Every parcel crossing the UK border is two transactions: the carriage, which is what this record prices, and the tax, which is not. Import duty and import VAT are charged on the value of the goods plus the shipping and insurance, and they are collected by the carrier on HMRC's behalf, usually with a handling fee on top that nobody publishes in advance. Knowing that before you order is the difference between a landed cost and a surprise on the doorstep.
What is actually charged when a parcel arrives
Three things can be. Customs duty, which depends on the commodity code of what is inside and where it was made, and is zero on a great many goods. Import VAT, which is charged at the standard rate on the total of goods, shipping and any duty. And the carrier's own clearance or handling fee, which is its charge for doing the paperwork and is the one people are least expecting. GOV.UK's own guidance is the place to check the thresholds and rates, because they change and this page does not restate them.
Importing from China, which is where most of this demand comes from
The published parcel prices in this record run £10.99 from Parcel2Go for a China parcel, which is the carriage. Above the parcel bands the route is air or sea freight, quoted per shipment. On the tax side the commodity code is what decides duty, and getting it right is the supplier's information plus your responsibility: a wrong code is your liability at the border, not theirs, even when they wrote it on the invoice.
Who pays, and the choice that decides it
On a parcel sent delivered duty paid, the sender pays the tax and the recipient gets a box. On any other basis the recipient is asked for it before the parcel is released, and a proportion of them refuse, which is how a shop ends up paying return carriage on a sale it thought it had made. For a business shipping outbound this is a pricing decision rather than a shipping one, and it should be made before the listing goes live.
The paperwork that rides with the box
A customs declaration, a commercial invoice for anything sold rather than gifted, and a commodity code per line on it. Carriers increasingly generate the declaration electronically from the booking, but the invoice content is yours: a vague description is the single most common cause of a parcel being held. Describe what it is, what it is made of and what it is for, in words a person who has never seen it would understand.
Questions people ask about how to import from china to uk
How much is import duty on a parcel to the UK?
It depends on the commodity code and the country of origin, and it is zero on many goods. Import VAT is charged at the standard rate on goods plus shipping plus duty. Check GOV.UK for the current thresholds rather than any carrier's page.
How do I import from China to the UK?
For a parcel, book it like any other: Parcel2Go publishes £10.99 on its China page. For anything beyond the parcel bands, it is air or sea freight quoted per shipment. On both, the commodity code, a clear commercial invoice and who pays the duty are the parts that go wrong.
Who pays the import duty, sender or recipient?
Whoever the delivery terms say. On a delivered duty paid parcel the sender pays; on anything else the recipient is asked before release, and some of them refuse.
Why has my parcel been held at customs?
Most often a vague description or a missing commodity code on the invoice, and sometimes an unpaid charge. Describe the goods in words someone who has never seen them would understand.