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Changes from 1 January 2021 for Consumer Customers in the EU

From 1 January 2021, the transition period for the Uk leaving the EU will have ended, and any goods supplied by Blue Aran to the EU will be treated as EXPORTS from the UK, and IMPORTS into the EU. Where a free trade deal has been agreed between the UK and the EU, continued trade will be relatively easy, but with a few changes:

  1. Up until 31 December 2020, we would charge VAT at the UK Rate of 20% - from 1st January 2021, sales to the EU are treated as EXPORTS from the UK, and are ZERO RATED for UK VAT. Therefore we WILL NOT charge UK VAT on sales to the EU.
  2. From 1st January 2021, any purchase you make from the UK are treated as IMPORTS to the EU, and are subject to IMPORT VAT. Import VAT is charged at the local rate in your country, and within the EU varies between 18% and 27%. To streamline delivery and customs procedures, we will take payment for the VAT with your order, and pass this payment on to the shipping company so that your order will pass through customs formalities without problems. This is the quickest and easiest method, the alternative will be for the shipping company to contact you separately for payment, you will have to pay them directly (possibly with an additional handling charge) and will delay your order. At this time we are only offering goods to EU consumers with the VAT pre-paid, we will not ship orders without the VAT paid. The final VAT amount can vary with courier. If the courier does customs clearance in your country, you will pay your locat VAT rate. If the courier does customs clearance at an alternative hub, there may be a different rate, for example DPD use a clearance hub in the Netherlands for several countries, including Germany and Poland, goods shipped via DPD will clear customs on the Netherlands, and 21% VAT will apply.
  3. We will issue an COMMERCIAL INVOICE, rather than a standard VAT INVOICE. The Commercial Invoice will include additional information for each product, the HS Commodity Code, and the country of Origin, this additional information is required for import and export declarations. As a consumer this has no impact on you, but the commercial invoice is required for customs formalities. Wherever possible the commercial invoice will be supplied electronically to the courier to maximise efficiency.
  4. Due to the free trade deal agreed between the UK and the EU, there will be no tariffs or duties to pay on goods manufactured in the UK or the EU. There will be some nominal fees for customs processing, and for orders over £200 we will pay most ofthe customs fees, for smaller orders, some of the customs fees will be included in shipping charge. Very low value orders (less than £50) will no longer be viable, as the customs handling fees will be too high. If the goods you purchase are manufactured in the USA, China or Thailand, and there is duty to pay, this will be included in the total price, and will be paid by us along with the VAT
  5. Due to us having new contracts with couriers, and there being additional logistics challenges, certain products may not be available for sale to your country.
  6. For private customers, the price we quote you for your order with shipping will be the total you pay. There will be NO additional charges due to the courier unless we have made special arrangements for your order and discussed this with you in advance. Our aim is to provide transparent pricing, with no hidden surprises. If your courier makes any extra charges that we have not agreed with you in advance, you should not pay them, and contact us for assistance to resolve the matter. All charges should be pre-paid, so your order will just be delivered without delay.