The strike of Royal Mail will not happen at least in the next two weeks.
Limitations with shipping to UK customers are thus lifted.
Royal Mail delays
New FlurbMe prices
Sadly FlurbMe had to raise the prices of theit toys and thus we had to match their new prices.
Higher Paypal fees
Paypal is increasing it’s fees from 2.5% to 3.0%.
Due to PSD II regulations, we are not allowed to charge a fee associated with any one payment mechanism. So normally this would force up to increase all prices, even when paying with a credit card (1.4%), by bank transfer (0.10€/100 transactions) or in cash at events (free).
Since we already had to increase so many prices due to the EUR/USD exchange rate falling, we opted to instead only remove the Paypal express checkout button from the shopping cart for the time being. A permanent solution can hopefully wait until the current crisis is over.
Update
We checked again and while the LG Munic ruled that we can’t do that for Paypal. later the higher OLG Munic ruled (10.10.2019 Az. 29 U 4666/18) that we are allowed to charge fee for using Paypal as long as the fee is not higher then the fee Paypal charged to us.
There is also a 2001 ruling of the highest court (BGH) with the same verdict.
So starting 1st of August 2020 we may do that.
Lubes are back
For a while we intentionally didn’t restock any standard lubes while only keeping white Wolf Cum Lube and cheap Bovivet for rubber parties in stock.
Er figured that you could get them anywhere and this wasn’t why any of you would visit a specialty shop like ours.
As an experiment we have added them back in for a while to order along with any toys.
DHL increasing Crisis-Premiums
First and foremost: No prices change for EU countries and the UK.
For a long list of non-EU countries and even entire zones of countries DHL has started to drastically increase it’s crisis-premiums per kilogramm.
The premiums are on top of the regular price and range from 50ct/Kg+VAT for China to 3,7€/Kg+VAT for Australia.
The change takes effect on the 15th of April.
We will upload the new prices to the shop software next week, to ensure that all parcels shipped after we return from the TailsUp furmeet in our event-calendar have the new prices.
Furoticon playing cards discontinued
Serveral years ago we started to sell Furoticon playing cards.
We did that because we could not sell dildos in Dealers Den but wanted to be present and seen (and hand out invitations to our YiffyToys room party).
Since Eurofurence has an After Dark Dealers Den, this is no longer needed.
So we have stopped ordering new cards.
Today the last of the remaining cards has been sold and we have deactivated the category in the shop. We only have some left over mugs and mouse pads.
Corona+Brexit shipping limitations
DHL just surprised us with some updates.
More information at https://www.dhl.de/coronavirus
We will update this blog posting as we get new information.
last update: 2021-01-15 Italy and Greece, limitations lifted
For the UK please also read our Brexit and HMRC information.
Delays in Austria
Due to heavy snow fall, DHL is warning about heavy delays in parcels delivered to Austria.
(The one without any kangaroos. 😉 )
Very large parcels may not arrive before Christmas anymore.
SARS-CoV2 restrictions for Ireland and the Czech Republic
DHL informed us that starting 2020-11-30, large parcels (more then 40x40x40cm) can no longer be shipped to Ireland and the Czech Republic.
The local postal system is overloaded.
DHL – changes in USA shipping
Due to the SARS-SoV2 most international flights are cancelled.
Up to now this ment long waiting times for a plane to carry parcels along and a small surcharge to all parcels headed for the US.
Starting 15th of September that surcharge will be lifted (and we will reduce our prices accordingly) but a lot of parcels will travel by sea. So the waiting time for a flight will be replaced by the travel time of a cargo ship slow steaming across the Atlantic.
DHL says this means 25-30 days of travel time for parcels.
Premium parcels are still flown (and still have the surcharge in addition to the already high price tag) but due to the weight of our products, we do not offer that service.