What is a de minimis value and how does this impact international shipping charges?

De minimis value is the threshold that exempts imports from duty and or tax/VAT, and it differs by country. This can have an impact on landed shipping costs because disbursement fees (the fees that we pay to have FedEx prepay customs and taxes) only kick in when the de minimis value is exceeded. 

The disbursement fee that we pay is $10. We do not pass along this charge to you. So, if you are seeing a shipping fee that includes duties and taxes, we want you to know that our actual cost is $10 higher than what you are paying. 

Countries that are a member of the European Union and use the Euro as a currency all share the same de minimis thresholds.

• Both duty and VAT are exempt when up to 22 EUR.
• VAT but not duty will be assessed if it’s between 22 and 150 EUR.
• Both duty and VAT are due when over 150 EUR.

In the United States, imports are duty and tax-free due to the generous $800 USD de minimis. Then, there are other countries where the de minimis is not as straightforward as it appears, such as Australia’s A$1,000 de minimis. Australia’s de minimis is technically A$1,000; however, if you sell over A$75,000 a year into Australia, you are required to register/remit GST and not via the customs clearance process. Russia’s de minimis threshold is specific to each individual importer in Russia, as they can only import up to 31 kilos and up to 1,000 EUR per month.

The majority of import countries have a de minimis amount for duty and tax. You can click the round flag icon on the lower left size of this webpage if you want to see how your order value impacts duties and taxes.