Newfoundfreedom Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Just now, Jack said: I think a big part of the issue, for those of us who didn't want it, is that we are very much of the opinion that the B word will impact all of us directly. At least 2 businesses have been mentioned in this thread about not selling to the UK any more, at least for a bit. That's 2 fewer options that we all have now. I think, sadly, this will be the reality for a lot of people and businesses, at least for a while. It's not just the situation regards Brexit, which was democratically voted for, whether we like it or not. But the bloody mindedness of Johnson and his cronies to ram it through at any cost. Leaving it all to the last minute so nobody has a bloody clue what's happening. Hopefully the situation will improve in time, but I can't see any possibly reality in which the UK will be better off for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 5 minutes ago, EBS_freak said: Just out of interest, what is your line of work? You may be surprised how these changes could impact you, you just don’t know yet. I'm sure the changes will impact directly or indirectly on every single one of us, but I tend to just roll with it. I could scream all day long that down here we have one of the highest rates for water, council tax, housing etc but a very low average for wages, but would it make much difference? As long as I've got enough to live I'll just enjoy life. I'm a panel beater in a large accident repair centre, so make my living out of other people's misfortune already. As insurance is a legal requirement and the insurance companies pay our bills, we have a reasonable buffer from the B effect, but no doubt the parts supply chain will be affected. But again I can't change that so why worry. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Steve Browning said: Do you mean commodity codes? The Tariff is available online and not difficult to navigate. I told my wife they were not difficult to manage. She almost spat her tea out, and sent me this: Yes, commodity codes. They are on the website but are either not easy (impossible) to navigate or I am missing the instructions to use that site. For example, I make beds for small pets. I looked up, pets. Nothing. The material? OK, polyester. nothing that applies to my product. Pet toys. No. Toys. No. Pet anything turns up nothing. In the end I send an email to HMRC to ask what the code was for my handmade products stating the materials used and their purpose. They replied and asked me for photos of my products. I sent the photos. They gave me a code for my products but said if I use wadding then I would require a different code. So no they are not obvious to me, I run my business on my own, I make products, research other products, purchase, pack orders and ship, book deliveries, unpack deliveries, update my online shop, photograph, do my accounting, develop new products, assist customers, do my own social media. I am a one woman show. So apart from this, now I am going to have to file all customs declarations with the codes which I am chasing up from all my suppliers and many of them have no idea, even the ones she has been chasing for months, and I have (had?) a lot of customers from the EU. So that's all more work for me, and looking up HS codes on the site has become really frustrating as I can't find any of my products there. If you have any tips, please, let me know, I'd gratefully take them on. -- And she showed me the 'not difficult to manage' online code checker and I just tried it. If you can find things on there looks like brexit is going to be very good for your business! Edited January 2, 2021 by Woodinblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 16 minutes ago, Jack said: I think a big part of the issue, for those of us who didn't want it, is that we are very much of the opinion that the B word will impact all of us directly. At least 2 businesses have been mentioned in this thread about not selling to the UK any more, at least for a bit. That's 2 fewer options that we all have now. It will affect me, but so will the weather, what the traffic is like on Monday and all manner of other things. I'm sorry to appear to be trivialising it but that's how I view it at the moment, we'll see how it pans out in a few months time. The biggest personal impact of a guitar shop not selling to the UK is that I'll have to buy from a UK shop, good for UK business as well. If the non UK sellers weren't cheaper to start with then I'd be buying from the UK anyway. Also I'll quite often pay more to not have the wait from non UK. The last bass I bought new was cheaper from a UK seller so if all the non UK sellers hadn't existed then it wouldn't have mattered. Me personally, I'll adapt and not worry too much, but as I've said previously, I know that doesn't help folks that will be harder hit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 25 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said: It's not just the situation regards Brexit, which was democratically voted for, whether we like it or not. But the bloody mindedness of Johnson and his cronies to ram it through at any cost. Leaving it all to the last minute so nobody has a bloody clue what's happening. Hopefully the situation will improve in time, but I can't see any possibly reality in which the UK will be better off for it. The main issue is the timing. OK, this is a terrible deal and was never going to be any better than that, and we were always going to be worse off because of it, but leaving that aside, brexit was forced through 4 years ago, yet we have 2 days to examine the deal. If this deal was voted on a year ago, we would have had a year to get it all ready. 25 minutes ago, Maude said: I'm a panel beater in a large accident repair centre, so make my living out of other people's misfortune already. As insurance is a legal requirement and the insurance companies pay our bills, we have a reasonable buffer from the B effect, but no doubt the parts supply chain will be affected. But again I can't change that so why worry. ok, so if tomorrow panel beating became illegal and you were no longer allowed to do it, as you couldn't change it you wouldn't worry either? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said: ok, so if tomorrow panel beating became illegal and you were no longer allowed to do it, as you couldn't change it you wouldn't worry either? He’d adapt and not worry too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, Woodinblack said: ok, so if tomorrow panel beating became illegal and you were no longer allowed to do it, as you couldn't change it you wouldn't worry either? OK I think that's stretching the point a little, and the likelihood of it happening being practically non existent means I don't have to worry about it. But following your scenario of my profession being made illegal, my options are to protest about it until the decision is reversed whilst being thoroughly miserable due to no income and most probably losing my house and all my belongings in the process. Or find a different job which while maybe not paying as well would keep a roof over my head and food on the table, thus making me happy. I'm not going to get into the discussion of the ease of finding another job at the moment, as that's a very real possibility that might be forced upon me soon. But again, until it happens, what's the point in worrying about it? What will be will be. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 23 minutes ago, Woodinblack said: I told my wife they were not difficult to manage. She almost spat her tea out, and sent me this: Yes, commodity codes. They are on the website but are either not easy (impossible) to navigate or I am missing the instructions to use that site. For example, I make beds for small pets. I looked up, pets. Nothing. The material? OK, polyester. nothing that applies to my product. Pet toys. No. Toys. No. Pet anything turns up nothing. In the end I send an email to HMRC to ask what the code was for my handmade products stating the materials used and their purpose. They replied and asked me for photos of my products. I sent the photos. They gave me a code for my products but said if I use wadding then I would require a different code. So no they are not obvious to me, I run my business on my own, I make products, research other products, purchase, pack orders and ship, book deliveries, unpack deliveries, update my online shop, photograph, do my accounting, develop new products, assist customers, do my own social media. I am a one woman show. So apart from this, now I am going to have to file all customs declarations with the codes which I am chasing up from all my suppliers and many of them have no idea, even the ones she has been chasing for months, and I have (had?) a lot of customers from the EU. So that's all more work for me, and looking up HS codes on the site has become really frustrating as I can't find any of my products there. If you have any tips, please, let me know, I'd gratefully take them on. -- And she showed me the 'not difficult to manage' online code checker and I just tried it. If you can find things on there looks like brexit is going to be very good for your business! Ok. Maybe my own knowledge of the Tariff makes navigation easier. Unhappily, that's the future the majority wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Steve Browning said: Ok. Maybe my own knowledge of the Tariff makes navigation easier. Unhappily, that's the future the majority wanted. Yep - most things are easier when you know. Although I looked at her communication with HMRC on the subject and it seems that maybe that isn't true, because they didn't seem to know much either. And as you said, this is what people wanted, they were always clamouring for more red tape. Edited January 2, 2021 by Woodinblack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 10 minutes ago, Steve Browning said: Ok. Maybe my own knowledge of the Tariff makes navigation easier. Unhappily, that's the future the majority wanted. Or maybe the future that the majority couldn’t figure out would be inevitable...? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 hours ago, stewblack said: We have no power, no control. Wait a minute, that's not what it said on the brochure! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Just now, Doctor J said: Wait a minute, that's not what it said on the brochure! It was in the smallprint. Values of power and control can go up or down. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 (edited) Once you add the VAT to the the prices on Thomann's site they're petty much what they were over the past few months. Some items are a little cheaper than in the UK some a little more expensive. So their prices are a known and fairly easy and straight forward to understand. What puts me off buying from Thomann currently are the unknowns and non price factors. As a UK consumer I can no longer rely on EU distance selling regulations for purchases from EU countries (distance selling regs have been rolled over for now into UK law to cover UK purchases, but that doesn't help if I buy from Thomann). Where do you stand with warranties? Do companies you buy from outside the UK have to abide by or provide a warranty? How would you return an item that needed repair? Would you be able to return something for repair? I returned an amp to Thomann for repair once, nothing could have been simpler. Download the postage labels, take to the PO, send it off, it was back within 2 weeks. Anything you send back now would need a customs declaration, fill it out wrong and who knows what fun will ensue. Non-tariff barriers are going to be a major headache of you've been used to regularly buying from EU countries. Buying from an EU country will be little different than buying from the US, Japan or any other country for that matter. How many of us buy regularly and without a second thought from the US, for example? Edited January 2, 2021 by Marvin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 50 minutes ago, Maude said: It will affect me, but so will the weather, what the traffic is like on Monday and all manner of other things. I'm sorry to appear to be trivialising it but that's how I view it at the moment, we'll see how it pans out in a few months time. All true, we're just in a situation where we could have had nice sunny weather and no traffic, where the majority voted for traffic jams and drizzle. 50 minutes ago, Maude said: The biggest personal impact of a guitar shop not selling to the UK is that I'll have to buy from a UK shop, good for UK business as well. If the non UK sellers weren't cheaper to start with then I'd be buying from the UK anyway. Also I'll quite often pay more to not have the wait from non UK. The last bass I bought new was cheaper from a UK seller so if all the non UK sellers hadn't existed then it wouldn't have mattered. Me personally, I'll adapt and not worry too much, but as I've said previously, I know that doesn't help folks that will be harder hit Personal impacts, big and small, will be coming to all of us soon. They are particularly egregious when they were all avoidable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 4 minutes ago, Marvin said: Once you add the VAT to the the prices on Thomann's site they're petty much what they were over the past few months. Some items are a little cheaper than in the UK some a little more expensive. So their prices are a known and fairly easy and straight forward to understand. What puts me off buying from Thomann currently are the unknowns and non price factors. As a UK consumer I can no longer rely on EU distance selling regulations for purchases from EU countries (distance selling regs have been rolled over for now into UK law to cover UK purchases, but that doesn't help if I buy from Thomann). Where do you stand with warranties? Do companies you buy from outside the UK have to abide by or provide a warranty? How would you return an item that needed repair? Would you be able to return something for repair? I returned an amp to Thomann for repair once, nothing could have been simpler. Download the postage labels, take to the PO, send it off, it was back within 2 weeks. Anything you send back now would need a customs declaration, fill it out wrong and who knows what fun will ensue. Non-tariff barriers are going to be a major headache of you've been used to regularly buying from EU countries. Buying from an EU country will be little different than buying from the US, Japan or any other country for that matter. How many of us buy regularly and without a second thought from the US, for example? I would image most of those things would be covered by Thomann under their own customer services. They've built their brand largely around being a reliable supplier. I doubt they will change the way they do business (with regards to returns etc) because of Brexit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 Yeah, I get what you are all saying but... 2 World Wars and one World Cup! Rule Britannia! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 4 minutes ago, Marvin said: As a UK consumer I can no longer rely on EU distance selling regulations for purchases from EU countries (distance selling regs have been rolled over for now into UK law to cover UK purchases, but that doesn't help if I buy from Thomann). Where do you stand with warranties? Do companies you buy from outside the UK have to abide by or provide a warranty? How would you return an item that needed repair? Would you be able to return something for repair? To continue this on-topic comment, Thomann were very clear to me (and I have in writing, at least pertains to my order on 23/12/20) that they will be honoring warranties, accepting out-of-warranty repairs (although shipping costs may go up) and choosing to continue to offer their 30-day trial period. Of course, that could all change at any moment, but they were clear that they intend to keep things as much 'the same' as possible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 minute ago, EBS_freak said: Yeah, I get what you are all saying but... 2 World Wars and one World Cup! Rule Britannia! I did watch that program last night about the Battle Of Britain, it was quite interesting to be honest. Ahh the sound of those Spitfires. 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 I believe it’s going to impact sales to and from NI too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 minute ago, Maude said: I did watch that program last night about the Battle Of Britain, it was quite interesting to be honest. Ahh the sound of those Spitfires. 😉 The one about the school girl doing the maths behind the 8 Browning guns that downed all those Germans? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, Maude said: Ahh the sound of those Spitfires. 😉 Yep, there to distract the enemy while the hurricanes went up and won the battle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 2 minutes ago, ambient said: I believe it’s going to impact sales to and from NI too? Indeed. I was reading the reports this morning where English companies aren’t prepared to foot the shipping concerns into Ireland. Im sure a lot of people were hearing about the border to Ireland on the news and not paying much attention... but we are 3rd in their list of export destinations. And we rely on them heavily for food stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 minute ago, Woodinblack said: Yep, there to distract the enemy while the hurricanes went up and won the battle I thought it was all those bouncing bombs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 1 minute ago, EBS_freak said: The one about the school girl doing the maths behind the 8 Browning guns that downed all those Germans? Interesting doesn't mean right. If those Germans were flying over goods direct from Thomann things would've been different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 2, 2021 Share Posted January 2, 2021 3 minutes ago, Maude said: Interesting doesn't mean right. If those Germans were flying over goods direct from Thomann things would've been different. yeah, it would have been 1948 before the paperwork was complete. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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