Customs and duty on parcels from China
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Whether you pay duty depends on your country's rules and the line you choose. On LitBuy's DHL tax-free lines to Bulgaria, customs is cleared in Germany or the Netherlands and you pay nothing on delivery. On EMS or EUB the parcel clears customs in the destination country and the recipient pays the duty. For parcels into the EU, a new €2 fee applies from 1 November 2026, which LitBuy covers.
Tax-free lines and lines with duty
- DHL tax-free lines. On LitBuy’s lines to Bulgaria the parcel clears customs in Germany or the Netherlands and you pay no duty on delivery. In the shipping calculator these lines are labelled “Tax-free”. Which lines your country has shows in LitBuy’s estimator.
- EMS and EUB. Customs is in the destination country and the recipient pays the duty (“duties payable by recipient”). The postal service may ask for documents or duty. If the duty is not paid, the parcel goes back.
Customs rules and limits depend on your country. TODO(mirydor): add a short note for countries outside the EU if you know their rules.
What changed in the EU in 2026
From 1 July 2026: €3 duty. Parcels worth up to €150 are no longer exempt from duty. The EU charges €3 for each kind of goods in the parcel: five T-shirts are one kind, T-shirts and a watch are two. The rule is temporary and applies until 1 July 2028. On the DHL tax-free lines you do not pay it on delivery.
From 1 November 2026: €2 fee and product code. The EU adds a €2 handling fee and a required product code (PID) in the customs declaration. Ordering does not change. According to LitBuy’s site (27 October 2026) LitBuy covers the €2 fee and refunds those who have already paid it.
Text messages about duty
Never pay or open links from a customs text message until LitBuy confirms the message is real. On a DHL tax-free line such a message is unusual.
What draws customs’ attention
- Many identical items: they look like goods for resale.
- Batteries and electronics, for example headphones. Send them in a separate parcel. A watch without a battery can go with the clothes.
- Liquids. Send perfume separately and under 7 kg.
- Very heavy parcels. Over 20 kg the risk of the parcel being held grows, so split the order.
Protect the parcel
Add Purchase Protection (under Paid Services, when you choose the line). If the parcel is held, you get a full refund.
Order in time
Order by mid-November (10–15 November) to avoid Christmas delays and price rises.
