Post Brexit Trading – Updated Minimum Order Value
Published 18 February 2021
The new trading arrangements have been active for about 6 weeks and we are learning more all the time. There are delays in some areas due to a backlog of unwanted parcels and parcels with incorrect paperwork but hopefully this will start clearing through soon. Many shipments are getting through in good time.
Our priority is to make sure our customers are aware of any charges they will receive before we ship any goods. We are continuing to contact all customers ordering for the first time this year before packing their orders, sending the link to the DHL office in their country so they can do research into the import arrangements. We are also adding a discount to all invoices to help cover any import duty (though many of our products will be duty free so this is quite a small amount anyway).
Although a few countries seem to be making the import process very complicated, in most countries the process is simple, and our customers are happy and are placing reorders. So that is good news! However, now we have more understanding of the new arrangements it is time to update our trading terms and conditions for European customers.
Updated Minimum Order Value
What we have learnt is that the new trading arrangements mean that very small orders are not commercially sensible. The biggest, non-recoverable charge is the admin fee charged by DHL in your country, so on an order of 125 (which was our minimum order value) this can be a high percentage of the order value.
We have therefore made the decision to raise our minimum order to 400 which we believe is a level that will make the admin fees a small percentage of the total order value. This is from immediate effect. With a range of over 400 products in our assortment there is certainly a lot to choose from 🙂
Updated Free Shipping Level
We currently use DHL for all shipments into Europe. We know they are getting shipments through much better than many carriers, however in some countries the local DHL office charges seem high. We are already reviewing different carrier options in these countries, though it is unlikely we will make any changes for 1-2 months. We want to make sure we can offer good service and will not make a change unless we know it will be a positive one.
Our shipping costs to the EU have increased by 30%. We are not passing this on to our customers, so you will be paying the same shipping costs as before (15). However, we are raising the level for free shipping back up to 750 to help us cover these additional charges.
We hope this update is useful. We remain available for any questions – please email orders@greenpioneer.co.uk – and we hope to keep supplying you with our wonderful eco products for many years to come.