UK retailers are weighing the possibilities of abandoning goods EU customers want to return as opposed to paying to bring them home. A report by the BBC reveals the UK High Street and luxury brands have a massive volume of goods stuck with courier services in the EU. Retailers say the new EU trade deal has put costly duties on returns at a time when businesses are one inch away from the edge.
The report quoted Adam Mansell of the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) as saying, “It's cheaper for retailers to write off the cost of the goods than dealing with it all, either abandoning or potentially burning them.” European customers have been receiving new customs invoice signing for goods they've ordered from the UK since January 1. Mansell called it a “part of the ongoing small print of the deal.”
Figures from Statista reveals over 30 per cent items bought online are returned. Several customers have even automatically rejected the goods, refusing to pay the additional surcharges. This directly translates to a mounting volume of goods trying to make their way back to the UK. When these goods arrive at depots on the Continent, there is brand new customs paperwork awaiting them.
