sting out of things, pray for a reduction in the VAT rate?

Hard to see any winners other than the taxman here, isn’t it?

Offline Andrew66

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 49
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #38 on: January 14, 2021, 02:20:37 PM »
The £10 is a handling and processing charge that the post office will charge

Offline Andrew66

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 49
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #39 on: January 14, 2021, 02:26:40 PM »
If it’s a courier company it can vary between 28€ to 40€ flat rate charge for handling and processing

Offline Wellington

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 292
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #40 on: January 14, 2021, 02:54:26 PM »
Actually it more or less the situation I discussed with an German trader at a show in 2018. Problems with VAT, need to go to the customs office etc, worsened by the change in the UK VAT rules (as far I understand an article in the Guardian). Until this is figured out I stop ordering in England.

Has anybody of us Europeans ordered from an manufacture based in North-Ireland already? It should be withour problems.

I advice for all Uk manufactures, look for a realiable trader/partner in Europe, who can handle all of the import stuff better than a normal customer or set up an office in NI for the trade into Europe.
A life without Samurai is possible, but not desirable!

Offline Ray Rivers

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 5911
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #41 on: January 14, 2021, 04:06:53 PM »
In my experience, U.K. import duty is not the problem. Rather, it’s a combination of the postage cost, the exchange rate and the Royal Mail handling fee.

Ah... exactly.

So, this is a self-inflicted wound.

I really doubt if I will pay a 10 pound handling fee for a 22 pound box of miniatures from the UK. Postage is already high enough. In fact, it may become cheaper to buy from the US.

I advice for all Uk manufactures, look for a realiable trader/partner in Europe, who can handle all of the import stuff better than a normal customer or set up an office in NI for the trade into Europe.

I agree with Wellington here. And I would add that the mini manufacturers need to get together and make their collective voices heard. This is not a choice between "the hassle" or not, it is a choice between survival or not, especially combined with what will almost certainly be a rather strong recession in the coming months due to Covid.

Offline Andrew66

  • Assistant
  • Posts: 49
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #42 on: January 14, 2021, 04:27:40 PM »
To be honest , the only companies I have found on the ball are warlord games and perry miniatures , they were both aware of the the procedures that were in place and acted accordingly, so it can be done , as I don’t live or work in UK , I am unaware of the support system in place for SME ,s , was it something that wargaming companies saw coming and didn’t act or was it that instructions and guidance were lacking , also I would be interested to know what proportion of trade is with the eu for figure manufacturers

Offline Citizen Sade

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Mad Scientist
  • *
  • Posts: 766
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #43 on: January 14, 2021, 05:02:08 PM »
I really doubt if I will pay a 10 pound handling fee for a 22 pound box of miniatures from the UK. Postage is already high enough. In fact, it may become cheaper to buy from the US.
To be clear, we pay an £8 Royal Mail handling fee on imports into the U.K. Royal Mail don’t charge any export fees, just for the cost of the postage.

To use a Perry Miniatures example, as of today someone in e.g. Spain would pay for the box of plastic figures + 17% for the shipping to Europe + £6 rest of the world postal supplement to the Perrys. Any VAT, duties and/or handling fees would be paid in Spain at Spanish rates to Spanish authorities when the parcel arrives.

Offline robh

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3379
  • Spanish offworld colonies
Re: Post-Brexit Shipping (EU<->UK): Lack of information from traders
« Reply #44 on: January 14, 2021, 07:13:46 PM »
To be clear, we pay an £8 Royal Mail handling fee on imports into the U.K. Royal Mail don’t charge any export fees, just for the cost of the postage.

To use a Perry Miniatures example, as of today someone in e.g. Spain would pay for the box of plastic figures + 17% for the shipping to Europe + £6 rest of the world postal supplement to the Perrys. Any VAT, duties and/or handling fees would be paid in Spain at Spanish rates to Spanish authorities when the parcel arrives.

Spanish Post (Correos) have a €16 handling/admin fee plus charge Spanish VAT (% varies depending where you are) on the declared cost of the goods, the postage and their own fee.
Import Duties will depend on what is in the packet, toys are currently reduced rate, "models" are  full rate.
Currently small imports under €22 euros are not levied but are supposed to be self declared if used for a business purpose ("Gift" has no meaning, they are assessed same as a purchase).
Current thought post Brexit is that all UK origin packets are going to be checked as it is simpler and quicker than trying to sort them.

 

Related Topics