Our next talk in London: Ethan Newton, October 25th
Our last evening talk with Tony Sylvester was so fun that we have a second one lined up - with Ethan Newton on Tuesday, October 25th.
The Bryceland's founder is only in London for a few weeks, but we've found a date and will be in the same space as last time - the top floor of Mortimer House, the club in Fitzrovia, five minutes from Oxford Circus.
Please come along if you'd like to meet Ethan, see some Bryceland’s products, and join in the chat. We'll be covering topics such as how individuals' styles evolve, and the meaning of authenticity today.
As before, please RSVP to [email protected]. We had a great audience last time of around 40, which really contributed to the enjoyment of the evening.
The event will start at 6:00pm, with the talk beginning at 7pm. We will be up in the Gallery at Mortimer House, where there is also a small bar. I’ll send details on how to find us upon RSVP.
Thank you everyone, and see some of you soon.
Simon
Hi Simon,
A great idea! Please, do make sure the recording is made using state-of-the art technological tools.
Thanks in advance!
John
Thanks John. What did you think of the last one we did? Anything technologically lacking?
Thanks for your forthcoming, Simon. Perhaps there isn’t a technological issue at all, but rather how the microphones are placed or used by the attendees.
Thanks John. On the mics, Tony and I were wearing them, but we didn’t hand mics around to the audience – that was just done using the room mic. That’s why it sounds a little odd on the audio, but it does make the conversation a lot easier in the room
Maybe it helps if you repeat the question for the audience using your microphone.
Yes good point. We did consider that, but it felt rather artificial in the room as it was intimate enough for everyone to be able to hear the questions. Perhaps we’ll try a roving mic next time
Simon, excuse my completely unrelated question but I do not know where else to pose it.
Is my understanding correct that a EU-citizen, like myself, can now buy your products and taxes are taken care of (so no additional taxes / fees when the goods arrive).
If this is so, indeed very good news for us on the continent.
Yes, that’s right Markus. That’s actually always been the case – it was pre-Brexit, and since Brexit we’ve used duty-paid shipping so everything is handled in advance.
Any other questions at all, just let me know.
Markus.
l’ Ve ordered goods from the uk(to the Netherlands) and , if it’s not duty paid you will either receive an email with a link to pay or DHL/Post NL will take payment with a bank card at the door. I presume it’s much the same for other EU customers.
Most of the larger companies now use duty paid,( as Simon says).. Cordings certainly do and all of the Jermyn St retailers.
Does that mean that all these retailers raised prices for approx. 20%? Or how does that work? And what about the products ordered from UK but with EU origin like all Simons shirts from Italy? I am EU citizen but last time i ordered from UK was terrible. I ordered some material from Brisbane Moss and did not know it is made in Italy. So i paid first 22% VAT plus 20% customs because it is not made in UK.
No, prices haven’t gone up. The only difference is that you’re paying your local VAT rate rather than the VAT rate in the UK.
Before Brexit, if you bought from the UK you paid UK VAT. Now if you buy, you pay your local VAT. The question with the DDP is whether you pay that local VAT when you buy, or when the product arrives.
Customs is a different thing entirely – and there is no customs between the UK and EU.
For something like our shirts made in Italy, we always paid Italian VAT because we bought from there, and we still do. No difference. But in any case, if you’re a company you can claim back the VAT – so it doesn’t go into the costs of the garment.
Now i think i understand. The price for item i see on your website is not final. Probably after i place an order there is additional tax added. In my case tax of 22% (depends of EU country). For all orders from UK after brexit i payed VAT to DHL plus additional charges if product was not of UK origin. DHL wanted from me an invoice where it is declared that product is of UK origin when i ordered wool from Ireland a month ago.
Yes that’s right Mathieu
Regarding customs – I know this doesn’t concern most PS products, since they are generally made in the UK – but for other online retailers, it will be interesting to see the long term effects on the geographical structure of the market.
If a niche British online retailer sells Japanese, American or other imported products, or make some of their stock in the EU, EU customers will often be hit with a customs fee. This results in a lot of add-ons of the final sum paid, which won’t benefit the producer nor retailer.
I wonder if this will lead to European retailers taking the opportunity to stock similar inventory, or UK companies setting up shop/warehouse in the EU. E.g. Drake’s companionship with Goods in Copenhagen makes it much easier as well as profitable (for the non UK-produced products) for an EU resident.
This doesn’t concern any specific products nor style, but it would be interesting to see an article covering this topic. Especially since PS certainly has the knowledge to address these issues.
Thanks RKM.
There shouldn’t be any customs fee if the goods are made in the EU and sold by a UK company back to the EU. That was part of the Brexit deal.
There was a little loophole for a while where such goods were considered neither UK nor EU, bizarrely, but that should no longer be the case.
The only difference an EU customer should experience now on UK or EU goods is that they have to pay their local sales tax, VAT, rather than the UK one. Which means going through a courier that will charge when the goods arrive – unless the seller charges the taxes in advance, which PS does. They will also charge a small fee for processing that usually.
We wrote about this at the time – see here.
Oh, that is reassuring, thank you. It makes much more sense that way.
I had had a quick glance at the PS post about Brexit, but interpreted the issue about customs as only going one way, and my country’s Customs page said nothing about rules for made in EU. I also realize that this comment would have fir better on your Brexit post.
Thanks again for your patience
No worries
Simon,
On this topic, in November I aim to purchase the cashmere shawl collar sweater. Will it be less expensive to have it sent to my London home, or my place in Venice? Thank you and cheers.
It will make little difference Fred, but it will be quicker and the shipping a little cheaper to the UK
Thanks for all the input. I was put off by a bad experience I had when ordering swimming trunks from England for EUR 200. DHL or UPS, I do not remember, wanted me to pay an additional EUR 150 extra for taxes/customs, which is why I rejected the product. Probably things have settled by now. It seems that in the beginning nobody knew how to exactly handle Brexit. This is why I stopped buying goods from UK manufacturers directly, unless they had a warehouse in the EU like John Smedley. I will change that now.
Pleased to hear it Markus.
It’s important to keep in mind that taxes and customs are very different things. Taxes you will always pay, it’s just a question of whether you pay your local tax or the one of the shop – and whether you pay that on purchase on when it arrives. Customs are different, much more varied and complex, and you may or may not have to pay them.
Hello Simon
I love your site and lament that something similar for women is virtually impossible for reasons/comments discussed previously. However, there is much transferable knowledge! I have also found the technical information about bespoke and tailoring quite fascinating. Re the tech situation, I turn on the captions in the video to obtain audience questions; I can’t hear them but the miked guest (and yourself) is fine. I would come to the sessions but being in Melbourne, Australia, no such luck.
Ah well, pleased that works out for you from over there. And I love Melbourne! (My brother lives there…)
Hi Simon,
Was this discussion recorded and if so will it be posted?
Best,
Jason
Yep, should be a week or so
Good morning..your conversations are always enjoyable……cheers!!!!!!!