A UK company that is popular in Malta for ordering books online has temporarily stopped shipping to the EU as post-Brexit trading rules begin to bite.

Customers of Book Depository are disappointed they can no longer take advantage of its affordable prices and free shipping.

In an exchange with one customer, a Book Depository representative said: “As a result of the recent disruption to trade caused by the changing relationship between the UK and EU, we’re currently unable to offer delivery to addresses in Malta.”

She said the company was working hard with their carriers to resume delivery service and any updates would be published on their website.

There is a lot of uncertainty with delivery times

It is among some British retailers, including Fortnum and Mason and John Lewis, that have paused shipping to the EU.

And bookworms hoping to buy their reads locally have also been impacted. 

Roderick Mallia, of Mallia & D’Amato Booksellers, said Brexit had affected the whole supply chain, “from us at the very bottom all the way to the publishers at the top”.

There had been changes with customs and more red tape, he said. UK suppliers had requested updates to accounts with new identification numbers for customs procedures.

The situation had slowed down their process. “There is a lot of uncertainty with delivery times since we too are waiting for our stock to arrive, which then affects when we can deliver books to our customers.”

The delay in deliveries had put some customers off, Mallia added. “We are looking into different ways to get a more stable supply chain, even directly working with publishers and wholesale distributors, while considering some back-up options to ensure we get our books to Malta.”