One of the reasons Sephari exists is to make buying from overseas sellers straightforward and safe for UK shoppers — but it helps to understand the basics of how import charges actually work, so there are no surprises when a parcel arrives.
When you buy something shipped from outside the UK, two separate charges can apply: import VAT and customs duty. Import VAT is charged at the standard UK VAT rate on most goods, calculated on the item’s value plus shipping and any duty owed. Customs duty is a separate charge based on the type of goods and their value, and for many everyday consumer items under a certain value, duty doesn’t apply at all — only VAT does.
In practice, for most low-to-mid value purchases, the seller or marketplace collects VAT at the point of sale, so the price you pay at checkout is the final price, with no surprise charge on delivery. This is how it’s meant to work, and it’s what Sephari is built around — pricing that’s honest upfront, not a lower headline price with a customs bill to follow.
For higher-value items, or purchases made directly from an overseas seller’s own website rather than through a UK-facing marketplace, VAT and duty may instead be collected by the courier on delivery, sometimes with an additional handling fee on top. This is the scenario worth watching for — always check at checkout whether the price shown is the final landed price or just the item cost before it ships.
Exact rates and thresholds are set by HMRC and do change, so for the current official rules, gov.uk is the definitive source rather than any retailer’s summary, including this one. What we can promise is that Sephari’s own pricing is shown as the total landed cost — what you see at checkout is what you pay, with no customs surprises waiting at the door.