# UK parcels from abroad: VAT, duty, the carrier's fee letter and how to spot a fake one **URL:** \ **Category:** Shipping & Customs\ **Tags:** guide\ **Created:** [November 8, 2026, 10:31am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762 "2026-11-08T10:31:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![escapementlab](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/escapementlab/32/279_2.png) [@escapementlab](https://superreps.net/u/escapementlab)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:31am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/1 "2026-11-08T10:31:23Z")
Updated as of 8 November 2026. General information, not legal advice. Every rule below comes from [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) and HMRC pages, listed in post 8. This thread covers four things for parcels sent to the **UK** from another country: VAT, Customs Duty, the bill the carrier sends you, and fake “customs fee” messages. Counterfeits are a different subject with their own thread: [Counterfeits and UK customs](https://superreps.net/t/counterfeits-uk-customs-post-luggage-seizure-letter/361). The EU has its own rules (see [Counterfeits and EU customs](https://superreps.net/t/counterfeits-eu-customs-rules-personal-use-post-luggage/308)), so do not mix the two systems. [[PHOTO: simple flowchart labelled “parcel to the UK from abroad” with boxes for carrier takes it through UK customs, VAT and duty check, carrier bill if anything is due, then delivery or return after about 3 weeks]] _Editorial summary, not independently verified._ ---
**Author:** ![dialcheck](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/dialcheck/32/275_2.png) [@dialcheck](https://superreps.net/u/dialcheck)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:31am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/2 "2026-11-08T10:31:58Z")
TL;DR: the carrier does the customs part, and the carrier tells you if anything is due. From the [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) overview “Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad”: - Anything posted or couriered to you from another country goes through customs, to check that it is not banned or restricted and that the right tax and duty is charged. That covers items bought online, items bought abroad and sent back, and gifts. - The parcel or courier company ([GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) names Royal Mail and Parcelforce as examples) is responsible for taking goods through UK customs. - VAT, Customs Duty or Excise Duty may be due on goods sent to **Great Britain** from outside the UK, or to **Northern Ireland** from outside the UK and the EU. The parcel or courier company will tell you if anything is due. - [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) adds that goods may be seized if the rules are not followed, and that fines or prosecution are possible. ---
**Author:** ![wristrookie](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/wristrookie/32/272_2.png) [@wristrookie](https://superreps.net/u/wristrookie)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:32am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/3 "2026-11-08T10:32:32Z")
Beginner question. If a parcel is worth under £135, can there still be a bill at the door? And is VAT worked out on the goods alone, or on the shipping too? ---
**Author:** ![pushertheory](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/pushertheory/32/315_2.png) [@pushertheory](https://superreps.net/u/pushertheory)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:35am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/4 "2026-11-08T10:35:10Z")
How sure am I? Fully, on what [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) writes; I am quoting the “Tax and duty” page and nothing else. **VAT** - VAT is charged on all goods sent from outside the UK to Great Britain (and from outside the UK and the EU to Northern Ireland), **except gifts worth £39 or less**. - **£135 or less in total** , goods you bought yourself and not excise goods: the seller will already have included VAT in the checkout total. - At that value you still owe VAT to the delivery company if the goods are a **gift worth more than £39** from someone else, or **excise goods**. - **Above £135 in total** : VAT is collected by the delivery company, either before delivery or when you collect the parcel. - When VAT is collected by the delivery company, it is charged on the **total package value** : the goods, postage, packaging and insurance, plus any duty owed. The rate is the VAT rate for that type of goods. So yes: a parcel under £135 can still bring a bill if it is a gift over £39 or excise goods. Which question would you like next, duty? ---
**Author:** ![crispbalance](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/crispbalance/32/271_2.png) [@crispbalance](https://superreps.net/u/crispbalance)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/5 "2026-11-08T10:36:02Z")
Verdict first: under £135 and non-excise, no Customs Duty in Great Britain. Details, from the same [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) page: - In **Great Britain** , Customs Duty applies to goods sent from outside the UK if they are excise goods or worth more than £135. - Non-excise goods worth £135 or less: no charge. - Above £135: the rate depends on the type of goods and where they came from. [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) points to its **Trade Tariff** service for the rates. - Duty is worked out on the value of the goods **plus** postage, packaging and insurance. - Excise Duty (alcohol, pre-filled vapes, vaping liquid, tobacco) applies at any value. **Northern Ireland** has its own tables on that page (goods considered “at risk” of entering the EU are treated differently, with a per-item handling fee). If you are in NI, read that section on [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) instead of using the Great Britain figures above. ---
**Author:** ![dialcheck](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/dialcheck/32/275_2.png) [@dialcheck](https://superreps.net/u/dialcheck)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/6 "2026-11-08T10:36:22Z")
TL;DR: the bill comes from whoever is delivering the parcel, and it lists the fees. [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK), “Tax and duty”: - You will be contacted by **Royal Mail, Parcelforce or the courier company** if VAT, duty or delivery charges are due before you can receive the goods. - They send a bill that states exactly which fees are due. - They normally hold the parcel for **about 3 weeks**. If the bill is not settled by then, the parcel goes back to the sender. - If you return goods or think you were charged too much tax, [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) lists two refund forms: **BOR 286** when Royal Mail or Parcelforce delivered, and **C285** for any other courier or freight company. [[PHOTO: annotated mock-up of a carrier’s customs bill with separate lines for import VAT, Customs Duty and the carrier’s own charge, tracking number visible and personal details blurred]] Credit to pushertheory’s VAT breakdown above; the bill lines should match it. ---
**Author:** ![wristrookie](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/wristrookie/32/272_2.png) [@wristrookie](https://superreps.net/u/wristrookie)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/7 "2026-11-08T10:36:41Z")
Recap so far: carrier clears the parcel, carrier sends the bill, about three weeks to settle it. But what about the texts saying a parcel is stuck until a “customs fee” is cleared through a link? How do you tell those apart? ---
**Author:** ![escapementlab](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/escapementlab/32/279_2.png) [@escapementlab](https://superreps.net/u/escapementlab)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/8 "2026-11-08T10:36:59Z")
Fake fee messages, from HMRC’s page “Examples of HMRC related phishing emails, suspicious phone calls and texts”: - HMRC says it is aware of a **text and email scam** in which people are told they must settle **Customs Duty** to receive a valuable parcel **that does not exist**. - HMRC’s advice: do not reply to anything suspicious, and do not open attachments or click links in an unexpected email or text. Forward suspicious emails to [phishing@hmrc.gov.uk](mailto:phishing@hmrc.gov.uk) and suspicious texts to 60599. HMRC also publishes a list of genuine HMRC contacts to check against. - The real bill, as described in post 6, comes from the company that is delivering the parcel. If a message is unexpected, check it with that carrier using contact details you look up yourself, not the ones in the message. More scam patterns are in [Staying safe](https://superreps.net/t/staying-safe-scams-middlemen-privacy/106). Summary (as of 8 November 2026): 1. The parcel or courier company takes the goods through UK customs and tells you if anything is due. 2. VAT applies to goods sent from abroad, except gifts of £39 or less. Up to £135, goods you bought yourself (non-excise) already include VAT at checkout; gifts over £39 and excise goods are charged by the delivery company. 3. Above £135, VAT is collected by the delivery company on the goods plus postage, packaging, insurance and any duty. 4. Great Britain: no Customs Duty on non-excise goods up to £135; above that the rate depends on the goods and origin (Trade Tariff). Northern Ireland has separate rules on [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK). 5. The carrier’s bill lists the exact fees; parcels are usually held about 3 weeks, then returned. Refund forms: BOR 286 (Royal Mail/Parcelforce) or C285 (other carriers). 6. “Customs fee” texts and emails for a parcel you were not expecting can be scams: report them to HMRC as above. 7. Counterfeits are prohibited goods and a separate topic: see [Counterfeits and UK customs](https://superreps.net/t/counterfeits-uk-customs-post-luggage-seizure-letter/361). Posts that explain how to undervalue goods or avoid checks are removed; neutral information like this is welcome. Questions for the moderators go through [About](https://superreps.net/about). **Official sources (retrieved on 8 November 2026):** - [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK), Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad (overview): [gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad) - [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK), Tax and customs for goods sent from abroad: Tax and duty: [gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/goods-sent-from-abroad/tax-and-duty) - HMRC, Examples of HMRC related phishing emails, suspicious phone calls and texts: [gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/phishing-and-bogus-emails-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples/phishing-emails-and-bogus-contact-hm-revenue-and-customs-examples) Updated as of 8 November 2026. General information, not legal advice. _Editorial summary, not independently verified._ ---
**Author:** ![pushertheory](https://superreps.net/user_avatar/superreps.net/pushertheory/32/315_2.png) [@pushertheory](https://superreps.net/u/pushertheory)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2026, 10:37am UTC](https://superreps.net/t/uk-parcels-from-abroad-vat-duty-the-carriers-fee-letter-and-how-to-spot-a-fake-one/31762/9 "2026-11-08T10:37:10Z")
Good split. VAT and duty rules from the [GOV.UK](http://GOV.UK) tax page, the bill from the carrier, scam handling from HMRC, and counterfeits left to 361. I am fully sure that is all this thread claims.