THANKS A LOT BREXITEERS (and good luck when you order items from abroad)!

[customchaos]

I recently bought some art through an online website (think, a bit like Etsy, but not that one). So the item was £400, plus £140 delivery, which I did think it was a lot, but it was being shipped from Russia. Anyway, two weeks later, I get an email from the website company, to tell me the item is being held at the depot and I am required to contact Parcelforce to pay a customs tax. I phoned up and the tax is to the tune of £140. For an item costing £400! Apparently this is the new post-Brexit norm. Just to get what you have ordered over the border!

I’ve also ordered more art from Bulgaria which is apparently in its way now and I’m really worried as this was more expensive (just under £3000). Does this mean I going to be charged another ridiculous amount as customs tax?

I’ve been on to HMRC today and they are no help, beyond saying “yes this is because of Brexit,” “No we’re not sure if you’ve been charged the right amount or why,” and “You will need to pay first and them make a claim if you think you’ve been overcharged.”

So basically, is this the end of ordering from abroad? What madness is this?

So if I buy paintings at my local (London) art shops, where do you think that might have come from?

Regardless of where they came from, you wouldn't have any nasty duty related surprises.

@Livelovebehappy

£3000 is not a fortune to spend on art quote of the day 😂

It really isn't though. A friend's paintings now sell for £6-7k if you buy them through a gallery. He's not famous or anything, although he has won a significant prize, but that's what people are happy to pay for his work.

I'm just glad I got one for £250 years ago, when he was skint. Mind you, £250 was a lot to me at the time!

It would have been easier if you had bought British art,

" everyone knew this would happen months ago"

Boris actually said he would get a good deal, not a crap one.

@itsgettingwierd

I was a remainer.

But I thought the whole point was to make us buy British?

Build our home economy? And I suspect those in EU countries have to also pay for us to send stuff?

I'm hoping it works in the end - but I won't be buying abroad with hexes because I couldn't afford it.

I very much doubt if the 66m people in the UK could buy enough to make up for stuff that the 440m or thereabouts in the EU are no longer buying.

If it encourages people to buy local, I think it’s actually a positive.

Speaking as an artist myself who is heavily involved in my local (UK) art community, obviously it's nice when people do support local artists. But if someone is struggling to get a specific piece of art they want from abroad, I don't know how likely they actually are to find a UK substitute instead? They would probably just give up on buying it rather than think "oh, I'll find a UK version"... art doesn't really work like that.

A lot of people also actually don't know how to find local art that they like - your average consumer isn't usually well connected with their local art community and is more likely to look online. A lot of art trade happens online and involves sending work overseas. A lot of UK artists are also sending their work abroad so this will happen the other way round too and is much more likely damage UK artists than benefit them.

I think it's such a shame that all these restrictions are going to be imposed on us as a result of Brexit. It can only harm us and the choice we have available to us as consumers.

I used to buy some things through Vestiaire- pre used high end validated clothes and accessories I could never afford new. Plus, better for the environment. Now there’s a Brexit caused 20% additional charge on top of shipping, the goods themselves and checks- as well as any customs charge. As it’s a France based company, even if it’s UK to UK, this charge is additional. Not the end of the world I know, but I won’t be buying anything else from there so will probably be adding to the environmental costs of new stuff instead of reuse and recycling pre existing products. Sucks for those who resale in this country too.

"I wanted to send him a photo of the children, the price to send it has shot up AND there are customs forms to fill in plus he will have to pay further unspecified charges when he receives it so we didn’t bother."

Customs forms for a photo! This just gets worse and worse :(
Is it the same issue for sending your own possessions to yourself, i.e. things you already own and nothing new?

So if you buy something from an EU retailer, check they're not charging you VAT on their website. The vat should be paid via the carrier! As for Russia, that's nothing to do with brexit.

Surfer - yes, I don’t buy from Vestiare myself (though I did once or twice years ago), but yes, that is exactly the kind of business that will be severely impacted by this and it’s a real shame because that was a great way for international buyers and sellers to recycle items.

nancy - I totally agree and I’m glad you have explained the situation to those who seem to think the “buy British” mantra should be the end all and be all.

@sst1234

Oh dear. The stupidity and collective self harm that people are willing to endure just so that the rich can be punished is astonishing. Whatever your views on Brexit, the fact that the rich pay more means that the poor will be even harder hit. Inflation always hurts the low paid more than the rich. But hey if it makes you feel better about it because how dare OP afford expensive art, then you are beyond help already. Good luck.

This doesn't make any sense. We are generating more taxation so how is that making us poorer?

So if you buy something from an EU retailer, check they're not charging you VAT on their website. The vat should be paid via the carrier!

This isn't true any more. For goods with a value of less than £135, retailers and marketplaces should be collecting the VAT since the system changed on 1st Jan. I've bought items from the EU and elsewhere this year, and the parcels arrive with customs forms attached and the fact that tax has been paid clearly marked. Had no charges to pay the carrier, so no handling fee either. The items just arrived at my door. It's a better way of doing things except, as I said earlier in the thread, you have no chance of your parcel slipping through the net and therefore not being charged even though you should have been.

Yes, it's annoying. Although I'm not sure I can completely blame brexit as it got me out of a nightmare with a company but I had an ongoing problem with a broken appliance. They should have sent a full replacement from the UK early December but only sent part of it - some parts needed to come from the EU (inexplicably) they couldn't be bothered to send them through December when I chased and send them first week in Jan. Because of brexit they never arrived. The company really messed me around, they wouldn't do anything or investigate (I could see from tracking the parcel was sat in Netherlands awaiting the company instructions) so a few weeks back I got trading standards involved and they refunded me so never have to do business with them again.

But then a week later got loads of texts and emails from DHL saying it would cost me £45 for the parts to be delivered because of customs tax. The value of the parcel probably around the £100 mark, so I'm glad that I'd already had my refund and ignore it.

If it wasn't for brexit the parts would have arrived 5 days after they were ordered in the new year.

Anyway, enjoy your art. I'm sure it'll be worth it. But support local galleries too, they're really struggling.

Choice is a wonderful thing, but why are we buying stuff from all over adding to carbon emissions, why not try and source local. That's nothing to do with BREXIT, but why do we need so much stuff. One of the positives from this time is just how much money I wasted on crap, now when I buy something it's what I really want rather than as a result of a mindless internet scroll to alleviate boredom.

People are worried about jobs and their futures because of BREXIT and covid. Worrying about someone importing art does not feature on many people's empathy scale.

I presumed you were thanking us for vaccines

Vaccines, research for which was funded internationally including large scale funding from the EU? The first tranch AZ vaccines manufactured with support from the Belgian plant? Or the myth that as part of the EU we would not be able organise our own vaccine programme?

Its easy to sneer at the products bought but as others have pointed out - losing all the trade deals we had via the EU is affecting all imports including foods and medicines and not just luxury goods.

@Gwenhwyfar
The customs form for non commercial stuff under £270 is literally just name address and what you are sending including weight.
Nothing different to what the PO asks for U.K. parcels. Ok so you have to do extra writing but it’s not any harder.

www.royalmail.com/sites/royalmail.com/files/2020-03/customs-declaration-cn22-march-2020.pdf

😂 My heart bleeds for you @customchaos
Personally I’ve been making it my aim to buy British with the state of the economy right now. Lots of love A Proud Brexit Supporter 💗💗

"@Gwenhwyfar
The customs form for non commercial stuff under £270 is literally just name address and what you are sending including weight.
Nothing different to what the PO asks for U.K. parcels. Ok so you have to do extra writing but it’s not any harder."

And if the stuff is non-commercial but worth a lot more than £270 (e.g. moving house)?

Anyone else read it in the “thanks a lot rachel” YouTube video voice?

Anyway. Sorry your expensive art is now more expensive op.

@BigPaperBag

😂 My heart bleeds for you *@customchaos* Personally I’ve been making it my aim to buy British with the state of the economy right now. Lots of love A Proud Brexit Supporter 💗💗

I would like to buy British sometimes, but not possible as many British companies have stopped shipping to the EU, at least for the moment. Some of them will now open offices in the EU, taking jobs out of the UK.

Or the myth that as part of the EU we would not be able organise our own vaccine programme?

From the posts ive seen i think its the above

More money than sense.

Oh ok, Proud Brexit Supporter. We are a family with Indian/ Persian / Argentinian heritage, but next time I’m looking for some Indian furniture, I’ll just toddle down to the local village market waving a Union Jack and pick up whatever they happen have out. Thanks!

People are worried about jobs and their futures because of BREXIT and covid. Worrying about someone importing art does not feature on many people's empathy scale.

Some people make a living from art.