Do I pay customs on Korean beauty orders?
Buying from abroad
Usually it depends on where you live and how much you spent. Here is how to work out your own answer before you order.
This is the question that stops most people from ordering K-beauty from Korea, and the honest answer is it depends on your country and the size of your order. Anyone who tells you flatly “no duties” is either absorbing the cost themselves or hoping you will not notice.
What actually decides it
Three things:
- Your country’s de minimis threshold. Below a certain value, most countries wave a parcel through.
- The declared value of the order — usually what you paid, not what the products retail for locally.
- The product category. Cosmetics, supplements and anything medicinal can be treated very differently.
Why the number changes even for the same order
Two identical parcels sent a week apart can be treated differently. Customs inspects a sample, not everything. That is not a loophole to plan around; it is a reason to know what the charge could be before you order, so it is never a surprise at the door.
How to work out your own answer
- Search for your country’s import threshold for personal goods.
- Add up what you are about to spend, including shipping.
- If you are near the line, either stay clearly under it or accept that a charge may come.
What we do about it
Right now, duties are not included in what you pay us, and we say so on every product page rather than hiding it in the terms. If something is owed, the carrier asks you when they deliver.
We are working towards paying duties up front so that the checkout total is the last payment you make. That requires a verified arrangement with a carrier for each country, and we are not going to claim it before it is real. The day it is true for your country, this page changes.
Every product page says what is and is not included before you pay.