The short answer: Since the end of the US de minimis exemption, imports of any value from France are subject to customs duties, calculated as a percentage of declared value that varies by product category (HS code). With a DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) forwarder like VoilaShip, those duties are estimated and included in the shipping price up front — nothing is owed on delivery.
The one idea that matters: DDP
DDP means Delivered Duty Paid — duties are calculated and paid before your package flies, so it clears US customs without anyone chasing you for a bill at the door. Every VoilaShip quote is DDP. The number you see is the number you pay.
That's the whole point of this guide: with us, you don't have to become a customs expert. But duties are now the single biggest variable in cross-border shopping, so if you like to know how the sausage is made, read on.
De minimis is over — the change that rewrote the rules
For years, the de minimis provision let shipments valued under $800 enter the US duty-free. It's why forwarding felt "tax-free": practically every personal package sailed under the threshold.
That exemption has been eliminated. Today, shipments of any value are dutiable — the €60 skincare order and the €600 handbag alike. This changed the market overnight:
- Couriers now assess duty on virtually every package.
- "Cheap" shipping-only quotes grew a hidden second act: the courier pays customs for you, then invoices you the duty plus a brokerage/disbursement fee (typically $10–20) after delivery.
- Forwarders split into two camps: those who let that surprise bill happen, and those who price everything up front. We're the second kind — it's the honest way to do this now.
How US import duty is actually calculated
Two inputs, one multiplication:
- The product category — every good has an HS (Harmonized System) code, and each code carries a duty rate. On top of the base ("MFN") rate, current trade measures add surtaxes on many EU-origin goods.
- The declared value — the real price you paid, in the currency you paid it.
Duty = value × (category rate + applicable surtax). That's the whole formula.
Typical all-in duty ranges by category
Estimates for French-origin goods at current rates — your quote computes the live figure per item:
| Category | Typical total duty | Notes | |---|---|---| | Cosmetics & skincare | low — a few % + surtax | The forwarding sweet spot | | Books & media | minimal | Often near-free of base duty | | Fragrance | moderate | See our perfume guide | | Apparel & knitwear | higher — teens + surtax | The Sézane tax, alas | | Leather bags | moderate-high | Polène buyers, budget it in | | Footwear | varies wildly by construction | Sneakers vs leather soles differ | | Gourmet food (shelf-stable) | low-moderate | Chocolate travels cheap | | Electronics | often base-free | Surtaxes may still apply |
Two practical takeaways: skincare and books barely feel duties, while apparel and leather deserve a quick calculator check before you fall in love with a total.
Three worked examples
- €80 City Pharma skincare order (~1 kg): duties add roughly $12–18. Combined with $27 Economy transport, the landed total still beats US retail by a wide margin.
- €150 Sézane knitwear order (~1 kg): apparel's higher band means $25–40 in duties. Still worth it for pieces the US site doesn't carry — and you see the exact figure before paying.
- €250 Polène bag (~1.2 kg): leather lands around $40–60. The bag is still cheaper than US resale prices, but this is the category where DDP transparency matters most.
Declaring honestly (it protects you, not just us)
The temptation to under-declare died with de minimis — there's no threshold left to duck under, and the risks were never worth it:
- CBP reassesses and penalizes. Flagged parcels sit for weeks, get re-valued at market price, and can be seized. The importer of record — you — carries the penalty.
- Insurance pays the declared value. A $300 bag declared at $50 is insured for $50.
- The savings are trivial. Shaving €30 off a declaration saves a few dollars of duty and risks the entire shipment.
Declare the real price, pick the right category (our checkout makes it a dropdown), and we generate the commercial invoice automatically in the format FedEx and CBP expect.
What DDP saves you, concretely
Without DDP, the courier advances the duty and bills you afterwards — duty plus a disbursement fee of $10–20 per shipment. On a €80 order, that fee alone can add 25% to your real cost, invoiced when the package is already at your door and refusing it means losing everything.
With DDP: one price in the calculator, before you commit, estimate included. If our estimate runs slightly under the final assessment, that's our margin problem — not your doorbell problem.
FAQ
Is there any way to avoid duties legally? No — and anyone claiming otherwise is describing customs fraud. What you can do: favor low-duty categories (skincare, books), consolidate to spread fixed transport costs, and always know the all-in figure before buying.
Do duties apply to second-hand items, like Vinted finds? Yes — duty applies to declared value regardless of the item being used. The good news: used items have honest lower values, so duties are proportionally small.
What about sales tax? Import duty isn't sales tax; states don't collect sales tax on personal imports at the border. The duty estimate in your quote is the full government take.
Rates keep changing — how current is my quote? The calculator applies the rates in force when you quote, and your paid price is locked. Trade policy moves; your total, once paid, doesn't.
Bottom line
US duties on French goods aren't scary — they're a percentage by category, now applied to everything since de minimis ended. The only real trap is finding out at your door. With DDP, you never do: one honest price, customs cleared before the plane lands, and the box just arrives. Voilà.