While we all get used to the impact of Brexit, there will inevitably be some impact on deliveries and returns for Irish Independent Brand Ambassadors (IBAs). Most UK Ambassadors remain unaffected for now, but there will be some impact on IBA's in Northern Ireland.
Can I send goods from the Republic of Ireland to the UK (and vice versa)?
Will my delivery take longer?
Will I be charged extra on my deliveries?
Will there be any changes to delivery charges to the Republic of Ireland?
What VAT will I be charged and can I claim this back?
What should I do if my parcel has been held by customs?
Do I need to complete any additional paperwork or customs declarations?
Will the carrier know what is included in my order?
How will my discount be impacted?
How will my commission be impacted?
Are there any prohibited or restricted items I can’t send?
Do I need to complete a customs form for the Channel Islands or BFPO destination?
What records do I need to keep of my parcels deliveries/returns?
Can I send goods from the Republic of Ireland to the UK (and vice versa)?
Ann Summers will now only ship goods to customers within the Ambassador's jurisdiction. This means that for IBA's within the UK (including Northern Ireland) we will only ship to addresses within the UK and for IBA's in the Republic of Ireland we will only ship to addresses within the Republic of Ireland.
Will my delivery take longer?
Deliveries to the Republic of Ireland may unfortunately take longer to reach you. The delays you’re experiencing are due to customs processes required upon entry in to the ROI, which can take anywhere between 5-7 working days, on top of the standard delivery timeframe. Unfortunately this is completely out of our control. We’re very sorry for the impact this may have on your orders, and thank you for your patience and understanding.
Please refrain from contacting our Customer Services team unless your delivery has exceeded the amount of time required for both customs clearance and delivery. If your order hasn't arrived within 11 working days from when the order was placed, please contact our Customer Services team. If your order contains perishable items, please wait 18 working days before contacting our Customer Services team.
While deliveries may be delayed due to COVID-19, Brexit has had no impact on deliveries to the rest of the UK.
ROI Customs Update - Perishable goodsThere have been recent changes to EU regulations regarding perishable goods that increases the time it takes for these items to pass through Customs. Items that are food based, edible or have an expiry date now require additional checks at the Irish border. This can extend the customs window by an extra 6-8 working days. This can include, but is not limited to, the following products:
|
Will I be charged extra on my deliveries?
For Ambassadors in the Republic of Ireland, there are no additional charges to be paid by you on orders placed with us. All shipments are sent “DDP”, which means that Ann Summers will pay the import VAT and any duty required to get the goods into the Republic of Ireland. If you’re contacted by a carrier and asked to pay any such charges, please contact us at sisterhoodhelpdesk@annsummers.com. Please include:
- [DDP charges paid] in the subject field;
- Your order number;
- a copy of the communication with the carrier within the email.
For Ambassadors in the UK including Northern Ireland, there are no additional charges to be paid on deliveries within the UK.
Will there be any changes to delivery charges to the Republic of Ireland?
For Ambassadors in the Republic of Ireland, we're not proposing any changes to delivery charges at this time. UK Ambassadors are only able to order goods for delivery within the UK. It is no longer possible for UK Ambassadors to order goods for delivery to the Republic of Ireland, including from Northern Ireland.
What VAT will I be charged and can I claim this back?
For Ambassadors in the Republic of Ireland, you'll no longer be charged any VAT on your order. Instead, Ann Summers will pay the import VAT to clear the goods into Ireland.
For Ambassadors in the UK, the position remains unchanged.
What should I do if my parcel has been held by customs?
If you or your customers live in the Republic of Ireland and your parcel has been held by customs, please contact us at sisterhoodhelpdesk@annsummers.com. Please include:
- [ROI order held by customs] in the subject field.
- your order number.
If you or your customers live in Northern Ireland and your parcel has been held by customs, please contact us at sisterhoodhelpdesk@annsummers.com. Please include:
- [NI order held by customs] in the subject field
- your order number.
We understand your frustration at the delay but ask that you wait 3 working days after you were expecting your order to arrive before contacting us as we are aware that many carriers are experiencing delays during this initial period post-Brexit.
Deliveries to the rest of the UK are currently unaffected.
Do I need to complete any additional paperwork or customs declarations?
There is no need to complete any additional paperwork or customs declarations on orders. There may be a need to complete additional paperwork on returns, but we'll confirm this and our new returns process shortly.
If you live in the Republic of Ireland and are contacted by a customs authority or courier surrounding paperwork or customs declarations, please contact us at sisterhoodhelpdesk@annsummers.com. Please include
- [ROI return held by customs] in the subject field
- your order number
- details of the request.
If you live in the Northern Ireland and are contacted by a customs authority or courier surrounding paperwork or customs declarations, please contact us at sisterhoodhelpdesk@annsummers.com. Please include:
- [NI return held by customs] in the subject field
- your order number
- details of the request within the email.
If you live in the rest of the UK, you should never be asked to complete any paperwork or customs declarations.
Will the carrier know what is included in my order?
No. Under Brexit regulations for goods that are shipped to the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, we're required to provide a commercial invoice that includes certain information about the goods that are within the order. However, this information is sent electronically to the carrier for customs clearance and includes only a generic description of your goods. So, to reassure you, your order will remain discreet.
Are there any prohibited or restricted items I can’t send?
No. The existing product range remains available to PAs.
Do I need to complete a customs form for the Channel Islands or BFPO destination?
As you're aware, unfortunately at this time we're not able to ship orders to British Forces Post Office (BFPO) addresses.
Our Royal Mail postage only covers the delivery of the parcels to the British Forces depot and not the last mile delivery to the final country of destination.
If you do wish to send an order to a BFPO address, you'll need to arrange for the order to be sent to a UK address, and sent on to the destination BFPO address at your own cost.
For orders shipped to BFPO destinations, customs declarations are now required. Parcels up to 2kg are delivered by Royal Mail. You must include:
Parcels over 2kg and up to 30kg are delivered by Parcelforce. You must include a form PFU 509/CP72 with these - you can pick up one from your local Post Office.
Additionally, we understand that from March 2021, there will be a requirement to supply ICS2 EU customs pre-arrival data which will be linked to your parcel and new mail VAT processes are scheduled for introduction in July. Further BFPO announcements will follow.
It is our understanding that duties and taxes should not be payable to BFPO locations, however as we do not deliver directly to these locations, we would advise PA’s to seek their own advice on this before shipping.
What records do I need to keep of my deliveries/returns?
Our view is that you don't need to keep any additional records as a result of Brexit. However, we’d recommend that you discuss the need to maintain accounting records more generally with an appropriately qualified individual.