International Shipping: Duty Thresholds and Real Cost

What clears customs free into each destination, what the buyer pays above that line, and which service carries the parcel for the least.

A Priority Mail International parcel carries PS Form 2976-A (CP 72) inside a PS Form 2976-E envelope on the outside of the box. Light, low-value parcels use the short PS Form 2976. Customs, forms and duties covers which is which.
The price of an international label is rarely the price of the shipment. Each destination sets a value threshold below which a parcel clears without duty or tax, and above it the buyer is billed on delivery. A parcel that arrives with a surprise bill gets refused, so the threshold matters as much as the postage. These 8 guides cover both.

I'd Ship That prints discounted USPS and UPS labels with the customs declaration built into the same flow, so the form is completed before the label is bought rather than at the counter.

Declare the real contents and the real value. A declaration that understates either is what turns a routine clearance into a held parcel.

Routes from the US to the 6 destination guides, each marked with the value line that guide turns on, in the currency the guide states it.

Destination guides

6 countries. Each row names the value line its guide turns on, and the service its table recommends.

For every destination

The cheapest international services, and the forms and duty math that apply wherever the parcel goes.

Where to Go Next#

Cheapest way to ship an item
Packing and service picks, item by item.
Rates by service
Zone and weight breaks for each USPS and UPS service.
Carrier comparisons
Where the cheaper carrier flips between two options.
Cost by package weight
What a package costs at each weight tier.
Guides by selling platform
Which service each marketplace expects.

Ship Worldwide for Less#

Discounted international rates with customs forms built in. See the full price before you buy.

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