To wonder why shoppers are surprised at post-Brexit customs and duties?

[Wherrsmaclickypen]

Shoppers are apparently 'dismayed' 'shocked' and 'angry' to receive bills for import taxes and handling on their online shopping from the EU. It not just media reporting - there are lots of annoyed and confused comments on retail social media pages. Many are angry at the retailers for not posting UK specific warnings. 🤷🏻‍♀️

We have come out of the EU. What exactly did people think was going to happen?

PS If there are any pro-Brexit knitters out there, who enjoyed shopping at Hobbii, Ritohobby et al, you have brought this on yourself, and the rest of us.

It was handmade and a gift, so I can see why people might be surprised.

DD's Italian penfriend sent her some homemade decorations. The letter had been opened and resealed, but no charge fortunately. They won't chance sending even homemade gifts again.

@LApprentiSorcier

We have a populist government who locked down because it was popular with 90% of the electorate.

How do you know 90% of the electorate wanted lockdown. I wasn't asked - were you?

No I wasnt but every couple of months they are doing polls. The most recent is showing 72% percent popularity for lockdown. These polls are what's dictating government policy.

@SusannaSpider

It was handmade and a gift, so I can see why people might be surprised.

DD's Italian penfriend sent her some homemade decorations. The letter had been opened and resealed, but no charge fortunately. They won't chance sending even homemade gifts again.

As long as the sender fills out the correct customs form and confirms the value to be less than £39, such gifts will not attract duty, at least.

The most recent is showing 72% percent popularity for lockdown

Oh, yes, polls. Polls represent the opinion of people who took part in the poll. Next time we are due a GE let's not bother - let's just poll a segment of the population and let the result stand for the country.

That's what happens with voting, you will never get 100% turn out.
The vote is only representative if who ever turns up to vote. Its kind of how we ended up with Brexit,

I don't know why anyone would have thought there wouldn't be duties to be paid, or that prices would go in the shops. I always thought they would. Shop prices increasing have an effect but I'm making an effort to buy British and I don't import from other countries if I can avoid it. Oh and yes, I voted for Brexit.

@thesecretvoter

I don't know why anyone would have thought there wouldn't be duties to be paid, or that prices would go in the shops. I always thought they would. Shop prices increasing have an effect but I'm making an effort to buy British and I don't import from other countries if I can avoid it. Oh and yes, I voted for Brexit.

Buying British sounds good but we dont make much stuff ourselves any more. Instead, I am thinking that our British ^shops^ which sell good quality European goods but are now facing import tariffs and passing increased pricing onto consumers may well turn to cheaper lower quality imported goods instead to compensate and retain margins.

Wouldnt it be great if we could do a trade deal with countries that have most of the manufacturers of the high est quality, most sustainable and ethically produced products you can buy. Oh, wait a minute......

@LApprentiSorcier

The most recent is showing 72% percent popularity for lockdown

Oh, yes, polls. Polls represent the opinion of people who took part in the poll. Next time we are due a GE let's not bother - let's just poll a segment of the population and let the result stand for the country.

You mean like an advisory non-binding opinion poll that resulted in 37% of the electorate dictating to everyone else?

What Sabrina said.

Not read the whole thread.

I think it's because actually, most people didn't know what it really meant at all.

The referendum was rushed as DC said he'd do it, and they all assumed the answer would be remain.

The Brexit people were well funded, organised, not afraid of erm bending the truth. They got some good slogans, avoided specifics, leveraged a lot of comfy emotional stuff and some less pleasant stuff to get people onside.

The remain campaign was a shambles.

There was info on politics progs etc etc. But the papers also mainly ran simplistic messages.

I don't remember a leaflet or loads of public info saying.

This is what we put in and this is what we get out and could (will almost certainly) lose.

I remember someone talking about the Scottish independence one which had a year of run in, neutral factual leaflets to all homes. Loads of info accessible to all levels via various forms (TV etc).

That's why, I think. If you didn't really look into it and you don't really know what the free trade etc meant then as an average Joe yes I'm sure a lot is a shock.

I have less sympathy for eg the farmers and fishing people who were getting grants trade etc etc and really really ought to have known, who are now saying wtf. I mean. Come on.

Because unlike Blue passports and taking back control it wasn't really pointed out and apparently voters really really need something pointed out to them in big letters for them to still ignore it

@wherrsmaclickypen

As far as I am aware if you are not personally bringing the goods in then custom duties, tax etc have always been payable. Otherwise smokers would have had their tobacco posted to them from Spain.

And then you get stuff like this. It's all just so, not how a grown up nation should behave if you know what I mean.

Petty and embarrassing behaviour from UK govt

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55753669

Retailers may have to burn clothes shocker. Why not donate them? How did businesses not anticipate this sort of thing? Why the melodramatic 'burn them' stuff?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55757931

Then the fishing companies

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55706114

@Wherrsmaclickypen

Thanks. It had no forms because it had been sent at the beginning of Dec and didn't arrive until last week! But it had been opened.

I did read all the customs info the last time there was a thread on this. But they don't seem to be adhering to the rules - charging for things ordered and paid for before Jan 1st and charging for items under £15 from countries outside of the EU.

@ememem84 they send us jumpers that MIL knits for the kids, story books in their language, they also send my OHs fave foods from home, and my fave chocs that we can't get here. None of them are things they can just order from a uk shop to be delivered here. Even if they were, they speak no English so would never manage to order from a UK shop.

@susannaSpider I don't think the £15 rule exists any more, think that was replaced on 1st Jan. Means that cheapy bits costing £3 from aliexpress will now incur VaT and customs plus an £8ish admin fee from Royal Mail.

I'm not sure more Brexit info would be have been helpful. My parents voted for Brexit, they never travel, have no concept of their grandchild wanting to study in the EU (and unfortunately she does), they don't seem to have any reason for their vote, besides raging about all the money that is poured into the EU, and they have issues with immigrants (most of whom aren't from EU countries, but they don't grasp that either). And they are Daily Mail readers.

@Lockdownlumpy
It does still exist. Not sure I can face reading the literature again though!

@susanaSpider I thought it had gone because of the info in this screenshot

From this page
www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-and-overseas-goods-sold-directly-to-customers-in-the-uk#goods-that-are-outside-the-uk-at-the-point-of-sale

I am very anti brexit (voted remain) and politically aware, normally. But I did get the impression that we were aiming for a “deal” that would ensure free trade or at least something similar, and that we had achieved something like that by agreeing a deal.

If there was no deal I wouldn’t be surprised by the tariffs and taxes, but I admit I have been a bit taken aback at the amounts (not personally, just by the news stories etc.).

Also I constantly wonder what the hell the remain campaign were thinking in 2016. They could have pointed all this out - do you want to not be able to travel and work freely in Europe, not be able to order good from Europe without massive extra charges, bands unable to tour, businesses unable to exports their goods. People wouldn’t have voted for this if the reality had been spelt out, I just can’t understand why remain didn’t focus on these things.

I love these threads

I'm not sure more Brexit info would be have been helpful. My parents voted for Brexit, they never travel, have no concept of their grandchild wanting to study in the EU (and unfortunately she does), they don't seem to have any reason for their vote, besides raging about all the money that is poured into the EU, and they have issues with immigrants (most of whom aren't from EU countries, but they don't grasp that either). And they are Daily Mail readers.

Yes, this has also been my experience with my dad. All the information was available, but he just didn’t want to hear it, because FORRINERS (especially MUSLIMS) and SOVEREIGNTY. There are none so blind as those who will not see.

I think there’s a small minority of Brexiteers who realised this would happen but thought it was a price worth paying for the other ‘benefits’ - for example, weakening the pound so that their hedge funds would perform well. But I think the majority of them just didn’t bloody listen.

Does anyone know when that £350m a week for the NHS starts getting paid in? I’ve been watching the news and it looks like they could really do with it.

Well the EU /US finance deal is going to be great for us

The thing is what we paid in was dwarfed by the benefits of being in the single market /custom union.

We'll find out at 5pm next Friday Buddy *

*shrug

@HerselfIndoors

I am very anti brexit (voted remain) and politically aware, normally. But I did get the impression that we were aiming for a “deal” that would ensure free trade or at least something similar, and that we had achieved something like that by agreeing a deal.

If there was no deal I wouldn’t be surprised by the tariffs and taxes, but I admit I have been a bit taken aback at the amounts (not personally, just by the news stories etc.).

Also I constantly wonder what the hell the remain campaign were thinking in 2016. They could have pointed all this out - do you want to not be able to travel and work freely in Europe, not be able to order good from Europe without massive extra charges, bands unable to tour, businesses unable to exports their goods. People wouldn’t have voted for this if the reality had been spelt out, I just can’t understand why remain didn’t focus on these things.

The remain argument put forward was appallingly arrogant. The whole thing was an ill thought out mess.

They lost as much as Brexiteers won.

I say that as a staunch remainer.