How to Avoid Customs Fees When Importing Games

Import customs fees can add 10-30% to your game's cost depending on where you live. Some of that is avoidable through legitimate planning. Some of it isn't, and understanding the difference saves you from both overpaying and from falling for bad advice that could get your package seized.

This guide covers what customs fees actually are, which countries have meaningful thresholds you can use, and practical strategies for keeping your import costs down.

What Are Import Customs Fees?

When goods cross an international border, the importing country may charge:

Import Duty: A tax on the goods themselves, calculated as a percentage of the declared value. Rates vary by product category and country.

VAT / GST: A consumption tax that applies to all goods, domestic and imported alike. Collected at import on goods coming from outside the country.

Handling Fee: A processing charge from the postal service or courier for collecting duties on your behalf. Usually £8-15 in the UK; varies elsewhere.

For video games, the duty rate is typically low (0-5% in most countries) — VAT/GST is the larger charge, and handling fees can sting on small purchases.

The De Minimis Threshold: Your Most Useful Tool

Every country has a de minimis threshold — a minimum value below which no duties or taxes are collected. Keeping individual orders under this threshold is the most reliable legitimate strategy for avoiding fees.

Thresholds by Country

United States — $800 USD This is the most generous threshold in the world. Imports valued under $800 require no formal customs entry and attract no duties. For game importers, this means you can order multiple games in a single shipment and stay comfortably under threshold. Most game purchases, including limited editions and collector's boxes, fall well below $800.

United Kingdom — £135 GBP Items below £135 enter duty-free (no import duty), but UK VAT (20%) still applies on all imports since Brexit. The £135 threshold applies specifically to customs duty, not VAT. Play-Asia and other major retailers are registered to collect UK VAT at checkout, so you pay it upfront rather than at delivery — but you pay it regardless.

Practical implication: For purchases under £135, you pay the game price plus 20% VAT, no customs duty, and no handling fee. Above £135, you also pay customs duty (typically 0% for games under HS 9504.50) and a potential handling fee from Royal Mail.

European Union — No de minimis for VAT The EU removed its €22 VAT exemption in July 2021. There is now no threshold — VAT applies on all imports from outside the EU regardless of value. EU VAT rates range from 17% to 27% depending on member state.

For purchases below €150: VAT applies, but customs duty does not. For purchases above €150: Both VAT and customs duty apply.

For EU importers, there's limited room to "avoid" fees through threshold management — VAT will apply either way. The practical strategy is minimising total cost through smart purchasing rather than trying to avoid fees.

Canada — CAD $20 This is the lowest threshold among major Western markets. Above CAD $20 — which is nearly any game purchase — duties and taxes apply. Canada's duty rate on games is 0%, but GST (5%) and provincial HST add up. Expect to pay approximately 8-15% on top of the purchase price depending on your province.

Australia — No de minimis for GST Australia operates a Low Value Imports scheme where overseas retailers with over AUD $75,000 annual sales to Australia are required to collect and remit GST (10%) at checkout. Play-Asia qualifies and collects GST upfront. For Australians, GST is effectively unavoidable — but it's built into the price you see at checkout rather than a surprise at delivery.

Legitimate Strategies to Reduce Fees

1. Stay Under Your Country's De Minimis (Where It Exists)

For US buyers, this is easy — $800 gives you enormous room. Order multiple games at once without worry.

For UK buyers: keep individual orders under £135 to avoid customs duty. VAT is unavoidable.

For Canadian buyers: the CAD $20 threshold is practically unusable for game purchases. Fees are a fact of life; focus on total landed cost comparison rather than avoidance.

2. Buy During Sales to Reduce the Taxable Value

The declared value on your package is the purchase price. Buying a game at a 30% discount during a sale doesn't just save you 30% on the game — it reduces the customs value, which reduces the tax base. This compounds the savings slightly.

This site tracks Play-Asia prices and shows the deal score for every product. When a title hits its all-time low or is at a "great deal" rating, the timing is right both for the price itself and for minimising the customs calculation.

3. Consolidate Orders Strategically

Multiple small orders incur multiple shipping costs and potentially multiple handling fees (in countries that charge them). A single order combining several games is both cheaper to ship per item and may attract only one handling fee rather than several.

4. Choose Shipping That Doesn't Add Customs Handling Fees

In the UK, courier services (DHL, FedEx, UPS) often add their own "disbursement fees" for collecting duties on your behalf — sometimes £10-15 on top of the actual duty. Royal Mail's service for duty collection is typically a flat £8.

For small purchases where you expect to pay VAT anyway, standard airmail through postal services rather than courier can avoid the courier's supplementary disbursement fee.

5. Compare Total Landed Cost, Not Game Price

Use the cost calculator on any product page on this site to see your full estimated cost: game price + shipping + duty + VAT. A game that appears cheaper on one retailer may cost more once shipping and taxes are factored in.

The calculation uses Play-Asia's current shipping rates and published duty/VAT rates for major importing countries. It's an estimate but gives you a meaningful basis for comparison.

What Not to Do

Don't ask sellers to undervalue your package. Under-declaring the customs value (listing a $100 game as a $20 gift) is customs fraud in most jurisdictions. It's illegal for the sender and potentially for the recipient. Reputable retailers like Play-Asia won't do this. If a seller offers to, treat it as a red flag about that seller's legitimacy.

Don't split shipments to game the threshold artificially. While ordering in amounts that legitimately stay under thresholds is fine, deliberately splitting a single purchase into multiple shipments specifically to avoid fees can be viewed as evasion in some jurisdictions. More practically, it's rarely worth it — the additional shipping cost on multiple smaller shipments usually exceeds the fees you'd be avoiding.

The Realistic Picture

For US buyers, customs fees on game imports are genuinely avoidable for typical purchases. The $800 threshold covers virtually everything.

For EU buyers, VAT is unavoidable — build it into your budget and comparison shopping.

For UK, Canadian, and Australian buyers, expect some tax component on most purchases. The practical goal is minimising total landed cost through smart purchasing (timing, consolidation, sale hunting) rather than eliminating fees entirely.

The cost calculator on this site handles this automatically — enter your country and it shows your estimated total, so you know what you're actually paying before you buy.