New EU Handling Charge
The new tariffs going into effect in the European Union on 1 November make it almost impossible for me to ship there. I'm very sorry about this.
It's not just the tariffs, here's the bigger picture:
New Labeling Requirements
Customs officials have increased the labeling requirements even more than before. Any error or missing information on the label will result in the package not being delivered. Last year, I was forced to include detailed HS tariff codes on all my packages into the EU. It is really inconvenient and time-consuming. This new requirement will make it much, much more difficult for me to ship to the EU.
This added stress and hassle is designed to make it as painful as possible for sellers in foreign countries.
Per-item Tariffs
Even worse are the actual tariffs: $6 USD per item in the box. It does not matter what the item's actual value is. The free bookmark and sticker I include in every package (with a value of less than .01) will now cost me $12 to include and they must be itemized line by line on the package or the package will not be delivered.
The tariff applies to each item in the box. It's impossible for me to pass this charge along to the customer consistently because my checkout doesn't allow for quantity and geography-based price increases. So if a customer orders one item, I pay $6, but if they order 10 items, I pay $60. Orders from the EU could easily eradicate my business. The only way to cover myself is to apply a blanket charge across the board for all EU customers to cover the tariff, the shipping, the normal customs fees, and the additional time it takes to fill in all the fields on the forms.
The Resolution
In the USA, Trump tried to do this, but he was sued and the Supreme Court ruled the tariff scheme unconstitutional. I hope something similar can be done in the EU soon.
Honestly, I intended to completely stop all sales to the EU, but if a customer orders at least 5 items, it would justify the high costs of the tariff and shipping. Despite this, there is no way I can guarantee that your packages will be delivered. One mistake on the label is enough justification for Customs to refuse delivery.
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