I live abroad. Can I have them shipped?

Our aim at Jeremy Hastings water features is to spread the word far and wide. We can ship a slate ball water feature anywhere in the world! 

So far a Jeremy Hastings water feature is in Portugal and Germany. This year we will be shipping out to Brazil, Poland and Virginia in USA, so it’s exciting times for us.

What have we learnt, or what are we learning? No shipping requirement is ever the same. Different countries have different taxes/duties/customs requirements and as we get new orders we are slowly learning about these, which means when it comes to RHS Chelsea again, where we meet lots of international visitors, we are slowly gaining more knowledge to answer their questions. We obviously can’t charge VAT to our customers abroad but they do have their own taxes to apply, which is worth finding out before purchasing. For example, Poland is 23% just a little higher than our VAT.

When shipping to Germany with the new Brexit requirements, this was a steep learning curve but has facilitated easier shipping paperwork going forward.

Did you know that each product you ship has to have a commodity code? This is a code that is assigned to your goods which tells exporting companies exactly what it is. If your pallet is on a container and something isn’t quite right with the paperwork, it can delay not just your pallet but the whole container. So getting it right was imperative. There is guidance in the UK about commodity codes on the HMRC website however choosing the correct one was hard. You would think a water feature was a water feature but it wasn’t as simple as that! In the end we ended up paying a small fee, so that the government could decide on the code for us, having given them a detailed description of what exactly would be in the pallet and how the water feature is made. We obtained a legally binding advance tariff ruling of our commodity number so feel confident in writing this on our paperwork. It took us a long time to find this out though!

We are developing a relationship with a local packing company in Plymouth R West and Sons packaging solutions https://rwestpackagingsolutions.co.uk/ who are boxing up our spheres, making sure the wood they use is fully ISPM15 compliant adhering to international standards. They will also provide protective packing from the inside to protect our slate.

We have a delivery company, Gardner who can pick the spheres up from us and take them to R West and Sons to be packaged and then onto the shipping company.

Its our first time shipping with a company called RSJ International, who couldn’t be more helpful, this is definitely the start of a good business relationship ahead. They are very knowledgeable in their field. Happy to answer our endless questions, back and forth by emails so that we can get it right. 

[https://rsj-international.co.uk/](<https://rsj-international.co.uk/)

Often it is up to the customer in their country to find a customs agent to help clear goods at their end.

What do you need to consider?

Our slate ball water features are made in ringed sections and hollow inside. We mark on line on the inside so you know where each layer fits together. You need someone capable at the other end to assemble the feature. Don’t worry, this is easy enough to do and we provide comprehensive instructions. We do send the whole set up, including the sump reservoir and pump, but you will have to consider the electrical connection at the other end, compliant with your own country’s electricity. Sometimes it might be more beneficial to purchase a pump in your own country.

Summary

Yes, we can ship a Jeremy Hastings slate ball water feature anywhere in the world!The pallet we use is made from wood that is ISPM15 compliant.We use a well renowned shipping company with experience shipping all over the world.We have our own commodity code for our features issued by HMRC with a commodity code certificate.

All we need is your postcode initially to be able to obtain a quote and go from there. Enquire with us today.