120 Euro Brokerage Fee to Greece [DHL]

[Jack O]

Greece appears to be a problematic country to ship to for the time ahead for UK exporters.

Several of our business Greek Customers have mentioned a 120 Euro brokerage charge by DHL [excluding the duties and tax].

Does anyone know any ways around this or any 'better' couriers for Greece?

I am awaiting updates from private individual Customers in Greece if they have the same bad luck.

We are shipping on a UK VAT and EORI number.

To add to all of this, there are significant delays at Greek Customs, as well as Royal Mail not offering a DDP solution later this year for this country

 

[Newchodge]

Welcome to the sunny uplands where there are no non-tariff barriers to trade with the EU.

 

[GraemeL]

Be good if you could give help to poster Cyndy, rather than continuing with remainer droning?

 

[Newchodge]

Be good if you could give help to poster Cyndy, rather than continuing with remainer droning?

Be good if you could give help the poster Graeme, rather than continuing with fault finding?

 

[Mike Godwin]

it's important everyone understands that when exporting to the EU now, there are customs entries to be made in the UK and in the destination EU country. This applies to all goods over a certain value and there will be additional costs involved plus VAT or the equivalent. This applies to all modes of transport including couriers. So please be well prepared and do your homework on those costs involved beforehand to avoid any nasty surprises. As for delays? There are delays all over the EU right now as everyone in the supply chain gets used to the new procedures/correct paperwork. Planning ahead has never been so important as now.

 

[The Soup Dragon]

Yes its all starting to come to reality. I just made a purchase from one of my usual German suppliers circa 700 euros. I paid the usual 35 euro shipping charge and this time we had an extra customs related item on the bill for 130 euros................ I wasnt too pleased

 

[Mr D]

Greece appears to be a problematic country to ship to for the time ahead for UK exporters.

Several of our business Greek Customers have mentioned a 120 Euro brokerage charge by DHL [excluding the duties and tax].

Does anyone know any ways around this or any 'better' couriers for Greece?

I am awaiting updates from private individual Customers in Greece if they have the same bad luck.

We are shipping on a UK VAT and EORI number.

To add to all of this, there are significant delays at Greek Customs, as well as Royal Mail not offering a DDP solution later this year for this country

Ring round the couriers, see what each charges for brokerage fees. If no one has better fees then either stop shipping to Greece or else persuade the customers to order bigger amounts so the fee is worth it.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Greece appears to be a problematic country to ship to for the time ahead for UK exporters.

Greece has always been difficult. I was once escorted into the departure lounge of Athens airport by a customs officer with his hand round my upper arm because of a £10 item of photo equipment.

Next time I went to Greece was on an assignment for the Greek Government. Just so there were no problems I sent a full list of all my equipment and film in advance. It included about 200 rolls of film. Ten weeks after I had finished the job they sent back the paperwork and said I could only take 6 rolls of film.

In the 21st century Kafka would be Greek.

 

[DefinitelyMaybeUK]

this time we had an extra customs related item on the bill for 130 euros

Out of interest, was there a breakdown for this? Was it just the UK VAT on a tariff free import or was this quite a high tariff duty on a non-EU/UK item(s) alone and you've deferred the VAT? There's a trend by the media at the moment to quote reported figures but never get to the detail of why they're charged so you never know if they're valid or just incorrect.

Was it in your case that you were expecting a tariff free ride but the carrier was word blind when it came to the preference origin/statement? We've had more that a few run-ins with DHL & Fedex on the past EU Canadian tariff free deal where orders were charged duty as they've just ignored the preference statement or quibbled over an inadequate description that was limited due to their online form! BTW the UK has a pending Canadian free deal again that is active now even though it's not been signed off or in the HMRC deal list...

 

[japancool]

The moral of the story is to have the correct HS code on the customs declaration.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

Be good if you could give help to poster Cyndy, rather than continuing with remainer droning?

When people were warned about the facts it was project fear
Now when people point out that the action has proved these facts it is droning

 

[Mr D]

We don't need to rehash the referendum debate of 2016 again. We have left the EU - now we deal with the situation as it is.
If one company charges too much for something, maybe its competitors won't charge so much.
Or maybe that market isn't viable for that product range and should focus elsewhere.

Dealing with the now rather than the what could have been.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

We don't need to rehash the referendum debate of 2016 again. We have left the EU - now we deal with the situation as it is.
If one company charges too much for something, maybe its competitors won't charge so much.
Or maybe that market isn't viable for that product range and should focus elsewhere.

Dealing with the now rather than the what could have been.

Very true I agree but accountability should not be passed over