Why DutyVAT exists

The problem

Online shopping made cross-border parcels feel local. A product page shows a price, checkout adds shipping, and a few days later the parcel appears to be on its way. The hard part often arrives at the end: a carrier message asking for customs duty, import VAT, a national fee, or a clearance charge before delivery.

That last-minute bill is not just annoying. It changes the real price of the order. A cheap T-shirt can stop looking cheap once VAT is calculated on the customs value. A small parcel can become more expensive when the destination country has a statutory charge or the carrier adds a separate clearance fee. And from the July 2026 EU reform, more low-value parcels from outside the EU need duty estimated before the shopper commits to the purchase.

DutyVAT exists because that cost should be visible before checkout, not after the parcel is already moving.

What we built

DutyVAT turns a cart into a receipt. You choose a destination, pick the closest tracked tariff classification or item type, enter the item value and shipping, and the calculator estimates the lines that can make up the landed cost: declared value, customs duty, import VAT, and the statutory national charge modeled for that country.

The result is deliberately itemised. We do not hide everything behind one “estimated fees” number because the order matters. For EU destinations, VAT is calculated after duty: goods plus shipping, plus customs duty, then import VAT. If a country has a modeled statutory fee, such as Italy's dated €2 administrative contribution or Romania's RON 25 logistics levy, DutyVAT keeps it as its own line instead of blending it into tax.

The country pages explain the local context as well. The Italy calculator separates the administrative contribution from Poste Italiane clearance charges that may apply separately. The France calculator explains that the French €2 TPC applied from 1 March to 30 June 2026 and is suspended since 1 July 2026. The Poland calculator shows estimates in złoty, while still explaining euro-denominated EU thresholds in plain language.

That structure makes the estimate easier to challenge, compare, and update. If a carrier invoice disagrees, you can see whether the difference came from the HS classification, the declared value, VAT, or a carrier-specific charge.

How to read the estimate

The most useful line is often not the final total. It is the line that explains why the total changed. If two destinations use the same product value but different VAT rates, the VAT line tells that story immediately. If Romania adds a statutory logistics levy or Italy shows a dated administrative contribution, that separate line shows the country rule instead of making the total feel arbitrary.

What we are not

DutyVAT is not a customs broker, not a marketplace, and not an official customs authority. We do not make a binding classification decision, collect tax, or promise that a carrier will invoice the exact same number. The final treatment always belongs to customs, the broker, or the carrier handling the parcel.

We also do not pretend every cost can be known from a product description alone. Some charges depend on the shipment channel, the party liable for import VAT, the carrier's own clearance service, or a rule that is still being implemented. When the data does not support an automatic line, the page says so instead of guessing. That is why France's TPC is explained as conditional, and why carrier clearance or dossier fees are described as fees that may apply separately.

What DutyVAT does provide is a transparent planning layer. It takes the rules that can be modeled, shows the calculation line by line, and gives shoppers a clearer sense of whether the checkout price is still worth it.

For now, the focus is practical: common low-value parcels, the EU's 2026 customs shift, and country pages that explain the local destination rules. Start with the homepage calculator, then compare destination pages such as Germany, Spain, or Sweden when you want to see how VAT rates and modeled charges change the receipt.