Customs delays continue for deliveries into EU

Companies relying on postal carriers for deliveries into the EU have been warned delays are being caused by couriers struggling with customs and duty charges.

Neil Kuschel, chief executive at cross border e-commerce technology provider Global-e, said not only are customers in Europe facing new charges now that the UK has left the EU, but some carriers are also struggling to manage duty clearance fees and paperwork.

He said: “If you are a brand or retailer who has been wholly reliant on one or two carriers, you could have been impacted.

“Some carriers have struggled to continue sending into the EU; particularly some postal carriers who can’t manage duty clearance and delivery duty paid clearances into Europe have struggled and some carriers are facing delays.”

Kuschel added: “People in Europe are not used to paying customs duty. Your consumer or receiver of the item in Europe is likely, if it’s not sent as delivery duty paid, will be charged VAT on arrival and potentially customs duty.”

The warning comes after DPD resumed parcel services to Europe last Friday (15 January) after resolving customs issues.

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Meanwhile, Ilex Studio, a company that sells vases and trees, said its European customers had received emails from DHL requesting they paid customs fees.

In a Radio 5 Live interview, Ed Spur, Ilex Studios owner, said: “They had received emails from DHL saying they owe 40 Euros in customs fees on orders they have bought from us, for products priced between £20 and £35. DHL said yes, this is a huge problem and lots of people have this.

“The charges are VAT in the country it’s going to, which range between 19% and 21% in Europe, and a 17 Euro charge from DHL for collecting the customs and holding the item, so it’s like a processing fee,” he added.

Spur also claimed in the interview that DHL advised him to shut down the European part of his website until the problem was resolved.

However, DHL denies this.

A DHL spokeswoman told motortransport.co.uk: “We are not recommending that customers stop shipping to Europe.

“We understand that the extra charges as a result of the UK’s departure from the European Union are very difficult for some customers, and have been proactively working with them to help them understand and plan for these changes.”