What will I really pay to have a parcel forwarded?

When you have a parcel forwarded for the first time, you often look at just one number: the shipping price. But the real bill has three parts, and two of them are not set by us. This article puts all three side by side, so you know the bottom line before you order.

We deliberately give no amounts for our own rates here. They change from time to time, and the calculator on our site always uses the current table. What you will find here: which items exist, who collects them, and which costs you will never run into with us.

The bill in three parts

Part one is the product price at the Dutch web shop. Dutch VAT is already included, because the shop delivers to a Dutch address: ours. You pay that VAT to the shop, and as a private customer you do not get it back, even if the parcel then travels on to Switzerland or Canada.

Part two is our price per shipment. It consists of handling — receiving, checking, bundling, preparing the customs documents — plus the carrier's shipping label and the packaging. All of it is shown up front in the calculator, based on the weight, dimensions and country you enter. Check it before you order, and you know the amount before anything is on its way.

A worked example, step by step

Say you live in Norway and order a coat from a Dutch web shop. Step one: you pay the shop the retail price, including Dutch VAT, and have it delivered to your DZH address. Step two: we register the parcel in your account; you see the weight and dimensions and choose a carrier in the calculator. The amount shown there is the amount you pay us.

Step three takes place in Norway. Norwegian customs calculates Norwegian VAT and possibly import duty on the value of the coat (the shop price, usually plus the shipping cost). The carrier collects that on delivery, sometimes with a fixed clearance fee on top. A country may have a threshold below which nothing is charged; if your shipment stays under it, step three almost disappears.

Outside the EU: what your country's customs adds

Within the EU there is no step three: a parcel to Germany, France or Spain passes no customs and nothing is added on delivery. Outside the EU there is. Your own country charges its VAT or sales tax on import, often import duty that varies by product type, and the carrier sometimes adds a clearance fee. Those three amounts are not in our price: your country's customs only sets them at import.

What we do: prepare the customs documents so that nobody has to guess. We always declare the actual purchase value, with your invoice from the web shop as proof. We never declare a lower value — that is fraud, the insurance then only covers the declared value, and customs may hold the parcel.

What are not hidden costs with us

Your address costs nothing, registering parcels costs nothing, there is no subscription and no minimum term: you only pay per shipment you actually send. Every shipment is insured up to €99 as standard; if you want higher cover, you choose it yourself and see the surcharge in advance. Anything else that may come on top is also on the page before you choose: storage after the included days, and an extra parcel when you bundle.

Frequently asked questions