A quick update on how this will affect you the customer and me the maker.
- Steel prices have gone up.
Many steel suppliers are also fabrication companies, so they use the steel they stock. The supply chain is suffering massive delays and uncertainty, so the companies that have steel are hanging onto it so they don’t run out, which means those of us who can’t buy bulk from the producers are paying more and more for it, if we can get it at all.
I’ve swallowed every price increase over the last six years and kept my prices static. But my steel has gone up by a third this year, every time I’ve gone to the steel merchant I’ve paid more. I’m finally going to have to admit defeat and put all my prices up. This will happen, at some point, soonish (once I’ve dealt with the headache of Point 3). - Posting to Europe and Northern Ireland has suddenly got a lot more complicated.
Customs documents, export codes, customs checks and delays… It’s going to take longer to prepare parcels, and longer for them to get to you (if you’re in the EU or Northern Ireland). - I have pretty much no idea what I need to do as a small business, and there’s sod-all help.
Expect delays. I’m going to be doing a lot of reading and form-filling. So far, I know Ii might need to apply for an EORI Number to post to Europe, and an XI EORI number to post to Northern Ireland. But I might not. HMRC’s guidance is clear as mud, and the only bit that was vaguely useful was the really unhelpful “your parcel delivery service will tell you if you need an EORI number when you send a parcel”. Sweet Jesus.
Until I’ve worked everything out, no more sales to Europe or Northern Ireland, and domestic sales will take longer to process. Sorry!
So, yeah. If you voted for Brexit, thanks. Really. Great idea. Well done. Have a biscuit and a sticky star.