I figure most vendors just start up in the country where they already live but I was wondering if vendors ever relocated to a different European Union country if they had more lax customs or cheaper postage.
I ask because I have the opportunity to move within the EU and I plan on vending on the side but I would rather do it online rather than go around trying to drum up business in new social circles. To simplify this discussion we'll say that cost-of-living isn't important since I'll be paid more if I live in a more expensive city so it all works out.
Are there any EU countries that have bigger restrictions (like you need to go into the Post Office and wait at the counter if the package is over 400g or some shit) or ones that I should avoid for other reasons?
Since I started paying attention to this subject it seems like a lot of vendors are shipping from the Netherlands -- but I don't know if that's because the postal system there is extra safe (for vendors) or if they just happen to be able to get cheaper precursors. But since NL is a known drug hotbed, I'd imagine that packages coming from there get more scrtiny than from other EU countries.
The internet tells me that royalmail in the UK is a good deal. But sometimes the internet lies.
Netherlands has high risk for packs not arriving because it is a country with high scrutiny. It really depends what you're selling and who your target is. Within the EU most countries would work I would think (not from experience, just a guess) but international shipping would require you to consider the flag risk of that country. I believe Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany are all higher risk countries for drugs to the US but I don't know where else that stands true for. I know that UK Royal Mail hits the US faster than mail from most of the other EU countries. It really depends what you intend to sell and how high/low risk that individual product or multiple products would be.