Can a UK customs warehouse fulfil online orders?
Yes. HMRC permits remote and online retail sales where goods are picked and dispatched to order. Retail supply VAT still applies, and goods released to free circulation must clear customs before physical removal. Agree the dispatch controls with your warehousekeeper and broker. Cambridge China Bridge can help prepare factory-side shipment documents.
Check the remote-sales route
The permitted route covers remote and online customers whose goods are picked and dispatched to order. An ordinary shop counter is not covered by that exception. For wholesale buyer visits, see our guide to viewing goods outside a customs warehouse.
Ask the warehousekeeper to confirm how your proposed order flow fits its operation. Describe the sales channel, customer destination, stock ownership and courier collection arrangements before promising dispatch dates.
Separate retail VAT from import VAT
HMRC excludes retail sales from the warehouse supply-VAT relief. Import VAT and any Customs Duty due arise when stock is released to free circulation.
Ask your accountant to map the customer sale and warehouse release separately, including the applicable VAT treatment and payment or accounting arrangements. For the import side, use our import VAT guide.
Make customs clearance the dispatch gate
An entry acceptance message is insufficient: HMRC requires the subsequent clearance confirmation before removal.
Ask the broker to send clearance evidence to the warehousekeeper and agree who authorises courier handover. Configure the order system to hold dispatch pending that approval. Our customs clearance guide explains the wider process.
Connect each order to the stock being released
Build an order record linking the customer order, product, quantity, warehouse stock reference, declaration reference, clearance evidence and parcel tracking. Test whether the warehouse can identify exactly which goods an approval covers.
Agree how split orders, cancellations and returned parcels will be handled before launch. Keep factory descriptions and packing details consistent with the broker's data; use our customs documents guide for the shipment paperwork.
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Agree responsibilities before importing
Run a trial order through the proposed workflow. Ask who holds an uncleared parcel, who resolves a declaration query and who tells the customer about a delayed dispatch. Review the handover between the seller, warehousekeeper, broker and courier.
Cambridge China Bridge has its own staff in China and can help coordinate factory packing information and shipment documents. Agree the warehouse and customs roles separately, using our sourcing agent, forwarder and broker guide.
Frequently asked questions
Can bonded stock fulfil my online shop orders?
Yes, HMRC permits remote and online customers where goods are picked and dispatched to order. Confirm the warehouse workflow, retail VAT treatment and customs release controls before launch.
Are online sales from a customs warehouse VAT free?
Do not assume that. HMRC excludes retail sales from warehouse supply-VAT relief. Ask your accountant to distinguish the customer sale from import VAT on release to free circulation.
Can my courier collect after the declaration is accepted?
Acceptance alone is insufficient. Wait for the subsequent message confirming customs clearance before the goods physically leave the warehouse.
What should I ask my warehouse before starting?
Ask how it links orders to stock and clearance evidence, who approves courier handover, and how it handles uncleared parcels, split orders, cancellations and returns.