VAT Included Does Not Mean “Every Possible Import Charge Included”: Customs, Carrier Fees and the €19 Surprise

There is a sentence that appears remarkably often in international customer service:

“But VAT was included.”

Correct. And there is another sentence which unfortunately does not automatically follow:

“Therefore nobody at the border can ever ask me for another euro.”

International taxation has decided that would be far too straightforward. Instead, an overseas purchase can involve several different charges, collected by different organisations at different stages of the transaction. VAT. Customs duty. Import charges. Carrier clearance fees. Administrative fees. And, as of July 2026, new EU customs rules for low-value imports. They are related. They are not interchangeable. And the jewellery seller in another country does not receive a secret advance copy of the precise bill that La Poste will eventually produce for every parcel. This recently became rather important when a customer in France was asked to pay €19 before collecting an order. The conclusion? The seller obviously knew it would be €19 and had simply neglected to mention it. Because apparently professional jewellers are now also expected to operate as an international customs oracle.

It began with a parcel waiting to be collected

A customer contacted us because their order had not arrived. The tracking showed that delivery had been attempted and that the parcel was awaiting action locally, so we explained that they would need to speak with La Poste about redelivery or collection. The customer then asked whether customs charges might be due. We explained that there most likely would be, but that the charge would come from the relevant postal or customs authority, not from us. The following day, the mystery was solved. La Poste wanted €19. The customer was understandably unimpressed. The bracelets themselves were inexpensive, so €19 felt disproportionately large. They decided not to pay and wanted the parcel returned for a refund. So far, this is frustrating but perfectly understandable. Nobody particularly enjoys discovering that their jewellery has acquired an administrative entourage on its journey through customs. The disagreement came next.

“You knew how much it would be”

The customer insisted that, as a professional seller, we must have known the precise customs fee in advance. We did not. And this is where international ecommerce becomes unnecessarily mysterious. A seller knows certain things. We know:

where the parcel is going
what is inside it
the sale value
the product classification information we provide
whether VAT was collected through the marketplace
the shipping service we selected

We generally do not control the final amount another country's customs authority or postal operator may collect from the recipient. Even La Poste's own guidance says that duties and taxes vary according to factors such as the nature, value and origin of the goods, and that La Poste may also charge management fees for carrying out import formalities. This is not the jeweller quietly adding €19 from Derby and forwarding the invoice under a French logo.

“But you're a professional”

Yes. A jewellery professional. This means we should know things such as: How silver behaves when soldered. How to set stones. How to engrave metal. How to package jewellery correctly for international shipping. How to complete the appropriate customs information. What it does not mean is: We can calculate the precise final border, postal and administrative charges in every country on Earth before their local carrier has calculated them. A professional hotel in Paris does not automatically know the parking charge at your local airport. A professional baker does not know what your bank will charge for converting pounds to euros. Being a professional means being competent within your area of responsibility. It does not confer omniscience regarding every organisation involved downstream. We checked. The silversmith's apron still does not include access to French government databases.

So what should an international seller know?

This is an important distinction. A responsible international seller should know enough to:

correctly describe the contents
declare the proper value
supply required customs information
transmit VAT or IOSS information where applicable
tell customers that additional import charges may apply
avoid falsely promising that no charges will ever be due

That last one matters.A seller should not say:

“There definitely won't be any fees.”

unless the shipping arrangement genuinely guarantees that. Likewise, customers should be warned that they may become responsible for destination-country charges. On Etsy, the current guidance says buyers are generally responsible for customs duties, tariffs, taxes and customs-clearance fees charged on international imports. Etsy also distinguishes VAT collected at checkout from other charges that may arise once the parcel reaches its destination. That is the information a seller can reasonably provide. What we cannot provide is a prophecy.

The great VAT misunderstanding

The customer then pointed out that the listing said: VAT included. Correct. The marketplace had already handled VAT. But VAT is not simply another name for every charge associated with importing something. This is where the terminology matters.

VAT

Value Added Tax. For qualifying lower-value imports into the EU, marketplaces such as Etsy may collect VAT at checkout and remit it through the relevant system. Etsy's own guidance explains that for qualifying goods entering the EU from outside it, VAT can be collected at checkout.

Customs duty

A separate import charge. From 1 July 2026, the EU introduced a temporary €3 customs duty for low-value imported e-commerce consignments, replacing the previous exemption for goods under €150.

Carrier or clearance fees

A postal operator or courier may charge separately for handling customs formalities. La Poste explains that it can levy management fees for import processing and advance customs charges on behalf of the recipient. Three different concepts. Putting the words VAT included on a listing does not magically combine them into one enormous fiscal smoothie.

The €3 problem

The customer had read information referring to a €3 charge. Therefore, understandably:

“Why am I being asked for €19?”

Good question. But the €3 figure does not necessarily mean: The absolute maximum amount anybody can possibly collect is €3. The current EU measure introduced a temporary €3 customs duty on qualifying low-value imports. Depending on the goods and shipment, other amounts may still exist separately, particularly carrier processing or management fees. That is why: € 3 customs duty and € 19 requested by the postal operator do not automatically contradict each other. We cannot determine from the customer's messages alone exactly how La Poste calculated that particular €19. That breakdown belongs to La Poste. Which is precisely the point. The organisation asking for the €19 is the organisation best placed to explain the €19.

A seller cannot explain another company's invoice better than the company that created it

This seems like common sense. If DHL asks you for £22, ask DHL what the £22 consists of. If La Poste asks for €19, La Poste can provide the calculation. If HMRC requests duty, HMRC has the assessment. The seller can provide information about the commercial transaction. They can explain:

“The order value was this.” “VAT was collected here.” “This is the commodity information supplied.”

What they cannot reliably tell you is:

“€3.17 of that invoice is definitely X, €11.80 is Y and €4.03 is Z.”

unless the carrier has actually provided that breakdown. Guessing would be considerably less professional than saying: We don't know. Please ask the organisation charging you.

“But you should have warned me”

This part is entirely fair as a principle. International customers should be warned that import charges may apply. It should not be hidden. It should not be buried somewhere between: Our Story and How to clean silver using moonlight and optimism. Important purchase information should be clear. In this case, the seller's position was that customs and import charges had been disclosed repeatedly across the shop information, listing information, checkout and order correspondence. Etsy itself also tells buyers that international purchases may attract additional customs, duties, tariffs and clearance charges. The customer therefore had every right to dislike the charge. That does not mean the possibility of a charge had been concealed.

Warning about a charge is not the same as quoting the charge

This distinction appears everywhere. A car park says: Charges apply. That tells you parking is not free. It may not tell you exactly what today's total will be until it knows how long you stayed. Your mobile provider says: International roaming fees may apply. That does not mean the person who sold you the phone can predict precisely how much data you will use in Belgium. An international product listing says: Customs and import charges may apply and are the buyer's responsibility. That warns you that buying across a border may involve additional costs. It does not promise that the seller can calculate your local postal authority's eventual invoice before the parcel arrives.

International shopping means importing something

This may sound obvious. But online shopping makes national borders strangely invisible. You click. You pay. The website looks exactly like every domestic website. A parcel appears. It is easy to forget that legally and logistically, a product may have crossed from one customs territory into another. Buying from a UK seller while living in France is not the same transaction as buying from the shop down the road. The internet has removed the sensation of crossing a border. Customs has not received the memo.

Brexit did not abolish geography

For UK businesses selling into the EU, parcels now cross a customs border. That means international customers should check what applies to imports into their own country. Sellers should give sensible general information. Platforms should explain taxes clearly. But customers also need to recognise that the destination country's rules are part of the purchase. This is not uniquely a jewellery issue. Order clothing from abroad. Electronics. Artwork. Books. Collectibles. The same principle applies. Customs is not a surprise optional extra invented specifically because somebody bought two bracelets.

“I refuse to pay it”

Customers are, of course, free to refuse a customs charge. Nobody at the jewellery workshop is going to board a ferry, arrive in France and forcibly escort them to the Post Office. But refusal has consequences. If the carrier will not release the parcel without payment, the customer does not receive it. It may then be returned. It may take a substantial amount of time to make its way through the international return network. And depending on the postal system and circumstances, undeliverable international items can become much more complicated than ordinary tracked returns. This is why refusing a customs charge is not quite the same as clicking: Cancel order. The parcel already exists. It has already travelled internationally. It is sitting inside another country's delivery system. We do not have a remote-controlled reverse button.

Etsy has a position on refusing customs charges too

Current Etsy Purchase Protection guidance says that buyers are responsible for customs and import charges imposed by their country, and that items arriving late or not being received because the buyer delayed or refused to pay charges owed on delivery do not qualify under the Purchase Protection Programme. That is an important distinction. A carrier-lost parcel and a customer refusing customs payment are not the same event. Nor should they be. One is non-delivery caused somewhere in the delivery chain. The other is a customer choosing not to complete the import process because they do not wish to pay the required charge. The customer's frustration may be completely understandable. The cause is still different.

But sellers should not use customs as a shield either

There is a balancing point here. A seller cannot simply say: CUSTOMS! and disappear into a cloud of smoke. If the seller completed the customs declaration incorrectly, that matters. If the marketplace collected VAT but the seller failed to transmit the required information properly and that caused duplicate taxation, investigate it. If the wrong product value was declared, fix the paperwork. If a charge arises because the seller made an administrative error, the customer deserves help. The words buyer responsible for customs " do not mean:seller may complete customs documentation using finger paint. Both sides have responsibilities.

This particular disagreement was about who controlled the amount

The customer believed: You're the seller, therefore you know the amount. The seller's position was: We warned that charges could apply, but we do not set or collect the amount charged by La Poste or French customs. The available official information supports that distinction. La Poste states that customs and import charges can depend on the characteristics of the shipment and also explains that carrier management fees can be added for handling import formalities. Etsy similarly tells shoppers that additional duties, taxes, tariffs and customs-clearance fees may apply to international orders. So the person making the bracelet is not secretly setting the French postal administration fee. An enormous missed business opportunity, perhaps. But no.

“It costs almost as much as the bracelets”

This is probably the most emotionally persuasive part. A €19 charge on a relatively inexpensive purchase feels ridiculous. We completely understand why somebody would look at that and say: Absolutely not. Fixed administrative charges hit low-value purchases especially hard. If you spend €500, a €15 handling fee is annoying. If you spend €25, it suddenly feels like La Poste has requested joint custody of the jewellery. But proportional unfairness does not tell us who imposed the fee. The bracelets cannot negotiate. The seller cannot reduce a charge they do not collect. The customer can refuse it. And sometimes the unfortunate conclusion is simply: This international purchase is no longer economically worthwhile. That is frustrating. It is not necessarily deception.

This is why customers should check before ordering internationally

Not because customers are expected to obtain a doctorate in European customs law.A basic check is enough. Ask:

Is this seller inside or outside my customs territory?
Is VAT being collected at checkout?
Could additional customs duty apply?
Does my postal operator charge clearance or administration fees?
Is the product inexpensive enough that a fixed handling fee would make the purchase unattractive?

The last question is particularly useful. If paying €15 or €20 extra would make you regret the purchase, check before ordering. The seller can tell you what they collect. Your local postal operator can tell you what they may collect. Between the two, you can make an informed decision.

Sellers could make this even clearer

There is a lesson for businesses too.“Customs charges may apply” is technically clear. But many customers interpret it as: Perhaps a couple of euros. Where international carrier fees can sometimes dwarf the actual duty, a stronger warning may be useful:

“For international orders, VAT collected at checkout does not necessarily include customs duties or postal/courier handling fees charged on arrival. These are set by your destination country or carrier and we cannot quote them in advance.”

That one paragraph prevents several misunderstandings. Maybe put it somewhere customers cannot miss. Possibly tattoo it onto the checkout button.

“VAT included” could also be explained better

Rather than: VAT included alone, consider:

VAT included where collected by the marketplace. Additional destination-country customs duties or carrier clearance fees may still apply.

Less elegant.Much harder to misunderstand. Sometimes beautiful website copy must sacrifice itself of avoid a sixteen-message customs argument. A noble death.

The refund question

The seller told the customer that a refund would be processed if the parcel was returned. That distinction is practical. If a customer refuses delivery, the product does not instantly reappear in the seller's stock. It has to physically travel back. Until it does, the seller may not know whether the parcel:

is still awaiting collection
has been redirected
is moving through the return network
has been held by customs
is ultimately returning to sender

International returns can be slow. The seller cannot refund the physical existence of a parcel back into the workshop.

“I will take this to Etsy”

Also entirely allowed. Customers can ask Etsy to review a dispute. Businesses shouldn't be afraid of that. If the seller believes the platform information supports their position, the simplest response is: Of course. Etsy can review the order and correspondence. No drama required. In this case, Etsy's published policy currently states that refusal to pay customs charges can make an order ineligible for Purchase Protection. That does not prevent a customer from asking Etsy for help. It simply means the platform has its own rules about the situation.

Escalation does not change who charged the €19

This is perhaps the recurring theme across customer service disputes. Etsy can review it. The customer can complain. The seller can provide screenshots. Everyone can exchange increasingly lengthy explanations of VAT. But none of this changes a basic factual question: Who requested the money? If La Poste requested €19, then the seller did not levy €19. Whether the customer should have been better warned is a separate question. Whether the customs paperwork was correct is another. Whether they want to continue with the purchase is another. Separating those questions makes the entire problem much easier to understand.

A simple international-shopping glossary

Perhaps attach this to every parcel leaving the country.

Product price: What you paid for the item.

Postage: What it costs to transport the parcel.

VAT: A consumption tax which may be collected at checkout.

Customs duty: A separate charge imposed under import rules.

Carrier handling or clearance fee: What the postal operator or courier may charge to handle customs formalities.

Seller: Person who made your bracelet.

French customs: Not the person who made your bracelet.

That last distinction does quite a lot of administrative work.

The common-sense conclusion

International shopping is wonderfully easy right up until a government remembers that a border exists. The customer ordered bracelets from a UK business. The parcel reached France. La Poste attempted delivery and ultimately required €19 before the customer would collect it. The customer was understandably unhappy because the charge was substantial relative to the purchase. They believed the seller must have known the exact figure in advance. The seller did not.VAT was handled through the marketplace, but VAT is not the same as customs duty or carrier handling fees that may arise after import.

From 1 July 2026, the EU introduced a new temporary €3 customs duty on qualifying low-value imports from outside the EU, separate from VAT. Postal operators may also charge their own customs-processing or management fees. The correspondence does not establish the exact €19 breakdown in this case, so the correct place to obtain that calculation is La Poste, the organisation requesting payment. The customer remained perfectly entitled to decide: At this price, I no longer want the order. What does not follow is: Therefore, the seller secretly set the €19 fee, knew exactly what it would be, and concealed it from me. International sellers should warn customers clearly. Customers should check destination-country charges when those charges could affect whether the purchase is worthwhile. Marketplaces should distinguish VAT from other import costs as clearly as possible. And postal operators should perhaps accept that a €19 surprise attached to inexpensive bracelets is unlikely to generate spontaneous applause.

But most importantly: VAT included does not mean borders included. The seller makes the jewellery. The marketplace may collect the VAT. Customs applies customs rules. The postal operator may charge for customs processing. They are separate organisations doing separate things. And sadly, despite being a professional jewellery company, we still cannot predict what another country's postal service will decide to put on its little card before they put it on themselves.