[mattieyp3]

I am in the process of purchasing a lens from an owner in Sweden. It will be shipped to the US. Will I pay any import tax? What instructions should I give the seller!? What steps should I follow or is it as simple as having him ship it via his local post office? I need any good advice you can give!

[Oldbayrunner]

to see if you will pay import here is a calculater that will help. New Import Duty & Taxes Calculation | DutyCalculator

Just make sure it is packed well and any post it is shipped make sure there is tracking and insurance. You might expect a delay in US customs so don't be concerned with the time it may take.

[mattieyp3]

Thank you so much. It appears as though if the shipper sends it via the post office, there are no problems or fees. The website you listed is rather helpful though for my future knowledge! Thanks!

[K David]

I order camera stuff from overseas all the time. I've never had to pay import duties or taxes, nor have the sellers. The U.S. is basically better than every other country in the world in that regard. Often my overseas buyers have to pay VAT and other taxes when they receive goods.

I think that in the U.S. you may have to pay taxes on items worth more than $1,000. I know that I decided not to buy a second camera lens on my Japan trip last year in part because if I had bought the 43 1.9 in addition to the 77 1.8 I would have had to declare all my souvenirs from the trip.

[mattieyp3]

Awesome. Thank you sir! It seems like I am in good shape for paying nothing!

[Oldbayrunner]

The duty is determined by HTC code, for lenses the code is 7014.

Mail - Goods requiring duty

What happens if my mailed goods require duty?


Packages sent internationally through the United States Postal Service (USPS) that do not pass free of duty will have a yellow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mail Entry form (CBP 3419A), attached to the outer wrapper. A CBP Officer will have already filled out this form with the item's tariff classification number, rate of duty, processing fee, and the total amount that must be paid in order to take possession of the shipment.

You should keep this yellow form until you are certain that you intend to keep the merchandise.

CBP then sends the parcel back to the United States Postal Service, (USPS) which sends it to a local post office for delivery.

Note: Most personal shipments worth up to $200, and gift packages worth up to $100, will pass duty-free as long as the recipient does not receive multiple packages in a single day whose cumulative value is more than these amounts.



Another factor is if the country the product is imported from is one of the "Duty Free" nations we have a trade agreement with.

I do know if it is shipped via DHL, FedEx etc. and there is a duty and tax fee then they charge a use fee based on a percent of the charges.