Shpping Changes to EU Customers

Changes on EU VAT for EU-based customers

We are an UK-based small press. From 1st July 2021, all goods sold into the EU from the UK are subject to VAT, regardless of value. The previous VAT-free threshold of €22 has been officially removed. No UK VAT is charged at the point of sale, but this means that VAT and duty are now payable in the customer’s country on all consignments.

How does this affect our EU27-based customers?

Under the new EU VAT rule, once the package is received, it will be held at customs | a post office until the customer has paid all fees as instructed. These are calculated internally, as VAT is different for each country. Effectively, this means that buying books directly from UK publishers to be sent into the EU is no longer ideal from the customer’s point of view. Therefore, how we sell directly to customers is changing. Please note: there is no longer an option for EU-based shipping on our website. The only two options now available are for UK-based shipping, and Standard International shipping.

What can we do at our end?

As a small business, registering for VAT through the IOSS shop or individually in each of the EU27 countries is not an option for us, due to the huge admin and costs involved. The only way in which we will be able to ship books directly to our EU27 customers from now on will be by using Standard International, and treating the EU27 countries as any other international destination. However, bear in mind that, as stated above, the package will be held at customs | a post office, and the customer will be liable to pay appropriate local VAT charges.

How do we feel about this?

We are very sorry for this development, particularly since, as a small press with a strong focus on translation, our ethos is for building bridges, not destroying them. 

Thank you for your patience with all this.

The Calque Team