Yeah it is. But it really should come as no surprise. We’ve been talking about it for years. Indulge me for a few minutes while I give you a quick backstory.
And H/t @pendletongs who tweeted about the Amazon announcement a few days ago
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And H/t @pendletongs who tweeted about the Amazon announcement a few days ago
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Two reasons behind this announcement:
1⃣ (obviously!) Brexit and the introduction of customs formalities between the UK and the EU, and
2⃣ the removal of the low-value consignment relief which is an import VAT relief for low-value parcels.
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1⃣ (obviously!) Brexit and the introduction of customs formalities between the UK and the EU, and
2⃣ the removal of the low-value consignment relief which is an import VAT relief for low-value parcels.
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We've known about both of these for years
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In case of 2⃣, I mean really... for years...
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The EU has even introduced a special form of customs declaration for that very purpose
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And the impact of both of these factors combined on e-commerce has also been evident for a while
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And here (though under slightly different assumptions)
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And I'm not blowing my own horn here - I was only one of MANY ppl who spoke about this
@BastidonPauline was much more vocal about it.
Pretty sure @vivamjm and others commented on it on several occasions as well
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@BastidonPauline was much more vocal about it.
Pretty sure @vivamjm and others commented on it on several occasions as well
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Amazon had a couple of options.
Being by far the largest e-commerce platform impacted it could have taken customs formalities upon itself - technically at least cause well... we all know Amazon
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Being by far the largest e-commerce platform impacted it could have taken customs formalities upon itself - technically at least cause well... we all know Amazon
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As far as I understand there were other options the company was exploring for post-Brexit distribution though I don't know the details (perhaps someone could add to this).
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Obviously and perhaps unsurprisingly, in the end, they decided to go in a different direction - pass all the costs and formalities onto the sellers and likely also customers.
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I'm really not one for "I told you so" moments but sometimes it's really hard to resist
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It's a bit of a grim thought but I suspect there will be many more moments like this before the end of the year and even more after that when ppl realise that Brexit is a big change not only in terms of "sovereignty" but also in their daily lives.
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So yeah - this is huge. Just sadly not unexpected.
UK here is a tip - just do what they do in Geneva. Find yourself a French friend across the border and get your Amazon goodies delivered to them
/end
UK here is a tip - just do what they do in Geneva. Find yourself a French friend across the border and get your Amazon goodies delivered to them
/end
