Changes to EU shipping: import VAT on larger orders

Since Brexit, orders sent from the UK to the EU have been treated as imports, and the rules have been changing again this year. Here’s what that means if you’re ordering from us in an EU country.

What’s changed

On 1 July 2026 the EU ended its €150 customs duty exemption for low-value parcels and introduced a temporary flat duty on small consignments. Import VAT isn’t new, because it has applied to parcels of any value since 2021. What has changed is how our carrier handles it. Royal Mail now appears to settle VAT and duty on our behalf for many EU shipments, rather than leaving the customer to pay on delivery. In practice we’re billed for these charges, not you.

What this means for your order

To avoid your parcel being held, or charges being passed on to you afterwards, we will add VAT at your country’s rate to EU orders over €150. For example, Germany’s rate is 19%. The VAT will show as a separate line at checkout, so you will see the full price before you pay. Orders sent to the EU shouldn’t need any payment on delivery, though we can’t rule out a local charge in some countries.

Why we’re doing it

Until recently, customers could choose to pay import charges when the parcel arrived. That option no longer seems to be available to us for many EU destinations, and we have been billed for VAT on larger orders that we hadn’t charged for. We would rather show it openly at checkout than hide it in the price or add unexpected fees later.

What we’re doing next

We’re monitoring how this works for other EU countries and will update our shipping information as it becomes clear. If you have any questions about a particular order, please contact us before you buy and we will gladly check it for you.

Thanks for your patience while these rules settle down.