Taxes, duties and commercial invoice

When you send a parcel abroad, you don't just pay for the transport: the customs of the destination country also charges import duties, taxes and tariffs. This is known as Total import cost. Knowing it and configuring it correctly will help you:

• Avoid surprises of extra charges on delivery.
• Give clear final prices to your customers.
• Reduce delays and customs returns.

Choose who will pay the taxes

From the drop-down menu choose who pays the customs charges

• Shipper (DDP - Delivered Duty Paid) You pay taxes and duties at the time of generating the waybill. Your customer receives the package without any additional paperwork or payment.
• Delivered At Place (DAP) Your customer pays the taxes upon receipt of the package. The courier charges you before delivery.

ℹ️ If you sell online, always select Sender (DDP). This way you charge everything in your checkout and ensure that your customer receives without paying anything extra.

Practical example

Imagine you sell 3 cotton T-shirts to a customer in the United States:

• Unit price: $20 USD.
• Total products: $60 USD.
• International shipping: $15 USD.
• Taxes calculated by customs: $12 USD.

With DDP (Paid Sender)

Your customer pays $87 USD in your store (all inclusive). The package travels with no surprises and arrives directly to your home.

With DAP (Payee)

Your customer pays $75 USD in your store (products + shipping), but upon arrival in the U.S. you must pay for $12 additional USD to the parcel service to release the package.

⚠️ With DAP you run the risk of your customer refusing the shipment if he is not willing to pay that extra $12 USD.

Generate waybill and download commercial invoice

Once you have configured who will pay the duties and taxes (DDP or DAP), check that all the information for your shipment is correct and click on Generate guide.

In this screen you will see:

• Confirmation that your guide was successfully created.
• The option of upload evidence of shipment (we recommend uploading a photo of each package as a backup in case of incidents).
• Access to download your shipping guide.
• The notice that your commercial invoice was generated correctly.

ℹ️ We recommend that you upload evidence of the package to help you resolve any claims or unforeseen issues with the parcel.

Download commercial invoice

Commercial invoice is a mandatory document for all international shipments. It is the one that customs checks to calculate taxes and confirm that your package meets import requirements.

Once the guide has been created, it is necessary to download the commercial invoice. This document is mandatory and must be provided to the carrier.

• Click Print guide in the confirmation of your shipment.
• The system will download a PDF that includes:
  • The waybill
  • Commercial invoice
  • Additional documents (if applicable)
• Print the invoice in three copies and give them to the carrier along with your package.
• Although many destinations use Paperless Trade (PLT) (electronic delivery of the invoice), we recommend that you always submit hard copies.

Check that the data are consistent

Customs will compare the commercial invoice with what you declared on the waybill. Make sure they match:

• The declared value must be identical in both documents.
• The description must be in English, clear and detailed.
• The export motive (sale, gift, sample, return, warranty) must match what is selected.

⚠️ If the data does not match, your shipment may be held or returned by customs.