I have removed Europe as a postage option.

[the-ephemera-company]

I should say I don't sell a huge amount to Europe, probably 8 to 10 items a month. I also use The direct link to Royal Mail Click and Drop to print the payment and customs label. So that's the direct info fed from eBay to Royal Mail about value etc.

Yet I have had customers from Holland, Germany, Belgium, France and Ireland all have had a demand for duty to be paid before delivery. Despite that fact they have already paid it when they purchased from eBay. 

I started adding an extra sticker to the front and back with the IOSS Number and that it's already paid to items but that has made no difference. They can claim it back from their customs but as you can imagine they don't want to be doing this. Some just refuse to pay and the item is returned to me and I have to refund them.

I have had enough and with great reluctance have removed Europe as a destination I will ship too as it just costs too much in cost and reputation.

Never had any problem in twenty years of trading before Brexit. But it's the last few months that it's got so bad. Something has changed in the way European mail services are treating UK parcels.

But I'm out. If eBay shrinks much more for me I will have to wind up my business after 26 years of trading on here with various accounts over the years. The new regulations make it so hard to make money.

[bzmotman]

Majority of my sales go to Europe. Holland & Belgium have been problems ever since IOSS started. In some cases for Holland I have found that Ebay are sending the wrong info to RM. They are not including the tax info so when you produce the label the little IOSS blob doesn't print. For both countries I now print off the Ebay invoice/packing note which shows the tax paid & put into a CN23 plastic envelope, provided by RM supplies, which is attached to the outside of the envelope.

Germany - I don't want to tempt fate but can't remember the last time I had a problem & I send 6-10 every week.

Ireland no recent sales so can't comment.

Recently had problems with Hungary & Czech Rep. Czech is only for 1 out 4 regular customers so don't understand it. The Customs sometimes ask for a Commercial Invoice before they will release. I do one & send it to him electronically & the item is released.

Hungary is hit & miss. A new customer had the tax demand & refused it. A regular had 1 severely delayed but no demand for tax & 1 returned to me when he refused to pay tax again. All others to him went through smoothly. Just resent the returned one with a commercial invoice & Ebay invoice so awaiting to see what happens.

My gut feeling is that its not UK related but more likely poor training where they have presumably recruited extra staff to do random GPSR checks.

An online search will produce plenty of Commercial invoices. In case it helps this is the one I use.

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

I neither sell nor buy from Europe deliberately.

The new rules are designed to make importing difficult.

It was going to cost £240 a year to hire a rep in each country !