Can customs and brokerage fees occur?Updated 16 days ago

Getting the latest and freshest skincare products from Korea with SkinSeoul means that we ship directly from Korea itself. Therefore your items do pass through customs in the destination country and, whilst rare, you may be charged customs and taxes, or other fees, according to local regulations. As we are shipping via our logistics partner, they may also charge a brokerage fee for handling the process and fees on our behalf. 

• For shipment to the United States effective 29 August 2025, SkinSeoul charges fees to cover customs taxes and import duties as stipulated by US customs regulations, following the suspension of the De Minimis Entry exemption for all shipments.
• For shipment to the United Kingdom effective 28 Jul 2026, SkinSeoul applies VAT-inclusive pricing as stipulated by the Value Added Tax Act 1994 and the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018, as implemented for imported consignments not exceeding £135 in value with effect from 1 January 2021. The applicable VAT rate is 20%. This ensures your order clears customs without additional VAT charges or courier handling fees upon delivery.
• For shipment to Australia effective 28 Jul 2026, SkinSeoul applies GST-inclusive pricing as stipulated by the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999, as amended by the Treasury Laws Amendment (GST Low Value Goods) Act 2017 governing low-value imported goods valued at A$1,000 or less. The applicable GST rate is 10%. This ensures your order clears customs without additional GST charges or courier handling fees upon delivery.
• For shipment to the European Union effective 12 May 2026 (including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, and Denmark), SkinSeoul charges VAT at the point of sale as stipulated by EU Council Directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of value added tax, as amended by Council Directive 2017/2455/EU and Council Directive 2019/1995/EU governing distance sales of imported goods. The applicable VAT rate is determined by the destination country. This ensures your order clears customs without additional VAT charges or courier handling fees upon delivery.
• For shipment to Norway effective 30 June 2026, SkinSeoul charges VAT at the point of sale as stipulated by Norway's Value Added Tax Act (Merverdiavgiftsloven) of 19 June 2009 No. 58, under the VAT On E-Commerce (VOEC) scheme for low-value goods (NOK 3,000 or less per item) effective from 1 April 2020. The applicable VAT rate is 25%. This ensures your order clears customs without additional VAT charges or courier handling fees upon delivery.
• For shipments outside of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, European Union, and Norway, SkinSeoul does not take responsibility for the amount charged as this is dependent on the regulations of the destination country, including cases where local customs offices conduct a re-assessment of the parcel value for fee calculation.

Should there be any customs and taxes charges upon delivery, you can claim them directly with us!

If your package is still charged customs taxes, import duties, or a brokerage/handling fee on delivery, you can claim it back from SkinSeoul. Simply pay the charge directly to the logistics provider to release your package, keep the receipt, and send it to us. We will reimburse you in SkinSeoul credit, up to the value of your order (excluding shipping fees) — any amount charged above your order value cannot be reimbursed. This applies to orders under USD 800 (or the equivalent in your local currency).

To request for this, please email us at [email protected] with the following details within 30 days of the payment receipt date:

• Your order number
• A clear copy of the receipt for the fees paid, issued by the logistics provider
• A description of the charges

Refund claims must be submitted in a timely manner, and the evaluation and approval of the claim are at the sole discretion of the company.

If you refuse the package delivery due to customs issues, including refusal to pay customs and brokerage fees, this can cause significant delays should you wish to subsequently make payment to release the package. Unfortunately, SkinSeoul does not offer refunds or reshipments of packages which have been refused by the customer.