Who is going to send Christmas Parcels sent to family and friends in Europe face post-Brexit red tape and accusations that may deprive some of the fun of gift-giving.
There are also warnings that some people who gave gifts to the EU this year have encountered problems ranging from delays and accidental charges to lost items.
This will be the first time most people have encountered Regulations introduced this year Related to VAT and customs fees applicable to items sent to the European Union.
Which consumer organization?Tell Observer Its research shows that the vast majority of people know little or nothing about the new rules. “The changes brought Brexit It puts a greater burden of customs paperwork on consumers and couriers,” Adam French said, which? Consumer rights expert. “You must now attach a customs declaration form to anything you send, describing it very clearly What it is and where it comes from. “
As part of a series of Brexit changes that took place on January 1 this year, the European Union now treats postal items from the United Kingdom in the same way that it previously handled non-EU items. Further changes related to VAT Effective on July 1 this year.
Therefore, all gifts and merchandise sent to countries outside the UK must now fill out a customs form, except for items sent from Northern Ireland to the European Union.
In some cases, the recipient may need to pay customs or value-added tax fees and handling fees before picking up the package.Although general goods imported into the EU with a value of 22 euros (18 pounds) or less are now no longer exempt from VAT, the good news for British consumers and those who receive their gifts is less than 45 euros (18 pounds) ) Gift 38) was sent to Europe Exemption from VAT or fees.
According to the parcel company DPD, A gift is an item that one person gives to another person, but it does not exchange any fees. It added that under the new regulations, items purchased from websites such as Amazon or eBay and marked as gifts will not be classified as gifts. The post office stated that people need to make sure that the “gift” box is checked in the content section of the customs form. It added: “For gifts over 45 Euros, any fees will be charged to the recipient at the time of normal delivery.”
With so many new regulations, which one? A recent survey of some of its members found that half of the respondents (51%) who planned to send a gift to someone in the EU said they knew nothing about the new rules, and almost as many (48%) thought they Only know a little.
The organization said: “It is incredible that only one interviewee told us that they are confident in their understanding of the new rules.”
The worrying thing is, which one? The survey found that of the 7% members who have sent gifts to the EU since January, 34% have experienced delays, 30% have been affected by unexpected expenses, and 8% said their gifts have been lost.
At the beginning of September, Joanna Harry sent six packages from her home in South Wales to her home in Andalusia, southern Spain. She used the broker website ParcelHero to book a delivery service through Parcelforce.
One package was returned to her a week after it was sent, but at the time of writing, the remaining five packages were detained by Spanish customs.
“I called customs many times, but due to language barriers, I kept hanging up, and most of my e-mails-whether in Spanish or English-were not answered,” she said.
“ParcelHero also evaded responsibility, saying that I need to talk to Parcelforce.”
She added: “I paid more than £100 for this so-called service. There are some sentimental items in my box, and the courier I trust disappointed me.”
A ParcelHero spokesperson told “Which”: “Our customer service team is working hard to return all packages to the UK.” It then gave Harry a £25 credit.
A Parcelforce Worldwide spokesperson told consumer organizations: “We are currently experiencing delays in some items delivered in Spain. Items left the UK on time, but there will be delays when they are processed through Spanish customs.”
Spanish postal service ADT Postales recommends that, with the exception of Northern Ireland, deliveries of goods containing goods from the United Kingdom will need to be submitted to Spanish customs for customs clearance.
ADT Postales confirmed that Harry’s remaining five packages are being returned to her address in the UK.
