Customs & Import Duties: What to Expect Ordering From Serbia
Serbia isn't in the EU, so any handmade piece shipped from our workshop to you crosses an actual customs border — which means the question "will I owe anything on top of the price I paid?" has a real, country-specific answer. Import rules have shifted more than usual over the last year, so here's where things actually stand as of August 2026, region by region.
United States
Through most of 2025, low-value US-bound parcels benefited from the Section 321 "de minimis" exemption, which let shipments under $800 enter duty-free. That exemption was suspended for imports from all countries — not just the countries it was originally targeted at — effective late August 2025. Practically, that means a US buyer should expect duty to apply to a commercial import regardless of the order's value, where previously anything under $800 would have cleared free. The exact amount depends on the product's classification, so it's worth budgeting for it rather than assuming a helmet-value order slips in free.
European Union
The EU dropped its old €22 VAT-free threshold back in 2021 — every commercial import into the EU has incurred VAT since then, regardless of value, and that hasn't changed. On the separate question of customs duty, a €150 duty-free threshold has existed for low-value parcels, though the EU has been actively rolling back low-value exemptions, with a small flat handling fee on low-value parcels phasing in during 2026 ahead of a fuller customs reform targeted for 2028. Since a handmade helmet usually runs above that €150 line anyway, ordinary duty-plus-VAT already applies in most cases. One detail worth knowing: Serbia has a trade agreement with the EU that can give Serbian-origin goods preferential (often reduced or zero) duty treatment, but it isn't automatic — it depends on proper origin paperwork accompanying the shipment, so it's worth asking your seller whether that applies to your order.
United Kingdom
Parcels valued at £135 or under generally owe import VAT but no customs duty, while anything over £135 can owe both, typically collected by the courier before delivery rather than at checkout. There's a proposal to remove the £135 relief entirely, but as of now that reform isn't scheduled to take effect until 2029 — so the current threshold still applies.
Canada
The postal/courier de minimis for goods from a country without a Canadian trade agreement — which includes Serbia — is CAD 20. The higher CAD 40/CAD 150 thresholds you may have read about only apply to goods originating in the US or Mexico under CUSMA, not to Serbian-made goods. In practice, that means most orders will have duty and GST/HST assessed on arrival.
Australia
Australia collects GST on imported goods valued up to AUD 1,000 at the point of sale rather than at the border, when the seller is GST-registered — a system that's been in place since 2018. Orders above that value have GST and duty assessed at the border instead. Worth confirming with your seller which applies to your specific order.
What "DDU" and "DDP" actually mean
You'll sometimes see these terms on international shipping: DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) means the buyer pays any duty, tax and courier fees when the parcel arrives — this is the more common setup for small handmade sellers. DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means the seller has collected and prepaid those charges upfront, so nothing extra is due on delivery. Knowing which applies to your order before you buy avoids a surprise knock at the door.
The part that actually surprises people
The duty or VAT itself is rarely the shock — it's the separate handling fee couriers like DHL, FedEx and UPS charge for fronting that payment to customs on your behalf, sometimes called a "disbursement" or "advancement" fee. On a low-value parcel, this fee can end up larger than the tax it's attached to, and it's the single most common complaint among international buyers of handmade goods. There's no way around it if your shipment is selected for duty assessment, but knowing it exists ahead of time at least means it isn't a surprise.
Practical advice
- Budget an extra 10–25% of your order value for possible duty, VAT and courier fees, and treat it as a pleasant surprise if nothing's owed.
- Keep your order confirmation handy — couriers sometimes ask for proof of the price paid before releasing a parcel.
- If a specific number matters to you (a tight con budget, for example), ask before you order rather than after it ships — customs rules are genuinely complicated and country-specific, and a quick message beats a guess.