Stamps & Postal History Can Once Again Be Imported To The United States Of America Tariff Free

Hopefully people will chime in with their experiences with receiving shipments from abroad (non-eBay) to the US. I exclude ebay because after viewing their current tariffs page it is obvious they do not keep abreast of current events. Not even close. I know. I pay attention.

Yep. Today I was tempted to buy a stamp from a seller in Canada for 99 cents. What could go wrong. Well, $1.61 in import fees, that's what.


Curiously, over the last few months, I have been able to buy from other ebay sellers in Canada or Europe without this automatic import fee added, and no issues through customs. Normally they mail the stamp(s) in an ordinary airmail or greeting card type of envelope so it doesn't get a second look.

On the contrary, when I have tried (twice) to insure a similar looking greeting card type envelope at the USPS they would not allow it. "We cannot insure paper or documents, only objects" so I had to send them certified without insurance. I guess I could have gone Registered, but they weren't that expensive. Next time I may try and put the envelope inside a larger box and see if they will insure that.

I received 4 ebay lots (~$225) from Luxembourg last Thursday via UPS.

No tariffs.

As a side note, won and paid Sunday night and received Thursday of same week (shipped from Luxembourg to my US Post Office box). Up your game, USPS.

If you have a post office box, you can use their street address and add your post office box # and have it delivered there (via UPS). Not sure about FedEx...

Just received a package from Nordfrim (Denmark) for a small order ($33). The customs declaration form contained both codes mentioned in the guidance above -- 9704.00.00 and 9903.01.31. No tariff was assessed.

Elsewhere, it has been remarked that Royal Mail, now, also received these instructions. To send stamps to the US, you can use their customs clearance service. It will add the codes and no tariff will be levied. Of course, you must pay a service feed.

Just received an email notice from FedEx that my package from Felzmann Auction House in Germany "may not clear customs". I am wondering if anyone has received a similar email notification. It may be simply a form email that is generated when a package is delayed.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hello! I have been successfull so far with the 9704 code sending stamps to the US with Zonos and CanadaPost. I am wondering if anyone knows about supplies though? For example, stockbooks or albums including if it is different whether it has stamps or empty? 9704 is a bit vague on supplies and it doesn't necessarily fall under "books", or maybe it does. Curious if anyone has experience with this? Thanks!

Ok that took too long to find but I may have located at least part of my answer:

4820.50.00.00 Albums for samples or for collections

Examples (No official information or warranty)
- Stamp collection albums (with mounting strips)
- Coin collection albums (with clear pockets)
- Photo album (paperboard cover)
- Business card holder albums
- Herbarium specimen albums
- Fabric swatch sample books
- Sticker collector albums


Still not sure on other supplies yet. If anyone has compiled some type of time-saving HS Code list, please let me know!!

Has anyone had to pay extra fees on ebay from the UK or Canada to the US? this month?
I have avoided any out of country purchases due to the duties and Tarrifs issues. And ebay's inssecent warnings.
I'd like to start getting some Machins from the QEll final eras.

I have not, did not and continue to not pay any import related fees from many incoming foreign philatelic mail via the USPS. Have paid duties on non-philatelic products from Australia and those we assessed at time of purchase as part of the overall order cost.

I don't recall having any overseas stamp purchase I've made get tariffed, but I did have some sellers refuse to ship to me (in the U.S.) because of the lack of clarity about the tariffs -- which was frustrating.

Stifling trade or at least slowing it down by confusing a lot of people does not seem like a good policy to me. If you must apply a tariff, it should not be by presidential whim but by Congress which has sole power to tax ("Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, and imposts and excises . . . "). It should also have an express public reason behind it which should not be off-the-cuff personal anger. And its operation should be clearly explained which this tariff system certainly was not.

One thing is clear, this administration often does not think through what it's doing which ends up causing confusion and maybe a lot of damage. And then without introspection or apparently learning from the mistake, it simply abandons that policy. Of course in this case, the U.S. Supreme Court made them abandon presidential tariffs.

This whole tariff game has alienated many people around the world, damaged international trade, shifted trade away from the U.S. perhaps permanently, and has not been impressive in the least. I understand prohibitions on importing stamps from Cuba or North Korea so we don't benefit those regimes, but at the same time we could buy from the PRC. How do you explain that inconsistency? And I certainly don't see how making it difficult if not impossible for me to import stamps recently from Finland or Norway did any good.

There may be administrative fees related to the customs declaration. The last time I read about that, the UK charge was a few quid. I suppose those will not apply when the sender uses ebay's services.

The last time I read about that, the UK charge was a few quid. I suppose those will not apply when the sender uses ebay's services.
Customs doesn't care one yota about " ebay services". What " ebay sevices" does is horribly increasing the final price you pay, as the $25-$60 shipping fee added by this "service" often leads to custom taxes as the total value of the shipment now exceeds the customs exemption limit (value which depends on country).

I have not bid on umpteen " ebay service" lots as I'd have to pay $60-$70 instead of the $22.50 for a $20 lot. I bought one " ebay service" lot (simply had to have that item..) and what happened was the sender shipped the letter to some ebay service point (in the States). There, ebay simply put the letter into another envelope (nothing was done to the sender's letter at all, no inspection, no anything), added it's ridiculous fee and sent it by regular mail (which then of course did no longer pass as customs exempt).

The reference to ebay was sarcasm. I avoid all listings that show the moronic ebay fees.

The fee of a few quid covers the cost of a service that files the customs information for outgoing sendings. It has nothing to do with taxes or duties. I do not know if they still require the use of this service, as I doubt the filing with US customs is required for stamps.

For sendings to the EU, it was not required as senders could just attach a declaration and no filings are required.

We get it. The World is ending. Again.