A day of mixed blessings

[wiseheart]

Today started with a surprise. I was sitting in my study, cutting out pieces for my popsicle project, when delivery service rang. My dear, generous friend, the_wild_iris, sent me a beautiful book as a birthday gift. She's a jewel; she does this every year.

Only that this year the delivery guy told me that - unlike all the years before when you could get packages from abroad for free - now I'll have to pay the tax put on the package and relieved me of the equivalent of roughly 12 Euros. That might not seem much for those living in the West, but over here, it is a lot of money. Enough to cover one of my two weekly food runs, in fact. I don't know if it has something to do with Brexit, or our postal service has gone mad (sending simple letters abroad has become very expensive, too), but let me tell you, it soured my pleasant surprise a great deal.

Also, Mum found some gift bags that can't be used for their original purpose because they are torn. One had a nice pattern of solver snowflakes and stars, so I decided to give this a try:

I made the individual parts without much difficulty, but when they were all done, I could only fit five of them into one motif. So now I've got a 5-pointed star instead of a 6-pointed one, and I can't for my life figure out what went wrong. Ah, well, it looks well enough with five points, too. I'll take photos when there will be at least two of them.

On the plus side, we had choir practice again. The pieces we are learning are really beautiful and have begun getting together nicely. Whether we'll be able to actually have a Christmas concert is another question entirely, of course.

Comments

[manue7a.livejournal.com]

Oh no! :/
It's become more difficult to send stuff and now to receive, too.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's the same within the EU, but Vater Staat tries to cut off a slice from everything...

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

do you use a glue stick? I like using them when I make collages, they're a lot less messy.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Not to this project. The paper was too thick for them.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Belated Birthday wishes. It's Brexit to blame. We have to pay tax too on parcels from the EU.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thank you, my dear. :)

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

What the heck with them charging you for packages?

[meathiel]

It's new EU rule.

[meathiel]

Was the parcel clearly marked as a gift? If yes, you can contest the fees. If not ... tough luck.

The EU rules changed here in July. Before anything under 22 € or the equivalent in your currency was free from tax. Now tax is to be paid from 1€.

45 Euro Freimengenregelung für Sendungen von Privatpersonen an Privatpersonen:
Waren, die von einer Privatperson außerhalb des Zollgebiets der EU an eine andere Person im Zollgebiet der EU gesandt werden, sind bis zu einem Sachwert von 45 Euro einfuhrabgabenfrei, wenn es sich um eine gelegentliche, nichtkommerzielle Sendung (unentgeltlich) handelt und darüber hinaus bei Tabakwaren, Alkohol, alkoholischen Getränken, Parfüm, Eau de Toilette sowie Kaffee bestimmte Mengengrenzen nicht überschritten werden.

And as the UK insisted on not being in the EU ...
They have to fill out a customs declaration and state that it's a gift.
Though — from what I hear in different groups on FB the workers at customs or mail still don't know how to handle it ...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

It came directly from the bookshop where she ordered the books, so perhaps it didn't count as a thing from private person to private person. Ah, well, what's done is done. Still annoying, though.

[noadvertising.livejournal.com]

What the heck! Even though GB is no more a member of the EU you are supposed to receive gifts without having to pay taxes if it´s worth less than 45 Euro!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Apparently not — see meathiel's comment above.

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

wow, that's crazy and quite confusing.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Not to mention unexpected. I don't deal well with the unexpected.

[medievalrosalie.livejournal.com]

That is terrible aboit the tax! It's quite a lot of money too! Usually for packages to Australia, the buyer pays that tax at the time of purchase.

The stars are quite lovely, though, and I'm looking forward to seeing yours!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

The one I made is quite lopsided, but that partially lies in the fact that the paper was very thick.

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

That's good information to know, if I ever want to send you a package again. I may have to drop you a Paypal payment to cover the tax. Over here they only charge for business packages, so far.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I think it counted as a business package, since it came directly from the book-store, not from the_wild_iris as a private person. I'm not sure, though.