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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Ordering electronics, clothing, or auto parts from American sites has long been a familiar activity for many of us. Amazon, eBay, 6pm, or auctions like Copart lure with prices and assortment that is often not available in Ukraine.
But shipping from American stores is always a bit of a lottery with customs, especially when it comes to expensive purchases. Let’s figure out under what rules parcels pass through the border right now, how to correctly calculate taxes, what new laws will change, and why small-scale shopping abroad may soon lose its former advantage.
Duty-free limit – the golden threshold in €150
The main rule to remember before you press the “place order” button is the threshold at €150 . If the total value of items in your box does not exceed this amount, the parcel passes customs without any additional payments.
Be careful if you order a lot at once. If you send several parcels from one seller to your name and they end up at the Ukrainian customs terminal on the same day, they may be consolidated. If their total exceeds €150 — you’ll have to pay tax.
And if you're sent a personal gift from a private individual (for example, relatives from the USA), the duty-free limit is much stricter — only €45.
How the overcharge works
The most important good news is that the state does not take a percentage of the total value of the goods. Taxes are assessed only on the amount that exceeds €150.
The formula consists of two parts:
Import duty (10%) — is taken from the excess amount.
VAT (20%) — is calculated from the excess amount, to which 10% duty has already been added.
Let’s look at a real example. Imagine you ordered a new tablet from the USA for $260 (according to NBU rate this is approximately €230 ).
Your excess over the norm is: €230 − €150 = €80.
First, the customs calculates 10% duty on this excess — that’s €8.
Then we add the duty to the excess (€80 + €8 = €88) and take from this amount 20% VAT — that’s €17,60.
Bottom line: for customs clearance of a tablet you will have to pay €25,60 (in hryvnias at the day’s exchange rate).
If you buy something small, for example sneakers for $140 (~€125), you fully stay within the limit and pay exactly 0 hryvnias in taxes.
Why might exemptions for small purchases be canceled?
A bill under discussion in parliament, № 15460, could significantly change the rules. As part of IMF requirements and adaptation to European Union law, Ukraine plans to abolish the exemption that relieves VAT on goods up to €150.
What does this mean in practice? If the reform is adopted, VAT at 20% will have to be paid practically from the first dollar for any purchase in a foreign online store. At the same time, 10% duty will be kept only for parcels more expensive than €150. That is, ordering a cheap phone case or a T-shirt from the USA will become noticeably more expensive, since the tax will be included in the price right at purchase through international services.
Who will this affect the most?
The changes and customs rules will primarily hit several categories of buyers:
Gadget enthusiasts
Laptops, smartphones, photography gear, or PC components almost always cost more than €150, so customs clearance becomes an inevitable expense.
Automobilists
Those who buy used cars at U.S. auctions and order original used or new parts will feel the price hike for every component.
Fans of quality clothing
Buying several branded items in one order easily exceeds the duty-free limit.
Small business
Entrepreneurs who previously bought small batches of goods for resale under different individuals’ names without paying taxes will no longer be able to use this scheme.
Why is the state taking these steps?
The main reason is to protect the domestic market and replenish the budget. Ukrainian retailers pay 20% VAT on each product sold inside the country. When consumers buy abroad tax-free, it creates unequal conditions for local businesses and stimulates capital flight abroad.
By the way, this is not purely a Ukrainian trend. In the European Union, which last year received nearly 6 billion in duty-free small packages (mostly from China and the USA), the threshold at €22 was also completely abolished and they are now planning to close the last loopholes. The world is finally saying goodbye to the era of completely tax-free online shopping.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Покупки в США у 2026 році: скільки коштує посилці перетнути кордон і чому платити доведеться більше?". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: CRIMINAL UKRAINE.
