Quick answer: Duty is assessed in the destination country, not at the seller's checkout, so a parcel that looked cheap in China can cost more on arrival. Before approving export, confirm the declared value, the product category and whether your country applies a low-value exemption, then check the rules for your own address.
Fast checklist before taking action
| Information | Why it matters | Best next step |
|---|---|---|
| Exact product link | A live listing gives customs the material and HS code it needs; a product name alone gets classified wrongly. | Send the listing so material and HS code can be read before duty is quoted. |
| Option, size and material that decide the HS code | A wrong size or material in the option text changes the HS code the parcel clears under. | Copy the option text so the parcel clears under the right HS code. |
| Destination country | The destination sets the duty rate, the VAT or GST rate and whether any low-value exemption still applies. | Confirm the destination city, because clearance is tested on arrival, not at checkout. |
| Payment or checkout status | Payment failed, waiting for payment and card declined both hold up the declared invoice value. | Settle the payment status before the export invoice value is declared to customs. |
| Item risk | Textiles, cosmetics, food and electricals each carry their own duty rate, certificate and possible import licence. | Ask for a manual duty check on textiles or electricals before purchase. |
Work through the table before you pay the Chinese seller, because duty is decided by what the parcel contains and what it is declared as when it crosses the border - neither of which can be repaired after the fact. The seller has no visibility into your country's thresholds, and no China-side refund covers an assessment made abroad. Getting the link, the option text, the quantity and the destination into one request is what makes a duty estimate possible at all.
Where CNCartGo earns its place on a duty question is documentation. The declared value and the product description can be matched against the real invoice, the variant actually bought and the packed parcel before the goods are handed to a carrier. A buyer working alone usually sees only the checkout page, which is the wrong place to build a customs declaration from.
How CNCartGo handles the workflow
For a duty-sensitive order the sequence is quote, purchase, warehouse, then a declaration check before export. That order keeps the invoice, the product category and the packed weight in one file while the goods are still in Guangzhou, which is the point at which a wrong HS code or an unrealistic value can still be corrected cheaply.
Once the request names the live product link, the option, the quantity and the destination country, CNCartGo can compare the item against the routing rules for that destination, flag categories such as cosmetics, batteries or branded apparel that attract closer inspection, and confirm what the declaration will say before you commit to shipping.
A customs problem frequently starts as a payment problem: the buyer cannot finish the 1688 or Taobao checkout, retries the same card, and eventually buys through a route that leaves no usable invoice behind. Duty is calculated from a documented purchase value, so it is worth separating whether the product can be bought inside China from whether your own checkout method works - CNCartGo can pay the seller and keep the invoice trail a declaration needs.
Freight and duty are two different bills, and that distinction is the one buyers miss most often. The shipping quote covers the packed parcel - its dimensions, its volume weight and the lane you choose - while duty, VAT or GST is assessed on the customs value in the destination country. Paying more for freight does not reduce the duty, and splitting a shipment does not create a lower bracket.
Duty and threshold rules by destination
The one thing every destination has in common is that the rule is about the parcel as it arrives, not about the seller's page. What changes is the threshold, the tax, and who collects it. The positions below are the ones that decide most China-direct orders today; where a figure is being revised, the destination's own published guidance is the authority.
| Destination | The threshold that matters | What it means for the buyer |
|---|---|---|
| United States | No de minimis line any more: the USD 800 duty-free treatment was suspended effective August 29, 2025 | Goods valued at or below USD 800 are no longer exempt, and all applicable duties, taxes and fees can apply, so the landed cost has to be budgeted from the first dollar. Splitting an order into two parcels to stay under the old figure does not help - there is no longer a free line to stay under. |
| European Union (including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands) | VAT from the first euro; customs duty generally not collected on goods with an intrinsic value up to €150 | VAT applies to commercial goods imported from the first euro since 1 July 2021, so the old low-value VAT exemption is gone. For consignments up to €150, a registered seller can collect VAT at checkout through IOSS; otherwise it is collected on arrival, with a carrier handling charge. Where duty does not apply, VAT still does. The EU has also introduced a €3 customs duty on low-value e-commerce parcels from 1 July 2026 (reported by Reuters); confirm the position in force on your route. |
| United Kingdom | GBP 135 | For ordinary non-excise goods worth GBP 135 or less, VAT is generally collected by the seller at the point of sale - that is not a VAT-free allowance. Above GBP 135, import VAT is normally collected through the carrier, and duty may apply depending on classification and origin. |
| Australia | AUD 1,000 customs value, with GST applying from the first dollar | Since 1 July 2018 GST at 10% applies to low-value imports as well, collected at the point of sale or by the party that brings the goods in. The AUD 1,000 line decides the mechanism rather than the tax: at or below it, a self-assessed clearance applies and duty is generally not applied; above it, a full import declaration is lodged, duty applies where the tariff attracts it, and an import processing charge is added. The test uses the customs value of the goods, not the checkout total including freight. |
| Canada | CAD 20 for qualifying postal and courier imports from China | The remission covers duty and tax where the value for duty does not exceed CAD 20; above that, duty and GST/HST may be assessed. A handling charge applies when duty and tax are collected - Canada Post currently lists CAD 9.95. The other reliefs sometimes quoted, CAD 150 for duty and CAD 40 for tax, concern qualifying courier imports from the United States or Mexico, not China-direct shipments. |
Duty rates themselves are set per product line and origin, not by value. Many electronics and IT lines enter at zero, while apparel, footwear, cosmetics and accessories usually carry a positive rate. That is why the classification, not the invoice total, decides the number, and why a wrong HS code produces both a delay and a bill that has to be corrected after arrival. If the classification is unclear, ask before approving export rather than after the parcel lands.
Two planning consequences follow from the table. First, the declared value has to be the real one, because it sets duty, VAT or GST and the base they are calculated on; under-declaration is treated as fraud, not as a way to shave the bill. Second, plan the order as one consolidated shipment with a consistent value and description, since every threshold above is tested on what actually arrives at the border.
Common failure points
- Retrying a payment before checking whether the unpaid order would still be classified the way the invoice describes it.
- Attaching a screenshot instead of the live listing whose material and HS code customs can read.
- Paying for goods that need an import licence before checking whether the destination issues one.
- Estimating landed cost without the declared value, the HS code and the destination duty and VAT rules in front of you.
- Spreading one order across several sellers so that three parcels cross the border with three separate clearance fees.
Customs surprises are rarely bad luck. They happen because the buyer only ever saw the seller's page, which says nothing about how the goods will be classified, what value will be declared, or whether the destination grants relief in the first place. A USD 60 listing price tells you nothing about the landed cost once duty, VAT and a carrier handling charge are added.
What to send for a faster answer
For a duty question, send the live product link, the option and quantity, the destination country and postcode, the value you expect on the invoice, and the material or purpose of the item where the category is not obvious. Flag anything that changes classification - leather, textile, cosmetics, batteries, food contact, a branded logo - in the first message, because those details decide the code and the code decides the rate.
FAQ
What should buyers check for customs duties China shopping?
Confirm three things before export: the destination's current threshold, the value that will be declared, and the category the item falls into. Duty is assessed on arrival, so all three checks have to be made while the parcel is still in China.
When should I use a CNCartGo quote?
Use a quote when the destination rule is unclear, when the category could attract duty, when one declaration has to cover several invoices, or when you want the packed weight and product description confirmed before the parcel leaves the warehouse.
Can CNCartGo help with multiple sellers?
Yes. Orders from different sellers can be received at the Guangzhou warehouse, checked against the invoice list, consolidated, and described on a single declaration, which keeps the customs value consistent across everything in the carton.
Is a calculator enough for final shipping cost?
A calculator returns a freight estimate from whatever numbers you enter. It cannot tell you what your destination will assess in duty, so treat it as step one and confirm the declaration separately.
Last reviewed: September 5, 2026. Duty rates and customs thresholds are set by each destination and revised; verify the figures applying now.
Related guides
Duty questions rarely stop at the first answer, and the rest are spelled out below.
- China Freight Calculator: What Overseas Buyers Should Check Before Trusting an Estimate
- Restricted Items in China Shipping: What to Review Before You Buy
- Battery Shipping From China: Manual Checks Before a Parcel Leaves the Warehouse
- Restricted Items When Shipping From China to Australia: Checks Before You Buy
- China to Canada Shipping: Costs, Customs and Delivery Times (2026)
