Selling to the UK/EU? Think again…
This year the United Kingdom and the European Union made changes to their customs and import regulations that are causing confusion to makers who are based outside of this region but are selling to it. As a small business owner, which most handmade businesses are, the new tax imposed is just not practical and quite honestly frustrating.
In this week’s episode we discuss what this new tax law is about and how it affects your handmade business. If you are already selling to these markets, you will learn about our “band-aid” solution to this problem to make things easier for you without breaking the law. And if you’re not yet selling to the EU and UK, we have some suggestions to help you decide if it’s still worth it.
Enjoy!
~ Mik, Deb, Jess
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shownotes
The world is more connected than ever and you’d think selling would get easier but that’s not the case. In this episode, we talk about the new customs tax imposed on products delivered to the UK or EU and it’s proving to be quite a nightmare for makers.
What we cover in this episode:
- Previous tax regulations and the difference with the current taxes imposed. How this changes affects your customers and you as a seller;
- Collecting and remitting current tax duties if you sell using your own website VS using a venue/platform like Etsy;
- Possible reasons why the UK/EU has implemented this new tax law and why we think it puts small handmade business owners at a disadvantage;
- New rules you need to follow before shipping your products to these countries to avoid getting returns;
- The best option we have figured out if you are selling or want to sell your products the EU/UK;
- Some more issues that remain unsolved we have yet to figure out;
- Don’t stress if you can’t sell to the whole world. Other countries you may want to consider selling to instead of the EU/UK.
Mentions and resources:
- To get extra special content and perks, you can support us at Patreon
- Join the handmade community discussion at The Business of Making Community – Facebook Group
- Episode 116: Selling to different languages
- Not mentioned but a GREAT resource to dive deeper into the practicalities