The big Brexit (un)safe list

First of all let me state that this list is based off my personal experiences. If I have had bad experiences with a company, I obviously won't be ordering from them again, so if you have other experiences than I do, please leave a comment so this can be as accurate as possible.
I will keep updating this post, so please check back regularly. 

Remember, customs rules and regulations differ from country to country. I am in Belgium, so the rules and costs that apply to me might not be the same as they are to you as each EU country is different. So ask your search engine to cough up the page with your own customs regulations and read those carefully before you order.

ASOS - SAFE

I placed an order with ASOS, and other than it arriving a little late (which isn't surprising considering sales and the pandemic, and I have no issue with the delay what so ever) I did NOT have to pay customs because it was shipped to me from their German depot even though I ordered from the UK site. All good. 

 

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Book Depository - SAFE

It was up in the air for a while, but Book Depository has no put this notice up on their side on individual book pages! 

"No extra fees upon delivery to the EU"

 

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Geek Gear - UNSAFE

Geek Gear does NOT have the VAT number needed to avoid customs. When I got my package from them, which I ordered LAST YEAR (so I shouldn't have had to pay customs on it in the first place) it did NOT list the post-Brexit VAT (it has a specific name, which I forgot) it needed for customs. Result: I had to pay nearly €60 on an under £100 package. 

Add to that that Geek Gear has truly HORRIBLE customer service (nothing in my package was protected, everything was just rattling about loose, and friends of mine have had boxes arriving with several items missing), they are a company well worth avoiding like the plague in my personal opinion.

Very much buy at your risk, across board.

 

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JPU Records - SAFE

Aside from the fact that I sent them two emails about my order (placed in October 2020) that was delayed and never got a response (so make of that what you wish) I did get my package in the mail without having to pay customs. It did also list a specific company code. The price was properly registered, so either Belgian customs realised that it was exempt due to the order having been placed last year, or they let it pass because it was a package with all the VAT in order. Either is possible, but in any case, I am going to list them as customs safe based on my experience. 

 

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The Harry Potter Shop UK - UNSAFE 

As I didn't find the process of having to pay customs on a Peppermint Toads order appealing, I sent the shop an email asking them if they could please clarify what was going on with customs. This is the reply I got:

 

"Dear Hilde,

Thank you for contacting the Harry Potter Shop.

When ordering items for international delivery, you may be subject to import duties and taxes. These are applied once the products reach their destination and the purchaser is responsible for payment of any additional charges or customs clearance.

Customs policies vary by country and we recommend contacting your local customs office if you have any further questions.

Please note, if on receipt of your order you do not wish to pay the additional charges, your order will be destroyed, and we will not process a refund for the order.

I hope that this information helps.

Kind regards,
| Retail Customer Service Team"

 

Very kind of them to provide me with a thorough and honest answer, but I guess I shan't be nomming more Peppermint Toads and will stick to Belgian chocolate I can buy, you guessed it, in Belgium.

 

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Ordinary Owl - SAFE

Harry Potter fans rejoice, because at least this place we can order from without additional customs!

From their website:

 

"EU Tracked Orders

UPS Worldwide DDP is available for countries in the EU and a duty paid service. You will not be charged duty or VAT at the door to receive your goods. This is a **signed-for service using your local service provider or a UPS direct service."

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ShopDisney.eu - UNSAFE

I personally haven't shopped with them, but my friend Marie has. And turns out that, much like Zavvi, they ship from the UK. Which I think is an absolute dick move, as they pretend to be a EU based shop (but we all know Disney just feels fans are walking wallets and has zero morals). It does list the following on their site (you just have to dig around a little for it), so yeah, not safe at all!

 

"Please note that unless otherwise stated, orders shipped internationally are not eligible for free delivery, and may be subject to customs fees or import charges." 

 

If you're living in Belgium you can still order from ShopDisney.fr, which did ship from France before Brexit (at least my packages came from France the few times I bought from them), but there's really no telling whether or not they'll ship it from the UK or not. I suppose in this case you could argue with customs to get your money back if you do get charges, but chances of that succeeding are frankly slim. If you do insist on ordering and you're in Belgium, I would still advise taking your chance with ShopDisney.fr rather than ShopDisney.eu

 

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Zavvi - UNSAFE

Zavvi, like ShopDisney.eu, is a special kind of foul. They are a UK based company, but they have a variety of international sites. And they let it seem that these sites are independant from the main one. Kinda like ASOS has a German site and a depot in Germany from where they ship to the EU. So I ordered a t-shirt from the Zavvi NL, the Dutch, site. Which was THANKFULLY under €22, meaning it is automatically exempt from customs as in Belgium (again, please do an internet search for your own country's regulations!) you do not have to pay customs for orders €22 and under. Because, you guessed it, they shipped it... FROM THE UK.

Meaning that Zavvi is extremely likely to land you with a LOT of customs fees so tread carefully. Always check the exemption amount for your country before shipping with Zavvi!

My package actually did get seized by customs and I only escaped charges as it was a little under €20. I sure am glad I didn't go for that deal where you got a discount if you bought two t-shirts!