Bookworms have welcomed news that UK company Book Depository will resume deliveries to Malta, but new trading rules following Brexit seem to have translated to higher prices for customers.
At the beginning of the year, customers of Book Depository were disappointed to find out that they could not order books online as the company had temporarily stopped shipping to certain countries in the EU as post-Brexit trading rules began to take place.
In an email sent to clients, Book Depository announced that delivering to Malta will take place once again, but with slight changes.
![Email customers received from Book Depository Email customers received from Book Depository](https://cdn-attachments.timesofmalta.com/99633bc1c1b19e129f061f32ce22441f3fd017bd-1610806420-0f08ef56-1920x1280.png)
"Delivery may take longer to arrive due to additional customs processes. Please rest assured we are continually working with our carrier partners to speed up delivery," the bookseller told customers.
Despite deliveries taking longer, it assured readers it would continue to deliver to Malta for free, a big selling point for many customers.
However a number of Maltese readers noted that book prices seem to have increased several times over since deliveries resumed.
“I am comparing some prices from my previous orders… the prices have almost doubled in some cases…” one person commented on social media, while others claimed to have experienced a tripling in prices.
Times of Malta has reached out to Book Depository for comment.
This is one of the many changes Maltese consumers buying goods from the UK are facing, ever since the country left the EU's single market.
Now, as with goods from any other non-EU country, UK purchases costing more than €22 may now be subject to VAT while customs duties might be added to some purchases over €150.