I think of shipping as a thread connecting my hands to yours, a folded cardboard box, skeins of threads, natural fabrics, a postcard, and a packing slip. It is an immense joy when I pack an order from my studio and watch it travel across a continent to so many of you. There is a great deal of bureaucracy involved in preparing every parcel so it crosses the border efficiently, a process I enjoy while listening to my favourite podcasts.

But what does running an independent brand look like behind the scenes when the rules of shipping change abruptly? For weeks, it has looked like a mountain of paperwork, tracking every single gram of cardboard and tape (quite literally), and trying to stay compliant with a web of new European packaging compliance laws taking effect on August 12. These regulations, known as Extended Producer Responsibility, are designed to protect our environment, but the reality for a small studio like mine is that every single EU country now demands its own complex registration, its own local legal representative, and a staggering annual fixed cost just to let a parcel cross its border.

I have been doing some math, and I’ve had to make some heartbreaking choices to keep Wenlin Studio sustainable. Starting August 12, direct shipping within the EU will narrow exclusively to Portugal, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium. To absorb a small fraction of the heavy annual compliance fees required by these specific countries, shipping rates for these covered destinations will shift from €8 to €13.

Regrettably, I have to pause shipping to Spain, Denmark, Hungary, Finland, Italy, Greece, and the remaining 16 EU member states. Saying goodbye, even temporarily, to so many loyal customers who have bought my work from these regions breaks my heart. But the astronomical cost of maintaining local administrative representation in every single corner of Europe makes it impossible to continue shipping there right now. I will be actively trying to find a way back to these markets in the future. If you live in one of these regions or want to secure the current rate, please know that shipping remains completely unaffected until August 10, 2026, at our original €8 rate. After August 10, 2026, our systems will transition to prepare for the new rules taking full effect on August 12, 2026.

If you are ordering from outside the European Union, including the UK, Switzerland, the US, Canada, Australia, and beyond, nothing changes for you. Deliveries to these non-EU destinations are untouched by this ruling and will continue just as they always have.

Running an independent brand means navigating these sudden, heavy turns. Thank you for your infinite patience, your grace, and for carrying this journey forward with me.