Here it is – my first customs notice for a parcel from the UK. I had to pay €20 in VAT and declaration fees on a €40 parcel. I tried to stock up on all my regular purchases from the UK before the end of 2020, but this parcel (Macks silicone earplugs) didn’t quite make it. Instead of taking 4 days as parcels from the UK to Sweden usually do, this one took 28 days. It must have hung around various warehouses for quite a long time.
I used to buy quite a bit from the UK – even though the US is generally cheaper – because there were no additional charges. But now it is going to be cheaper in the long run to buy from the US or the EU. I know people from the UK are in the same boat when they buy from the EU now.
Yes avoid all cross border transactions like the plague now… I only buy Kindle books from Amazon UK which are effectively tariff free. Everything else we get locally or from Amazon France with Prime delivery.