UK VAT / EU VAT IOSS Shipping Hiatus Notice

**Sadly I am no longer able to sell/ship items to customers based in the United Kingdom/EU on this website due to the changes in how the UK/EU collects VAT.

**Updated 6/27/2021: EU seems to have followed suit with VAT IOSS collections and I have sadly had to suspend all shipping on this platform to those regions. EU and UK friends can still make purchases over on Etsy!! If there is something not listed on Etsy that you see on this website, you can always send me an email to UnicornPaperCo@gmail.com and I will be happy to make you a custom listing! 

At this time, this change only affects customers based in the UK/EU. (Not anywhere else in the world).

The UK/EU is requiring all internationally-based sellers (sellers who live outside of the UK) to be responsible for collecting and remitting VAT at the point of sale (when a UK customer checks out on an online store).  There is no relief for small business sellers -- and the process to submit additional taxes is incredibly expensive and difficult for a small shop like myself. Sadly this has forced me to turn off shipping to all of my UK customers. ;__;

Until the UK/EU governments amends their new VAT rules and or introduces some kind of relief program for international small businesses, I will not be able to take orders or ship to UK/EU customers from this website shop.

UK/EU CUSTOMERS CAN STILL PURCHASE ON MY ETSY SHOP

You can still make purchases even though you're based in the UK/EU through Etsy!   Some items are only available on my website -- however if you'd like an item that is not currently available on my Etsy shop, please send me an email to UnicornPaperCo@gmail.com and I can set up a custom listing for you.

- FAQ AND MORE DETAILS ABOUT VAT CHANGES -

Who is affected by this?
Only customers who live in the United Kingdom/EU are affected by the new VAT rules. This does not affect any customers elsewhere in the world.

Why are small businesses closing orders to UK/EU customers instead of registering for VAT?
Personally as a small business -- and also being running this shop solo...  registering, collecting, tracking and remitting VAT for the UK/EU is an enormous additional burden. Taxes are complicated enough for myself in the USA -- dealing with additional international tax laws is exhausting. Not only that, but all of the additional filing fees and having to register with an international tax lawyer represents a HUGE burden for my small business that is impossible for me to get around. So sadly I am essentially being forced to close orders to my UK/EU customers until the UK/EU governments can offer some kind of relief for international small business sellers.

I am sure that many other small businesses feel these same burdens. It's my hope that this system will not be in place forever and that the UK/EU will figure out a better solution that works for everyone!! 

Why can Etsy Shop/Patreon take UK/EU orders but your website can't?
Because both Etsy and Patreon are Online Marketplaces. Online Marketplaces are required to collect and remit taxes (including VAT) on behalf of its sellers. Using an OMP is the only way for me at this time to stay legal and safe! 

Why is the shipping cost to the UK/EU is higher in your Etsy shop?
Etsy unfortunately has additional shipping fees and listing fees that are auto calculated in Etsy's system. Etsy also auto collects the appropriate amount of Tax that needs to be sent of to the various governments. There is not much I can do about this :( Sorry! 

Can you mark my order as a gift?
Orders can ONLY be marked as commercially sold goods. To mark them as gifts is illegal and could get me in serious trouble. 

You can learn more about the new VAT rules on the UK Government website here: 
Gov.UK VAT Guidance 2021
Gov.UK VAT Changes

I know that these new laws are super frustrating for everyone involved. I'm going to keep my eye on how things change - if there is an update I will for sure add to this document! 

Again if you're in the UK/EU and would still like find something from my shop you are more than welcome to do so on my etsy shop! If something you'd like is not listed there, please feel free to send me a 'shopping list' and I will create a custom listing for you! 

As always thank you so much for your understanding and support!