Order to UK assigned EU's IOS number and I'm told to write the order amount in euros

[AmoreTreasure]

Received an order from the UK (Northern Ireland).  The pop up tells me to share Etsy's IOSS number, the one I'm always given for orders to the EU (which is not the same as Etsy's VAT number for the UK) and to write the value of the order in euros on the package.  The last time I checked Northern Ireland is not part of the EU but part of the UK and their currency is the pound sterling not the euro.   The receipt for the order is showing the amounts in pounds not euros.  Am I missing something here?  Has anyone else seen this before?  I'm thinking I should assume this is a bug and handle like I would any other package going to the UK with a VAT number and value written on the package in pounds.  Thoughts?

(Should note that I use Pirate Ship for international orders and I enter in the VAT/IOSS number.)

[ThreeLittlePirates]

Hi from Scotland        Northern Ireland use English pounds. Etsy doesn't seem to have a great knowledge of geography. I wouldn't worry too much if it prints in Euros. The postal service really aren't going to care as long as the correct postage is paid and you have the appropriate customs form attached. 

[AmoreTreasure]

Thank you.  My worry is more about UK customs.  I will use the UK VAT number on the customs form and write on the package and print the amount on package in pounds. 

Luckily, I saw this but if this bug is catching other sellers and they aren't paying attention and do what Etsy's pop up tells them, there may very well be problems with customs.  To add, I purchase labels on Pirate Ship so I type in the VAT/IOS number.  If people are purchasing shipping labels from Etsy, who knows what they are filling in. 

[MinnieMaudsAttic]

@AmoreTreasure I think you are right to be concerned.  Northern Ireland is, in effect, part of the EU for certain things but is still, of course, really part of the UK.

The currency should be in £s - even within the EU, not all countries use the Euro and still use their own currencies.

[Alfven]

Northern Ireland is in a funny in-between due to Brexit. It is still in the UK, but GPSR does apply there. Perhaps Etsy has coded Northern Ireland as part of the EU for non UK sellers as a result? Selling from England to NI I don't get that IOSS alert that I do if I'm selling elsewhere in EU.

[AmoreTreasure]

Maybe so.  I don't actually see "Northern Ireland" anywhere on the address, just "United Kingdom" (I looked up the county "Antrim" which was in the address).  When I look at Etsy Help under "Customs Fees and Physical Vat Collection", it does not break out Northern Ireland for any special handling.  The only mention I see of Northern Ireland on that page falls under "Selling to UK Customers" under the criteria, "The buyer is located in the UK" where there is an added note that says, "*Etsy is not obligated to collect VAT on shipments from the EU to Northern Ireland, or on shipments from Northern Ireland to other parts of the UK."  For what it's worth, here is a link to that page in Etsy help:

https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/360000337247-Custom-Fees-and-Physical-VAT-Collection?segment...

If you are correct, that Etsy has coded Northern Ireland as part of the EU for non UK sellers, they need to mention that in help.

Hopefully, I handled it correctly, treating it as VAT rather than IOS and writing it as pounds rather than euros.

[MinnieMaudsAttic]

@AmoreTreasure   Antrim is in Northern Ireland.  All Northern Ireland addresses have a postcode starting with ‘BT’.

[AmoreTreasure]

@MinnieMaudsAttic yes, I googled "Antrim" to determine it is in Northern Ireland.  Good to know about the postal code!