Will I Have to Pay Taxes or Import Duties?

Note: DIY Packraft does not guarantee the accuracy of the following information. 

Taxes in the DIY Packraft Shop

DIY Packraft is required to collect taxes only on orders shipped within Canada. Shipments to Canada will be charged 5% GST at the time of purchase. Shipments to British Columbia incur an additional 7% PST at the time of purchase.

Orders shipped outside of Canada will not be taxed at the time of purchase, but may be taxed during import (see below).

Customs Duties & Import Taxes

Some countries require you to pay import taxes when you receive a product through the mail from a different country. The amount of tax is typically a percentage of the amount you paid for the product, or a percentage of the total amount you paid for the product plus shipping. Sometimes they also charge a processing fee. For many countries, there is a value below which no taxes are applied (this varies widely between countries – see examples below).

Avoiding Import Taxes & Fees

For international shipments, DIY Packraft is required to fill out a customs form indicating the value of the shipment’s contents.

I know it seems like a small thing to ask me to declare a lower value on the customs form, but you are asking me to commit a crime (fraud), so I cannot agree in writing to do it. If I did declare a lower value on the customs form I would not be able to attach an invoice to the parcel (I cannot change the numbers on an invoice), and even though an invoice is not always required by Customs, I have had a couple of parcels returned from Europe because there was no invoice attached, so now I always attach one unless you ask me not to.

Import fees by country:

• Shipments to the United States should not incur any taxes or import duties.
• Shipments to Australia valued less than $1000 AUD should not incur any taxes or import duties.
• Shipments to New Zealand valued less than $400 NZD (including shipping) should not incur any taxes or import duties (2019).
• Shipments to the European Union will probably be taxed at the local tax rate plus a processing fee. Note that the tax is usually calculated based on the total cost of the products and shipping combined, not just the cost of the products.
  • Here’s some information from a customer in Germany at the end of 2019: “If the value of the package including shipment is less than 500 Euro a tax (Einfuhrumsatzsteuer) of 19% will apply. If it’s more than 500 Euro there will be additional 2.7% custom tax (that might change regarding to the custom officer, it seemed to be quite difficult for them to determine in which category a packraft kit belongs…).” This forum post is another detailed report about receiving a DIY Packraft kit in Germany in 2020.
  • A customer in Spain sent this information from an invoice as an example in 2021:
    • PRESUPUESTO DE IMPORTACIÓN DEL ENVÍO
      SUPLIDOS Liquidación Real
      Partida: BOLSAS DE PLASTICO Valor: 237,08 €
      Derechos de aduana sobre productos industriales 15,41 €
      IVA Importación 252,49 € 21% 53,02 €
      TOTAL SUPLIDOS 68,43 €
    • SERVICIOS PRESTADOS POR CORREOS
    • Gastos por gestión DUA 20,35 €
      Gastos por manipulación 4,86 €
      IVA (Gastos de gestión) 21% sobre 25,21 € 5,29 €
      TOTAL PRESUPUESTO A PAGAR 98,93 €
• Also check the comments posted below.

If you have experience receiving parcels from DIY Packraft in a specific country, please post a comment here so others can learn from your experience.