Information in this section covers questions about B2B, B2C, C2C shipping; identifying if your recipient is a business and its type, and why carriers ask for different information.
Amendment to Go Live Date for UK Windsor Framework
On 19th September 2024, the UK Government confirmed that the new arrangements under the Windsor Framework for parcels and freight movements that were planned to come into effect from 30th September 2024 will be deferred until 31st March 2025. See Sending parcels to and from Northern Ireland for the full statement.
Metapack is currently assessing the implications of this change in conjunction with the carriers, to understand how this changes our short-term planning. Some carriers may still decide to implement the changes they prepared on/prior to 30th September 2024, the results of which may also require Metapack to deploy any complementary changes.
Additionally, please note that carriers may take this opportunity to redesign elements of their Windsor Framework solution which may in turn generate new requirements for Metapack and our Customers. Metapack shall issue revised guidance as/when this is confirmed.
Our goal now is to ensure that both Metapack and our Customers can effectively plan and deliver the changes required for the Windsor Framework data regulations in advance of the new deadline.
For shipments from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI), you will need to confirm that you are providing the product-level information required by each of the carriers you use. If you are not providing this information, you may need to update your integration to include that. See ShipStation's guidance on Product-Level Information.
If you are unable to provide all the information required, you should work closely with your carriers to agree upon an approach that may include updates to your shipping logic to prevent shipments to NI, or increased information requirements to treat the parcel as an international shipment.
For Customers that ship B2B, additional data will be required: UKIMS number, EORI number, and a declaration of the risk that the goods may be onward shipped into the EU.
For some carriers, Customers will also be required to indicate which shipments are B2B, B2C, or C2C, using the new Movement Indicator field to be introduced to the shipping options.
If you are unsure whether your recipient is a business or how to identify if a movement will be classed as B2B, please liaise with your carrier on the appropriate next steps to take.
The UK Government changes place additional requirements upon carriers to process the information they receive and refine that with additional information. For example, a shipper may provide a product description and the carrier may then translate this to a Harmonised Code/Tariff. In some cases, carriers have elected to place this data requirement upon the shipper rather than determine this information themselves.