Record store owners and distributing labels in Germany may run into problems in July when the cost of shipping vinyl-sized parcels will be amended by DHL.
From July 1, shipping costs are set to change impacting the sales of 12-inch records, which could ultimately put many German stores out of business.
Right now, posting one or two records from Germany to the rest of the world — including countries as far as Australia — costs just €5, which is subject to reach as high as €19.89 with tracking come next month. Sending a record to the UK could cost as much as €16.70.
The cheapest option left, record store owners argue, is Päckchen M International, which could still cost two to three times the amount of Warenpost.
“Currently, I can send two 12″ records to the US, Canada, or even Australia for €5. From July, that same parcel will cost €20 to ship,” says Andy Vaz, owner of German record shop Yore Store, chatting to Mixmag.
“They changed the format size of the parcel in a way that vinyl records wont fit for that cheapest rate – we’re missing about 5cm. There’s no way people will want to pay €20 for shipping on a €10 or €15 record.”