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Post Brexit Shipping

Brexit had made a total mess of shipping outside the UK.
What kinds of idiots came up with that customer-losing process anyway?
As far as I’m concerned, I’m done ordering anything from the UK, which is a pity really.
And I’m far from being alone.

Really sorry for that as a Brit, I certainly didn't vote for it for that exact reason.

Seems those who did vote for it are surprised by all the extra charges and general hassle...
 
UPS lost a parcel I sent to Ireland in March. Somehow it stopped moving in France. I am still waiting for UPS to give me a refund so I can send it on to the unfortunate buyer of my Cambridge 640P. This is the first time I had a parcel sent by me go AWOL.
 
Update: finally delivered.

11/3/2021 sent
23/3/2021 arrived in UK
26/4/2021 Released from customs and received at Coventry depot
13/5/2021 delivered

I hope the way back will be less complicated.
 
Got a call to say my new speakers ordered at the start of May were ready on 26th May and were ready for shipping. Tracking tells me they were picked up on 10th June In Brilon Germany, moved 100km east and sat for a few days, then back 300km west to Monchengladbach they again sat for a few days, where last Thursday they were ‘loaded’. No sign since….Due to be delivered last Friday….

Reading some of the posts above is not encouraging. You have to feel for the dealers trying to work around this and not have order’s cancelled. With this experience, I’ll more likely buy from stock or used next time…
 
Brexit had made a total mess of shipping outside the UK.
What kinds of idiots came up with that customer-losing process anyway?
As far as I’m concerned, I’m done ordering anything from the UK, which is a pity really.
And I’m far from being alone.

It seems to work both ways. I bought a spare part (B&O as it happens!) from an eBay seller in Germany back in May and he did warn that he's had problems sending stuff to the UK.

According to the DHL tracking my package was processed by DHL in Germany on May 27th and has gone precisely nowhere since.
 
Sadly, I've had to stop shipping to all my Irish customers. Its just too hard and too expensive now. The idiots who voted for Brexit and thought that the same level of trade would continue have a lot to answer for.
 
Really sorry for that as a Brit, I certainly didn't vote for it for that exact reason.

Seems those who did vote for it are surprised by all the extra charges and general hassle...
Quite why they are surprised is beyond comprehension.
 
Well, for me the amp in question
11/3/2021 sent to Witch Hat
23/3/2021 arrived in UK
26/4/2021 Released from customs and received at Coventry depot
13/5/2021 delivered

Arrived back from Witch Hat via UPS in totally decent time-frame of 1 week, including customs formalities, with no hiccups. Longer than before 1/1/2021, but reasonable.
 
The most economical way to ship if it is a small packet is good old GPO (whoever they are now) or national post offices. I am in Spain and have had success buying and selling small items since January. I bought a camera body from Japan at £80 and there were no VAT or customs charges at all. Buyers need to check that national postal services are being used and sellers need to use them especially for cables, cartridges and arms. Couriers are screwing everyone else as far as I can tell and EBay's own system via Lichfield is even worse.

FF
 
Daughter is in Italy and she might as well be on Mars regards sending anything to her.

Sending to non-EU countries is becoming simpler than EU countries.

It was always going to be a horrendous mess.
 
Daughter is in Italy and she might as well be on Mars regards sending anything to her.

Sending to non-EU countries is becoming simpler than EU countries.

It was always going to be a horrendous mess.

Yes the morons certainly dropped a mighty stink bomb when they cast their vote for freedom. Betcha a lot of stay at home voters regret not exercised their democratic right at that referendum. Sleep walking the UK into obscurity and neutering their children's opportunities into the future.
 
Something I couldn’t see in the deal is the fact that the European states do make a huge profit on UK imports.
I was stung by the French customs for € 100 on just one parcel (a gift).
They actually threatened me to send the box back to England if I did not pay. Legal advice told me this was a normal — and sorry — state of affairs.
Never again.
What a bunch if idiots the EU governments are too for signing this stupid deal: you lose, we lose!
Maggie once destroyed Britain and Bojo is improving on her mistakes. Great.
 
Something I couldn’t see in the deal is the fact that the European states do make a huge profit on UK imports.
I was stung by the French customs for € 100 on just one parcel (a gift).
They actually threatened me to send the box back to England if I did not pay. Legal advice told me this was a normal — and sorry — state of affairs.
Never again.
What a bunch if idiots the EU governments are too for signing this stupid deal: you lose, we lose!
Maggie once destroyed Britain and Bojo is improving on her mistakes. Great.

I understand the imports from China will now face the same type of charges. That I can understand as it might ultimately end up in more jobs coming back to the EU. It has been great ordering stuff from China that is way more expensive over here and getting it with no post charges but it does come at a cost. Whether doing this makes any difference to how things play out over the coming decades only time will tell.
 
I’m confused re the charges that some people are reporting. The EU is not a country and customs duty and vat are applied according to the rules of each individual country. For countries outside the EU, France does not charge either VAT or customs duty on gifts below 43 euro. France does not apply vat on purchases with a value of less than 145 euro. Forms do have to be filled in and attached to the parcel, and most couriers charge a handling fee for dealing with these forms. The UK post office wasn’t charging a handling fee in 2020 ( the last time I had something sent) but I’m not up to date on that this year. It doesn't help many of us of course with our expensive second hand hifi but those limits are in place still, although going in to the UK I believe the exemption for gifts and small amounts has been changed from July 2021.
The major change apart from the cost is the delay in parcels in transit and waiting for clearance. I’ve had anything between 5 days and 3 and a half weeks in both directions.
 
eBay Global Shipping Program is very good. I sent an amp to the Netherlands which got lost when it landed and compensation was paid quickly and without issue.
 
i get my cd`s from holland , seems faster than ever which is rather surprising considering all the comments one hears , shipping costs have risen massively
 
I too have had problems with various companies. Sold Audio Physic speakers to chap in Italy - 2 boxes because of the size, only 1 arrived. Sent Mytek DAC to Warsaw for repair, it came back 1st time after 3 weeks no explanation from Holland, 2nd attempt with different courier took 4 weeks to get there but was successful. Once repaired took 3 days to get back to me! Return of cycling helmet to POC in Holland bounced back after 3 weeks, tried again with different company and eventually got there after 6 weeks! My son ordered a phone in China tracking says arrived in UK 6 weeks ago, now lost.

On the other hand bought a DAC from HIdiz in China got to me in 6 days!

No use blaming it all on Brexit, Covid has caused chaos too, container ships getting stuck in canals, lack of drivers, ports chokka block etc. etc. My family in USA report similar problems there nothing to do with the EU/UK.
 
I had a package take eight weeks to get to Slovakia, UPS booked vis Interparcel!

UPS are especially useless in Slovakia, it seems, and they are less and less effective in the UK as far as I can tell. I will not use them again. Interparcel were not able to get much out of them, they hardly seemed particularly motivated either.

At this time, DPD are the best domestic courier I think, and I will revert to my previous policy of shipping all overseas packages with Transglobal Express, although they can be pricey, and their booking process takes an age! They do know what they are doing though, ad they have good customer service. And all insurance via Secursus these days.
 


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