Are we going to lose supplies from GB

[Philip]

The new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) rules will apply from 13 December. These will impact online sales of items from GB firms. 
 

it requires companies selling into the single market to have responsible agents in the EU. This may be a cost too much for some suppliers according to the media. 
 

has anyone heard anything about its potential impact in the hobby? companies, traders, shops, etc who will no longer be shipping across the Irish Sea?  It’s impact is already noted in the crafts industry but I’ve not seen or heard any discussion of it in model railway circles. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgk1klrz3nzo

regards. 

Philip Griffiths 

Co Antrim. 

[Dunluce Castle]

I have seen Buggleskelly Station release a statement on this over on Facebook, ceasing their trade with Northern Ireland. 
 

Seems very strange that it is only online orders being affected, whereas if you were to enter GB via boat or plane, you could easily make a purchase and bring it back, makes no sense to me personally. 

[jhb171achill]

12 minutes ago, Dunluce Castle said:

I have seen Buggleskelly Station release a statement on this over on Facebook, ceasing their trade with Northern Ireland. 
 

Seems very strange that it is only online orders being affected, whereas if you were to enter GB via boat or plane, you could easily make a purchase and bring it back, makes no sense to me personally. 

Indeed; one of the many hangovers of Boris's brexit..... hopefully in the long run these restrictons will be reversed.

[Westcorkrailway]

I wanted to get a 14xx chimney from the UK….price was £1 + £27 postage 

[Mayner]

16 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

Indeed; one of the many hangovers of Boris's brexit..... hopefully in the long run these restrictons will be reversed.

A lot of EU Legislation is driven by vested interests within the intention of limiting competition/restricting access to the market, particularly small to medium sized businesses.

Back in the early 2000s Scandanavian interests successfully lobbied for work with hardwood dust to be classed as work with a cancer causing agent giving their Pine Furniture industry an advantage over the Irish and UK hardwood furniture industries. 

Similarly the introduction of the EORI number which in theory allows small businesses to supply orders up to 250EU vat paid directly to the EU involves appointing an EU agent only viable for large scale operators, product safety regulations have a similar affect on exporters from outside the EU not just the UK

[jhb171achill]

1 hour ago, Mayner said:

A lot of EU Legislation is driven by vested interests within the intention of limiting competition/restricting access to the market, particularly small to medium sized businesses.

Back in the early 2000s Scandanavian interests successfully lobbied for work with hardwood dust to be classed as work with a cancer causing agent giving their Pine Furniture industry an advantage over the Irish and UK hardwood furniture industries. 

Similarly the introduction of the EORI number which in theory allows small businesses to supply orders up to 250EU vat paid directly to the EU involves appointing an EU agent only viable for large scale operators, product safety regulations have a similar affect on exporters from outside the EU not just the UK

Evidence of this catastrophic political decision spawning even worse offspring….

[Horsetan]

Nothing a bit of good oul-fashioned smuggling couldn't solve....

[Noel]

15 hours ago, Philip said:

The new EU General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) rules will apply from 13 December. These will impact online sales of items from GB firms.  gg
 

it requires companies selling into the single market to have responsible agents in the EU. This may be a cost too much for some suppliers according to the media. 
 

has anyone heard anything about its potential impact in the hobby? companies, traders, shops, etc who will no longer be shipping across the Irish Sea?  It’s impact is already noted in the crafts industry but I’ve not seen or heard any discussion of it in model railway circles. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgk1klrz3nzo

regards. 

Philip Griffiths 

Co Antrim. 

Doesn't trouble my mind, I've stopped buying stuff from brexitistan 3 years ago, found suitable alternatives in Euro zone for any toy train stuff I need. Anyway most Irish Models are available here direct from Irish suppliers such as MM and IRM, or Marks Models.

About 15 years ago well before brexit my employer replaced all their former UK suppliers of IT gear and software with alternatives from Euro zone. The historical route to market that used to be forced through UK distributors was broken. Back in the bad old days Irish companies could not buy direct from manufacturer but instead had to buy from a UK based distributor (unnecessary middle man). Markets ebb and flow and find their optimal route, businesses shop around for best route to market. I find many of the small UK suppliers were still living in the dark ages, not having web sites, not taking credit cards nor online payments, SAE mentality, postal/money order from the jurassic era, very very conservative. The Europeans and Americans on the ball.

[Philip]

8 hours ago, Noel said:

Doesn't trouble my mind, I've stopped buying stuff from brexitistan 3 years ago, found suitable alternatives in Euro zone for any toy train stuff I need. Anyway most Irish Models are available here direct from Irish suppliers such as MM and IRM, or Marks Models.

About 15 years ago well before brexit my employer replaced all their former UK suppliers of IT gear and software with alternatives from Euro zone. The historical route to market that used to be forced through UK distributors was broken. Back in the bad old days Irish companies could not buy direct from manufacturer but instead had to buy from a UK based distributor (unnecessary middle man). Markets ebb and flow and find their optimal route, businesses shop around for best route to market. I find many of the small UK suppliers were still living in the dark ages, not having web sites, not taking credit cards nor online payments, SAE mentality, postal/money order from the jurassic era, very very conservative. The Europeans and Americans on the ball.

Well that is fine if you are buying Irish related modelling and there are not the suppliers for materials in northern Ireland to replace suppliers from GB. 
 

 

[minister_for_hardship]

23 hours ago, Westcorkrailway said:

I wanted to get a 14xx chimney from the UK….price was £1 + £27 postage 

I dislike the freedom of choice being curtailed. That and the postage situation of delays, bureaucratic bumbling, expensive postage/Revenue shakedowns, that this is happening in the 21st century and it's kind of normalised now is wild.

Everything's HO in EU zone, architectural bits and bobs, loco and rolling stock elements pretty much completely different, road vehicles are of continental outline. It's yet another unintended consequence pain in the face.

[GSR 800]

9 minutes ago, minister_for_hardship said:

I dislike the freedom of choice being curtailed. That and the postage situation of delays, bureaucratic bumbling, expensive postage/Revenue shakedowns, that this is happening in the 21st century and it's kind of normalised now is wild.

Everything's HO in EU zone, architectural bits and bobs, loco and rolling stock elements pretty much completely different, road vehicles are of continental outline. It's yet another unintended consequence pain in the face.

Protectionism through regulation. Nobody wins.

This is bad news for getting supplies for kits and other niche items the British market has managed to serve well for so long. 

 

[Mayner]

17 hours ago, Noel said:

 I find many of the small UK suppliers were still living in the dark ages, not having web sites, not taking credit cards nor online payments, SAE mentality, postal/money order from the jurassic era, very very conservative. The Europeans and Americans on the ball.

I never experienced problems ordering on-line, e-mail or phone and paying by credit card from specialist UK suppliers such as Mainly Trains, Comet, Wizard Models, Markits, Alan Gibson Works and Sharman Wheels over the past 30 years, last time I paid by postal or international money order was back from Mike Sharman back in the 80s before I had a credit card. 

It would not be viable for many of the specialist suppliers to set up and operate an on-line shop due to the nature of the business low turnover and wide variety of items stocked.

For someone that mainly interested in building models the greatest problem has been the demise of many of many of the specialist suppliers like Mainly Trains who had an excellent one-stop on-line shop, Sharman Wheels and Comet a once excellent supplier being absorbed by Wizard Models with a less user friendly website.

The demise/consolidation of the small specialist suppliers has largely been driven by the shift away from kit and scratchbuilding as the availability standard of British RTR models improved over the past 20 odd years.

Living in New Zealand for over 20 years I have not experienced problems sourcing or commissioning parts (including trade orders) from UK suppliers & paying by credit card.

My comment about damage to the Irish and British hardwood furniture caused by EU legislation favoring Scandanavian manufacture is based on my experience while working for the Health & Safety Authority in the early 2000s, my understanding was that hardwood dust was classed as carcinogenic as a result of lobbying from Scandanavia which required Irish and British hardwood manufactures to apply a much higher level of dust control and exposure monitoring than the Scandanavian pine furniture industry. At the end of the day EU member countries manipulate the system to their own benefit and Ireland was a master at the game. When I lived in Scotland during the early 90s Scottish agencies responsible for economic development just could not compete with the IDAs perks for foreign direct investment,

Will be interesting to assess the impact of the new Product Safety legislation on Irish & EU cottage industry manufacturers/suppliers for who product certification may be prohibitive. 

Edited December 3 by Mayner

[irishmail]

Looks like it may be a problem for stuff that I/We currently get shipped 'up North'!!  Wonder how it will work with the Parcel Motels?    The BBC article is also not very clear about items going the other way, when sending stuff from the North to the mainland.  

[airfixfan]

On local NI News last night made it clear no problems from shipping to Britain from NI but 10 days time it's a different story

[airfixfan]

To get goods sent from Britain to NI

[David Holman]

Heard on the news this morning about disruption caused by recent storm damage to Holyhead port. Closed till at least mid January, so something else to add to the litany of problems?