New DHL policy affects cost of shipping vinyl

A recently announced change in DHL policy will have a massive impact on the cost of shipping vinyl records both domestically as well as internationally for individuals and stores residing in Germany.  Effective July 1st, DHL has opted to downsize their Warenpost International packaging from 35 cm to 25 cm, meaning that a 12″ vinyl no longer fits in the container and meaning a drastic increase in cost for shipping.

With the introduction of the new policies, a package from Germany to the UK, containing one or two records, would have cost a reasonable €4.40, but now, the price is jumping to €13.49.  The rates to outside of Europe are even more greatly affected, with a jump from €5 to over €17, going as high as €21.99 if adding tracking to the package.  Andy Vaz, a label owner at Cologne’s Yore Records, said,

“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.”

A recent press release from DHL states that change in shipping container sizes and costs was “unavoidable” as the change was meant to counteract rising costs of labor, transport and delivery services.  Of course, this doesn’t sit well with all customers, especially after an earlier press release celebrated record profits of €8 billion in 2021.  For record fans in Germany and around the world, all of this just means that alternative methods may need to be sought after.  Record sellers understand that they need global business to stay afloat, but also understand that purchasers are also conscious of the cost of shipping as well as the items they seek.  While labels and store owners scramble to find affordable means for shipping music around the world, Phillip Stoffel, who works at Kompakt, has opted to create a Change.org petition in hopes of getting the attention of DHL leaders.

Image Credit: Eric Krull on Unsplash