Featured German Bonkers New Packaging Rules

https://www.verpackungsregister.org/en

From July 22 anyone anywhere in the world selling into Germany as a business (which also means anyone who bought something with the intention of reselling), now has to register with the German Lucid system and pay annual taxes to the German government. This is to cover disposal/environmental costs of packaging materials shipped into Germany.

Minimum charge is about 40 Euro. It also seems you need a VAT registration to be able to apply, so a sole trader below VAT threshold may not even be able to register (although I'm still trying to establish if that's correct - if so you can't legally ship to Germany).

It seems like this applies to all EU states too, so if you are in France you have to register and comply, it is country based and not EU based. It is protectionism by the back door - they have already leaned on ebay - so if you don't have your registration cert and number ebay will block you selling into Germany. Expect Etsy etc to suffer the same fate soon too.

More hits on free trade, the last few years have been very regressive. Governments are trying to stifle smaller businesses, and if Germany starts this you can bet other countries will be on the bandwagon soon.

 

If this is how it is going to work I will be deleting Germany from my list of places I will sell to internationally when I start back selling come August 1st.

 

I have a hunch something's missing. because this sounds like total insanity. If this is accurate, most USA eBay sellers won't be able to sell to Germany. To be safe all but some commercial sellers would have to block them, or eBay would have to just put a block on everyone. Who they consider a small household seller and who would be a business and who'd make the decision... total nightmare.

 

Ebay already confirmed (in the UK), all business sellers without the necessary permits will be blocked from the German market in July.

 

Which essentially would block every American seller except a few large commercial ones. Not that I sell anything to Germany any more anyway (and will be closing my store at the end of next month) but...

 

It is all very complicated (of course), but according to the Dutch government site below you only have to register (and pay) if the total yearly weight of packaging exceeds 50,000 kilos. I doubt anyone here uses that much on a yearly basis.

https://ondernemersplein.kvk.nl/afvalbeheersbijdrage-verpakkingen-betalen/

Apologies, in Dutch only, but you can see the number about halfway down the page under the heading "Aanmelden bij Afvalfonds Verpakkingen", which means "Register for Disposal Packaging Fund".
(The Dutch way of writing 50,000 is 50.000)

 

Is that for shipments into The Netherlands? The German sites are all suggesting you have to pay if you send anything into Germany, even just 1kg. Looks like you have to keep records of the packaging you ship too - completely bananas for small businesses.

 

This discussion seems like it's missing some important details. Hopefully, as the law is implemented, the affects on ebay sellers will become clear.

 

Anything that enters, or is shipped inside, the Netherlands.

 

not viable in the EC. this would block the whole market including customs. not even sure if it's not against the EC rules. what they should though: force ebay and other platforms not to allow outside EC sellers to try circumventing import taxes via Belgium Post and others; at the end the buyer pays import taxes although you might think it's coming from Belgium. I paid 10 € import for a book from Northern Ireland value 12 £...
there should also be a clear understanding by ebay what is continental and what is not...

 

It's up on Etsy now too:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/seller-handbook/article/verpackg-packaging-act-requirements/501392119812

 

that sounds much less hysterical and feasible. seems most private sellers will have no problems.

 

The little guys recycle everything anyway.

 

The only thing I buy is sticky tape.

 

Mailing tape, paper and printer ink. Here the USPS gives away boxes for its Priority service. Those cannot be resused by US postal regulations, but packing materials can float around being used three or ten times before ending up in the bin.

 

lol, Germany's own import "carbon" tax as basically, you are paying for your waste/recycling. Can't wait for them to roll something like that out here in the states and be sure other countries will be following the "its good for the environment" footsteps. It's not targeting small business sellers, it is just another not well thought out green new deal type policy, cause like, gas, electricity, flying, eating meat, heck, eating out etc are for rich who can afford to pay the carbon costs...sigh.... well, you know the rest.

Really, some people gots no room to complain cause your vote really does matter and somebody voted for this