With Brexit perhaps two years away, you might think that you don’t have to worry too much about the future ramifications too much. After all, today it’s pretty much business as usual apart from some dodgy currency fluctuations in our advantage when selling overseas but which currently are going against us when sourcing product.
Sourcing products isn’t quite as simple as ordering, paying and receiving delivery however. For many goods there are EU wide certifications, generally the ‘Conformité Européene’ or CE mark, which means the product can be sold across the EU and meets safety legislation.
Tamebay reader Ian wonders what will happen to CE marks if we withdraw from the EU. Will we revert to a standard such as the BSI Kitemark, or will the UK continue to recognise the CE mark.
Certainly, as you’ll almost certainly want to sell into the EU, you’ll still want to get the CE Mark on your products. Meeting EU certifications is likely to be a matter of course. What is worth thinking about is what other marks you may also wish your products to carry and the BSI Kitemark is one worth considering.
We wish we could give you a concrete answer as to what the future holds, but without even knowing who the next Prime Minister will be and when (if ever) we leave the EU under what trading regime, it’s impossible to give any concrete advice.
If you have your own design products manufactured it is something you’ll need to consider so keep an eye out for certification news over the next months and years. Having a warehouse full of stock that’s unsaleable in certain territories is not something we’d wish on any Tamebay reader. Be prepared, if necessary, to have your manufacturer add new marks and get products certified as new standards are confirmed.
One Response
The CE mark has been fatally flawed for a long time. We have Chinese manufactures importing goods straight into Amazon warehouses to sell via FBA. A lot of these carry the CE mark but no manufacturers or importers details.