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How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

lectronz.com

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Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#411

Post by x0x0 »

catigula wrote: post #27
Robin_f wrote: post #13

This is actively preventing me from sending packages to other countries as a maker. No matter how small the risk is, I don't want to risk a 5000 euro fine for sending a small amount of packages to other EU countries.

[flagged]

Sorry, that's a really poor analogy.

Because there's a handful of companies (lectronz, seeedstudio, ebay, etc) that have the full shipment lists. So the compliance agencies don't have to go after individual business records one business at a time; they can go to probably fewer than 10 businesses and find the suggested mass rule breaking with a sql join.

See also the national tax agencies with NACE codes (euro version of NAICS).

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#412

Post by HWR_14 »

jabart wrote: post #346
yardie wrote: post #29

One of the biggest problems that I have in the EU is that it's almost federated. EU will pass laws, countries will adopt those laws, but you end up with 20-24 different versions of those laws. With some countries being strict or lenient about the law that everyone agreed to. And a lot it is written from the perspective that large corporations are the only ones who do business throughout the EU. It's completely missed…

US Sales tax is the exact same way. Each state has a different rate, Texas has multiple rates inside a zip code you have to manage. Each state also has a nexus requirement that is either money, or number of transactions based. Then the filings you have to do and have a Foreign LLC registration, a registered agent in that state, and a yearly annual report to file to tell them you are still in business and here is my $…

Except you can sell through Amazon (or other online store) and they will manage all that for you as a single fee. Exactly the solution that the article proposed for the EU rules.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#414

Post by RandomLensman »

contravariant wrote: post #364
dgellow wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really sorry you’re experiencing this, that whole regulation rollout is a complete mess. The leadership should be sacked for such an incompetent regulation, it’s insane how much troubles they are creating for small businesses. Another small business owner reported their experience in this Reddit thread, looks really bad: https://www.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/1vrz88a/comment/p4i... I’m as pro-EU as one can get but…

The main reason I'm not particularly pro EU is the following. How would we even sack the leadership?

Who is the leadership? The Council - then it would be national elections etc for the individual national representatives; the Commission - then it would be the European Parliament.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#415

Post by kmeisthax »

> Exempt small-volume sellers and micro-enterprises from cross-border packaging obligations. The threshold would apply only to producers that are below a specific volume of waste and/or a specific yearly turnover.

AFAIK this exists SOMEWHERE in the PPWR regulation but it only applies for EU small businesses that are buying packaging from another business in the same country. If you're outside the EU you are expected to do 100% of the bureaucracy regardless of size.

My gut tells me that EU PPWR compliance will wind up having a cheap turnkey solution for small businesses eventually, but the way this regulation is written today seems to specifically foresee and preclude turnkey compliance.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#416

Post by veeti »

alerighi wrote: post #363
armcat wrote: post #68

This is a great read and I can extend this argument really to any small business. Tax filing, VAT, bookkeeping, privacy, consumer, workplace and sectoral requirements frequently impose a disproportionately large cost on microbusinesses. EU is more and more split along the enterprise and VC backed line, and everyone in between has disproportionate costs. My barber in Stockholm often complains about this - the amount o…

My barber in Italy just doesn't make me a receipt in exchange for a discount if I pay him cash so he doesn't have to pay taxes. Come on... the cost to operating a small business are usually low/there are tax exceptions, and they most of the time are even not payed at all. Of course if you are a person that ships 20 packages you don't register a company to do so, nobody will, you just sell them privately (and the exce…

The barber in Stockholm probably wouldn't take cash if you tried ;) Single union, different rules.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#417

Post by maratc »

This could be easily solved if the EU sold tiny prepaid certificates-of-compliance that one could affix on the package itself (to show the fees were paid.) Larger weight package would incur higher fees. The post office then could stamp these certificates to prevent second use.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#418

Post by antiloper »

mrtksn wrote: post #401
antiloper wrote: post #378

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do most Europeans want all of their E-commerce to be only handled by American and Chinese megacorporations without local players? Because that is the effect of this regulation. Instead of a SME shipping a cardboard box, it will be Amazon or Temu.

You are not arguing in good faith, such a loaded question. I will leave it here, too much BS in one comment to deal with it

And "do you want less wasteful" packaging isn't? Because of this question businesses got priced out of shipping from the EU to the EU.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#419

Post by rramon »

seydor wrote: post #385
rramon wrote: post #205

They'll get adequate feedback in the next elections If this doesn't get stopped, otherwise every business and their peers will likely vote for EU critic parties which means far left or far right.

The EU executive doesn't hold general elections

They're fanning Brexit-like situations all over the EU though. Those parties (e.g. the far right Afd in Germany) are EU critic and would rather have their own version of the EU with like minded countries. Or Varoufakis (far left, previously at Valve) in Greece for example, also EU critic.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#420

Post by throwawayffffas »

While the regulation is really stupid and could be done much better with either a one stop shop or with simply taxing/complying in the country of origin instead of destination.

It opens a very clear market opportunity for LECTRONZ themselves. Stop bitching and start doing the shipping and selling, you probably have the volume all the micro entrepreneurs will ship to you, comply with a single jurisdiction and you take on the task of complying with all the other ones.

The EU just printed you a licence to be a middleman, the words you are looking for are thank you.

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