Customs & Import Charges Explained: Why Every Country Is Different

The short version

When a parcel crosses a border, the country it is arriving in decides whether to charge tax on it. Not the sender. Not the carrier. The destination country.

That means we genuinely cannot tell you what you will be charged, because it is not our decision and the rules are different in every single country we ship to. What we can do is explain how it works so nothing comes as a surprise.

Why we cannot just tell you the number

Every country sets its own:

• Import VAT or sales tax rate — and whether it applies to collectibles at all.
• Customs duty rate — which depends on how trading cards are classified in that country''s tariff schedule.
• De minimis threshold — the value below which they do not bother charging anything.
• Carrier handling fee — what the delivery company charges for doing the paperwork.

There are around 195 countries and they do not coordinate. A £40 order might sail through untouched in one country and pick up a £15 bill in the one next door. We ship to more than forty destinations and we are not in a position to give tax advice for any of them.

This is also why you will see the same disclaimer from every seller who ships internationally, including the big marketplaces. It is not a dodge — it is simply how cross-border trade works.

Two big changes in 2026

If you have ordered from abroad before and think you know the rules, they may well have moved.

The EU removed its €150 duty-free threshold on 1 July 2026. A temporary flat customs duty of €3 per item now applies to low-value consignments up to €150 coming into the EU from outside it, running until 2028 while the EU Customs Data Hub is built. Import VAT was already payable before this — the €3 duty is new and on top.

The US ended its $800 de minimis exemption on 29 August 2025. Low-value parcels into the United States used to arrive duty-free below $800. That exemption has been suspended for all countries and made indefinite by regulation, so US orders are now subject to applicable duties regardless of value.

If you are in the EU or the US, in other words, small orders that would have been clean a year ago may now attract a charge.

What we do at our end

We do the parts that are ours to do:

• We declare parcels accurately — correct contents, correct value. We will not under-declare an order or mark it as a gift. It is illegal, it invalidates any insurance on the parcel, and it puts you at risk, not us.
• We have IOSS in place for EU orders, which means VAT on eligible orders is handled up front rather than you being chased for it on the doorstep.
• We give you a tracking number so you can see exactly where a parcel is sitting if it is held.

What you should do at your end

Before you order from outside the UK, spend two minutes checking your own country''s rules:

• Search for your country''s customs authority and "import duty threshold" or "de minimis".
• Check whether collectibles or trading cards have a specific tariff classification.
• Factor a possible charge into what you are willing to spend, especially on higher-value cards.

If a charge does land, it will usually come from the carrier before or at delivery, and the parcel is held until it is paid.

If a parcel is refused

This is the one to watch. If an import charge is not paid, the parcel gets returned to us or, in some cases, destroyed by customs.

If it comes back, we will refund you — but the refund is reduced by the shipping and return costs we actually incurred, because those are already spent. That is set out in our terms. It is not a penalty, it is just that the money has gone.

The way to avoid this entirely is to know roughly what to expect before you order.

Just to be completely clear

438 Cards is not responsible for customs charges or import duties. They are set by your destination country, they are your responsibility as the importer, and they are not included in our prices or shipping charges.

We are a card shop, not a customs broker or a tax adviser — if you need certainty about your specific situation, your national customs authority is the place to get it.

Questions about an order that is already on its way? Get in touch with your order number and we will help where we can.