Jump to content

Importing/exporting UK/Europe after Brexit


David Ayers

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 134
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

4 hours ago, David Ayers said:

I miss the flea market stuff within the UK. Now the postage costs more than the disc on the kind of cheap stuff I would pick up. Now I use discogs to identify stuff then look for it elsewhere. That said, you can still make a deal with the seller to invoice you for a different amount. But that is a hassle all round. 

As seller I used to compare different options, there are tons of shipping one can buy online, a part standard postal shipping, dozens of different parameters, weights, sizes, countries, registered, unregistered, etc.. At the end I could offer different options: the cheapest, the cheapest and fastest, the cheapest and most secure shipping, something like that. It was easy and friendly. And buyers were happy they could choose the shipping they prefer.

I spent a couple of afternoons trying to fill the form of discogs, no way, it was impossible to fit the best shipping options. So I guess every sellers chosed one standard shipping that usually rised the cost.

Edited by porcy62
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m also wondering how much shipping charges may have changed as UK will likely not benefit from being classified as an EU destination by EU websites. Some sites specify sometimes very different costs for EU and ROW. 


On the plus side I just spotted that Jazzmessengers now deducts sales tax for UK users. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, kh1958 said:

Just ordered a CD on bandcamp from a German label and the shipping (Germany to U.S.) was $7.50 for one CD.

And this is good, bad or indifferent? When you can expect to pay $4 for domestic shipping of a single CD, this seems fairly reasonable to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

And this is good, bad or indifferent? When you can expect to pay $4 for domestic shipping of a single CD, this seems fairly reasonable to me.

It seemed expensive to me, but I guess I've become accustomed to the expectation of free shipping by Amazon Prime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, porcy62 said:

I am curious how a seller may ship for free with prime, any clue?

Purchases from amazon are shipped free within the U.S., if you are a Prime member (costs about $100 annually, so not really free, but there are other benefits such as Amazon Prime video streaming). Certain external sellers on amazon are fulfilled by Amazon and included in the free shipping. Most external sellers who sell on amazon charge $3.99 for shipping a CD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, kh1958 said:

Purchases from amazon are shipped free within the U.S., if you are a Prime member (costs about $100 annually, so not really free, but there are other benefits such as Amazon Prime video streaming). Certain external sellers on amazon are fulfilled by Amazon and included in the free shipping. Most external sellers who sell on amazon charge $3.99 for shipping a CD.

In Italy Prime membership is less then 50 € per year.

I did a small research: in Italy Prime sellers may ship through Amazon logistic, and they are charged somthing like 3/4 € for normal size item, or may ship by their own and they have to fullfill the Prime standard: speed, trackability, ecc..

Edited by porcy62
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, David Ayers said:

So here’s the relevant law for sales into UK from outside. WTF. 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-and-overseas-goods-sold-to-customers-in-the-uk-using-online-marketplaces

Um...so I’ll respond to my own post by saying that this looks like a disaster for our kind of thing. We’ll have to see how many retailers will be willing and able to set up a VAT relationship with HMRC. It’s pretty clear that private sellers will not be able to do so. Meanwhile I have a (non-musical) package that was prepared for shipping a week ago in France, while they figure out how to get it to me. There are shipping problems involved here too, of course. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, David Ayers said:

Um...so I’ll respond to my own post by saying that this looks like a disaster for our kind of thing. We’ll have to see how many retailers will be willing and able to set up a VAT relationship with HMRC. It’s pretty clear that private sellers will not be able to do so. Meanwhile I have a (non-musical) package that was prepared for shipping a week ago in France, while they figure out how to get it to me. There are shipping problems involved here too, of course. 

I didn't want to spoil my Sunday. I'll read it and weep tomorrow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also have only just picked up that the exemption for goods under £15 has been abolished. So now the smallest purchase has to be treated in this way. 
 

By the way, I really don’t get how this requirement for non-UK sellers to register for UK VAT is going to work. Does any other country require this? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, David Ayers said:

By the way, I really don’t get how this requirement for non-UK sellers to register for UK VAT is going to work. Does any other country require this? 

I think you are looking at a side effect of the basic problem of how to treat a former EU member that has decided to leave the EU and will now be treated as a non-EU state.
In one way it is a special case but in another it is a fallback into times that were long considered to be overcome. I remember in my early freelancing days in the late 80s there was quite a bit of paperwork involved in getting clients in other (then) EEC countries as well as in non-EEC countries (e.g. Switzerland) to sign up with German tax authorities so they could recover the VAT that we had to invoice but they were able to claim back by filling in various forms. Needless to say this cost us several abroad customers who just felt that the paperwork wasn't worth it. 
And (I am saying this after some 25 years of working with HUGE amounts of EU documents day in, day out) it fits into the picture that the entire Brexit negotiations between the EU and the UK were governed by an overriding approach (on the part of the EU) to most certainly not make it easy for the UK. Thus maybe forcing the UK to take these steps to ensure VAT due is paid where it is supposed to be paid? Not that I am saying that the UK side did well but this mess that becomes apparent now has more than one originator.

Edited by Big Beat Steve
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 minutes ago, David Ayers said:

I also have only just picked up that the exemption for goods under £15 has been abolished. So now the smallest purchase has to be treated in this way. 
 

By the way, I really don’t get how this requirement for non-UK sellers to register for UK VAT is going to work. Does any other country require this? 

But at least orders still outstanding  prior to the debacle are exempt - desperately seeking silver linings. I have one.

34 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Cheer up - England have won in the cricket. :)

Yes! But against a very poor Sri Lanka side. A win's a win though even in the context of national suicide :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

Yes! But against a very poor Sri Lanka side. A win's a win though even in the context of national suicide :D

Agree not great opposition. 6th away win in a row though - last time that was done,  Queen Vic was on the throne. :D

The Continent needs to set up a league for this. The Dutch seem to be good at it. They even have a John Arlott clone doing the commentary..

https://digg.com/video/this-dutch-parody-of-english-sports-is-scarily-accurate

Edited by sidewinder
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

The Continent needs to set up a league for this. The Dutch seem to be good at it. They even have a John Arlott clone doing the commentary..

You know what? Seriously, and at the risk of being political, here is an observation: After the big refugee crisis in the center of Europe in 2015 there were not just suggestions but even urgings on the part of well-meaning persons that oh so many people from countries had been coming in where cricket is strong and who in turn were good at playing cricket themselves that their integration into the host society ought to be fostered by providing them much more of a cricket platform here.
Well, unfortunately (or??) cricket is strictly nowhere here in Germany and in neighboring countries so this is to no avail at all and won't fall on fertile ground in any respect for the foreseeable future. Because the DOMESTIC basis just isn't there.
But this might give you an idea of what the English team could have been up against. ;)
A kind of legions of reverse cases of soccer goalie Bert Trautmann ... :D

Edited by Big Beat Steve
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

Agree not great opposition. 6th away win in a row though - last time that was done,  Queen Vic was on the throne. :D

The Continent needs to set up a league for this. The Dutch seem to be good at it. They even have a John Arlott clone doing the commentary..

https://digg.com/video/this-dutch-parody-of-english-sports-is-scarily-accurate

And Rooooooottttt back in form too!

18 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

You know what? Seriously, and at the risk of being political, here is an observation: After the big refugee crisis in the center of Europe in 2015 there were not just suggestions but even urgings on the part of well-meaning persons that oh so many people from countries had been coming in where cricket is strong and who in turn were good at playing cricket themselves that their integration into the host society ought to be fostered by providing them much more of a cricket platform here.
Well, unfortunately (or??) cricket is strictly nowhere here in Germany and in neighboring countries so this is to no avail at all and won't fall on fertile ground in any respect for the foreseeable future. Because the DOMESTIC basis just isn't there.
But this might give you an idea of what the English team could have been up against. ;)
A kind of legions of reverse cases of soccer goalie Bert Trautmann ... :D

Not sure about German cricket but The Dutch cricket team has been competitive in the past in shorter forms of the great game.

Bert Trautmann, the man who played an FA Cup final with a fractured neck.  His mystique passed down the generations.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/football/23372473

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

×
×
  • Create New...