Brexit Information for all EU Customers

Updated 06/04/2021

The UK left the EU 'customs union' on the 01/01/2021. Although some kind of 'free trade agreement' was achieved, leaving the customs union creates a customs border between the UK and the EU.

At Easy Composites (the company behind GlassCast) we love the EU and our European customers are hugely important to us

Although we planned for Brexit, the finer details of the last minute detail have created some considerable complications and restrictions for goods flowing in either direction between the UK and the EU.

At the start of the year, we announced that we expected to have our 'zero friction' solution in place by the end March. Unfortunately, like many companies trading across the border, we have come to the conclusion that the combination of restrictions, regulations, unexplained charges, and delays with courier networks, means that no system of shipping to EU customers from the UK will ever be truly 'zero friction' in the way that we had planned and that our customers deserve.

For this reason, we have taken the significant decision to open a new Easy Composites subsidiary within the EU. The new subsidiary will have a fully stocked warehouse carrying all Easy Composites products and will ship direct to customers throughout the EU. This is a huge step for Easy Composites but it will allow us to provide the quality of service that we want for our European customers - a truly frictionless experience with the added benefits of lower shipping charges, no restricted items and faster shipping to most EU countries.

We are working hard right now to establish the new warehouse and will update this page with further information as soon as we are able to do. In the meantime, EU customers can continue to buy from Easy Composites in the UK but should read the following information carefully, which we have recently updated following 3 months of experience of shipping into the EU since Brexit.

EU Customers Ordering from 1st January 2021

Due to the EU/UK trade deal, import duty will be zero on many products. However, for the time being, duty will still apply to certain products and customers will face some additional handling costs for the collection of import VAT on most orders.

Please read below to make sure you full understand these new costs.

EU VAT Registered Businesses

• You will be charged NO VAT when placing an order with Easy Composites.
• Due to the EU/UK FTA (free trade agreement) zero duty will apply to many products. In the cases where duty may apply (certain products not made in the UK), it will be between 3-10%.
• No import duty will be charged on orders under €150/£135.
• The courier service or freight company will contact you, using the email/telephone number you provided on your order, to arrange for customs clearance. As the importer you will need to provide your EORI number and complete the customs entry.
• For customs clearance, the courier company will charge a 'brokerage' fee of between 2.5 - 5.0% of the value of the goods (€12 - €22 minimum) depending on the courier.
• As a VAT registered business, depending on your VAT regime, import VAT may be payable at the time, or deferred. Either way, import VAT is fully reclaimable.

We have also been shown some rare examples of totally unexplained charges, shown on invoices as 'Government Charges', being applied to some orders into certain countries. We have been unable to get any explanation or justification for what these 'Government Charges' are or why they have been applied.

EU Individuals and Non-VAT Registered Businesses

Because of extra customs charges and occasional unexplained 'Government Charges', we recommend that EU individuals do not order from us until our new EU warehouse is operational (see below). If you do want to order some extra costs will apply.

Whilst we are still very happy to supply individuals and non-VAT registered businesses in the EU, extra charges for customs clearance will apply. Instead of paying UK VAT on the Easy Composites website (as before Brexit), customers will now pay import VAT when goods arrive in their country, plus a brokerage cost (€12.77 or 2.5% of the value of the goods for UPS deliveries) and potentially import duty of between 3-10% on certain products.

Before ordering, please make sure you read and understand the steps and costs below:

• From the 01/01/2021 you will automatically be charged NO VAT when placing an ordering from Easy Composites. However, your own country will now charge import VAT when the goods arrive.
• No import duty will be charged on orders under €150/£135. Import VAT still applies.
• Due to the EU/UK FTA (free trade agreement) zero duty will apply to many products for orders over €150/£135. In the cases where duty may apply it will be between 3-10% and only apply to a limited number of non-UK made products.
• When the goods arrive in your country, the courier company (UPS or TNT) will contact you, using the email/telephone number you provided on your order, to take the VAT payment (and duty, if applicable).
• You will be charged the standard VAT rate for your country, usually between 19-21%, plus a 'brokerage' charge (€12.77 or 2.5% for UPS, €22 or 5% for TNT).
• In rare cases, we have seen 'Government Charges' added to the invoice in some countries. It has not been possible to get any explanation of what these charges are or why they are applied.
• Payment can be made by card using a link emailed by the courier (UPS, TNT, FedEx).

As noted above, we have been shown some rare examples of totally unexplained charges - shown on invoices as 'Government Charges' - being applied to some orders into certain countries. We have been unable to get any explanation or justification for what these 'Government Charges' are or why they have been applied.

New Easy Composites EU Warehouse Opening Soon

As mentioned above, in order to provide the best possible service to our EU customers, Easy Composites has taken the significant decision to establish an entirely new European subsidiary with a fully stocked warehouse in mainland Europe. We are working tirelessly on establishing this new business and will be able to announce the address and opening opening date very soon.

We are incredibly excited about this move and are sure that we can use this as an opportunity to work even more closely with our customers and suppliers throughout Europe.