A Guide to Duties and Taxes
You may be charged customs duties and taxes for products purchased from ZimSeller because:
Duties and taxes are most typically not included in the price of the goods you purchase online, and are not included in the overall shipping costs you pay to us when you place an order on our website.
When purchasing goods online, the products will not originate in the country you reside in (all our products are shipped from South Africa), therefore may be subject to a customs duty, which is a tariff or tax imposed on goods when transported across international borders.
When goods are not shipped domestically (within your country) or within a single customs union, such as the European Union, you are liable to pay any inbound duties and taxes which your local customs authority deems appropriate.
To ensure the courier can deliver your goods in shortest possible time after entering your country or customs union, the courier usually pays the customs authority on your behalf for any duties and taxes that are due on the goods.
Once the duties and taxes are fully repaid to the courier the goods will then be delivered to you
What is payable, if anything, depends on the type of goods, their transactional value and the weight of the package
When buying goods on ZimSeller, you should always check with the customs authorities in your country whether:
They are allowed in your country, i.e. is it legal to import them
Any duties will be charged on the products, if so, how much
They can be imported from outside your customs union zone.
Importing medicine into the UK from South Africa is rarely a problem, especially if delivered by the Post Office, so customers in the UK need not worry. However, the situation in other countries (e.g. Germany, France, etc.) is quite different and one needs to consult the respective customs officials about the legality of importing medicine before placing an order online. There is no compensation for any losses incurred when goods are seized, confiscated or destroyed by Customs, not even when they tell you that the parcel has been returned to sender.
Please be guided accordingly!
