We wanted to update you on how the UK’s recent exit from the EU will effect our international customers.
In the two weeks since the UK has left the EU we’ve been working hard to try and gain some clarity about any charges that might result from our country’s new arrangement with yours.
Sadly, we now believe that customers receiving our full Book Box Club boxes will likely be subject to import taxes and handling fees. These charges are based on each country’s EU VAT rate and postage operator’s costs and are completely beyond our control. It is possible that non-EU customers could also see assessment of import taxes and fees as Brexit means a lot of trade arrangements worldwide have to be renegotiated.
Due to the variations of each country’s rules and the fact that we send you a variety of items each month, we cannot accurately predict what these charges might be ahead of your boxes going in the post. At this point we believe they could be as much as £10-£15 per box (import tax and handling fee combined) and that these fees will be charged to you on the arrival of your box in your country. Busyness at customs might mean that your box is delayed and takes longer to arrive than usual, so please be patient. It is also currently unclear as to whether all countries will impose these charges right away, or at all!
We are hugely sorry for the anxiety and upset that this news may cause some of you and we are devastated by this news too. Please know that we are doing all that we can to figure out a long term solution and investigate how to make our boxes more cost-friendly for our international customers going forward.
Based on the current guidelines, we believe that our Purely Books members should not be subject to any further import taxes or charges at present. This is because the value of your parcels fall below the 22 euro tax and handling charge threshold that is currently in place.
However, it is possible that our international parcels may take longer to arrive with our customers in the coming months, so please do be patient.
We’ll keep this blog up-to-date about changes going forward. Please do be aware that these changes are beyond our control and as proud Europeans at heart, we are saddened at how this is going to effect all of our lovely international members and our small business in what is already a very tumultuous time.