I’m sure you’ve been dismayed to see that many artists, makers and small businesses in the UK and beyond will soon stop shipping physical products to you because of the new 10% ‘Trump Tariff’ and the ending of the ‘de minimis’ exception on August 29th.
I am not one of them.
I value my customers in the USA and couldn't imagine running my small creative business without you. Since I started my bookbinding business in 2008, my American customers have been so important to me and I value the relationships we’ve developed since then. You've been generous enough to share your personal, family, professional and creative news with me when you buy your books; joyful news of engagements, weddings and new babies, the sad occasions of bereavements, the hopes of creative flourishing, and the steadying gifts of enduring friendship.
I don't want to lose that, and I believe every problem has a solution. In this case that solution seems to be 'Delivery Duty Paid' (DDP) under the ad valorem rules. I've been to a training seminar run by experts at the Global Trade Department on this subject, and an update session with Royal Mail (the UK postal service) and I think I have this figured out now.
With DDP, I will pay the tariff at the time I book your shipping. This means:
You’ll have no additional fees to pay, on top of the price you pay in my shop. No customs or import fees, no tariff, and certainly not the $80 flat customs fee you may have heard of, which it seems would be applied if DDP was not in place.
There may be one or two creases to iron out!
Shipping services and customs systems in both the UK and the USA are scrambling to keep up with the changes; we are all learning as we go; postal services and customs journeys may be a little slower for a while.
I will absorb the additional tariff for now, but I will need to review my pricing structure in the future.
The good news is that the 10% UK tariff is lower than tariffs imposed on items you might by from other countries. For example, the EU tariff is 15%, Switzerland is 39% and India is now 50%. That means the UK is still a good place for you to buy the things you love, that help you mark milestones and engage with what's meaningful in your life.
I hope I’ve got this right. I hope this works as it should. Thank you for trusting me. Please bear with. And of course, please feel free to reach out at any time if I can help you.
Susan the bookbinder
+44 7748 759371 | contact form | info@boundbyhand.co.uk
P.S. I'll continue to reimburse any overpayments of shipping costs if your actual cost of shipping plus packaging turns out to be lower than what you were charged at checkout.
P.P.S. Digital products, like my Bookbinding for Beginners resources and my Online Mentoring Service are unaffected.
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