Tsunami, 11. Shopping the Expensive Brexit.
From time to time, I hit the easel with my pastels. I haven't been doing much of late, but I still like to have supplies. Last December, I ordered some from Jackson's Art in Britain, trying to get ahead of Brexit. This past month, curiosity about how it will be from now on, led me to visit its page.
There are a lot of products that are out of stock. I assume that those are products that the company normally buys from European providers. I ordered a new pastel board I had never used before, and a large sheet of Art Spectrum paper I can't find in Spain, as well as a Caran d'Ache pencil in a color I didn't have.
Wow. Shipping now cost around twenty-five euros. Back in December, it had cost around five. I went ahead with the order, however. These were products that I couldn't find in Spain, not even online.
I received it today, except for the pastel board, which is on back order. Apparently, it also comes from a European provider. It was always very easy to order from Jackson's Art. Now, I will have to find other European art supply companies online that translate their page to English or Spanish. Or perhaps, feel my way around a French or Italian website. Twenty-five euros is a lot to pay in shipping.
However, it's less than the over sixty dollars Dakota Art, in the United States, once asked me to pay on a thirty dollar order. I promptly said, no, thanks. It's true that everything is available online, but, not for all wallets. And, before anyone mentions Amazon, I'm boycotting it as much as possible for all the business it takes away from the little guys.
I did find a store in Salamanca that sells a wide range of art products online. However, they don't have some brands that I know and like. They also work mostly with Sennelier, Rembrandt, and Schminke pastels. While these are good brands, I have found the Blue Earth and Unison are very good for certain strokes and applications. I would love to try Terri Ludwigs, but it seems they can only be bought in sets, and from areas with high shipping charges. Too expensive. I will have to learn to dig a little deeper, find a good online translator, and search a little farther afield.
It seems, however, that The Book Depository, based in the UK, is keeping its free shipping. It already had that policy, and it's not changing. Yes, it belongs to the Amazon umbrella, but I have been buying books from them for years, and am happy with them. Another online bookstore is Fishpond, though it tends to have fewer titles, and some are a bit more expensive. I buy locally whenever I can, but the only bookshops around here that carry English language books are in Santiago, and I have no idea when I can drive up there, again.
Brexit has been bad for most people. European companies that sold their wares there, and British companies that sold here, are feeling the complexities. Customers are being lost, and custom redirected. Teething problems? They might turn into denture problems if trade agreements aren't reached soon, and shopping becomes cheaper and less of a headache creator.
Life continues.
The UK--EU trade agreement has already been signed, María. No change to tariffs, I believe, but non-tariff barriers are now the same for the UK as elsewhere, because the UK has gone back to pre-'73 Third Country status. So there are certainly some new/old charges to pay - I guess like the ones I once had to pay for some old books from a relative in Canada - and there might new taxes if VAT rates are different between the UK and the EU on the relevant products. So, not 'teething' problems, but permanent and predictable changes. Unless the UK re-enters the EU. Or unless the EU starts to treat ALL Third Countries differently. It can't make an exception for the UK because this would fall foul of WTO rules and lead to court cases. My post of y'day cited Richard North's exposé of ridiculous EU requirements in respect of some seafood products. But these are applied to all Third World exporters of these into the EU, not just the UK. North's claim is that they're illegitimate under the EU's own laws but my guess is this isn't buttering any parsnips in Brussels. At least not until things calm down.
ReplyDeleteHere's something on Third World countries. Impossible to understand for the average intelligent person . . . https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/international_affairs/trade/non-eu-countries_en
I assumed there might be a special agreement, at some point, between Britain and the EU. There are special agreements, I believe, with Norway, and with Switzerland, which are not in the EU, but have more generous agreements than with other Third Countries. What also chafes is that some things are charged so much in shipping, while others aren't. I have paid less shipping when ordering a fishing reel from Japan, or fishing line from the US.
DeleteAlso, not having lived without the UK within the European umbrella, I'm saddened that I most likely now can never find a job there, nor live there for any length of time. As I get older, that possibility also fades (no one wants to employ someone reaching retirement age), but it was a dream that had a component of possibility. I read a lot of British literature as a child and young adult, and now I feel like a part of what helped shape my mind has rejected me.
A friend of mine here in Coruña orders cut price clothes from the Replublic of Ireland on a regular basis. His last order was cancelled and because the shipment is sent by road the carrier has to pass through the UK. Passing through the UK means all packages in the shipment need a customs declaration when entering France and unlike the Post Office customs sticker which can be stuck on the package the driver has to present the paperwork for each item. At present the amount of work is too much.
ReplyDeleteAnd, until further agreements can be reached on things just like this one, ordering from any of the Isles will remain a nightmare. Either Ireland will have to ship via air or sea, and increase costs, or an arrangement of some kind will have to be reached for road carriers.
Deleteupdate : The company is called MandM and the latest notice is as follows. " For our Irish customers, we are covering all EU import duty and taxes so there is no additional cost to our customers."
ReplyDelete