Buying from U.K. - not made it easy have they !

[Colin Grigson]

I work and live in Slovakia but continue to buy from U.K. based companies if they have products I like. I wanted to order a few items from Rapha and waited (mistakingly) to see if there would be any January sales - not on the products I wanted .. of course. I ordered 1 x Jersey, 5 x pairs of socks and a pair of earphones. My goods were dispatched as usual and were flown from Gatwick to Bratislava. On arrival I received an e-mail from DHL requesting the following :-

1. Power of Attorney (signed) giving them authority to act as my customs clearing agent.
2. Copy of my permission to reside in Slovakia.
3. Copy of ID.
4. Proof of payment ie. Bank or credit card statement showing amount paid, date paid, to whom and by whom.
5. Goods specification to include what it is, what it’s used for and if it’s part of some other larger item.
6. Register with Dept. Of Finance - send registration details including ‘registered importer number’ individual to me.
7. My original order to Rapha showing clearly individual ordered items and prices itemised.

Having had somebody at DHL collate these documents and prepare my goods for clearance prior to delivery I was fully expecting to have to pay something, but yesterday my parcel was delivered without any mention of payment and I breathed a sigh of relief that it was finally with me. Whilst not exactly putting me off ordering from U.K., it is a convoluted process to go through every time I do.
I wonder if it’s going to be the same (but reversed) for you good people ordering from EU now ?

 

[weareHKR]

Hells bells that's a bit of a ball ache!

 

[Colin Grigson]

Hells bells that's a bit of a ball ache!

Yes, understatement
Like a lot of policy implemented at the last minute, some of it appears incredibly arbitrary - why do they need my residency permission ? ... what has that got to do with buying some socks
None of what they requested I provide was impossible to do ... just hassle trying to find some of it, and in a foreign language some of it wasn’t that clear

 

[rualexander]

At least you were able to order stuff, many of the EU based companies have stopped selling to the UK, hopefully temporarily.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

No, that's highly unusual and possibly something of an overreaction by DHL and Customs in Slovakia, there should be no need for all of that. It's only a parcel from a third country (which is not a new thing), it's not like you're an importer.
If I order something from say, Kenya, or the US, there might be a Customs fee depending on the value, but that's it. Sounds like a panic overreaction.
For an international parcel delivery the value and nature of the goods should of course be visible to Customs officials on the packaging, from that they work out the duty and you're charged it on delivery. I had a UPS parcel from the States recently and there was a Customs docket with the parcel with about 8 pounds to pay on it, the driver took payment on his PDA.

 

[Colin Grigson]

At least you were able to order stuff, many of the EU based companies have stopped selling to the UK, hopefully temporarily.

Yes, very true. I had to jump through some hoops but I did get what I was after. I just hope it’s easier for you lot if you order from EU than it is for us ordering from U.K.
The funny thing was that one item I chose was out of stock. I chose the ‘notify me when available’ option and the notification came the following day. I went ahead and ordered and now I’m sat here waiting to repeat the whole thing again - I’ll be expert soon

 

[Colin Grigson]

No, that's highly unusual and possibly something of an overreaction by DHL and Customs in Slovakia, there should be no need for all of that. It's only a parcel from a third country (which is not a new thing), it's not like you're an importer.
If I order something from say, Kenya, or the US, there might be a Customs fee depending on the value, but that's it. Sounds like a panic overreaction.

That’s what I’m hoping long term, things should settle down. I should have known better than import just after something as monumental as Brexit.

 

[byegad]

All part of 'The easiest trade deal negotiation ever!' we were promised by that Cockwomble BoJo.

 

[rogerzilla]

I knew this would be a s***show so I ordered all the dynamo lighting gear and Cyclus tools I needed from Germany over the last two years. UK prices for this stuff are rapacious.

 

[Drago]

How smoothly it goes depends wholly on how clued up the retailer and the courier firm are. From my chums about the place it seems that things are either excellent, or dire as in the OP's case, with no middle ground.

Certainly I've had no difficulty with expensive bass guitar components from Thomann in Germany, but that is a large retailer used to trading internationally around the world, so none of is is ultimately new to them - it shows that it can be done if the retailer and their chosen courier know what theyre doing.

 

[chriswoody]

I popped an order into Alpkit early December, not because I needed it then, but precisely to avoid all this agro. There is something else I wanted to buy from a UK company, but I'm going to wait a couple of months now. Maybe it will settle down and DHL and the like will work out how to navigate all the new regulations.

I'm going to just buy from EU based companies in the meantime.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

No, that's highly unusual and possibly something of an overreaction by DHL and Customs in Slovakia,

You might be right, but as the agreement wasn't reached until just before Christmas & DHL being a multi-national company they probably went with the worst possible scenario & drew up procedures to cover them. This same procedure probably went out to all EU depots, now the agreement has been reached they may refine it, making something happen in a company the size of DHL is not easy, they would have prepared the procedure over 6 months ago (probably).

 

[silva]

Since my bank ceased to provide automatical euro to pound exchange, I became unable to pay something in the UK along bank transfer.
And since Paypal made mobile phone obligatory, also no option.
What other options are out there?

 

[vickster]

Credit card?

 

[SydZ]

Revolut?