EU Websites for nice clothes online

[caperplips]

I have been stung with the whole Brexit fallout of online shopping in Ireland using UK retailers and it really has made things prohibitive now. I will absorb the extra costs for the things I have ordered in the sales but going forwards I will look to EU websites.

I wondered if anyone had any good ones to share? I like clothes from Whistles / Jigsaw etc generally so anything else of that ilk?

It's all such a pity...

Thanks!

[LeaveMyDamnJam]

Brexit. The gift that keeps on bloody giving.

[caperplips]

@QuentinInQuarantino
I think you might need to be careful around that. I read somewhere about some UK sites having .ie or .eu sites but they are UK companies & the imports tax & duty will apply but I'm hazy on those facts & someone else will perhaps know more about this

@botemp thanks for all your help

@Barmbraic thanks for that I will take a look. I have bought several bags from The Kinsale Leather Studio online before & they are also lovely

@inisfree - good call .. I had a couple of pairs of those jeans a few years ago & forgot about them so i must take a look again

Thanks all!

[Sooverthemill]

I'm so passed off that the brands I've happily bought from before 31 December now carry a huge customs and extra VAT charge at the border,. I'm UK and like to buy from France and German and Italian sites. I've done an order this week and waiting to see what the charges will be. If it's proportionately too much I won't be accepting it. It's such a pain, I'm housebound anyway but my one pleasure is clothes and limiting where I can get pretty stuff from has made me really depressed. I had to stop getting stuff from USA once my sister got too sick to travel here from USA and bring me stuff and the customs etc charges were too high.

Brexit is a bloody mess and as soon as we can get back in the better.

[Hollybutnoivy]

I live in Spain and buy a lot from next and marks and Spencer's - both the Spanish websites for the shops. Occasionally also H&M gap and Boden - I'm confused as to what's going to happen! If m&s and next have Spanish websites does that mean they have an operation in eu?

Apparently not. I am in Italy and thought that the M & S Italian site got round this problem (albeit by offering a reduced selection...sigh...) However, someone on a forum I'm on has just been stung by extra charges as although the site looks like it's in Italy - it's actually still the UK.

I too am awaiting the delivery of a few parcels that were sent way before Christmas -with trepidation!

[QuentinInQuarantino]

God I'm so pissed off too. I hope the fuckers who voted for it go out of business. Actually, wasn't the NEXT man a brexiter? I've found on Boden it says they'll absorb the duty if you use their .eu website but the codes never work on that website and the prices are higher

[QuentinInQuarantino]

I'm waiting for bravissimo and fig leaves orders (because obviously Spanish boobs don't go above a b cup!!) and I'm dreading the charges now!!!

I also read that dpd has stopped delivering for now. Including Northern Ireland. It must be absolutely galling to be northern Irish and dragged into Brexit but still cut off!!!

[Hollybutnoivy]

I was going to order a mattress topper from a company in Devon but I don't think I'll bother now. Too much hassle!

[botemp]

I believe Boden is on Zalando, as are M&S (or at least they were), they occasionally do codes (but the newsletter frequency drives me batty so I always miss them as I've switched them off).

As mentioned by a PP Zalando operates as a marketplace (in some countries they're also a secondhand marketplace and they'll buy your clothes from you in exchange for store credit) and a lot of brands are on there to get around the VAT/import issues.

[anomletteandaglassofwine]

That's interesting @botemp, thanks for that information. Gone are the days of ordering a few different sizes of the same item, just to see! I'd be reluctant to buy anything if there's a chance I'd need to return it, it's just too much trouble.

I bought some things for dh from Mango both before Christmas and last week and there was no difference in delivery, I guess as they're Spanish. I'll be sticking to them, Zara, Cos, H&M, other stories, Arket, Monki, Massimo Dutti, Sézane etc..

For designer stuff I've bought from 24S, which is Bon Marche in Paris and Place des Tendences which is Printemps. I got emails from Net a Porter and Monnier Freres to say they will be organising the VAT situation and nothing will change for the customer.

I'm sad about all the smaller British brands I've found,mostly through Instagram, who have enough going on with COVID restrictions and probably just can't deal with this additional paperwork.

I'm sure this wasn't something people anticipated when they voted for Brexit. It feels like a huge step backwards somehow.

[QuentinInQuarantino]

Uniqlo! I think that might be a good one, I've ordered a lot of their heat tech and airism stuff and I think they have an eu base...

[botemp]

24s is my preferred designer e-tailer now (free next day shipping for me and really efficient with returns). My Theresa is also good for designer stuff. Farfetch as well. Yoox for designer outlet gear but I believe they're more expensive in Ireland than the rest of Europe.

I also shop with Niche Beauty instead of SpaceNK and Cult Beauty (although these both deliver DDP with no hastle to customers, but with the many near no deal moments I've just switched to mainly EU retailers for some time now, it also helps that the UK retailers aren't getting the exclusive European deals anymore these last few years).

Staiy is another interesting one, it's a sustainable brands only marketplace based in Germany but the shipping costs are varied.

For British independent brands, Wolf & Badger are shipping DDP, I haven't looked into the returns though but I think they cover it as they promise hassle free returns.

[SherryPalmer]

Zalando also has Sweaty Betty for the pp up thread.

[LivingDeadGirlUK]

My friend works for Glamourous and has spent a huge amount of time setting up an EU warehouse so they can avoid this issue. I think a lot of UK companies will follow but its been a logistical challenge for them given the lack of direction from the government.

[whiskeyfoxtrotcharlie]

I've been negotiating with a seller over a blouse on Vestiaire Collective. We've agreed on a price, but if I go ahead with the purchase I have just discovered that I will have to pay import duties plus shipping plus authentication – it adds roughly 30% to the price of the item and makes it too expensive for what it is. I feel naive for not being aware of these changes post-Brexit and bad for wasting the seller's time. I also sell items on Vestiaire from time to time and obviously these duties/taxes will make buyers less likely to purchase from a seller in the UK.

I order quite a bit from 24S. I currently have a coat in my basket there and the checkout page is telling me taxes, import duties and delivery are included in the total price. Not sure whether to go ahead with the purchase or not!

[Hollybutnoivy]

Zalando also has Sweaty Betty for the pp up thread.

Thanks for posting this. I have just looked though and some of the items have a surcharge for "long distance delivery"? Any idea what this means? It's really hard to work out where something is actually arriving from!

[botemp]

Yes, Vestiaire, I won't be buying from UK sellers as a result. Vestiaire even has a very handy "In Europe" button now with search results that eliminates all non EU sellers.

Holly, Long distance delivery is a €3 charge for shipping for 'long distance' but I think at the moment it's just to cover the extra admin hassle with UK shipping. You get it back though if you return the entire order (this is an EU right, but few companies actually adhere to it). I've attached a screenshot from the terms and conditions.

Whiskey, 24s delivers duties paid ahead so you can shop there just as you did previously. I would warn UK shoppers though to look out for things marked 'Final Sale', in the EU you had the protection that you are always able to return an item bought online within 14 days in the same method with which you paid. Without that protection companies can now refuse returns (quite common in the US), I've noticed Matches now has this in their T&C, so things marked 'final sale' can't be returned (but if you're an EU citizen then they still have to comply to EU rules and you can return those items).

[snygghygge]

This is a great thread!
I'm in Northern Europe but have always bought pretty much all my clothes and many more things from U.K. retailers, so I really need new ideas!
Yesterday I received a lovely cashmere sweater from elcorteingles.com.
I really like Italian shoes - does anyone know of any other good sites than yoox.com?

[TheHoundsofLove]

I‘m in Germany. I’ve been weaning myself off of UK sites for a while now and am resigned to only using EU based sites from now on. Shipping was already getting too high from some sellers and additional customs fees make it prohibitive.
But, it is confusing..the German M&S site seems to suggest that no further fees will be due, but that the buyer will have to complete a customs declaration form on delivery??

[QuentinInQuarantino]

I've bought excellent trousers in the French department store galeries Lafayette before..

[whiskeyfoxtrotcharlie]

@botemp thank you for the warning about returns. Well worth knowing as the EU protection means we have probably been lulled into a false sense of security. I buy several items every year from Matches sale stock.

[Zeldaaa]

Slightly off topic but if I’m in U.K. am I likely to be hit by custom charges coming into U.K. from EU? I buy from several EU sites ☹️

[hollybutnoivy]

Real time update:

I have just been contacted by customs agents (I'm in Italy) to ask me what was in the package they have at the frontier (beauty products from Face Theory as recommended by MN!) and that I may have to pay extra. I am rather miffed as I only bought from them because it says "shipped from the EU" on their website!

[Hollybutnoivy]

@Botemp thanks!

[JaneJeffer]

I'm sure this wasn't something people anticipated when they voted for Brexit.
I don't know what they were thinking or if they were thinking at all.

[Sooverthemill]

@Zeldaaa yes. Vat and customs potentially going to be made at the border payable by customer to the shipping company. Some retailers many absorb these. But I doubt all will