The UK is the world's third-largest eCommerce market and one of the most accessible for North American brands. English as a shared language, strong credit card penetration, and a high propensity for online purchasing make it a natural first step for US and Canadian brands looking to expand internationally — provided you get the logistics right.
UK consumers spend more per capita on online purchases than almost any other country in Europe. The market is mature, competitive, and rewards brands that invest in the UK customer experience rather than shipping from abroad with 2–3 week lead times. The key is having UK-based inventory and fulfilment infrastructure before you launch — not after you've seen the demand.
Since Brexit, all goods entering the UK from outside are subject to customs declarations. For goods under £135 in value, UK VAT is charged at the point of sale — meaning you need to register for UK VAT, collect it from the customer, and remit it to HMRC. Goods over £135 may be subject to import duty on top of VAT.
The simplest way to manage this is to pre-clear stock into a UK warehouse rather than shipping individual orders from North America. Pre-clearing means you pay import duties once on the whole consignment rather than on individual shipments, and your customers receive fast domestic delivery at standard UK postage rates.
Sending a container or pallet shipment of your best-selling SKUs to a UK 3PL warehouse is the typical entry route. You import the stock as a single commercial shipment, pay any applicable duty, and it sits in the UK ready to fulfil domestic orders. Royal Mail, DPD, and Evri then handle last-mile delivery just as they would for any UK business.
Minimum viable stock levels vary by category, but a reasonable starting position is 3 months of expected UK demand based on your North American conversion rates at UK traffic levels.
Amazon UK and eBay UK offer the fastest route to UK buyers — marketplaces with built-in traffic that don't require UK marketing investment to generate sales. Shopify stores can be geographically targeted to UK audiences with UK-specific pricing, currency, and delivery options. TikTok Shop is a fast-growing channel for consumer brands with visual products.
The right UK fulfilment partner for an international brand should be able to integrate with your existing platforms (Shopify, Amazon, eBay), handle inbound containers or pallet shipments, and provide transparent per-unit pricing without long-term commitments while you test the market. PackPro works with North American brands entering the UK — get in touch to discuss your entry plan.