Hi-Fi Plus Subscriptions (Brexit)

[james]

I have been subscribing to HiFi+ (by post) for a few years and I recently got the following letter from them ..

"Dear Subscriber,

As you will be aware there have been some changes to the way in which products are sent from the UK to
Europe.

Whilst we have been provided with some information, we feel we do not have a definitive solution in
order to maintain an efficient and cost-effective solution to provide you with your magazine each month.

The options available are not fully implemented, or they are prohibitively expensive currently.
Whilst we look for a viable solution, we would like to offer you two options:
1) Continue to receive your magazine each month (this may mean that your carrier charges you a
receiver’s fee to release the magazine to you)

2) Put your subscription on hold until we have arranged a suitable solution. Once this solution is in
place, we would send you the issues that you did not receive.

Please be assured that we are working with our distribution partners to find a solution as quickly as
possible.

Please email us to let me know your preference."

I will probably tell them to just keep sending it for the moment and see if I get charged tax or VAT. I'm not sure if there is still VAT on magazines. I noticed that since Brexit the magazine has a customs declaration printed on the label.

James

[Diapason]

It should be ok if under 20 euro, right? Or am I mistaken on that score?

[Ken Moreland]

James , Hi-Fi Plus and Hifi News are both very good value if you purchase the Digital versions.
Hi-Fi Plus is about 8€ from Easons or 1.25$ in Digital form, yearly thats approx 96€ on paper versus approx 14€ digitally.
KM

[Ivor]

It should be ok if under 20 euro, right? Or am I mistaken on that score?

As I understand it that minimum went out the customs window on July 1st.

[Diapason]

As I understand it that minimum went out the customs window on July 1st.

Ah yes, I had forgotten that one. Gah!

[markof]

FYI

Digital editions of Hi FI News, Hi Fi Choice and Stereophile are free with a public library card (also free).

Mark

[james]

Thanks for the replies. I will investigate digital subscriptions when my paper subscription runs out. Also, the next time I am in town I will visit the public library and ask about emagazines.

[Satrus]

This is hardly credible! Many people have subscriptions to 'foreign' (as in non European Union) publications and they are delivered without any problem whatsoever! Why should Brexit cause this kind of conundrum for HiFi Plus? By the same token, I saw the latest issue in Easons here in Cork last week for €9.81 or something like that. I like HiFi Plus and pick it up occasionally but my main reading for high end audio is Stereophile to which I have subscribed for 26 years. I do recall however some years ago that on looking into the possibility of subscribing to HiFi Plus that the cost was prohibitive and buying at Easons was the less expensive option. I think when the 'fog' of COVID-19 eventually clears the real truth of Brexit and its ruinous effect on British business will be revealed. I feel very sorry for the 48% of the British people who voted remain. If I were in their shoes, I would feel utterly disillusioned.

[Fran]

I was on a forum the other evening, where the founder seems to have a small business selling schematics for old equipment. Anyway, when I followed the link to buy the schematics, there was a big notice there saying if you were in the EU they couldn't sell a digital download of the files any more - that they were disappointed with that, but in order to sell like that they would have to collect VAT for the member state, register with the member state and pay across the VAT and that this was non-viable for a small business. If I wanted to buy physical copies, there was no problem, just it would be subject to VAT etc on the way in, but the member state would collect it themselves.

I think they were right, and a measure aimed at making sure big business was conducted fairly seems to be hammering small business.

[james]

I was in contact with a (smallish) shop in England a few weeks ago trying to buy an item and they explained that reluctantly they can't sell stuff anymore in the EU. They explained that they have to "charge VAT in the UK and then [they] have to pay each of the 27 European Union countries into their own designated international bank accounts individually every quarter". On top of that they must "appoint a company within the European union to manage [their] data for data protection purposes".