
UK Launches Export Support Service to Help Businesses Sell Goods Abroad
Good news for Amazon sellers in the UK! đź‘Ź
The UK government recently formed its own Export Support Service team to better guide businesses on exporting post-Brexit.
With this service, you can now call or send inquiries to the government online about any of the following:
- Selling goods into new markets
- Necessary export documentation
- Export rules and restrictions for a specific country where you want to sell your goods or services
But… They Might Not Have All the Answers
There are certain exporting issues that are unique to eComm businesses in general, mainly depending on the:
- Business model (e.g., business-to-business, business-to-consumer, or business-to-business-to-consumer.)
- Export methods used (e.g.,when selling goods abroad, the exporter may export the product directly to a foreign market without using a middleman to make arrangements for them. This is called direct importing. In contrast, they may also appoint agents or distributors to represent their company and products abroad, aka indirect exporting.)
And when you throw Amazon’s FBA system into the mix, things can quickly become more complicated. Some sellers speculate that the UK government doesn’t know how FBA really works. So proceed with caution as you may not be able to get sound advice from representatives who don’t truly understand your business model.
On Amazon’s news announcement page, one commenter pointed out some FBA-related issues that the export service team might have a difficult time answering:
- Required paperwork for selling abroad – There are so many factors that impact the amount of required paperwork for selling goods abroad through Amazon, such as the documents necessary for sending inventory from the UK into fulfillment centers in EU, Value-Added Tax (VAT) accounts in new countries, product compliance, and so on.
- Rules for a specific country where you want to sell goods/services – The UK government will only advise people on what applies to the UK. Unfortunately, they cannot solve problems in the destination country.
In addition, even if sellers do comply with all the new procedures, it’s still inevitable for customs and receivers (the party responsible for accepting export goods into the EU) to make errors, leading to overcharges, loss of goods, product returns, and bad customer reviews–problems that the government’s new service probably no longer cover.
That said, manage your expectations when contacting the export support team for your cross-border selling concerns. Be sure to still do your own research or reach out to Amazon for more information. You may also consider reaching out to other service providers, such as HelloTax that specialize in UK/EU VAT compliance.
Ask a Question by Phone
The UK export support team will try to answer your questions right away. If they don’t know the answer, they’ll reach out to you within three (3) working days.
- Telephone: 0300 303 8955
- Textphone: 18001 0300 303 8955
- Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (excluding public holidays)
Ask a Question Online
The export support team will respond within three (3) working days. They might also ask for more information.
Click here to get help selling goods or services abroad.
Related: Brexit Inventory Management
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