SLOW CLAP FOR BREXITEERS (again).

[alaia3]

I posted a while back about a ridiculous customs charge I had to pay due to the wonder that is Brexit.

So now, it’s a special birthday of a relative who has had a hard time recently. I ordered her a certain type of Murano glass vase (she collects these) and, hardly surprisingly, it comes from Italy where it is made. No problem as it’s free and fast delivery with this company.

Anyway, the vase didn’t arrive. Checked on UPS and hey presto - a customs charge of £170 for a vase that cost £450. This is “due to the inconvenience that is Brexit” that’s how it translates on the Italian tracking page).

So, it seems we can no longer order anything from Europe for to the genius of those who voted Brexit! Has anything more idiotic ever taken place in British history? Maybe reality will finally hit them at the same time as the customs charges hit?

[quote Libraryghost]@TatianaBis no it doesn’t astound me. As I said before my job involves importing and exporting to Europe so naturally I am very clued up about Brexit. I guess you must be more particular about vases than I am...[/quote]
Don’t care about vases personally, but there’s plenty of stuff I source directly from Europe. It’s often cheaper than buying it here.

Not so much any more thanks to the Brexiters whose mentality reminds me of Ricky Gervais’s mum:

What you do want to go abroad for, there’s bits of Reading you haven’t been.

Well, it is what it is and now you just have to add the possible charge to the price of the item and decide whether that's a price you are willing to pay. If not then find something here instead even if it's not quite what you wanted.

What else can we do? 🤷‍♀️

Haha there is NO duty on a lot of things. You just got unlucky with your vase for which you didn't check beforehand whether any duty was due and how much.

FYI the UK has a free trade agreement with the EU, meaning that lots of everyday items are duty free. Presumably, art work isn't one of them. Especially not at a price of £450. It's an expensive present so an extra £170 prob won't hurt you.

"Has anything more idiotic ever taken place in British history?"

Making the same mistake twice.

Italy and Germany suspended AstraZeneca vaccines against the advice of the EMA. I didn’t see anything about them being forced to join an EU programme. In fact the EU nations seem to be taking independent stances on various matters,

£450 for Murano . It isn't that great and there's loads of it in the UK anyway.

@pinkstripeycat

MidnightMeltdown

It's a hard life OP. Just ask a relative of one of the 25,000 people who die of hunger and poverty every single day.

But obviously we should have stayed in the EU so that the vacuous can import their expensive luxury goods on the cheap.

Well said!!!!

It’s not well said at all. How is leaving the EU going to improve poverty rates? Even the government’s own studies demonstrate that we will be poorer because of Brexit as a nation.

Just a thought OP - be angry, annoyed and irritated by Brexit but don't look down your nose at people working to give you as much information as possible. The guy on the phone wasn't a dope and people who voted to leave aren't loons - these are just your opinions, you're totally irrelevant opinions. With someone with your attitude, I'd be happy to ship you off to Italy and pay double.

Are you saying it being successful isn’t a result of Brexit?

Of course it isn’t as a result of Brexit! Any EU country could have made its own arrangements for vaccine procurement. The UK chose to do just that, during the transition period.

You are being manipulated to believe that Brexit is therefore positive but the economic repercussions will adversely affect this country for decades, long after covid is over

I think the funniest post was the PP who said you can buy it in Britain from here - linked to Amazon where it clearly stated that the item would be shipped from Murano in Italy.

I agree that there are all sorts of things that are PITA brought about by Brexit, Op, but unfortunately your post will always attract the Brexiteers piling on because of your title.

You may have bought it there, buts it's from Murano.

Who claimed otherwise?

OP, you may benefit from some financial training also.

If 'this country' is in such dire straits as you claim it to be, you'll be better off investing in something with proven resell value in case the situation deteriorates (as you say).

The art market is notoriously fickle, and you can easily fall prey to unscrupulous dealers who may have no problem selling you a bridge. It's very unwise to dilapidate your money like that (unless you are seriously loaded - in which case I have no idea why you keep on whining so much)

Wow OP, you really come across as an utter loathsome brat.

I mean I like murano glass (I have an amazing chandelier, bought in France) however not many people (remainers or leavers) really give a shit about the OPs predicament.

@An0n0n0n

"Has anything more idiotic ever taken place in British history?"

Making the same mistake twice.

Ain't that the truth.

“I think the funniest post was the PP who said you can buy it in Britain from here - linked to Amazon where it clearly stated that the item would be shipped from Murano in Italy.”

Hilarious if not astonishing.

@LimaFoxtrotCharlie

Are you saying it being successful isn’t a result of Brexit?

Of course it isn’t as a result of Brexit! Any EU country could have made its own arrangements for vaccine procurement. The UK chose to do just that, during the transition period.

You are being manipulated to believe that Brexit is therefore positive but the economic repercussions will adversely affect this country for decades, long after covid is over

Yet the only country that did is the one that has left the EU. Coincidence?

The long term economic consequences remain to be seen, and it could be that we are better off from leaving the EU. Whatever happens, Brexit was decided in democratic vote. Unfortunately not all remoaners have accepted that yet.

@adeleh

You could have had an efficient vaccine rollout without Brexit. There was no compulsion or law requiring us to join in with the other EU nations.

I don't think so.

Had we stayed we could not have negotiated in parallel with the same pharma companies that the EU were negotiating with. We would only be allowed to do this after contracts to the EU had been finalised. Germany did do this which was apparently a breach of the EU procurement agreement (although they are turning a blind eye to that at the moment).

www.politico.eu/article/germanys-coronavirus-vaccine-side-deal-at-odds-with-legally-binding-eu-pact/

We would have been left negotiating for Sputnik (see Hungary). Had we not done our own thing, which was only possible outside of EU/EMA, we would be in poo street the same as the rest of Europe.

@smigg

You may have bought it there, buts it's from Murano.

Who claimed otherwise?

The poster who I quoted, who said to buy British.

YANBU, though the issue is the company posting it. I've bought several things from Europe recently and not had a customs charges but the correct paperwork is necessary.

@alaia3

“I think the funniest post was the PP who said you can buy it in Britain from here - linked to Amazon where it clearly stated that the item would be shipped from Murano in Italy.”

Hilarious if not astonishing.

Not as funny as being surprised at a customs charge for the second time.

@PiersMorganBigMLittleOrgan

Maybe reality will finally hit them at the same time as the customs charges hit?

Maybe the people who believed their jobs were being put at risk by cheap Eastern European labour couldn’t imagine being able to spend £450 on a birthday present in their wildest dreams?

I would hope the people who believed their jobs were being put at risk by “cheap European labour” had the common sense to realise that their jobs were actually being put at risk by dodgy employers who (illegally) paid less to Eastern European workers, often less than national minimum wage.

I would hope they focused their anger on the employers who took advantage of people who had fewer rights and less recourse to help, and not the Eastern European workers themselves.

If you consider £170 to be extortionate then don’t buy £450 vases

That’s because they all agreed to operate together with regard to the vaccine. But no country was forced to agree.

pinkstripeycat

MidnightMeltdown

It's a hard life OP. Just ask a relative of one of the 25,000 people who die of hunger and poverty every single day.

But obviously we should have stayed in the EU so that the vacuous can import their expensive luxury goods on the cheap.

Well said!!!!

How is that well said when our food prices are going up? Who does that affect most? The poor!