The bag is the easy part. You have checked the condition rank, verified the authentication, and the price is clear. Then a message arrives from the courier a few days after you order: import charges are due before your parcel can be delivered. For many first-time buyers of secondhand luxury from Japan, this is the moment of confusion — not because the charges are unusual, but because nobody explained them in advance.
This guide explains the whole journey: how a pre-owned bag travels from Japan to your door, who pays import duties and taxes, roughly what they cost in major countries, and how to keep customs from delaying your delivery.
How your bag travels: from Japan to your door
At BRAND GET, every order ships by DHL Express with full tracking, free of charge, anywhere in the world. Parcels leave from Japan or from our Hong Kong warehouse, depending on where the piece is stocked — you will see the origin on your tracking page. Typical delivery time is 3 to 10 days from dispatch, depending on your country and how quickly your parcel clears customs.
Free shipping covers the transport itself: pickup, international carriage, and delivery to your address. What it does not cover — at almost every retailer in the world, not just ours — is the import taxes your own country charges when goods enter it. That is the part the rest of this guide explains.
Who pays import duties and taxes?
The buyer does. When a parcel crosses a border, the destination country may charge:
- Customs duty — a percentage of the goods' value, set by the product classification. Leather handbags fall under HS code 4202.21 in most countries.
- VAT or GST — your country's sales tax, usually calculated on the value of the goods plus the duty (and, in some countries, plus the shipping cost).
- A courier handling fee — DHL pays the charges to customs on your behalf so the parcel keeps moving, and adds a modest processing fee for doing so.
We declare every parcel at its actual purchase value. We are sometimes asked to declare a lower amount to reduce the tax bill: we cannot do that. Under-declaring is a customs offence in most countries; it can lead to the parcel being seized, fines for the recipient, and problems with any future imports. An honest declaration also protects you — if a parcel is ever lost or damaged, compensation is based on the declared value.
What will it actually cost? Examples by destination
Exact amounts are calculated by your country's customs at arrival, and rates change. These examples for a leather handbag give you the right order of magnitude:
- European Union — Duty on leather handbags is typically 3%. VAT is charged at your country's rate (19–27%; e.g. 21% in Romania, 20% in France, 19% in Germany). Shipments from outside the EU are taxed from the first euro — there is no tax-free threshold for VAT.
- United States — Since 2025, the US no longer lets most low-value parcels enter duty-free, so plan on duty applying to your purchase. Leather handbags commonly fall in the ~10% duty range; DHL will calculate the exact figure and collect it before delivery.
- United Kingdom — VAT at 20% applies to imports; customs duty is added for goods above £135 in value.
- Australia — GST of 10% applies; parcels over AUD 1,000 go through a formal customs entry.
- Canada — GST/HST and, for many leather goods, duty apply; the courier collects both on delivery.
A useful rule of thumb: budget roughly 10–30% on top of the purchase price for import charges, depending on your country, so the courier's payment request never comes as a surprise. Your national customs website publishes the exact rates for HS 4202.21 if you want to calculate precisely before ordering.
At customs: what happens, step by step
- Your parcel arrives in your country and enters customs with the invoice and declared value we attached.
- Customs assesses duty and VAT. DHL pays on your behalf so clearance is not held up.
- DHL contacts you — by email and SMS — with the amount and a link to pay online. Pay promptly: parcels held too long can incur storage fees, and unpaid parcels are eventually returned.
- Once paid, the parcel is released and delivered, usually within a day or two.
Most delays we see are not customs being slow — they are small paperwork issues: a phone number the courier cannot reach, or a local tax ID that was not provided.
The customs risk nobody mentions: authenticity checks
There is a second clearance risk that has nothing to do with taxes. Customs officers process thousands of parcels a day, and they are not luxury authenticators — they cannot reliably tell a genuine vintage bag from a good fake. What they can do is act on suspicion: under intellectual-property border rules in the EU, the US, the UK and many other countries, goods suspected of being counterfeit can be detained for inspection, and seized and destroyed if they cannot be shown to be genuine.
For a buyer of pre-owned luxury this is an uncommon but real risk — and the more common version of it is delay: a parcel held for verification can sit for days or weeks while the brand's representatives are consulted.
This is why we recommend that a bag always travels with its authentication certificate. A certificate from a recognised service such as Entrupy records that this exact item was examined and verified, and it can be checked online by its certificate number — which gives a customs officer something concrete to verify on the spot, instead of a suspicion to escalate. Every retail purchase from BRAND GET already includes the item's certificate, and certificates are available for wholesale orders as well. When your parcel arrives, keep the certificate with the bag: it is also your strongest document for insurance, resale, and any future authenticity question.
The details your country may ask for
Some countries require the recipient's tax identifier before a parcel can clear:
- Romania — your CNP (personal numeric code); DHL will request it after arrival if it is missing.
- Brazil — your CPF.
- EU businesses — an EORI number is required for commercial imports.
- South Korea — a Personal Customs Clearance Code.
If your country works this way, giving us the number when you order — or replying to DHL immediately when they ask — saves days. Keep an eye on the email address and phone number you used at checkout during the delivery window.
How to keep the total cost predictable
- Budget for taxes before you buy, using the examples above or your customs authority's calculator.
- Order in your own name and address exactly as they appear on your ID — mismatches are a common cause of holds.
- Respond to the courier's payment request the same day; clearance moves fast once charges are settled.
- Keep the invoice and tracking number until the parcel is in your hands — they are your reference for any customs question.
If you are still deciding, our complete guide to buying secondhand luxury bags from Japan covers choosing, authenticating and grading a piece before shipping ever comes into it.
Shipping & import duties — frequently asked questions
Is shipping really free?
Yes — worldwide DHL Express shipping from BRAND GET is free and fully tracked. Import duties and taxes charged by your country are separate and are paid by the buyer on arrival, as explained above.
How long does delivery take?
Typically 3 to 10 days from dispatch, depending on destination. Most of that time the parcel is in transit; customs clearance usually adds a day or two, longer if the courier is waiting on a tax ID or payment from you.
Do you offer DDP (duties prepaid)?
No. Duties and VAT are collected in your country on delivery, which is how most Japanese resellers ship. This keeps the checkout price simple and the declaration accurate.
Can you declare a lower value or mark the parcel as a gift?
No. Every parcel is declared at its actual purchase value, with a commercial invoice — including for gifts, since customs assesses goods by what was paid for them, not by the label on the box.
We explain this in full because the risks of a false declaration fall mainly on the recipient:
- Seizure — customs can confiscate goods declared at a false value, with no compensation at all.
- Fines and penalties — in many countries the recipient, not the sender, is legally liable for a false declaration, and penalties can run to several times the tax that was avoided.
- No real protection if something goes wrong — if a parcel is lost or damaged, compensation is calculated from the declared value. A bag declared at a fraction of its price is covered for only that fraction.
- Your import record — a flagged declaration can mean extra inspections and delays on your future imports.
- "Gift" marking does not remove tax — most countries tax gifts above a low threshold at the same rates as purchases, and a shop shipment marked as a gift is itself a red flag to customs.
An accurate declaration keeps the parcel moving, keeps you fully covered, and keeps the tax bill limited to what is actually owed.
Can customs seize my bag as a suspected fake?
Customs can detain goods they suspect are counterfeit, and seize them if authenticity cannot be established. A genuine bag travelling with its authentication certificate — verifiable online by its certificate number — is the simplest way to resolve that suspicion quickly. Every BRAND GET retail order ships with the item's certificate for exactly this reason.
What happens if I don't pay the import charges?
The parcel stays with customs or the courier, storage fees may apply, and it will eventually be returned to us. Paying promptly when DHL contacts you is the simplest way to avoid all of this.
Where do orders ship from?
From Japan or from our Hong Kong warehouse, depending on where the item is stocked. Either way, shipping is by DHL Express with tracking, and the same import rules of your country apply on arrival.
Ready to browse? Start with this week's new arrivals, or explore Louis Vuitton and Chanel — every piece is authenticated, honestly graded, and ships free worldwide.