international orders: classify, assign duties, declare right

business · 2026-10-13 · 6 min

international selling is where shopify's guides go generic and stale articles go dangerous: duties, VAT, and product rules change yearly (EU's €3-per-item low-value duty from july 2026; new product ID requirements from november 2026). the practical workflow competitors describe in principle but never operationalize: classify, decide who pays, show it at checkout, declare correctly.

step 1: classify before selling

every product needs an HS code (six-digit international + EU eight-digit combined nomenclature) and origin data — shopify warns incomplete data means penalties, delays, seizure, or denied import. check prohibitions per destination (food, cosmetics, electronics, wood — each regulated differently). know YOUR margins under duties (a €20 item with €3 duty + VAT + shipping needs pricing math, not hope).

step 2: decide who pays, show it early

DDP (you collect at checkout — smooth buyer experience, complex setup) vs DAP (buyer pays on delivery — simple setup, angry surprises). hybrids: duties estimator at checkout (shopify's recommended pattern). state it before payment ALWAYS — surprise customs bills generate the angriest reviews in ecommerce, and international surprises abandon hardest. your shipping policy page is a conversion asset: write it like one.

step 3: declare correctly, ship tracked

customs forms: exact contents (what, material, purpose — vague labels get stopped), quantity, value, weight. tracked + insured (lost international parcels without tracking are write-offs with postage). country guides from YOUR carrier outrank any blog — including this one — because rules are per-lane and per-month. date-stamp every international procedure you publish; undated guides are how 2021 rules ship 2026 parcels.

FAQ

start with which countries?

one or two lanes you understand (language, rules, carrier reliability), expand by evidence. worldwide-shipping toggles on day one are how small shops learn customs law expensively.

VAT vs duty — both?

often both, separately calculated: VAT on value, duty by classification — the EU €3 measure is duty, distinct from VAT. checkout must show (or clearly assign) each. when confused, the commission's Access2Markets portal is primary; your accountant is secondary; forums are last.