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European countries mostly discourage this not through postal rates, but by applying VAT and customs charges even on small-scale individual importation. How unif
by _delirium 7y ago
European countries mostly discourage this not through postal rates, but by applying VAT and customs charges even on small-scale individual importation. How uniformly this is done varies by country (some inspect and enforce more aggressively than others). In Denmark, for example, which is one of the more aggressive, you either need to have your package pre-cleared by arranging duties/VAT to be paid ahead of time, or the Danish post office will charge you a flat 160 DKK (about $23) for clearing it [1]. That makes it not cost-effective to order $20 items from China, even if the UPU rates are low.
[1] https://www.postnord.dk/modtag/spoergsmaal-og-svar https://www.postnord.dk/modtag/spoergsmaal-og-svar
- jfk13 7y agoIn the UK, consignments valued at £15 or less are free from Customs Duty and import VAT, so that doesn't do much to discourage small-scale individual purchases from China.
- AnssiH 7y agoThat exemption will be terminated EU-wide on Jan 1st 2021. It will also get terminated immediately in UK if they leave without a deal, at least according to current UK government VAT guidance.
- Dylan16807 7y agoThat fee is insulting. And if that kind of thing starts being applied consistently across large enough areas, I'm sure retailers will manage to fill out the paperwork and maybe increase prices 15 cents to compensate.
- wodenokoto 7y agoAmazon US at one point offered insurance against this. Basically they would sent you your items and hope it would not get caught in customs. If it did, they would pay. You don't see that many sites offering this anymore, but the rare wish.com competitor will have the option.