Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
Can we deliver alcoholic beverages directly to consumers cross-border in EU markets, and how do VAT reclaim and excise duties work?
Direct D2C delivery of alcoholic beverages to EU consumers is heavily restricted by excise duty regulations. You cannot simply ship directly to end consumers; the standard compliant route requires a local registered partner. **Key points from member experience:** - **Local registered partner requirement** — In Netherlands and Germany particularly, you need a locally registered partner to receive the shipment on your behalf. This is mandatory due to excise duty regulations. - **Bonded-to-bonded deliveries** — Deliveries under bond between bonded warehouses are VAT exempt, so VAT reclaim is handled automatically at the bonded level rather than requiring post-import reclaim. - **Third-party compliance services** — Several members mentioned that third-party logistics and compliance providers exist to handle cross-border D2C paperwork and regulations. **Heytipple** was specifically cited as a solution that takes care of all the regulatory and administrative requirements for selling D2C in other markets. **Caveats:** Direct consumer delivery without a local registered intermediary is not viable in DE and NL due to excise regulations. VAT reclaim complexity is largely bypassed if you operate bonded-to-bonded, but you must have a compliant partner structure in place first.
How do you claim back UK excise duty that has already been paid on stock that is subsequently exported?
Duty drawback on already-duty-paid stock is possible but requires strict compliance with HMRC procedures. Members recommend: - **Excise Notice 207** — the key document outlining the exact procedure, timescales, and evidence requirements. Follow it precisely or your claim will be rejected. - **Warehouse the stock for export** — you need to maintain detailed supporting documentation of the original duty payment and the export transaction. Gather a full dossier of evidence before submitting. - **Tax stamps** — confirm whether your UK stock carries tax stamps, as this affects the claim process. Caveats: HMRC's requirements are strict and the process can be bureaucratic ("get ready to share your inside leg measurements with HMRC"). An alternative some members suggested is to arrange future exports on an underbond basis (duty-unpaid) rather than claiming back on already-duty-paid stock, which avoids the drawback process entirely.