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Send clothes and shoes by courier
Shipping clothes in the UK
Whether you’re running a fashion business, selling second-hand clothes or sending a gift to someone you love, it’s easy to send clothes by courier service – either single items or in bulk.
Courier prices are quoted according to the weight and dimensions of your overall package. Padded envelopes or flyers will do the job for many smaller single items, though you may want to opt for a cardboard box if there are any fragile components or delicate items.
The key is not to overstuff whichever container you use, so that it doesn’t burst open, and to ensure that your clothes are covered by a good protective layer.
Any hard or sharp items should be wrapped in their own padding to prevent them from scratching or catching on any other items or materials, or poking through the container.
Sending shoes by courier
Shoes can also be sent by courier service. Wrap each of your shoes separately and place them in a padded shoebox. You can use cardboard shoe trees (inserts) to help them keep their shape.
Then put the shoebox in a sturdier outer container for delivery. It’s not advisable to rely on shoeboxes alone for transport as they may not be strong enough to protect your shoes.
Also be sure to thoroughly clean and spray any second-hand shoes! Nobody wants to open the box to a bad smell.
Shipping clothes internationally
You can ship clothes internationally using a courier service. However, there are a couple of things to bear in mind.
The first is that you’ll need to declare to customs the nature of your goods, providing both a specific description of your clothes and a matching commodity code.
Every country has its own customs rules and there may be restrictions on some clothes, especially in relation to particular materials or countries of origin.
Import taxes and duties may also apply. Some countries allow you to import goods up to a certain value tax and duty free (in the US, for example, it’s up to $800) – but you’ll still need to provide the details.
The second is that if you’re selling clothes internationally, the person receiving your goods—your customer—will be responsible for paying any duties and taxes, unless you choose other options such as DDP/DTP (for which the shipper pays instead) or IOSS (for which taxes are applied at the point of sale, rather than upon entry).
So you may want to make your international customers aware if they are liable to pay.
Faster commodity code look-up!
Every type of clothing has its own commodity code, based on the type of garment it is and the material from which it’s made. These codes can be very specific.
For example, men’s or boy’s shirts made of cotton (not knitted or crocheted) have a 6-digit code of 620520.
It can be a painstaking process to look these up, but our Commodity Code Finder can help you make short work of it. When filling out your contents declaration, search codes by keyword (e.g. ‘cotton shirts’), and our tool will make a list of possible suggestions for relevant terms to help you drill down.
Click on the most suitable description and we’ll automatically add it to your declaration!
Just bear in mind that only the first 6 digits of commodity codes are universal. Any remaining digits may vary depending on the destination country.
Worn clothing
Worn clothing can be shipped using the commodity code 630900. To comply with this classification, it must show signs of appreciable wear and must be packaged in bulk, in bales, sacks or similar.
If you are selling vintage or second-hand goods on sites like eBay, they may not be covered by this classification, depending on how customs authorities choose to interpret it (US customs, for example, have been known to be quite inflexible).
For this reason, it’s probably worth sticking to the usual codes for each clothing type. Any duties will be calculated based on the value of the goods – so if their value is less for being second-hand, the duties will be, too.
Personal effects
If you’re transferring your own possessions, including clothes, you will need to check the customs rules for your destination country relating to personal effects.
Some countries, such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States, require you to fill out a separate declaration for unaccompanied personal effects. This applies whether you're moving home or visiting temporarily and forwarding excess baggage.
If you’re importing personal belongings to the UK as part of a move, you’ll first need to seek authorisation from customs authorities for Transfer of Residence Relief. Only then can you use the commodity code 990500.
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