Work out the landed cost before you buy, because the duty and the tax are usually charged to you rather than to the seller, and a courier will hold the parcel until it is paid. The saving on a piece bought abroad is real, but it is smaller than the sticker price suggests once the parcel has cleared.
Two different sets of rules apply to the same purchase. Goods you carry back with you fall under a personal allowance, and goods posted to you fall under a postal import threshold, which in most countries is much lower. That is why splitting a large buy into several small parcels rarely helps and often costs more: each parcel is assessed separately, and each carries its own shipping and handling fee.
The allowances, as they stood in 2026
Personal allowances and postal thresholds, by country
| Country | Personal allowance | Posted parcels | Typical duty on clothing |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Set by CBP; check before you travel | No de minimis: the duty-free exemption for low-value parcels ended globally on Aug 29, 2025 | Varies by tariff code and country of origin |
| United Kingdom | £390 of goods from outside the UK | Gifts over £39 attract VAT | Duty varies, plus VAT |
| European Union | Set by each country; check before you travel | VAT generally due on commercial parcels | Duty varies, plus national VAT |
| Canada | Depends on time abroad; check CBSA | Low thresholds; gifts have a separate limit | Varies by garment, plus GST or HST |
| Australia | Check the Australian Border Force | Thresholds apply; GST on many imports | Duty varies, plus GST |
Treat that table as a starting point rather than a current statement of the law. The United States ended its $800 de minimis exemption globally on Aug 29, 2025, and kept it closed after a February 2026 Supreme Court tariff ruling, and several countries have revised thresholds in the same period. Check the current rate for your country and the commodity code for the item before you decide, because the difference between 12 percent and 30 percent decides whether the purchase was worth making. In the UK, GOV.UK says travelers can bring in up to £390 of other goods duty-free, and goods mailed from abroad worth £135 or less usually have VAT added at checkout by the seller.
How the charge reaches you
- Couriers pay first and bill you later — A door-to-door courier clears the parcel, advances the duty and tax, and adds a brokerage fee. That fee is charged whether or not duty is due.
- Postal services charge on delivery — A national postal service holds the parcel and collects the charge, plus a smaller handling fee, before delivery. Slower and cheaper, and less forgiving of a vague description.
- The value includes the freight — Many countries assess duty on the goods plus insurance and freight, so an expensive shipping method raises the duty as well. Consolidate into one slower parcel.
- Undervaluing is fraud, not a hack — A false declaration is an offence, and the practical consequence is worse: insurance pays only the declared value, so a parcel declared at a tenth of its cost is compensated at a tenth of its cost.
Things worth knowing before you pay
A secondhand garment is not exempt because it is secondhand. Duty is assessed on the price you paid, so a coat bought for $40 is declared at $40 even if it retailed for $400. Keep the receipt and photograph it with the parcel, because the declared value decides both the duty and any insurance payout. Antiques are assessed the same way, though a piece described as antique may also need an export permit from the country it leaves.
- 1
Find the commodity code first
Every customs system classifies goods by a code, and apparel, footwear and textiles carry different rates. The code fixes the percentage, so it settles the arithmetic before you buy.
- 2
Add the handling fee to the estimate
Couriers charge a brokerage fee, and postal services often add a handling fee. On a low-value parcel, that can be more than the duty.
- 3
Declare accurately and keep the receipt
A correct declaration clears faster, avoids a disputed valuation and is the only way insurance pays out. Say a parcel is a gift only if it is one.
- 4
Consolidate rather than split
One larger parcel usually costs less than three smaller ones, because each is assessed separately and each carries a handling fee.
What the math looks like on real purchases
Five purchases worth costing out landed
Each note is a rough, illustrative landed-cost sketch, the sum people forget to do. Your duty rate depends on the item's tariff code. Prices are shown only where we confirmed them on the brand or retailer page in Oct 2026.
Biggest savingVintage
Handwoven wool rug, 5 x 6.5 ft
Even with sea freight and duty, a rug bought at the loom usually lands well under the retail price at home. This is the category where the arithmetic works hardest in your favor.
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Vintage
Silk scarf, hand-printed
The handling fee is two thirds of the duty on a parcel this size, which is the whole argument for consolidating several small purchases into one shipment.
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Vestiaire Collective
Cashmere coat, secondhand
Secondhand clothing is not exempt, and many platforms collect the duty at checkout so the price shown is close to the landed cost. Check whether the figure includes tax before comparing.
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Handloom
Linen tablecloth and napkins, set
Textiles are taxed at a similar rate to clothing in most systems, which is why a set of linens bought at a workshop overseas is only worth shipping if the saving is substantial.
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Vintage
Leather jacket, 1980s
Leather is often taxed at a higher rate than woven fabric, so a jacket can cost more to import than a coat of the same value in wool. The commodity code matters more here than the price tag.
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