A topic that is probably going to be very important come the end of this year. I know it’s an early and speculative discussion, but I wanted to share the thoughts I had while preparing my next submission.
As far as I know, it’s unclear whether the UK will agree to stay within the EU customs union or not. If they don’t, PSA would probably lose a percentage of EU business through Ludkins UK (at least I would have to send less).
PSA has already opened an office in Japan - do you think this situation could incentivize them to do so in Europe? Or are there plans for Ludkins UK to circumvent the 40% cost increase, maybe with an EU office on their part?
Sidenote: EGS got more competitive with their TCG pricing recently - if they improved their horrendous “bulk” card holders and if they were more consistent, they could also be a factor.
It would probably make more sense for Ludkins to move their HQ to the Republic of Ireland if this were going to prove to be a major problem, but I get the feeling not all that much will change any time soon.
The UK will not be staying in the customs union, they are already out. Whether they strike a trade deal or not, who knows. But it is in the eus best interest to do so.
Can I ask what would lead to the huge apparent cost of grading? The uk will be striking a new trade deal with the US, so not really sure what Europe has to do with grading.
Thanks for clarifying, yes I mean a deal that’s equivalent to the customs union in that regard.
Within the UK nothing would change for grading with an UK-US deal, but EU customers would have to pay customs fees for the new value of the graded cards when receiving them from the UK. I’m not sure if Ludkins would have to pay for the insured value as well when receiving the order.
I read in another thread that dutch customers can possibly avoid the fees if they can prove that they always owned the cards - must be a fun time doing the necessary paperwork for a 50+ card order.