Shipping to US (from UK or anywhere else) after 29 August...?

[Mammoth miniatures]

From what I heard (didn't watch myself) there was a Royal Mail webinar where they said they'd be implementing a flat rate £60 fee per parcel sent to the US.

Then a day later they said they'd been misinformed and that there would be a 10% charge instead.

All fees paid before the parcel ends up entering the US.

Can see this causing lots of issues, or at least delays in shipping.

Until they put it into place, I've paused US orders. Ideally something like this should have been in place ages ago to ensure minimal disruption. I can see lots of parcels being refused entry or slapped with huge bills because they got held up somewhere en route. sure they're technically meant to let anything through that was sent prior to the 29th, but let's be honest, after that point they're just going to chuck it in the "return to sender" pile.

[JonGZG]

Me too, as of last Thursday I have suspended US sales until things sort themselves out.

It does look as though Royal Mail will have a system to allow the tariff to be paid at this end when buying the postage (and then presumably they - RM - will pay it over to the US Revenue), but the big question is whether that will be available to everybody, or only to those who have full RM business accounts...? I don't (I just buy all my postage online as a "registered" RM customer), but I suppose I may have to if that's the only option. Oh glee, more admin to deal with...

Then I guess it's just (!) a matter of adding the tariff cost to the postage charge for all US orders placed through the webstore.

On the other hand, for larger orders I use either ParcelFarce Global or FedEx, in both cases always booked online through Interparcel (better tracking and customer service, and often better prices too) - I've recently had an email from Interparcel linking to this info on their webstite, which is worth a read:

https://uk.interparcel.com/blog/shipping-advice/us-tariffs-changes-end-of-de-minimis?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=UStariffs

Even that isn't 100% clear on everything, and seems to imply that it will also be possible to still ship with the tariffs unpaid, with the recipient responsible for paying them at the other end - just like it has always worked when someone in the UK orders from the US (or anywhere else) and then has to pay the 20% VAT plus the inevitable "exortion fees" before their parcel is delivered.

Anyway, with all the uncertainty I'll be waiting to see how it all works in practice before re-opening US sales - which hopefully won't be TOO long....

Jon (GZG)

(edited for a couple of typos!)

[JonGZG]

Just re-asking a question I posed a few days ago, that may have got lost among all the other stuff - or maybe nobody knows...? 

What HS code(s) do other manufacturers use for metal wargame figures/kits?

I've never been able to find one that exactly describes white metal model soldiers; I've always used 95030085, which appears to be intended for die-cast metal models, and to date I've never had this queried - anybody got any other/better options?

Jon.

[Rick]

Or 95030030 - a suggested code covering train sets, accessories, sets and other model kits/toys of reduced size. It doesn't seem to matter whether the kits are plastic, white metal, card or anything else; just their purpose.
95030070 is a catch-all category of 'other' which might need a bit of extra explanation.

[pixelgeek]

My sympathies to anyone having to deal with this clusterfudge of a situation.

[Citizen Sade]

What HS code(s) do other manufacturers use for metal wargame figures/kits?

One of the trade worthies here advised me to use TARIC 9503009990 and to describe them as model soldiers not toy soldiers.

[JonGZG]

Or 95030030 - a suggested code covering train sets, accessories, sets and other model kits/toys of reduced size. It doesn't seem to matter whether the kits are plastic, white metal, card or anything else; just their purpose.
95030070 is a catch-all category of 'other' which might need a bit of extra explanation.

Thanks - yes, I'd seen and considered those options, including the "other" category... as you say, a bit vague when all the advice about the new system is be be as accurate as possible about the HS codes.

Interestingly, the "old" (current) Royal Mail system for filling in the Customs form online when buying postage will only accept the first six digits of the number - so for RM packets I just use 950300. I guess their new system may require more digits (oo-er...).

Jon.

[JonGZG]

One of the trade worthies here advised me to use TARIC 9503009990 and to describe them as model soldiers not toy soldiers.

Thanks - very useful... and interesting to see a full 10-digit HS code rather than the 8 that Interparcel require, or just 6 required by RM (see my post above).

My usual product description for Customs forms is "metal model kits/figures".

Jon (GZG)

[Citizen Sade]

Per this lot, the 10 digit code is the TARIC code, the first eight digits of that are the CN code & the first six are the internationally acceptable HS code 

I thank my lucky stars that I'm not involved in filling in customs declarations professionally.

[Andrew Rae]

Interestingly, the "old" (current) Royal Mail system for filling in the Customs form online when buying postage will only accept the first six digits of the number - so for RM packets I just use 950300. I guess their new system may require more digits (oo-er...).

It depends on the country, but for the US, Click and Drop want a 10 digit code.

If you've got products saved in your C&D account, you can only enter a 6 digit code. This is because you need to enter the import code for the *country you're exporting to*, when you create the postal label (in edit package contents if it's an order imported from your shop with product info populated from what's saved in you C&D account).

Each country has their own longer codes (or not) based on the 6 digit codes.

This site is helpful for finding codes by country: https://www.check-duties-customs-exporting-goods.service.gov.uk/selectdest
Don't bother with the search, just go through the list and don't force your product into a code it doesn't fit. "Other" is an option for a reason.

Personally, I use 9503000090 for metal minis for the US. The EU has the corresponding code 9503009990. But everywhere is likely to have their own codes.

I think courier exports work differently, dunno I don't export by courier, but that's how Royal Mail want it.

Edit: BTW, I only discovered that each country needs a different code when I was manually entering orders from a Kickstarter and hadn't entered the products into my C&D account. So every time I went to add a product to an order, C&D would suggest a code based on what I'd entered in the product description, but the suggestions were different for each country. The suggestions are bollocks and rewrite your product description (which is unhelpful as the product description does need to be accurate), but you can turn off auto-suggest in the C&D setting somewhere.

Edit: Oh yeah here's the blurb you get if you hover over the 'customs code' field in your C&D product database thingy: "Customs codes are limited to HS6 as greater length HS codes are destination country specific. When adding this product to an order you will be offered an appropriate HS code length and description specific to the destination you are shipping to."

[Fighting15s]

I did look at landed duty calculators for Woocommerce to calculate tax due on US orders. One was $50 a month and calculating the tax was pretty much all it did; the other was $69 a month, and it wouldn't print postage labels for Royal Mail, just labels for way more expensive couriers (even tracked international post at Royal Mail rates is a comparative bargain). Courier rates are usually enough to deter a small order to any country... What it would cost the typical US customer would be way more than a simple 10%.

[zemjw]

stuff got real  - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2p17xypgko

Postal services, including Royal Mail and Germany's DHL, said they would suspend deliveries until they had proper systems in place to deal with the new rules.

Royal Mail said it was withdrawing its current US export services for businesses from Tuesday, but added it hoped to have a new system up and running within two days to allow it to comply with the new rules before they kick in.

[HerbertTarkel]

stuff got real  - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2p17xypgko

This is the way. So much winning.

[Rick]

This is the way. So much winning.

Oh but it is! The International section of the USPS can put it's collective feet up and have a long coffee break for a few days! 
However, Royal Mail has zero sense of humour on the subject - any jokes about a bounced Czech, or the post is in the Czech are met with stony silence (I know, I have Czeched on this!).

[HerbertTarkel]

 

This just received from Canada Post (I have a business account as I sell used guitar stuff). I won’t be selling into the US any longer. 

Quote:

As you may be aware, the United States has suspended its duty-free "de minimis" threshold of US$800 for all countries, including Canada. Starting August 29, 2025, all shipments entering the U.S. must have duties prepaid before crossing the border - regardless of their value.
 
This change, mandated under U.S. Executive Order 14324, applies to all business shipments from Canada, whether sent through the postal system, a Canadian courier, freight provider, or any commercial channel.
 
At Canada Post, we've been working to understand the order, assess options, and secure solutions that will ensure we can maintain continuity for your business. We are moving swiftly to make the necessary updates to ensure your shipments remain compliant and continue moving smoothly across the border.
 
What's changing
 
Goods valued at US$800 or less that are shipped to the United States through the postal network will be subject to an ad valorem duty. This duty will be equal to the effective tariff rate applicable to the product's country of origin under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). For Canada, the current IEEPA rate is 35% for most goods.
 
What this means for your business
 
Starting August 29, 2025, every package shipped from Canada to the U.S. must show proof that duties have been prepaid before the shipment can be accepted for delivery.
 
What this means:
 
•
After this date, Canada Post will only accept U.S.-bound label requests that include a valid Declaration ID - a 13-character code that confirms duties are secured before the shipment is accepted.
 
•
The new U.S. customs regulations will impact your costs, delivery process and customer experience.
 
 
Keeping your shipments moving
 
To meet the new U.S. requirements, we're partnering with Zonos® to collect duties before they enter our network and remit them directly to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
 
What this means:
 
•
You will be able to access this solution through Canada Post's software systems - Snap Ship and Shipping Manager; through our web services and APIs; and at post offices across the country.
 
•
A Zonos Verified Account will be required - information on how to create an account through Canada Post will be coming soon.