More Brexit woes

 Remember I complained on the 23rd January about the issues I was having problems buying art materials from England. 

Actually, the parcel of brushes from Rosemary & Co did arrive a few days later and was handed over to me without any mention of VAT or other fees. That was probably because it came by post and not by courier.

Now I need some tubes of oil colour to replace those that are running out. So I went to Jackson's site and there was a message to say that all orders to the EU by courier were suspended due to the excess charges that customers were being asked to pay. You could still order small items that could be sent by post. Three tubes of paint though was too much - I could order two normal tubes or one large tube but not both. 

Research then took me to a Spanish site Artemiranda that sold the paints I needed except that two of the colours were out of stock. 

Normally it would be a simple matter of waiting a week or two for new stock to arrive but we already know that a large percentage of goods that used to flow from the UK to the EU and reverse are not bing transported due to issues with paperwork. 

The problems with supply were confirmed yesterday by a trip to Iceland Overseas Stores. There were many items of fresh produce e.g. cheeses that were missing from the shelves and the staff reported that there was little chance of getting new supplies any time soon. The store obviously has stock of long life items but even they will run out eventually. 

I haven't tried buying anything else from the UK yet. We do buy clothes from M&S but since lockdown began, there has been little need for new clothes. I've just checked their site to find this message.

 Following the UK’s departure from the EU, you will now need to complete a customs declaration form for all orders arriving in the EU from the UK. You will be contacted directly by your local courier with the relevant details to facilitate delivery. No additional duties or taxes will be payable.

I've not heard complaints from friends and relatives in the UK about getting goods from Europe, perhaps the UK has better stockpiles.