SENDING PRODUCTS TO EU, Authorised Person issues

[MamaGoingNatural]

Hi there

We are an australian company and we send to all over the EU, lately we have had products turned around because we don't have an EU Authorised Representative at the moment, we have a UK one, but not one for the EU, who do you use or is it not worth the hassle?

Thanks

Kailah

[PoochandTabby]

I vaguely remember something like this coming up in the forums in the past and it dealt with the LUCID registration required for shipping to the different EU countries, like France and Germany. Don't quote me though, so perhaps try searching the relevant keywords in the forum content to see if it comes up?

[ByVanillaMintDesigns]

Someone posted this a week or so ago, but I thought it wasn’t implemented yet (except Austria, they already require a representative). Which countries are you getting refusals for a lack of authorized representatives from?

https://www.ecosistant.eu/en/eu-packaging-regulation-e-commerce/

edit: it was posted in this topic recently https://community.etsy.com/t5/All-About-Shipping/Where-to-Ship-and-Not-to-Ship-in-Europe-without-reg...

[TwiLdCapitHog]

I would also like to know that.

I have been in two minds on paying for Germany, finally decided to give it a go, but now I'm wondering if it's worth bothering. I thought I would at least have until December.

[CryzalisDesigns]

 

MANDATORY REPRESENTATIVE AND EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY

“A manufacturer shall appoint, by written mandate, a designated representative for extended producer responsibility in each Member State where he first makes packaging available, except in the Member State where he is established.”

This means that every company or online seller that ships goods to a European country in which they do not have a branch must have a representative for extended producer responsibility in each of these countries.

If I thought the EU were trying to strangle small businesses before, this sure puts the final nail in the coffin.

Free trade among its members was one of the EU's founding principles

Whatever happened to free trade? 

[steelhipdesign]

Yep, it's economic isolationism by stealth. 

I was hoping:

• Etsy would negotiate with the EU or individual countries on our behalf of low volume sellers using sustainable packaging
• The EU market would push back politically when they can't buy what they want
• The EU would have a single registration process and fee to cover all member countries
• They would have exceptions for low volume sellers - under 20 items to the EU per year.  

How are friends/family sending birthday or wedding presents to the EU?  

[SunnytyDE]

@CryzalisDesigns  Yeah, free trade my a$$. I’m really upset it has come this far and we let it. 

@steelhipdesign  same hopes, all dashed….

Family/friends are able to send by saying it is a gift. We as traders have to click the goods/trade goods box. 

[Thedinkydoodlestudio]

Job creation!

[AnnaleasFinest]

@CryzalisDesigns 

they are money-greedy individuals, each of them cooking their own soup, unable to cooperate and fulfil the true spirit, especially Spain, France  and Austria are ridiculously expensive and beaurocratic, -- then why even bother to have a common currency, the €uro?

Bah. humbug.

Each membrer goes seperate ways, and the small business ownser fall over the cliff.

France has such excellent management in their "Leko", that they keep sending my "last reminders to pay your invoice" only to then apologize they didn't realize I had cancelled a long time ago.

[CryzalisDesigns]

but at least a few of their cronies are making bucket loads of cash. How many more stealth taxes do they want to "mandatorily" impose on Europeans before people say it is enough? 

I am sure they will think of a few more ways before long, the EU funding black hole is getting bigger by the day not smaller

[SunnytyDE]

My guess is that we will (the EU people as a whole) take quit a few more hits. There are so many important issues going on right now (climate change, war) that them introducing taxes and quiet laws literally behind our backs don’t  deserve the interest they should.Especially since most ‚normal‘ citizens are not effected. Most will just shrug and say oh well, what are you going to do about it? And that is exactly the attitude they are counting on. 

[CryzalisDesigns]

But most normal people are affected, mostly financially, they are just not aware of the cause and blame their own government.

You watch and see what happens when they add on the mandatory self employed insurance with premiums reaching anywhere up to 25% of your income and see how many regular people keep quiet.

It reminds me of this super happy and excited guy I met at an event just after Brexit kicked in.

He was from Newcastle and he had just moved to the Netherlands and called himself a "brexitrefugee" sigh..

He was so excited so I let him continue in his own little excitement bubble.

I wonder how he is finding the mandatory monthly health insurance payments,  the mandatory excess when he actually needs medical attention? The 37-52% tax, the numerous additional insurances, the highest cost of living in Europe, the additional stealth taxes on cars and driving them and much more

I hope he is earning a good wage to pay for it all, or maybe he has already realised that paying 20% tax and less restrictions in the UK was not so bad after all.

[ByVanillaMintDesigns]

It's all those private companies making loads of cash, that advise you what EPR programs you need to join (for a hefty commission of course) since there isn't one single EU document that would give you an overview of what is required in what country. Betcha those companies will  probably then offer representation in the future, for lots more money. 

Etsy and other platforms catering to small sellers should have bundled forces much earlier and approached this when the EU came with the legislation and countries were not making it viable for small businesses....

Sigh.

Wonder if this part of the EU could help... https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/smes/sme-strategy/improving-smes-access-marktets_en 

[Rubycrazycrystals]

Times are getting more challenging for small business owners. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you know by now it’s all part of the UN sustainable development program. Anyone who’s aware knew this was coming and I’m sorry to say it will get worse until there is no independent business left. At least if people will always just follow the rules. And no, unfortunately it’s not a conspiracy theory. I’m hoping people will unite and enforce change for the better, free world 

[CraftyCornishMaids]

@Rubycrazycrystals 

This is nothing to do with the UN

If it was the UN, it wouldn't just be the EU that requires local representatives, 
and many EU countries have imposed zero, or low thresholds on top of what the EU is doing

@MamaGoingNatural 

The UK has a threshold,
If you ship less than 50 tonnes of packaging
AND
you sell less than £2million

to the UK in a year,

you don't need to register, or have a representative

more info here

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/packaging-producer-responsibilities

[Rubycrazycrystals]

My aim was not to start any sort of argument, but to encourage people to go and read their documents themselves. The topic is too big to be discussed in detail in this space. We should all educate ourselves and then try to find ways to work together to combat these and any future issues. 

[LeLightFantastique]

This week, Etsy sent EU sellers an email with a link to a petition on helping to 'shape the EU's future'...

In June 2024, Europeans will ..... vote for their representatives in the European Parliament. This new Parliament will .....shape future policies and legislation, and determine how your tax money is spent.

.....ensure your interests as a maker are heard, represented, and defended across the EU for the next five years. And Etsy is committed to advocating on your behalf.....In Etsy’s petition, we’re calling on policymakers to help solve the challenges small business owners like you are facing right now – and create an environment where you have an equal opportunity to thrive in the creative economy.

[ByVanillaMintDesigns]

@LeLightFantastique yes I got that email from Etsy too. But it really didn't make a point, it was very vague and only input it asked from us was "What makes you proud..." Told them I was proud to be a microbusiness, woman owned, and sadly unable to sell within the EU pretty soon. I guess I will have to focus on export", but hey Etsy is pushing localization so my foreign sellers aren't finding my stuff anymore... slow death of my shop.

[steelhipdesign]

If I was in Etsy management, I'd use their greatest leverage against the EU draconian rules - Etsy is providing fulfilling employment to millions of people (mostly women) who are excluded from the regular workforce due to a lack of flexibility.  Millions of sellers are caring for children, caring for family members and many of us have a disability.  That alone would be saving the country billions in welfare payments, care services and also bringing hard currency into the country. 

All governments should be making home based business easier for that demographic, not harder.  They bang on about "inclusivity" in the workforce but then pull this BS.  

[CraftyCornishMaids]

home working in the EU , and flexible working, is widespread for many, many jobs, that come with the added security of being an employee

childcare for many age groups is free, or free for a certain number of hours a week

the governments pick up quite a lot of the tab at the moment, and they want the big companies to employ people, and pick up the tab for the rest

in the EU, male self employed outnumber women 2:1 , where as employed, it's even 1:1

[AnnaleasFinest]

@LeLightFantastique 

I didn't get it. Could you send me the link?

@steelhipdesign 

keep the good points coming!

But, as @CryzalisDesigns said, they don't have any influence in creating any new  laws, they only consent to proposals presented, or cancel them.

ALL of them probably don't even know the little artisans in EU AT ALL.

Or associate them with  Cuckoo watches from the Schwarzwald and with Dirndl from Bavaria. Both are well established, and not "small businesses".

There is a universe of small artisans in between those well-selling magnets.

So it has to start on the bottom, in the communities, in the counties and federal States.

[CryzalisDesigns]

It is a shame that the European Parliament has no real control over legislation, the European Commission only "They" can draw up proposals for EU legislation 

The European parliament is only there to agree on the proposed text given to them by the European Commission

[ByVanillaMintDesigns]

This company has a nice overview of the countries that currently need a representative. Just note though, this is different to needing an EPR license such as Lucid for Germany or Leko for France. There are more countries that need an EPR license vs those below that need a representative, for now. 2025 could change that.

https://www.lizenzero.eu/en/blog/european-packaging-legislation-and-the-role-of-the-authorized-repre...

[MyOrganisedHome]

@VanillaMintDesigns

Nice business model for them too:-

Our licensing service

We look after your licensing!

from €500

Wonder how much it will cost when a proxy is required for every country within the EU??

[ByVanillaMintDesigns]

@MyOrganisedHome and that price doesn't even include the actual licensing fees per country. That price is just to tell you what licenses you need (and perhaps fill it out for you, but not sure tbh).

https://www.lizenzero.eu/en/produkt/compliance-guide/?attribute_pa_auswahl=europe-package