GPSR: UK-Firmen stellen EU-Belieferung ein

Als Reaktion auf die neue EU-Produktsicherheitsrichtlinie, die Mitte Dezember in Kraft treten wird, stellen viele britische Firmen zeitweise die Belieferung der EU und Nordirlands ein.

Die neue GPSR (General Product Safety Regulations) Richtlinie der EU, stellt viele britische Kleinhersteller vor Schwierigkeiten. Zahlreiche Hersteller haben deshalb zumindest temporär die Belieferung der EU eingestellt:

EU and NORTHERN IRELAND CUSTOMERS

With the EU’s new GPSR regulations coming into force on the 13th of December I will be „hopefully“ just temporarily suspending acceptance of orders from the EU and Northern Ireland until further notice. I have to figure out if it is financially viable to come to compliance with these new rules and source/put in place a EU based representative (which of course is going to involve an annual fee).

I’m really sorry to have to do this you guys have been great and loyal customers, I’m really sorry I have to do this. Thank you one and all for your support over the years. Obviously these days I can ill afford to loose a third of my customer base either so I am incentivised to try and get this sorted out as soon as possible, further news on this as things develop.

These new regulations are effecting many small businesses such as Vanguard with most following this same course of action until things can be resolved.

You have until December 1st to place any last orders, thank you.

Best regards John

To all our customers in Europe and Northern Ireland…. our apologies.

Due to the new GPSR legislation that the EU have introduced (which comes into force as of December 13th) we will be forced to disable the shipping option for shipping addresses in either Europe or Northern Ireland as of December 1st 2024.

Sales within the UK and to any other area of the world remain unaffected (for the moment).

This GPSR legislation requires manufacturers to jump through a number of hoops to provide paperwork on each and every product to prove its safety (within the parameters of „normal use“) , ensure each individual product is traceable (e.g. with a serial number) and enrol with an individual based within the EU to act as a named point of product safety (with the inherent price-tag that would involve).

It also covers the resale of goods which come from outside of the EU.

If at some point in the future this legislation is either removed or relaxed for small manufactures – or we figure out a way to deal with it – then we will be able to resume shipping items to you…. but with fines of up to 20,000 Euros for non-compliance, it is simply something we cannot risk.

Orders received before December 1st will be shipped as normal as hopefully they will get through to you before the new rules come into force.

As always, our website is www.blotz.co.uk

IMPORTANT FOR EU CUSTOMERS

There’s new legislation coming in at the start of December which is really confusing and affects all businesses in the UK shipping to the EU. A few wargames companies have already said they’re stopping shipping Dec 1st to EU. I haven’t read enough about it yet to make a decision but it could happen. I’m chatting with a bunch of other companies about it now as there has to be some sort of solution.

It’s the updated GPSR regulations. In a nutshell it looks like you have to pay an amount of money that isn’t possible for a small company, or if you don’t pay – then a fine that isn’t possible for a small company.

Hopefully there’s some sort of work around but I wanted to give you a heads up, especially if you want anything for Christmas and are in the EU, as there is a possibility that you may get CUT OFF, even if it’s temporary.

Orders for the rest of November aren’t affected.

I’m trying to not get too wound up as it seems unlikely that overnight there will be barely any shipping from UK to EU (apart from the big boys) but stranger things have happened.

Hey folks,

It is with a heavy heart that I am halting all orders to the EU on the 1st of December, including to Norway and Northern Ireland.

For those of you who aren’t aware (because we sure weren’t until a few days ago), the EU are bringing in new regulations to curb the import of products from outside of the EU. Any individual or business wishing to sell to European customers not only need an official EU-based office or representative, they also need to abide by many new and extensive safety and packaging regulations.

From multi-million dollar corporations to craftspeople in their sheds, these new requirements are across the board. Non-compliance risks huge and life-changing fines, to the point where many in my position are having to stop selling to the EU all together. For myself and other artists in the UK, having a legal presence in the EU is very difficult (and/or expensive), and the additional legal paperwork required is labyrinthine and uncertain.

This development has blindsided myself and my fellow miniature makers, as well as many others who create and sell art for a living. Information is currently hazy, and support for small businesses is pretty much non-existent. In the scrabble for clarification, the internet is awash with misinformation and panic has set in amongst small-business owners.

The EU is one of my biggest markets, and many ArcWorlde fans who have supported my work for over a decade are based there. This is a HUGE blow for Warp Miniatures. In the coming months as things become clearer, I hope a solution presents itself so we can continue sending you all of your miniatures.

This is particularly difficult as these regulations come into effect during the Christmas shopping period. I have launched a Black Friday Sale, which will be active until the 1st of December, so you EU folks can grab your final models. More information about this will be made available on another post.

In the meantime, I will continue to do as much research as I can, and hopefully we can ship to our friends in Europe again soon.

All the best,

Alex

TLDR: Due to new regulations in the EU, we have to stop selling physical miniatures to EU countries (and Norway and Northern Ireland) from the 1st December. We are hoping this is temporary as we figure out a work around and will keep you updated. We hope to fix this as soon as possible. Get your orders in as soon as possible. We have launched a Black Friday sale hopefully to help with this!

GOODBYE EU CUSTOMERS

If you’re in the EU and you want Khurasan Miniatures, you need to order in the next two weeks!

Your laws have changed placing more restrictions on sales to the EU from outside that zone. These are so extreme as to likely prove fatal to business. (But see below.)

I have enjoyed providing you with models and am sorry we will likely no longer be able to do business.

(I will be trying to comply with the new regs but will do several tests and this will NOT be available to general customers until I can confirm it’s ok to go.)

GPSR (General Product Safety Regulation) EU Statement

An Important Announcement for Alternative Armies customers who reside in the nations of the European Union. This announcement covers all nations in the EU as well as the three countries of the EEA (Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) and also Northern Ireland. Due to new regulations from the European Parliament called GPSR (General Product Safety Regulation) which come into effect on 13th December 2024 we are Ceasing to supply any customers residing in these places.

Orders as normal for these regions until the 2nd December 2024 at which point our webstore will disable shipping to EU, EEA and Northern Ireland and customers there will no longer be able to order. Those regions will still be able to browse the website but unable to place orders. We are giving 100% priority to placed orders from within the EU,EEA and Northern Ireland and these will ALL be shipped by 6th December 2024. If you have questions please send them to sales@alternative-armies.com and we will assist you.

You can learn more about this legislation HERE. In essence the sweeping GPSR requires any company selling into the EU from outside of it to have a ‘responsible person’ within the EU. We do not have this and have no ability presently to provide this hence the cessation of orders to EU, EEA and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is part of Great Britain but as the Windsor Framework applies there the GPSR also applies.

This news has been rolling out across the Tabletop Gaming Industry as well as almost all others. While the situation may change and we hope that it does it means for the present that we can only thank our European brothers and sisters for their custom and their support. We hope to provide you with the finest metal and resin miniatures from Scotland again in a brighter future.

Thank you for your Time.

Unsere Einschätzung:

Die neue GPSR stellt gerade kleinere Anbieter in der Tat vor Herausforderungen. Ein wichtiger Punkt ist aber, dass sie auch für alle Hersteller innerhalb der EU gilt. NeverRealm Industry, Freebooter Miniatures und alle deutschen Händler sind ebenso von ihr betroffen. Hier sind einige Anforderungen, die mit ihr einhergehen:

• Klare Sicherheitshinweise auf Verpackungen und in Online-Shops (in unserer Branche z. B. das beliebte „Kein Spielzeug, nicht für Kinder unter 14 Jahren, etc.“)
• Rückverfolgbarkeit durch Seriennummern oder Artikelnummern auf den Produkten. Das klingt wild, aber aktueller Konsens scheint zu sein, dass hier bereits klassische EAN-Artikelnummern ausreichen, die bei den meisten Herstellern Standard sind (allein schon, um Händlern das Auslesen der Ware zu erleichtern).
• Hinweispflichten in Online-Shops: Wer in seinem Shop Dinge verkauft, die er nicht selbst hergestellt hat (bei NeverRealm sind das z.B. die Spielmatten von Deep Cut, die MDF-Produkte von Roostermodel und die Basing-Materialien von Gamer’s Grass) muss  Adresse, Web-Adressen und eine Kontaktmöglichkeit zu diesen Herstellern angeben. Hier bieten sich z.B. die Impressumsdaten des jeweiligen Herstellers von seiner Website an.
  Zusätzlich müssen auch auf der Website Sicherheitshinweise direkt bei den Produktbeschreibungen hinterlegt werden, ob separate Hinweise in einem anderen Teil des SHops reichen, ist umstritten, die Tendenz geht zu „Nein“.

All diese Dinge sind letztlich nervige Mehrarbeit, für EU-Händler aber zu bewältigen. Bei NeverRealm planen wir derzeit eine entsprechende Anpassung von Shop und Verpackungen – zumal die Richtlinie explizit nicht für Produkte gilt, die bereits vor dem Stichtag gelistet waren, um den Warenfluss in der EU nicht zu stören.

Was macht also das Ganze zu einem solchen Problem für das UK? Hier kommt eine Zusatzrichtlinie für Hersteller von außerhalb der EU ins Spiel:

• Hersteller außerhalb der EU müssen künftig einen verantwortlichen Ansprechpartner auf EU-Boden benennen, der quasi die Verantwortung für ihre Produkte und und die Konformität zur GPSR trägt. Da das UK durch den Brexit kein Teil der EU mehr ist, betrifft dieser Punkt auch alle Hersteller von dort. Hier befürchten die Hersteller enorme Zusatzkosten, zumal wohl bereits Scam-Agenturen aus dem Boden schießen, die diese Notlage mit einem „Angebot“ ausnutzen wollen.

Wie könnte das Thema gelöst werden? Die einfachste und naheliegendste Lösung sind europäische Distributoren. Sie übernehmen im Grunde die Rolle des Ansprechpartners und wenn dann die anderen, eher kleineren Pflichten der Hersteller korrekt umgesetzt werden, ist das Ganze durchaus machbar. Problem: Willige Distributoren muss man erst einmal finden, zumal viele britische Firmen (und deutsche Firmen auch) diese lange angekündigte Richtlinie schlicht verschlafen haben. Denkbar wäre aber auch, dass die betroffenen britischen Firmen einen gemeinsamen Verantwortlichen suchen und benennen, um die Kosten aufzuteilen.

Hinzu kommt, dass der Brexit und die mit ihm verbundenen Zollbeschränkungen die britischen Hersteller ohnehin hart gebeutelt und mit Bürokratie aufgeladen haben. Hier herrscht vermutlich schlicht auch eine Menge Frust aus den Ankündigungen, ggf beruhigt sich das Ganze in einigen Wochen deshalb wieder.

Fazit:

Die GPSR ist gerade für kleine Hersteller ein Problem, allerdings im Grunde eines, das sich lösen lässt. Dies erfordert allerdings einiges an Arbeit und aktuell herrscht noch enorm viel Unklarheit über die tatsächliche Umsetzung der Richtlinie. Viele Details sind auch juristisch noch nicht eindeutig geklärt, selbst Kanzleien „schätzen“ derzeit an einigen Stellen noch, wie die tatsächlichen Folgen der GPSR aussehen werden. Dies geht leider mit Horrormeldungen über fünfstellige Strafzahlungen und Gefängnisstrafen einher, die Kleinhersteller natürlich überhaupt nicht betreffen werden, sondern eindeutig an größere Kaliber gerichtet sind.

Wir beobachten die Lage für Euch weiter.