Published
Tue, Jul 5, 2022, 10:30
- Effective from July 1st, the update means 12-inch records no longer fit in the popular carrier's smallest and cheapest packages.
Changes to DHL's international packaging policy in Germany will massively impact record shops and sellers sending vinyl abroad.
Launched on Friday, July 1st, the update affects DHL's Warenpost International option, which was previously run by Deutsche Post (both companies fall under Deutsche Post DHL Group) and was popular with record shops and sellers because of its low cost and reliability. (DHL's domestic package costs remain unchanged.)
The size of the cheapest international package has now changed from 35cm across to 25cm, meaning 12-inch vinyl will no longer fit. This leaves sellers with no choice but to use the next size up, called Päckchen M Welt, which in some cases is triple the price.
Before July 1st, a 500-gram package containing one or two records from Germany to the UK cost €4.40 without tracking. This will now cost €13.49. The price hike is even steeper when sending vinyl outside of Europe, rising from €5 to €17.99 in some cases. Adding tracking takes the total cost to €21.99.
"I'm selling 12-inches for between ten and 11 Euros," Andy Vaz, label owner at Cologne's Yore Records, told Resident Advisor. "Who would order one or two 12-inches for that price if the shipping to the USA is €20 instead of five? There's no freakin' way."
He added: "It affects every vinyl record label of all genres in Germany. Everybody who presses vinyl, everybody who sells used vinyl, and the most important thing is [the impact on] record stores. Every store I have spoken to says they cannot survive without sending records to the world. Just with walk-in customers, nobody can keep their doors open."
Hamburg's Remoto Records, which is about to launch a web shop, is one such example. Cofounder Tobias Duffner, AKA Good News, told RA that DHL's policy change will make it "impossible" to sell vinyl abroad. "The recent problems with Brexit show that no customer will buy records if the shipping costs exceed the price of the physical goods," he added.
Before Duffner and the other cofounders opened the shop in late 2021, they sold used vinyl on Discogs and Bandcamp. "That's why selling online has played a major part in our business calculations," he said. "Without the income of selling online, we won't be able to survive in the long run [...] Domestic sales won't be enough unfortunately."
According to a recent press release on DHL's website, the changes in policy were "unavoidable" due to rises in transport, delivery and labour costs. A few months earlier, another press release confirmed record profits in 2021 totalling €8 billion. (RA has reached out to DHL for comment.)
For Vaz, the issue isn't raising the prices—that would be "totally understandable" given the current global fuel crisis and rise in inflation. "But to change the format so that we're missing five centimetres and vinyl can no longer fit, and not being willing to change," he said. "It's crazy."
One possible solution for Vaz and other vinyl sellers is to switch carriers. As soon as Julius Steinhoff, cofounder of Hamburg label Smallville Records, heard about DHL's forthcoming policy change, he began researching local post services in Freiburg, where he lives. He found Arriva, a company that uses both Germany and nearby Austria's post networks.
"They said if I have a certain number per year, like 200 packages or something, I could use their rates," he told RA. "This will definitely increase the price. But it's not as expensive as the packages will be with DHL. I guess it will also help these local post services and maybe put some pressure on DHL, as they will lose customers [as a result of] all this."
Philipp Stoffel, who works at Cologne label Kompakt, has also been "working on alternatives." The outlet will use different carriers, which will "make everything a bit more complicated," though he thinks prices will remain "stable" for many countries in the EU. "For other countries, it will unfortunately be more expensive for our customers," he told RA.
He added: "For all online stores that ship small-format goods—this isn't just about vinyl and CDs—we're really sorry. Of course, we hope that a comprehensive solution can be found for all of them and that they don't have to close their stores. Beyond DHL / Deutsche Post, there are a few senders who can continue to replace the Warenpost relatively cheaply."
Stoffel also mentioned the Change.org petition that has so far garnered more than 13,500 signatures. Sign it here.
Watch a clip of Vaz speaking about the issue on local German news network WDR Lokalzeit.
Photo: Eran Menashri