Customs declaration is essential when shopping on Taobao.com and shipping parcels internationally from China through Parcel Up. To avoid unnecessary additional charges, we highly recommend our customers learn about customs clearance in destination countries and the proper ways to declare and arrange your items and parcels.
What are customs clearance fees/taxes?
When shopping online from abroad, before your parcel is allowed into your destination country, the Customs will evaluate the nature and value of the parcel and determine how much duties and taxes should be collected to import the parcel to the country. Every country has specific customs regulations, so the potential duties and taxes vary for different items. Such potential additional costs are not always predictable and are beyond the control of any seller or agent, including Parcel Up. However, we offer several ways to minimize the chance of paying many customs clearance fees.
Particular parcel types
In general, a few parcel types are more likely to be asked for customs duties and taxes. Hence, they require customers to pay special attention when shopping and before international shipping.
- Parcel of multiple identical items
Parcels containing too many of the same items are more likely to be considered for commercial purposes, and Customs will require you to pay duties and taxes on those parcels.
Therefore, when ordering many identical items, dividing them into several orders is better. Meanwhile, you can also contact our online support and ask to pack items in different parcels.
- Parcel of a heavy weight
In some countries, Customs tend to pay more attention to heavy parcels, requiring recipients to pay customs clearance fees. You can always contact us for advice and to check the parcel’s weight.
- Parcel containing valuable or specific products
If you are ordering some specific or valuable products, we recommend you check customs rules and regulations on the official Customs website of the destination country.
General declaration
By default, we declare a parcel value of $10-100 ($27-100 for European DHL), but if you want us to declare a specific amount, please inform us. Also, Airmail and EMS parcels are declared as gifts. With such a declaration, customers will not be required to pay customs duties and taxes under usual circumstances. According to experience, marking parcels with very low or very high value will draw the Customs’ attention.
Please note that you always have the option to customize your parcel declaration by contacting our customer support or writing to us on our Facebook page.
Even though it is the customer’s responsibility to handle Customs issues at the destination country, Parcel Up is always prepared to help you explain the situation and resolve those issues. Our specialists are available through our online support.
We hope you understand that Customs clearance procedures could cause delays beyond our delivery time estimates, and Parcel Up cannot be held responsible. However, such delays rarely happen, and most customers receive their parcels within the estimated shipping time.
Enjoy shopping with Parcel Up!