New Pin! And Tariff Updates for US and EU!
20 days ago
– Tue, Jul 28, 2026 at 05:30:42 AM
Hi folks,
First up, the fun bit: we had one Custom Design backer for this campaign and thanks to them I will be adding a new pin option to the Surveys: Fighting Asthma!
Here's the new design, which uses the Dragon base design and shades of grey to match the awareness ribbon for Asthma, with highlights in blue for the Asthma and Allergy Awareness org ribbon:
First up, the fun bit: we had one Custom Design backer for this campaign and thanks to them I will be adding a new pin option to the Surveys: Fighting Asthma!
Here's the new design, which uses the Dragon base design and shades of grey to match the awareness ribbon for Asthma, with highlights in blue for the Asthma and Allergy Awareness org ribbon:
I hope you like the new addition! My Mum has asthma so I'm really happy to be able to add this condition to the collection! :D
Now the not so fun bit: this month both the EU and US have made changes to their import customs/tariff laws.
These changes will effect the tariff charges I have to make alongside shipping when I send out the surveys later this week so now that I've had time to try and wrap my head around these complicated new changes I wanted to give you folks the run-down of what to expect before you receive your surveys:
US Tariff Rates
Some of you may have heard that Trump's 'emergency' tariffs expired in July. He has now imposed a new tariff system which charges a different % of cost depending on the type of item in addition to a base 10% tariff rate.
I've done a bunch of research over the last couple of weeks to figure out how the new system works, how much tariff rates will be for the types of items I sell, and how to apply tariffs correctly via the Backerkit system.
I apologise for not being able to warn you about these changes while the campaign was live. I only learned about them after the campaign had ended and it has taken 2 weeks to track down and correctly interpret the information provided for these rule changes.
In the interest of transparency, here are the total tariff rates you can expect to be charged for each item during Surveys at this time:
I've done a bunch of research over the last couple of weeks to figure out how the new system works, how much tariff rates will be for the types of items I sell, and how to apply tariffs correctly via the Backerkit system.
I apologise for not being able to warn you about these changes while the campaign was live. I only learned about them after the campaign had ended and it has taken 2 weeks to track down and correctly interpret the information provided for these rule changes.
In the interest of transparency, here are the total tariff rates you can expect to be charged for each item during Surveys at this time:
- Pins: 15.2%
- Stickers: 10%
- Embroidered Patches: 14.2%
- Lanyards: 12.3%
- Keychains: 15.3%
- Prints: 10%
This means that one £12 pin will incur a £1.82 tariff.
EU Customs Rates
The EU also introduced new import laws in July!
Customs Duty will now be due on all parcels as the exemption for parcels valued less than €150 has been removed.
From 2026-2028 EU customers can now expect to be charged an 'interim flat rate' of €3 per different hsn (customs) code for their orders. (Yes this is both dumb and confusing, bear with me).
This means that:
Customs Duty will now be due on all parcels as the exemption for parcels valued less than €150 has been removed.
From 2026-2028 EU customers can now expect to be charged an 'interim flat rate' of €3 per different hsn (customs) code for their orders. (Yes this is both dumb and confusing, bear with me).
This means that:
- If you ordered (for eg) three pins and nothing else you will be charged €3 for customs.
- If you ordered one pin and one print you will be charged €6.
- If you ordered one pin, one print and one lanyard you will be charged €9, and so on.
This is in addition to a new customs handling fee (as mentioned in the base shipping rates section above).
As I ship via Royal Mail this rate is £1 per order.
With the exception of Germany, these charges will be made to you on the parcels arrival in your country, as has been the case up till now.
As I ship via Royal Mail this rate is £1 per order.
With the exception of Germany, these charges will be made to you on the parcels arrival in your country, as has been the case up till now.
Germany
Alongside these new tariff fees Germany is now requiring items to be shipped DDP only: this means that all customs/import tax must now be paid in advance.
As a result of this German orders will now also be charged import tax via Surveys alongside customs fees and shipping.
Other EU countries (as far as I've been able to decern so far) are retaining import-tax-paid-by-recipient options as before, so will not be charged tax in advance via surveys.
As a result of this German orders will now also be charged import tax via Surveys alongside customs fees and shipping.
Other EU countries (as far as I've been able to decern so far) are retaining import-tax-paid-by-recipient options as before, so will not be charged tax in advance via surveys.
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Thank you for your patience and understanding about these changes. It has been very difficult to find and navigate the sparse and confusing details available for both US and EU changes but the above notes represent the charges to the best of my ability.
I will send out surveys by the end of the week.
All the best,
Abi
