Customs and import charges
Import charges are the part people forget when comparing agents, and the part that turns a good deal into a bad one. The mechanics are simple once you have seen them.
4 min read
What you are charged on
Import VAT is normally calculated on the declared value of the goods plus the shipping cost — not on the goods alone. A €100 parcel with €25 shipping is taxed on €125. That surprises people who budgeted for the item price only.
Customs duty is a separate charge, applies above a higher threshold, and varies by product category — footwear and textiles carry some of the higher rates. Below the duty threshold you still pay VAT.
The handling fee nobody budgets for
Whoever clears the parcel charges for doing it. Express couriers typically add €10–20, sometimes as a percentage with a minimum. Postal services are usually cheaper but slower. On a small parcel this fee often exceeds the tax it is collecting, which is another argument for consolidating into one larger shipment instead of several small ones.
Which lines get stopped
Express lines are cleared formally and almost always generate a bill. Slower postal lines pass through a less rigorous process and are stopped less often — which is a matter of probability, not of legality. Anything seized because it infringes a trademark is a separate risk and a real one: customs destroys counterfeit goods and may write to you about it. Obvious branding on the outside of a parcel does not help.
Planning for it properly
Add the expected charge into your comparison before you pick a line. A cheap economy line plus a €15 handling fee can cost more than the express line you dismissed. The honest way to budget is: item + domestic shipping + agent fees + international shipping + VAT on (goods + shipping) + handling.
Country differences worth knowing
The EU applies VAT from the first cent, with duty above €150. The UK is similar with its own threshold. Switzerland, Norway, the US, Canada and Australia all set their own limits, and the US in particular has changed its treatment of low-value parcels recently. Rates and thresholds move — check the current figure for your country rather than a number someone quoted in a Discord two years ago.