'Hopefully'

Not sure what you mean – the rules can't change, surely. The deal has been agreed...

And when you refer to a flat rate of £8 – I'm pretty sure that applies to domestic post, otherwise everyone would simply be using that. Not commercial e-commerce shipping. Yes there appears to be profiteering occurring but ultimately EU consumers of UK products will not bother if they have to pay increased postage, customs and tax on arrival. That isn't an assumption, it's already happening en masse.

And also the charges work BOTH ways. It's not just a UK problem. Larger businesses will be able to work this out by moving part of their business (plus revenue and jobs) to the EU to get round it, but how is that a benefit to the UK?

Smaller and even medium sized businesses are screwed. It's a disaster.

Did you know? 98.0000001% of people are morons.

The government is applying customs charges don't have to and the way they are charging VAT is problematic for the EU suppliers.

[Link]

Additionally the EU and the UK could agree a trusted trader scheme to eliminate a lot of the paperwork.

You don't need to change the trade deal just how you interpret the rules.

One more point

It's problematic for UK suppliers as well, which is my main point as it affects UK businesses. Even if the UK govt decides not to charge VAT on EU purchases (which you would have thought they'd have decided to do before Jan 1, so I can't see it happening), it doesn't remove the problem of VAT charges to end consumers going the other way, and therefore would still be killing off UK ecommerce revenue streams and diverting money and jobs elsewhere.

'Could agree' – any credible reporting to suggest this is even being talked about, let alone negotiated? It's a massive negative, no matter how you want to spin it.

Did you know? 98.0000001% of people are morons.

I'm not spinning it you were the one who asked for suggestions.

I agree there is no sign of either party discussing it. I would hope that common sense prevails but this is politics.

At the moment the French authorities are being overly officious with documentation and that is the polite term. Apparently you can't get a Mackerel through but they don't seem to notice the boat loads of migrants going the other way.

This is a problem for both sides.

Edited by Badger11 (26 Jan 2021 12.07pm)

One more point

That I did. I think I should have been clearer – I meant possible solutions for now, that businesses are considering taking, as in workarounds based on the existing rules rather than what the government could or could not do in future. Theoretical changes will be too late, by then the damage will have been done. If the only way around it is to open a shell company in the EU and distribute from there, it's madness.

Did you know? 98.0000001% of people are morons.

The Robert Preston twitter feed on this subject is fascinating. Turns out that the likes of Germany and Italy had been talking to AZ as well, at about the same time as the UK but the EU insisted that it would deal with all vaccines procurement and they stepped aside.

With the EU pissing about for well over 2 months. Seen some break down of the contract the EU signed with AZ which made quite clear that there could well be delays in supply due to this being a new process as well. Pretty desperate measures on behalf of the EU along with this attempt last night to rubbish the vaccine itself coming from within Germany, all now strenuously denied.

Brussels are in serious, serious trouble over this. Italy is about to go nuclear again (I believe its Government collapsed this morning) and with a host of other bush-fires breaking out all over, then it is really up against it at the moment.

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.