Now to the serious part
When the UK was part of the European Union’s customs union and single market, goods could move freely between the country and member states without customs duties or other fees being charged. However, as of 01.01.2021 the two distinct markets no longer share the same regulatory and legal space. Now all orders between the two markets have to be processed and cleared by the local customs authorities and all goods entering the country have to be declared.
Post Brexit costs
All EU based retailers sending parcels to the UK now have to fill out customs declaration forms and customers may also have to pay customs or VAT (Value Added Tax) charges, depending on the value of the products and the destination of the order.
As it is customary with all our customers from outside of the EU, we provide VAT free prices online and any additional customs charges are the responsibility of the customer.
Now, we understand that with more than 40 years of the UK being part of the EU, many customers may be caught unaware of the fact that the rules have changed since the UK’s official exit. This is why we have been communicating this information with you in various ways, on our products pages, at the shopping basket, on the check-out page, on our FAQ and shipping pages and on our Order Confirmation emails.
So, according to these new regulations, VAT will be added and charged by us after processing an order only if the net value of the items is equal or less than 135.00 GBP or if the delivery will be to Northern Ireland (we’ll get back to you lovely folks a little later). We will then send you an Order Confirmation email that will include the new price inclusive of VAT. In these cases, no additional fee should be paid upon delivery.
Orders on or below 135,00 GBP will incur a 8,00 GBP shipping fee. Please note, this is paid to Thomann and is not related to the fees paid to the courier.
The VAT (20%) and possible additional handling fees will have to be paid to the courier upon delivery for all other orders with the only exception being special VAT-free zones (e.g Channel Islands). Additionally, we no longer accept UK VAT numbers except for Northern Ireland.
If you are wondering what those additional fees will be, allow us to share all the information we have gathered so far below:
Government Charges: UPS will take care of all the official paperwork and payment of the VAT on your behalf and they will pass that cost to you on their invoice. From our limited experience so far, the Government Charges consist of the 20% VAT plus a small amount for the paperwork involved (usually around 2.5%).
Brokerage Charges: UPS will charge a minimum of 11.50 GBP for their service.
Important! Don’t forget that this is indicative information based on the feedback we have received so far as not every order has the same customs requirements. For further information we advise that you check the costs and procedures in advance with the courier or the customs authorities locally.
Payment Methods: If there is any customs duties payment required for your order, UPS will provide a link that will allow you to make payment online. This can be found on the tracking page and you can track your parcel with the tracking number we will send you with your shipping confirmation email.
Post Brexit deliveries
Retailers are not the only party affected by these new regulations. Couriers have had to adjust their procedures and routes according to the new customs requirements as well and this may now be causing small delays on certain occasions.
New logistics procedures have to be implemented and new sorting sequences have to be introduced to different collection centres. At the same time the increase in volume of parcels along with new border controls, reduced staff and local quarantine measures are not making things easier. However, our courier partners have assured us that they are doing their very best to deliver packages on time and we are happy to inform you that the vast majority of our orders to the UK have been delivered within 3-6 working days from the date of dispatch.
For items exceeding 31 kilos, or heavy goods such as PA equipment, pianos, etc., we have to employ the services of a heavy haulage company. Heavy haulage forwarders have unfortunately not been able to deal with the additional paperwork and customs requirements as yet so they have temporarily suspended all deliveries to the UK.
Should this affect your order, we will inform you in your Order Confirmation email. We are currently working on this matter and we hope we will be able to confirm shortly that this method of shipment is again available for the UK.
Northern Ireland
We think Van Morrison must have been preemptively referring to couriers in post-Brexit Northern Ireland when he sang ‘I shall drive my chariot down your streets and cry ‘Hey, it’s me, I’m dynamite’. As Northern Ireland remains in the single market for goods, we will apply VAT (20%) after you have placed your order and we will then send you an Order Confirmation email with the new price inclusive of VAT. In these cases, no additional fee should be paid upon delivery. Please note, we cannot guarantee your package will be delivered by chariot.
We do accept VAT numbers for companies registered in Northern Ireland and the new VAT number should start with XI. Additionally, large or heavy items that require the services of a heavy haulage company are not affected by Brexit.
Post Brexit returns
We are very happy to inform you that we still offer the 30 day Money Back Guarantee and 3 Year Warranty on most items.
Should you have any questions regarding return procedures after the implementation of Brexit, how much it will cost you to send something back and how customs usually deal with such shipments, please check our online information or contact our Customer Care department:
www.bloomberg.com
