EU Shipping Update: PPWR and Temporary Shipping Restrictions

We want to share an important update regarding shipping from Hobbyteka to customers within the European Union.

Following the application of the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) and the related Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements, we have temporarily paused direct shipping to EU countries outside Germany.

Orders and deliveries within Germany continue as normal.

Shipping to countries outside the European Union also remains available where our usual shipping conditions allow it.

What Is PPWR?

The Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, commonly referred to as PPWR, is a new European Union regulation covering packaging and packaging waste.

The regulation introduces a more harmonised framework for packaging across the EU, including requirements related to packaging design, recycling, waste management and Extended Producer Responsibility.

For businesses selling packaged products across borders, this also creates additional registration and compliance obligations in the countries where those products are delivered.

Why Does This Affect Hobbyteka?

Every Hobbyteka figure needs packaging.

Our resin figures contain delicate parts and often require several layers of protective packaging to make sure they survive international transportation safely.

Under the new rules, businesses making packaged products available in another EU Member State can have packaging EPR obligations in that destination country.

This means that selling from Germany to customers in other EU countries is no longer simply a matter of offering the destination through our shipping settings.

The necessary compliance has to be arranged for the countries in which we sell.

Why Have We Temporarily Paused EU Shipping?

Rather than continuing to accept orders while our compliance status is incomplete, we have chosen to temporarily restrict shipping to EU countries outside Germany.

This is a compliance decision, not a permanent withdrawal from the European market.

We are working through the requirements country by country and will restore destinations once the necessary arrangements are in place.

Because implementation and registration procedures can differ between Member States, we cannot currently provide one date on which all EU destinations will become available again.

Germany Remains Available

Hobbyteka is based in Germany, and shipping within Germany continues normally.

Customers in Germany can continue ordering:

• unpainted resin figures

• hand-painted figures

• custom projects

• available special resin options

• other products offered through Hobbyteka

There is no change to normal German orders as a result of this temporary restriction.

What About Other European Union Countries?

For the moment, checkout and direct ordering may be unavailable for EU destinations outside Germany.

We understand that this is inconvenient, particularly for customers who have previously ordered from us within the EU.

The restriction is temporary, and individual countries may become available again separately as their compliance requirements are completed.

This means we do not necessarily need to wait until every EU country is ready before reopening shipping to a specific destination.

What About Customers Outside the EU?

This update specifically concerns shipping to European Union Member States outside Germany.

International shipping to non-EU destinations remains available subject to our normal shipping, customs and destination-specific conditions.

Import taxes, customs duties or other charges may still apply depending on the destination.

Why Not Simply Ignore the New Requirements?

For a small studio, the administrative burden of cross-border packaging compliance can be significant.

However, we believe the correct approach is to make sure that our shipping destinations are properly set up rather than continuing sales first and dealing with compliance afterwards.

That is why some destinations have temporarily disappeared from our available shipping countries.

Nothing has changed about our willingness to work with collectors throughout Europe.

This is an administrative and regulatory issue, not a decision to stop serving EU customers.

We Will Reopen EU Destinations Gradually

Our goal is to restore shipping to as many European Union countries as reasonably possible.

As individual destinations become available again, we will update our shipping options and publish further information where necessary.

If your country is currently unavailable at checkout, it does not necessarily mean that Hobbyteka will no longer ship there in the future.

It simply means that shipping has not yet been reopened under the new compliance framework.

Thank you for your understanding while we adapt our shipping system to the new EU packaging requirements.