October 2009

Welcome to CCL’s October 2009 newsletter

Following our summer break, we’ve made some changes to our newsletter format. With time at a premium for everybody, our missives are going to be shorter and altogether snappier, spotlighting news and pointing you to useful and – we hope – relevant content on the internet. We’d like to know what you think of our new style – so don’t be shy, make your views known! And remember, for any customs and importation queries, make our friendly and approachable Customer Services team on +44 (0)20 8231 0900 your first port of call.

You’ve Got Mail.... or have you? How will the UK postal strike affect you? We know it’s coming, we just don’t know what form it’s going to take. One thing is certain though, it will be disruptive to many businesses, and particularly internet/e-commerce based businesses. If you’re looking for different ways to get your product dispatched and delivered, talk to us today. With our network of transportation and logistics partners across the globe, we might just have the solution to this upcoming problem for you.

Say hello to EORI: HMRC cut across from the TURN system to the EORI (Economic Operator Registration and Identification) System from 1st July. If you haven’t got your replacement EORI number yet, don’t sit around, see to it without delay – your TURN number is no use any more. We need your EORI number when you import or export, in order to make your Customs declarations. No EORI, and your consignments will get delayed. Details on how to apply can be found on the HMRC website EORI Scheme home page.

Part removal of consignments from temporary storage: HMRC have announced changes to regulations in respect of part removal of consignments from Temporary Storage, which come into effect on 1st February next year. If you use Temporary Storage for goods imported outside of the EU, click here for CIP (09) 66.

Gone phishing: HMRC have issued a warning about HMRC-related scam emails, to help you avoid being hooked. Click here to read their update.

Our featured forwarder: This month we’re featuring Bluebird Express, who provide a top notch transportation and international courier service from their offices close to Heathrow Airport in London, and in Toronto, New York and Los Angeles. Bluebird Express can help you to move any kind of consignment from documents and samples to large shipments across the globe. They offer a full Track & Trace service via their web site. Click here to access their web site and find out more.

VAT’s a tricky subject! We’re putting in a word for Accordance Ltd, a UK based, specialist VAT consultancy with European reach and expertise. Accordance’s highly qualified and specialised tax personnel deliver services with a strong focus on the commercial needs of clients and work with companies throughout the European Union and beyond. Their long standing in the marketplace means they boast an excellent network of agents, fiscal representatives and VAT partners throughout Europe. Click here to access their web site or email Olaf Dierks, Senior Business Development Manager.

Who do you know? We’re always on the lookout for new customers – businesses who import into the UK and Europe on an occasional or regular basis. We can save them money, and time. If you know a business we should be talking to, and can get us an introduction, we’ll give you a big, loud and proud ‘thank-you’ in our next newsletter – that’s your name, logo and web contact details going out to our database of well over 1,000 readers. So, who do you know, who you might like to introduce to Customs Clearance Ltd?

To cut a long story short - Time can be tight when there’s business to be done, so in a change to our erstwhile Coffee Break Story format, we’re bringing you “Coffee Break Lite”....

It wasn’t my heart I lost in San Francisco, it was my head. I was only there to pick up a few samples, but I was so taken by all that vintage and handmade boho chic and psychedelia that I quite lost the plot. Or maybe it was their incense that got to me. Whatever it was, I was off my guard and that little hippie-retro co-operative just off Haight Street turned out to be just a bit more commercially.... aware... shall we say, than I expected them to be. My naivety, my problem, I guess. And I got a good deal in the end, so I’m not complaining.

Anyhow, instead of a few extra skirts and shirts in my luggage, I ended up with a rather sizable shipment (and a bit of a headache, if I’m honest). It’s arriving at Heathrow tomorrow apparently. I didn’t have a clue what was supposed to happen next, so I Googled ‘customs clearance’ to see if there was anything helpful out there. And what do you know, there was. So now Customs Clearance Ltd are looking after me and my new hippie gear, clearing it and getting it delivered to the shop for me, so I don’t have to close up for half a day and hang around at the airport. And that’s another good deal, I guess.