Morning All
Yesterday I crossed the threshold and officially became an OAP ( applause all round ).
I had two friends ring me to apologise that they were unable to send me a card.
They said that they were unable to post the card as their post offices refused to accept post to France. This occurred in two offices in different parts of the country so it was not just one renegade post master.
Anybody else come across this, and do you know if this is a new policy or what ?
Have a great day
Andy
Yes, we had the same.
No card from our son and family in Hull for that very reason but we have had cards from other rellies elsewhere in the UK - strangeā¦
and that was before the 31st December and the end of the transition period. I can only think it is Covid rather than Brexit related.
My lovely ex-neighbour in Stroud posted a little package of my redirected post on 30th December and didnāt hit any problems at the Post Office. (Whether it arrives is another matter ot course!)
Happy birthday for yesterday! 
I wonder what wouldāve happened if it was appropriately stamped and put in a post box?
Congratulations Andy. Weāre coasting along from here. 
Have a look at the Prohibited Items for post to France from UK, as per the Royal Mail list . Astonishing.
### Can I send it to France?
Check our guide to Franceās rules on some common items, and the full restrictions, below:
ā¦and can sometimes apply to items which you may think are ordinary.
You donāt say
Books, magazines, pictures, plans, articles produced by the printing industry?
Games, toys and sports items?
Items made of wood?
Fabrics?
Glassware?
Colouring matter?
This last is a rum one. When I schlepped 6kgs of oil paints to Trinidad for the g/f in my hold luggage I was warned to call them āartistsā colouringsā not oil paints, if asked.
https://www.royalmail.com/sending/international/country-guides/france
The post office rules have always been quite restrictive, but nobody ever read them. My sister wanted to send me seville oranges last year and looked the list to find all food stuffs were prohibited.
Yes, I see āseeds and fruit;ā Organic stuff could be carrying lurgies. I wonder if that includes Oxford Fine Cut marmalade cunningly dispensed into a Chinese t/a tub. Arrived in Spain OK, last shipment.
But - Books? Magazines? manuscripts, typescripts and plans? Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereofā¦ ? A tennis racket is a prohibited item? As is a box of Scrabble?
And what about my pyjama bottoms? Fabric - ! Article interdit!
Seriously bonkers
WHAT??? that is insane!
I remember poor mum getting one of her few Christmas pressies from my sister in the UK. She opened the parcel to find it empty other than a letter from Aussie customs saying that the item had been exterminated (it was pot pourri) 
Do Aussi Customs officers resemble this?
A relative of mine, Terry Nation, created The Daleks! The Cardiff Nations, boyo.
The very first freelance studio assistant job I had, the photographer called me Terry all day - obviously heād seen the name on the Dr Who credits and it kinda percolated over ā¦
At the end of the day, when I plucked up the courage to tell him I was not Terry but Chris, he was very annoyed!
Stupid boy.
Couldānae put it better māself.
However! Insane as it is, it isnāt actually working. Iāve just remembered that the last item I got from UK was The AA Big Road Atlas. France. A book! An article produced by the printing industry! So there!
Earlier, a Michelin guide to Normandy and 2 fat books of the D-Day landings and Op Overlord. All from UK.
But will a Wm Boyd novel get thruā? Itās in a package including pyjama bottoms [fabric] Long sleeve T-shirts [fabric] Oxford Fine Cut marmalade [2 jars cunningly dispensed into one Chinese t/a tub] - [fruit : product of]
No mention of solder, soldering iron, heat-shrink insulation, 17mm and 19mm 1/2" drive sockets and tommy bar ā¦
The multi-function printer I bought on AMZ.uk in Nov because 60ā¬ cheaper than on AMZ.fr, inc p n p. ā¦ well, they wonāt send that to FR now.
Maybe because of the bottom line for this car CPU diagnostic reader.
| Items: | Ā£19.71 |
|---|---|
| Postage & Packing: | Ā£4.44 |
| Import Fees Deposit: | Ā£4.83 |
But thatās an insanity of another kind. The Brexit kind.
Worded as it is as Import Fees Deposit - does this mean that it is the final figure or it could be higher or lower?
British Corner Shop are having problems as well.
" We come to you today with new developments regarding your order. In light of recent news, our couriers have made the decision to pause all collections until earliest 13th January 2021. Due to this major obstruction, the couriers arenāt picking up your orders.
Our couriers are having to make significant changes in the way they take your parcels cross-border, with more complex processes, and additional customs data they have had to make the frustrating decision to stop collecting orders. We are very sorry for these newly imposed delays.
We know this a challenging time for everyone, and our teams have been working round the clock to find a solution. We would like to take this time to say a massive thank you for your ongoing support, we see and appreciate you.
We will continue to update you ā please check here for regular updates as they unfold:
https://blog.britishcornershop.co.uk/2021/01/brexit-faqs-and-live-updates/
Many Thanks,
The British Corner Shop Team"
My reading around on this is that it could well be higher. My fave courier agency, Interparcel, is now posting quotes sans VAT. In other words, VAT will be charged by the customs of the country of delivery at their rate. The item will be held until all dues are paid - which will include a charge for handling the import.
Not known at the time of despatch, unless you have done some serious delving and calcs, is the rate of duty on the item[s]. VAT is charged on the value of the item, the duty [yes, a tax on a tax] and the charges [+ VAT] of the shipping companyās paperwork for importing the thing.
The BoJo puff that The Deal has resulted in tariff-free interchange is virtually - not quite - a porkie. Duty will be charged on items that do not originate in the UK.
All the millions of items that are imported into UK, either by wholesalers or to UK based hubs that found UK a convenient base to sell on to EU countries, will be subject to tariffs. The Chinese particularly have been increasingly stocking goods in the UK to eliminate the weeks of delivery time from China. British traders of origin on the subcontinent - India/Pakistan - have been establishing retail outlets for years for stuff sourced from India, China and elsewhere in the east. Ebay.uk is an eastern bazaar based in UK
The cut-off point for no duty charge is a derisory Ā£11.00
Now I really find that difficult to believe, Johnson telling Ć non-truth, surely not!
Our daughter sent us a card with a customs declaration on it.
Thatās because it was Stroud and helpful.
Ah but they knew that it was rotten.
Reading that list on the Royal Mail website, it is SUCH a relief that, although live animals canāt be sent by post, bees and leeches canā¦ 