What are the all the parcel delivery surcharges charges when shipping into Europe (EU)?

Firstly, lets take a look at the surcharges faced by online retailers shipping orders in to the EU since Brexit. Then we'll show how you can avoid paying them altogether.

SURCHAGES! - and there are lots of them: What looks, on the face of it, like a £12 charge for shipping a parcel to France for example - really isn't! Surcharges like the examples below are being widely justified by parcel delivery companies. Don't forget, they will come out of your margins, or you'll be forced to charge more which will directly reduce sales conversion.

1. 'Clearance' surcharges: A parcel delivery company already knows that all parcels to the EU will require customs clearance - it's an obvious part of the delivery process - so why is it surcharged? It makes no sense! It's called various things such as ‘Brexit surcharge’ or ‘clearance surcharge’ or ‘UK Border Fee’ depending on the parcel delivery company. This is being applied to all EU shipments for customs clearance. Typically £3.50 to £5.00 are being added per parcel.

2. 'DDP' Surcharges: DDP (or Deliver Duty Paid) ensures that VAT and duty is reversed back to the sender (you) in the UK so the receiver (your customer) doesn’t have the additional shock of having to pay VAT and duty due before the parcel is delivered, which can often result in a terrible customer experience and the shipment being refused and returned. Sounds like a great option until you realise that typical DDP surcharging by most of the major parcel carriers is between £15.00 and £20.00. We also understand that despite shipments being send DDP, UK E-com companies are still experiencing complaints from EU customers that VAT and fees are charged on delivery.

3. Other Surcharges: When you also consider residential delivery surcharges, fuel surcharge, and in some circumstances an 'emergency situation' surcharge, decisions need to be made about seeking alternative delivery solutions. Residential surcharges average £2.80, fuel surcharge at 7.5% and 'emergency' surcharges around 1.5%.

All these extra surcharges has meant that the cost of getting a parcel in to the EU has risen by an average 152% since Brexit.

So, How do you avoid all these surcharges and offer competative, reliable shipping?

The SAMOS Process

The answer is that you choose a parcel carrier that doesn't surcharge, but still has ultra-low rates like SAMOS.

SAMOS has engineered a parcel delivery service that is unique in the UK. We inject parcel volume directly in to the EU via a single entry point, then onwards into a European parcel delivery network. Our service avoids the additional costs other parcel delivery companies endure, and we pass those savings on to our customers.

Our service is the best kept secret in e-commerce shipping - exporting, clearing and shipping in a completely new and radical way. We've created an enhanced alternative to European delivery services at a fraction of the hassle and cost, leaving the legacy services of other parcel delivery companies way behind.

The Best Bit - NO SURCHARGES!

You read that correctly - no surcharges - and that includes no EU 'clearance' surcharges, no DDP surcharge, no 'emergency' surcharge (what is that anyway?), no residential delivery surcharge, no fuel surcharge. Just a great service with easy, uncomplicated tariffs designed to make your life simpler, saving you money in the process.

EU VAT handling options

We offer different options for handling VAT for your EU shipments whether you have an IOSS number or not. Either way, we guarantee that your EU customers will never be asked for VAT and fees on delivery. Who else can realistically promise that?

90% coverage of global e-com markets

We offer a delivery service to over 90% of the global e-com markets with great rates and service, all delivered within 7 days.

Integrations

We integrate with most shop and WMS platforms in an instant, making processing labels and serving your customers a doddle.

Innovation

We are shaking up the parcel delivery business with new innovative options, designed to maximise your customer’s experience and grow your business fast.

Recommendation

Most of our new customers come from recommendation and referral and we think that says a lot about what we do - offering you real tangible alternative solutions to the status quo.

How do you trial SAMOS?

Simply complete the online registration here and we’ll get you up and running in no time.

Want to know more?

Frequently Asked Questions about the SAMOS service

Who is SAMOS?

SAMOS is parcel logistics company based in London, specialising in creating and engineering customer-focussed e-commerce parcel delivery solutions. We have become particularly well known for our EU parcel delivery solutions. It's growing very fast and enabled so many e-com businesses to get back on track and develop their EU markets without fear of all the export problems experienced with the other mail and parcel delivery companies.

We totally understand the frustrations of using parcel and post delivery services, so we have engineered these out of our service. Customers always ask us, "Why didn't we know about you before?" Well, you do now. We can ship all your B2C parcels across the EU whether you have an IOSS number or not. We do not surcharge at all, just one ultra-low cost per parcel. Simple. Find out more.

What Our Customers Say

Peace, Founder and owner at Nubia's Crown - www.nubiascrown.com -

Watch a vlogby Peace at Nubia's Crown, one of our amazing customers, discussing our service.

Alie Mackintosh, CEO at AYM, www.aym-studio.com -

‘’We are incredibly happy with the service provided by SAMOS and would recommend their EU shipment services to any businesses requiring a solution for EU logistics since Brexit. Deliveries are fast and our customers are happy. SAMOS take all the stress and hassle of the new (and confusing) requirements away and provide a comprehensive and fully rounded service for both us and our customers. It’s win-win solution. We were apprehensive about the future of shipping B2C into the EU after experiencing delays in transit and confusion around additional charges, until we joined SAMOS. They are incredibly helpful, knowledgeable and reliable, it really is joy to be working with them."

Daphne, Co-founder at TIC CC, tic-cc.com -

"We have been working with SAMOS since November 2021 to fulfil all our EU customer orders. Previously we had been using mail services, which meant a lot of hassle with customs and increased expenditure to the customer and us, and taking several weeks for parcel deliveries. We have trialled other courier companies, who’s services, pricing and customs issues have been appalling.

Since using SAMOS our EU order delivery is running smooth and fast, without any issues. Customers also get delivery notifications, and can easily keep track of their parcels. Their online platform is very easy to use with minimal time spent to create shipping labels and customs paperwork. The prices are extremely competitive, and the customer services is the best we have experienced compared to any other delivery partner and couriers. This has been the best service provider we have worked with. I would highly recommend SAMOS!