Amidst the news of the Trump-inspired demos to prevent a transition to a Biden regime, as well as the growing covid crisis, of course, a refreshing Graun carp about another bureaucratic hiccup with Brexit, as if it were somehow equivalent:
Customers in Europe hit by post-Brexit charges when buying from UK
Shoppers tell of shock at unexpected bills for VAT or customs duty as some retailers stop shipping to continent
“Unfortunately, tariffs are not the same as customs duties,”...[who knew?] Customs duty is a charge that has to be paid on many goods imported into the EU from countries outside the European customs union – including Britain.
Paid on many goods, note. The rate is decided by the EU, of course. It used to affect the prices on goods sold in the UK too. Additional horrors include:
iconic British retailers as the luxury food store Fortnum & Mason were unfortunately “unable to send any products to European countries at this current time, due to Brexit restrictions”....John Lewis, also popular with British citizens living in the EU, who value its “never knowingly undersold” price match guarantee and reliable customer service, have also been disappointed....Until December, the retailer offered EU delivery for many items on sale through its website, including clothes. But anyone requesting shipping to Europe is now greeted by a page stating: “We are no longer taking orders for international delivery.” [anywhere?]
Some retailers, such as George at Asda, have promised no additional charges, but several international platforms including Asos have halted deliveries [only?] to Europe from their UK sites, instead directing buyers to national versions in, for example, France.
We need to know if this (temporary?) ban on international deliveries applies only to the EU or elsewhere as well, whether it is part of the general crisis affecting ports or whether it is specific to Brexit. It is not clear why specifically UK-located suppliers have always to be contacted anyway
David Martin, who lives in the Creuse region in central France, said he switched his regular order for dog food from the pet supplies company Zooplus to its Irish site after being told the UK platform was no longer accepting orders from the continent.
The Graun might help might explaining about alternative sources of supply in the short term, including local or Irish sites, but they would rather rely on the frisson of vicarious suffering as dogs starve and luxury food hampers run out. For balance, they add
According to a leading French consumer website, goods ordered from the UK worth less than €150 should not attract customs duty. Goods ordered from the UK worth more than that, whether produced in or outside Britain, will incur charges....
The rate varies according to the product, but the site cited [sic] trainers ordered from a UK website for £270 but manufactured in and shipped from China. Adding customs duty of 16.9% and 20% French VAT would bring their cost to about £378, it said.
Continental buyers should no longer be charged British VAT on their UK purchases [so does that include a component of UK VAT and customs duty in the £270 trainers?] but must pay local VAT in their country of residence, although this is waived for orders under €22 until 31 July. Platforms such as Amazon are entitled to collect continental VAT on orders worth less than €150 [but not UK VAT as well?]
“It’s a hugely complex situation,”... “My recommendation to anyone in the EU looking to buy goods in the UK is: don’t order anything until you know what the duty and VAT will be. And be patient. This should all sort itself out eventually, but it’s going to take some time.”
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