Last updated 21st February 2026
All US tariffs and associated fees are now prepaid for purchases made via our website, Etsy and Ebay. Standard tariff fees and charges are automatically added to postage prices and itemised on your customs forms which will be attached to your parcel.
Our DDP Postage Services (Delivered Duty Paid) – Usually 1-2 weeks delivery time
This is the service we are currently using for our own website, Etsy and Ebay for sales to the US. If you have placed an order with us through our website, Etsy or Ebay then you have paid for this service and paid your tariff fees in advance and have nothing else to worry about! This prepaid duty services is via La Poste in France and USPS in the US. Delivery typically takes 1-2 weeks if there are no delays at customs.
When you purchase an item from us through a third party such as Etsy or Ebay at time of purchase you will pay the item cost plus the delivery cost, plus state tax if applicable. Your tariff fees are added onto your postal cost. Etsy and Ebay have no way of itemising tariff charges (they want to add it onto their bottom lines to improve sales numbers and charge us commissions!). If you want to know how much tariffs and fees you have paid just get in touch and we will let you know. It will be itemised on the customs forms attached to your parcel.. An example breakdown of costs follows:
- You purchase an item for $100 and it cost $100 to ship it. A total of $200.
- You pay a tariff charge of 15% on the item which is included in your postage charge. So in this example $15.
- You pay a fee for processing your tariff to the courier (usually about 2.5%) which is included in your postage charge. So $2.50 in this example.
- On third party sites such as Etsy and Ebay you pay an extra 10-15% to help cover the fees and taxes we are charged by third party sites for accepting and processing your tariff fees (this is typically 25-35%). This is included in your postage charge. Note this fee is not charged when purchasing direct from us. So in this example – $15.
- In this example you now pay an extra $32.50 in tariffs and fees when buying via third party websites but only $17.50 when buying direct from us. It’s cheaper to buy direct as we don’t have to pay third party fees and income tax on your tariff fees (commission rates we pay to third party sites are typically 25-35% on postage and item cost).
Things to consider for DDP packages:
As always please carefully read item descriptions and check all photos before making a purchase. Vintage and antique items will often have wear and damage from previous use and age. A return would be complex and expensive for you and us. It would be best to avoid any chance of that.
This is a signed for service which means somebody will need to be present to sign for the package. If you miss the delivery you will need to arrange re-delivery or collection from a local USPS branch. It is very important to watch your tracking. No refunds can be issued for an unclaimed parcel.
Further reading:
On the 31st of July 2025 President Trump signed an executive order that removes ‘de minimis’ for imported goods from every country beginning August 29th. Every item being imported into the US from the EU will have a tariff rate applied which is payable by the importer (the buyer). Previously tariffs were only applied to purchases over $800 (‘de minimis’).
The situation may be more complex than that for some buyers. It’s not the country where the item is shipped from that matters, but the country of manufacture of the item. Also be aware that depending on which material the item was made from, this could also result in a different, or even additional tariff rate being applied; for instance, copper has a specific 50 % tariff rate unless it is raw. More information here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/sellercentre/global-sales/us-tariffs.
We can make no firm assurances of how much customers tariff fees will be when they purchase something from us, but in most cases it should be 15%. We would suggest that potential customers with concerns contact US customs before purchasing so that they can get individual advice depending on what they are considering buying. It is ultimately up to the importer / buyer to investigate any import tariffs that may apply to their purchase.
We point our US buyers towards this page to advise them of new US tariff rules. This is to make sure they are aware that these new tariffs will be applied on their purchases and that they, the buyers, will be responsible for paying these tariffs.
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions or concerns email us at mail@europeanvintageemporium.com
Useful links:
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) Versus DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid): https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/delivery-duty-paid.asp
The White House release on the EU US trade deal: https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/07/fact-sheet-the-united-states-and-european-union-reach-massive-trade-deal/
EU – US Trade Deal Explainer by the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/qanda_25_1930
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) website allows investigation of what tariff rates should apply to your purchase: https://hts.usitc.gov
Etsy seller release on 21/8/25: https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/navigating-evolving-global-tariff-policies/1355662653395