Parcel Motel Suspendeds it’s UK virtual address Dec. 28th

Was hoping this wouldn’t happen, but can’t say I’m surprised. An Post AddressPal is only offering home delivery for UK orders too. Hopefully something can be sorted for UK to Ireland parcels!

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/1218/1185367-parcel-motel-brexit/

suicide_circus

Wait til you see what food prices do

biko

It will be back once they figure out what to do. No need to panic just yet.

listermint

biko wrote: »

It will be back once they figure out what to do. No need to panic just yet.

They've had 4 years to figure it out.


The what to do isn't hard. It's collection of customs same as DHL or anyone has to do from the US. I'm presuming they have to be licensed to do that and haven't bothered starting that process or just assume it would all be grand. Sound business practice....

biko

OP forgot the link but here it is
https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/1218/1185367-parcel-motel-brexit/

"As of 31 December, our virtual address services in the UK will be temporarily suspended,
until such time as a final Brexit decision has been implemented and our services have been adapted
to meet the new requirements," the company said.

There, temporary.

utyh2ikcq9z76b

A locker just over the border would be grand for me. This service might do https://www.deliverme.ie/

jimmycrackcorm

listermint wrote: »

They've had 4 years to figure it out.


The what to do isn't hard. It's collection of customs same as DHL or anyone has to do from the US. I'm presuming they have to be licensed to do that and haven't bothered starting that process or just assume it would all be grand. Sound business practice....

What is more surprising is why An Post doesn't offer a similar service to PM by installing lockers at their post offices where you can pick up your parcels out of hours.

It's not hard to do and unlike PM, they actually own buildings all over the country that they could install the actual facilities like the same as banks have ATMs*.

Anway in PM's case it is clear why they are doing this differently. They only deal with UK deliveries so adapting to deal with customs is a big business change, and all along it hasn't been known if there was going to be a deal or not. They would have to employ extra staff, set up extra systems etc for an unknown factor - are we still going to buy at the same level from the UK as before particularly when Amazon is the big fish and providing Prime?

So I think they are practising sound business. I just don't know if their model is going to be as good overall in the future. I know that my personal usage of PM has dropped off dramatically.

previous user

suicide_circus wrote: »

Wait til you see what food prices do

Why what's gonna happen?

un5byh7sqpd2x0

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

What is more surprising is why An Post doesn't offer a similar service to PM by installing lockers at their post offices where you can pick up your parcels out of hours.

It's not hard to do and unlike PM, they actually own buildings all over the country that they could install the actual facilities like the same as banks have ATMs*.

They do offer such a service. Not in many locations yet mind, but they do.

L1011

suicide_circus wrote: »

Wait til you see what food prices do

Substantial amount are likely to go down with reduced UK demand.

If you eat white bread or go the chipper a lot, be in for a world of pain. Otherwise it won't really be an issue.

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

What is more surprising is why An Post doesn't offer a similar service to PM by installing lockers at their post offices where you can pick up your parcels out of hours.

It's not hard to do and unlike PM, they actually own buildings all over the country that they could install the actual facilities like the same as banks have ATMs*.

They do, with lockers at postal delivery offices and Lidl stores. Mostly Dublin area so far.

Nicks delight

well, my account with Parcel motel is still there and the website is operational. I would not panic for this. I have a few thoughts in relation to all this. remember i know nothing but here is my extended thought on this topic ...here we go..

Id say the majority of us use parcel motel for Amazon.co.uk. Maybe Amazon will open up in Ireland. There is a Ebay.ie so why not Amazon.ie? In regards to the German Amazon, I think you can order in a bundle (many packages made into one package on Amazon listed/stocked items so that might reduce delivery cost per item (Not sure). Then maybe other cost reductions will apply if you are a prime member. Otherwise it seems to be direct delivery to your door for around 8-9 euro on most items. Maybe there are free deliveries on certain objects. We will have to see if UK Amazon can compete with the EU Amazons after customs, duty and vat and whatever charges they can muster up.


I am quite sure Parcel Motel will also solve the issues with shipping prices from Amazon France, Spain and Germany. Parcel motel just need to set up a hub in France and Germany, just like they have done in UK. If they don't, someone else will. If there is money to be made I think they will act quickly. If UK really are out of the EU without a trade deal then they will loose out a lot. Sure, we the consumer will start to go to Germany and France for shopping, and new ferry services will pop up when there are money to be made; I'm sure of it. This is not Chicken Little, The Sky is not falling. If one shop close their doors another open. I see a lot of Irish owned business opportunities here with lots of competition. Competition is good and results in competitive prices for the consumer.

We have the whole of Europe to buy from, and if that's not enough we have the world to import stuff from. We will see if Parcel Motel will adapt and see this as a perfect time for expansion rather than only focus on their UK Business cause their customers will be looking at alternatives. I know i will..

Circus...You talk about food prices going up. I think tesco for example will then be at a disadvantage if they increase food cost in ireland as Lidl and Aldi and east european supermarkets are EU based and there are plenty of food producers in EU. Sure, as we have seen, Beef prices have gone up substantially, but that is only because in the last few month UK IS STOCKING UP on beef (they have their reasons). This year they almost doubled their import of Irish beef. Therefor Ireland pay more now for our own beef...lol...that is a bit of a head scratcher.

Well, my optimistic halfbaked opinions might at least amuse someone. Now I will go and investigate low cost shipping price optimization at German Amazon. I hope Parcel Motel will solve there dilemma as they employ a lot of people with family and mouths to feed. The only problem I see at the immediate moment is that SOME of the Amazon retailers in UK and in other Countries do not ship to Certain destinations (among them Ireland.) At the moment it's easy to feel a little stranded. But..It was handy with the UK local address. I am still waiting for one Parcel from Parcel motel. With a bit of luck I get it in time. Otherwise its 200 euro down the drain.

Remember, that parcels under the value of 20 euro (or around that sum) will not be subject to them taxes between UK/Ireland

Can anyone tell i had a large whiskey writing this? ;0)

An Ri rua

Nicks delight wrote: »

well, my account with Parcel motel is still there and the website is operational. I would not panic for this. I have a few thoughts in relation to all this. remember i know nothing but here is my extended thought on this topic ...here we go..

Id say the majority of us use parcel motel for Amazon.co.uk. Maybe Amazon will open up in Ireland. There is a Ebay.ie so why not Amazon.ie? In regards to the German Amazon, I think you can order in a bundle (many packages made into one package on Amazon listed/stocked items so that might reduce delivery cost per item (Not sure). Then maybe other cost reductions will apply if you are a prime member. Otherwise it seems to be direct delivery to your door for around 8-9 euro on most items. Maybe there are free deliveries on certain objects. We will have to see if UK Amazon can compete with the EU Amazons after customs, duty and vat and whatever charges they can muster up.


I am quite sure Parcel Motel will also solve the issues with shipping prices from Amazon France, Spain and Germany. Parcel motel just need to set up a hub in France and Germany, just like they have done in UK. If they don't, someone else will. If there is money to be made I think they will act quickly. If UK really are out of the EU without a trade deal then they will loose out a lot. Sure, we the consumer will start to go to Germany and France for shopping, and new ferry services will pop up when there are money to be made; I'm sure of it. This is not Chicken Little, The Sky is not falling. If one shop close their doors another open. I see a lot of Irish owned business opportunities here with lots of competition. Competition is good and results in competitive prices for the consumer.

We have the whole of Europe to buy from, and if that's not enough we have the world to import stuff from. We will see if Parcel Motel will adapt and see this as a perfect time for expansion rather than only focus on their UK Business cause their customers will be looking at alternatives. I know i will..

Circus...You talk about food prices going up. I think tesco for example will then be at a disadvantage if they increase food cost in ireland as Lidl and Aldi and east european supermarkets are EU based and there are plenty of food producers in EU. Sure, as we have seen, Beef prices have gone up substantially, but that is only because in the last few month UK IS STOCKING UP on beef (they have their reasons). This year they almost doubled their import of Irish beef. Therefor Ireland pay more now for our own beef...lol...that is a bit of a head scratcher.

Well, my optimistic halfbaked opinions might at least amuse someone. Now I will go and investigate low cost shipping price optimization at German Amazon. I hope Parcel Motel will solve there dilemma as they employ a lot of people with family and mouths to feed. The only problem I see at the immediate moment is that SOME of the Amazon retailers in UK and in other Countries do not ship to Certain destinations (among them Ireland.) At the moment it's easy to feel a little stranded. But..It was handy with the UK local address. I am still waiting for one Parcel from Parcel motel. With a bit of luck I get it in time. Otherwise its 200 euro down the drain.

Remember, that parcels under the value of 20 euro (or around that sum) will not be subject to them taxes between UK/Ireland

Can anyone tell i had a large whiskey writing this? ;0)

YES

Big Gerry

I can see "Republicans" setting up an alternative service to parcel motel if they don't reopen.

Eric Cartman

L1011 wrote: »

Substantial amount are likely to go down with reduced UK demand.

If you eat white bread or go the chipper a lot, be in for a world of pain. Otherwise it won't really be an issue.



They do, with lockers at postal delivery offices and Lidl stores. Mostly Dublin area so far.

Whats the deal with bread and chipper price increases ? Spuds and flour or ?

Eric Cartman

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Whats the deal with bread and chipper price increases ? Spuds and flour or ?

All comes from the uk

statto25

SouthWesterly wrote: »

All comes from the uk

The ingredients or the actual product?

micks_address

statto25 wrote: »

The ingredients or the actual product?

A lot of potatoes for chippers here are imported from the uk

McMurphy

micks_address wrote: »

A lot of potatoes for chippers here are imported from the uk

I would have thought all they do now is import them to the North, and move them north to south?

There's a fairly large potato importer I know of already doing this (they're based in the north, and sell go here)

https://www.jdspotatoesandhaulage.co.uk/

wexfordman2

McMurphy wrote: »

I would have thought all they do now is import them to the North, and move them north to south?

There's a fairly large potato importer I know of already doing this (they're based in the north, and sell go here)

https://www.jdspotatoesandhaulage.co.uk/

They won't be able to.do that much longer, goods imported into the north from the uk that are likely to end up in the south will be subject to tarrifs etc

McMurphy

McMurphy wrote: »

I would have thought all they do now is import them to the North, and move them north to south?

There's a fairly large potato importer I know of already doing this (they're based in the north, and sell go here)

https://www.jdspotatoesandhaulage.co.uk/

That's fine now, but it has been a big point of the northern ireland debates, how do you distinguish between goods coming from the UK destined for consumption in the North and goods just passing through to the single market.

McMurphy

Deleted User wrote: »

That's fine now, but it has been a big point of the northern ireland debates, how do you distinguish between goods coming from the UK destined for consumption in the North and goods just passing through to the single market.

I was under the impression that certain food groups (potatoes) would be exempt form any tariffs, north/south, but further reading has left me all the more confused.

It's an absolute clusterfcuk, how will that be policed?

Thanks to who ever added the link for me! Totally forgot!

jimmynokia

PM will probably set up an EU virtual address.

Car99

McMurphy wrote: »

I was under the impression that certain food groups (potatoes) would be exempt form any tariffs, north/south, but further reading has left me all the more confused.

It's an absolute clusterfcuk, how will that be policed?

Potatoes cannot be imported into the EU due to safety rules and in a couple of weeks GB exits the EU

https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2020/1130/1181294-potatoes-brexit/

Eric Cartman

Car99 wrote: »

Potatoes cannot be imported into the EU due to safety rules.

https://www.rte.ie/news/brexit/2020/1130/1181294-potatoes-brexit/

What is it with the UK and starving us of potatoes every chance they get

j4vier

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Was hoping this wouldn’t happen, but can’t say I’m surprised. An Post AddressPal is only offering home delivery for UK orders too. Hopefully something can be sorted for UK to Ireland parcels!

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/1218/1185367-parcel-motel-brexit/

Addresspal will vanish in time too as demand for it will drop. Uk imports will be just too expensive.

Car99

Addresspal kôln and Addresspal Paris will be on the cards surely

j4vier

j4vier wrote: »

Addresspal will vanish in time too as demand for it will drop. Uk imports will be just too expensive.

I wouldn’t be so sure. AddressPal’s biggest benefit (IMO) is the US address. I can’t be bothered with it for UK parcels, they’re just too slow compared to PM & PW. But I haven’t found an equivalent service for US parcels that’s as easy and convenient as AP.

One other company I used (only once) is a handy alternative but a bit of a nuisance, because they offer a ton of different shipping options & for some reason won’t ship you a thing without verifying your ID.

CelticRambler

Deleted User wrote: »

That's fine now, but it has been a big point of the northern ireland debates, how do you distinguish between goods coming from the UK destined for consumption in the North and goods just passing through to the single market.

The EU's way ahead of you: assume everything is destined for the Republic/EU, tax/check/ban accordingly and let NI customers/users prove otherwise if they're inconvenienced by it. Boris thought that was a grand arrangement, so signed the deal. Job done, no going back on it now.

_Kaiser_

Reminder as well to cancel your Amazon Prime UK sub (unless you want to keep it for the TV) as I reckon that unless a last-minute deal is done, or Amazon extend the new Irish fulfilment centre in Dublin into a full warehouse/Amazon.ie service it just won't be worth the costs IMO.

As someone who tend to order things like laptops and other electronics from the UK a few times a year, this will be a huge pain as while you can of course get them from Germany/elsewhere, things like keyboard languages and chargers will be wrong

Dayo93

If you close your parcel motel account will they refund any credit ? Seems pointless now

beauf

Dayo93 wrote: »

If you close your parcel motel account will they refund any credit ? Seems pointless now

Thinking the same. Tbh I mostly used it because I wasn't at home to take delivery. WFH now, so hardly used it at all. Had Prime so made no sense to use PM for UK stuff.

I think it will be still be useful as I sometimes need to buy bits and pieces from the UK not being able to find parts for stuff elsewhere.

L1011

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Whats the deal with bread and chipper price increases ? Spuds and flour or ?

Chipper - Maris Piper spuds don't grow that well in Ireland, there aren't many available and they're dearer than UK ones. Our own spuds make decent crisps, and are OK for non-chip uses.

White flour - we've nowhere near enough milling capacity, we use UK mills


The UK on the other hand has insufficient supply of nearly everything and will be very badly hurt.

L1011

L1011 wrote: »

Chipper - Maris Piper spuds don't grow that well in Ireland, there aren't many available and they're dearer than UK ones. Our own spuds make decent crisps, and are OK for non-chip uses.

White flour - we've nowhere near enough milling capacity, we use UK mills


The UK on the other hand has insufficient supply of nearly everything and will be very badly hurt.

Oh joy a bag of chips will either go up in price or down in portion. Already seeing close to & over €3 in some places! You’d be mad.

Muahahaha

Car99 wrote: »

Addresspal kôln and Addresspal Paris will be on the cards surely

yeah you would imagine this is the way they will go. It will mean shipping times will be a bit longer but still better than paying VAT and customs for stuff from the UK. Though I doubt it will stay at 4.50 per use of a locker, Paris and Koln are a lot further away than Newtownabbey so I could see it rising to at least 6 euro. If Amazon are charging 8-9 euro for shipping from Germany it may not be much of a saving using Parcel Motel, it would still be handy for items that dont ship here directly though.

Pkiernan

Dayo93 wrote: »

If you close your parcel motel account will they refund any credit ? Seems pointless now

I beleive that they will have to refund any credit.

They have unilaterally changed the terms of their initial contract, that is your Parcel Motel address.

I'll be asking for my credit back.

facehugger99

I wouldn't worry about it - a deal will be done.

All the substantive issues have been agreed and if anyone thinks a few thousand French fishermen are going to scupper this, they are dreaming.

This is all just a dance before a last-minute breakthrough is announced and rammed through just before the deadline.

CelticRambler

facehugger99 wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about it - a deal will be done.

It hard to believe that there are still people spouting this nonsense and missing the point completely. A deal does not bring the UK back into the EU, so every parcel coming into the EU (i.e. Republic of Ireland, for the purposes of this thread) has to be accompanied by a customs declaration. It doesn't matter whether you're sending a JCB worth 50k or a souvenir bottle cap worth 50p, the person sending it to you has to stick a customs declaration on the outside of the package.

Now if you're buying from a UK seller, and having your parcel sent to a forwarding depot in the UK, the seller has no reason to fill in such a customs declaration, and if you're not paying them extra to type out what's in the package, they're not going to do it. And there's no way Parcel Motel or anyone else is going to open every package to see what's inside so that they can fill in the declaration.

Those new rules come into effect on Jan 1st regardless of whether or not there's a trade deal in place. Britain is out of the EU, so imports will be treated on the same basis as anything coming from China or the US.

And bear in mind that deliveries to an address in NI fall under the scope of the Withdrawal Agreement, already signed, which requires all the same paperwork unless the supplier can guarantee that the products are at no risk of entering the EU after delivery. Kinda hard when that's the very raison d'être of Parcel Motel.

Wheety

For people who don't spend large amounts on single items from the UK, not a lot will change. Amazon already charge you and pay VAT to the Irish Government. If the item you're buying is less than €150, then there are no customs due. There's still a market there.

Edit: CelticRambler makes a good point about using a virtual address in the UK (I know that's what this thread is about) and the customs declaration, but as a Prime member, I'll continue to order from Amazon for direct delivery.