Starting from 1st July 2026, there’s an extra customs charge for all orders sent to the EU.
How much is it?
The new customs charge will be €3 per item type (eg t-shirts, books, etc) in your parcel.
Cakes with Faces has no control over this, and doesn’t receive any part of the new charges. It’s possible there may also be an admin fee; at the moment this is unconfirmed.
I’m sorry about the extra charge. As a small business this is bad news, and another regulation making it more difficult to take international orders – I really hope it doesn’t put too many people off ordering from my shop.
How is it paid?
On Etsy, the €3 customs charge is included in the shipping fee. With Etsy’s system, this was the only way I could add it on. I then pass it on to the shipping company or Royal Mail when I send your parcel. It’s paid in advance, so you shouldn’t receive a customs bill when your parcel arrives.
Because of limitations with Etsy’s system, it may come out as more than it should do (eg if you order two books, it should only be €3, but will be calculated as €6). In this case, I’ll refund you when I process your order. If you’re not sure, just send me a message.
EU: Please order on Etsy
For delivery to the EU, please continue to order on Etsy. The reason is that Etsy handles EU import paperwork automatically, so you’ll receive your parcel more quickly.
Orders on Etsy come through to me just the same, and are despatched in exactly the same way.
Thanks so much for supporting Cakes with Faces!
Usually orders from the EU make up 10% of my income, but since this new charge was introduced, I’ve only had 3 orders from the EU in July. I really hope it doesn’t put off all my lovely EU customers. It’s yet another regulation that makes things harder for small businesses.
