Customs Clearance
Customs, Duty and Tax
Prices and rules checked
Your recipient pays the import charges, not you, and almost every country now charges something. The old rule that small parcels slip through free has ended in the two biggest markets: the United States suspended its 800 dollar allowance, and the EU removed its 150 euro one in July 2026.
This is the part of shipping that surprises people, and it surprises them after the parcel has already gone. Import duty and tax are charged by the country the parcel arrives in, not by us and not by the courier, and they are billed to whoever receives it. Nothing you pay at our counter covers them.
What changed recently matters more than the general rule. For years most personal parcels under a few hundred dollars arrived without a bill, and that is still the assumption almost everyone ships on. In the two destinations we send to most, it is no longer true.
So the honest answer to "will they have to pay anything" is now usually yes, and the useful question is how much. That turns on the declared value, the HS code, and where the goods were made. We prepare those documents with you before the parcel leaves, because they are what the charge gets calculated from.
Who this is for
- Anyone sending to a recipient who has never been charged duty before
- Bali brands selling overseas, whose customers will see the bill
- Sellers working out whether to quote delivered-duty-paid
- Anyone tempted to write a low value on the declaration
- People whose parcel is already sitting in customs somewhere
Not a fit: We are not customs brokers in your destination country. We cannot clear goods at the far end or appeal a charge raised there. What we can do is make sure the paperwork leaving Bali is right, so nothing is held for a reason that was avoidable.
What's included
United States: assume duty applies
The 800 dollar de minimis allowance was suspended for all countries in August 2025 and indefinitely again in June 2026, and since February 2026 it no longer covers parcels sent by post either. Rates follow the country the goods were made in.
European Union: VAT always, and now duty too
VAT applies to imports at any value. The 150 euro duty exemption ended on 1 July 2026, and low value consignments now carry a flat 3 euro per item instead.
United Kingdom: 135 pounds still holds
Consignments at or below 135 pounds are free of customs duty, though VAT is charged. Above it, both apply. The UK kept its threshold when the EU dropped its own.
Australia: 1,000 Australian dollars
Below that, goods are generally free of duty, with GST collected at the point of sale. Above it, duty and GST are assessed on arrival. Biosecurity is the separate and stricter question.
Japan: 10,000 yen
At or below that customs value, most goods enter free of duty and consumption tax, with exceptions for alcohol, tobacco and leather. Above it, duty plus 10 percent consumption tax. Japan is reviewing the threshold, so check before you send.
The declared value is what everything hangs on
Duty, tax and any insurance claim are all calculated from it, so it has to be what the goods are actually worth.
HS codes, prepared with you
The code decides the rate. A finished garment and a textile sample are not the same line, and the difference shows up as money.
How it works
- 01Chat us your shipment details
- 02Get courier options & estimated cost
- 03Drop off or request pickup
- 04We help with packing & documents
- 05Shipment processed, tracking shared
Frequently asked questions
- Who pays the import duty, me or the person receiving it?
- Your recipient, in almost every case. The courier contacts them, collects the charge, and delivers once it is paid. If you would rather carry it yourself, some services can bill it back to the sender, but tell us before you ship: it cannot be changed once the parcel is moving.
- Can I just write a lower value on the form?
- No, and please do not ask us to. Under-declaring is customs fraud in the destination country, and the person who wears it is your recipient: the parcel is held, the value is reassessed upward, and a penalty is added. It also voids the insurance, because a claim can never pay more than the value you declared. A 2,000 dollar ring declared at 50 dollars is a 50 dollar ring on the day it goes missing.
- Is a gift exempt?
- Less often than people think. Some countries allow a small gift concession, but it is narrow, it does not cover anything that looks commercial, and marking a commercial shipment as a gift is a misdeclaration. We will tell you honestly whether yours qualifies.
- What actually changed in 2026?
- Two things, both against the sender. The United States suspended its 800 dollar de minimis exemption indefinitely in June 2026, extending to postal shipments what already applied to couriers, so a 40 dollar parcel can now arrive with a bill. And on 1 July 2026 the EU removed its 150 euro duty exemption, replacing it with a flat 3 euro per item on low value consignments. Rules at this level move often, which is why this page carries the date it was checked.
- My parcel is stuck in customs. What now?
- Usually it is waiting on the recipient rather than on the parcel: an unpaid charge, or a request for information sent to an address nobody is reading. Send us the tracking number and we will find out which it is and chase it from this end. If a document is missing, we can often supply it after the fact.
- Do you work out the duty before I ship?
- We can give you a realistic idea from the HS code, the declared value and the destination, and we will say plainly when it is an estimate rather than a figure. Only the destination customs authority decides the final amount, and anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing with more confidence than the situation allows.
Not sure what your recipient will be charged?
Tell us the item, its value and the destination. We will walk you through what to expect before the parcel leaves, not after it arrives.
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