Notice to our valued customers in the EU.

[ModelMonkey]

Valued EU customers!

Bottom line up front: we may have to cease shipping to the EU.

We were made aware yesterday of new packaging requirements that took effect on August 12th due to the implementation of the EU's new "Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation" (PPWR).

In short, if our understanding of the new PPWR requirements is accurate, we may be required to:

1. Hire an Authorized Representative (AR) in the EU: Because our business is located outside the EU, the majority of EU states require us to legally contract an “authorized representative” within the EU to handle our compliance profile.

2. Register with National Registers: We must register our business with the official packaging register of every individual EU country we ship to (e.g., the LUCID register in Germany).

3. Pay into a Compliance Scheme (EPR): We must report the annual weight of the cardboard and plastic we ship into each country and pay a corresponding “eco-contribution” fee to fund local recycling infrastructure."

If true, these new administrative and financial burdens are not something we can absorb. We are actively seeking more information in order to plan the best path forward.

As of this writing, we are not in compliance with the new PPWR rules, we are not resourced to become compliant, and therefore we may have to cease shipping to the EU very soon.

As we learn more, we'll share our findings with you.

We acknowledge that many of our valued customers in the EU, Canada, and elsewhere have already stopped purchasing from US vendors for various reasons. We respect your decision to do so and you have our attention.

The loss of many of our international customers has greatly impacted us financially. As of this writing, our gross revenue is down more than 45% this year compared to last year.

Presently, our monthly sales are down 45% and our average order value is down 53% to $22 per order including shipping.

This breathtaking drop in gross revenue represents the financial loss associated with the loss of most of our international customers. It is far worse than the losses we experienced during the dark days of Covid 19.

Although we have taken action to mitigate these losses and remain in business (and so far those actions are working but just barely), we wanted to assure our valued EU customers that if we have to stop shipping to the EU, this is in no way some kind of retaliation on our part. It is merely a very regrettable action that we had to take in order to meet the legal requirements imposed on us by newly implemented packaging regulations. We value you and we respect you.

We hope that the political, economic and regulatory environment will improve soon and that we might see you again.

To those EU, Canadian and other international customers who do continue to purchase, we thank you very much!

More to follow as the situation develops....

Sincerely,
Model Monkey

[Timmy C]

I imagine you would count as a "micro business" that gets some current (and additional proposed) carve outs?

[tspottle]

the same problem has hit Starling Models, such that he will no longer be posting to the EU.
In both cases a very sad direction for the EU to be going
It applies to any imports into the EU, but was really designed to slow down cheap clothing and other things from China. A typical result of bureaucracy overreach

[ModelMonkey]

Really sad to hear Staling is affected, also.

It's very early yet in the implementation and much is unclear.

So, here’s what AI says about whether or not I as a small US-based vendor am affected and if so, what I must do to comply (AI can be erroneous but is normally pretty accurate about answering questions regarding regulatory compliance issues) :

Question asked: “I am a small business owner in the US. We produce scale model parts. We ship to customers in the EU. We pack our parts in plastic bubble pouches then place them in brown cardboard boxes to ship them to customers worldwide. Do the requirements of the new EU PPWR-Compliant Corrugated Export Cartons affect me?”

AI answer excerpt:
"Yes, the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) absolutely affects you, and you must take action to remain compliant. Even though you are a small business shipping scale model parts from outside the EU, the PPWR has no general small-business or minimum-volume exemption. Whether you ship 5 packages a year or 50,000, you are legally responsible for the compliance of any packaging you “place on the EU market.”

"Because marketplaces like Amazon or eBay are legally required to verify your compliance before allowing you to sell to EU customers, understanding how your current packing method stacks up against the rules is critical.

"Because you are selling across borders into the EU, you have immediate administrative duties that went into effect on August 12, 2026:

• Appoint [hire] an Authorized Representative (AR) in the EU: Because your business is located outside the EU, the majority of EU states require you to legally contract an “authorized representative” within the EU to handle your compliance profile.

• Register with National Registers: You must register your business with the official packaging register of every individual EU country you ship to (e.g., the LUCID register in Germany).

• Pay into a Compliance Scheme (EPR): You must report the annual weight of the cardboard and plastic you ship into each country and pay a corresponding “eco-contribution” fee to fund local recycling infrastructure."

Obviously, if this is accurate, compliance adds a very big administrative and financial burden to us. These burdens are not something we are resourced for.

One of our customers is a lawyer in Italy. He thinks that there will be a slow implementation but ultimately, this new regulation could easily cripple commerce for small businesses if not amended.

[Mr. Church]

Typical EU nonsense. They are beyond useless in so many respects. Specialists in turning success into failure. Britain was 100% right to leave.

Back to modelling. It will be much regretted by me anyway and likely many others too if ModelMonkey cease shipping to the EU. I bought a good few bits off Starling Models over the years as well, so that is a real pity.

Hopefully there will be an outbreak of common sense on the matter and it can be resolved. But I would not hold my breath unfortunately. The EU are not renowned for their efficiency. Or common sense.

[ModelMonkey]

Thanks, everyone, for the thoughtful comments.

We have temporarily suspended direct shipments to the EU until we learn more about the requirements and whether or not we can satisfy them.

However, some good news. In addition to direct shipping, we sell some of our products via eBay as a way to increase name recognition. eBay sales to customers in other countries are shipped through eBay's "International Shipping Program". Although this may change in the near future, as of this writing, eBay is continuing to ship our products to customers in the EU through this program. So for those in EU nations who want to order from us, you can through eBay. If we haven't created an eBay listing for the product(s) you want, please contact us.

Also, please be aware that direct shipping to European nations who aren't members of the EU, such as the UK, Norway, Switzerland, etc., remains unaffected. We are continuing direct shipping to non-EU countries in Europe.

Please be reminded that we don't collect any taxes such as VAT, GST or tariffs at checkout for direct sales. Your country's customs official mays require a tax or tariff payment from you before your package is released for delivery. If you buy through eBay, eBay will collect the appropriate taxes and any tariffs for your location.

[bigtodd]

So I posted this discussion on a figure forum site that has a lot of folks from the EU. They all agreed it was going to kill small businesses. I know you are already seeing this. One person from Germany came back with this response. I thought it was interesting and forgive me if it does.not apply to your business.

Here is what was posted.

I asked AI as it puzzled me that packages from China from small vendors are still coming through. Even Russian packages, however customs can take up to 4 month ! Here is what AI said:

"The fact that your packages from China and Russia are arriving does not invalidate the law. There are three specific reasons why the flow of packages continues in everyday life despite the new rules:
Why reality looks different (for now)

* Customs prioritizes taxes and safety, not packaging licenses: When processing imports, customs authorities primarily focus on customs duties, the correct declaration of goods' value, and safety certificates (such as the CE mark). Whether a sender in China or Russia pays small fees to a European recycling registry is generally not checked by customs officers during the physical border inspection of an individual package. Compliance checks regarding packaging regulations (such as the PPWR) take place within the market (conducted by market surveillance authorities and via random sampling), not necessarily at the customs border.
* Small merchants fly "under the radar": Just as with traffic, not everyone adheres to speed limits. Millions of small merchants outside the EU continue to ship packages without knowing about or complying with the new laws. Unless European authorities specifically target shipments from a particular merchant, the packages get through. Large platforms like Temu, Shein, or AliExpress, on the other hand, have had to react because they are in the political spotlight.
* The "customs bottleneck" caused by new EU tariffs (since July 2026): The fact that your package from Russia is "currently being cleared through customs" is likely due to a completely different reform that took effect on July 1, 2026: The EU has completely abolished the customs duty exemption threshold. Since this summer, a flat-rate customs fee of at least €3 per item applies to every package—no matter how small—arriving from outside the EU. This is why a huge number of shipments are currently stuck in customs; however, this is about collecting taxes and duties, not about the cardboard box itself. Bottom line: The law has been a stark reality since August 12, 2026, yet the comprehensive monitoring of billions of small packages worldwide is technically and logistically impossible for the authorities. Some merchants risk playing a game of hide-and-seek, while reputable brands are withdrawing for fear of legal consequences."




Is there a mechanism in place now that when you ship to the EU that the packaging police are stopping you from shipping?

If not then I would ask our EU brethren to not be afraid to order from outside the EU.

[ModelMonkey]

The AI response is consistent with what we know so far.

From a practical perspective, we already lost most of our European customers this past year over political issues and stupid political rhetoric therefore we haven't been shipping much to the EU this year at all. So, we have not yet had a package rejected as a result of environmental noncompliance. The rule is too new.

But, we certainly have had packages rejected for taxation and tariff issues when taxation rules change or tariffs are imposed. And we do continue to have packages returned to us by some international customs officials when customers refuse to pay their country's VAT or other import taxes. Those package rejections are very costly in terms of money and time, and the rejections upset our valued, paying customers.

Based on those very unpleasant and costly taxation experiences, the potential consequences of having packages rejected for environmental noncompliance then sent back to us at our expense, or heaven forbid seized and destroyed, or us being fined are serious concerns.

In the end, we have to consider what it costs financially and administratively to meet the new requirements then compare those costs with what selling to those locations generates in revenue.

The new rule requiring us to hire an agent in the EU to handle by-country registration and annual report filings and make annual payments to each EU member nation is a deal-breaker all by itself.

The new rule is much more involved than putting a simple recycle label on a box as some erroneously believe.

The new costs and financial risks look to be just too great for us.

I would like to confirm that we will ship normally to European customers in nations that are not members of the EU such as the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Ukraine, etc.