Import tax for online purchases from the U.S.

I was wondering if anyone has ordered -new- stuff from American stores (shoes, clothes, books, etc.) to be shipped into Germany (directly from the store, not through family or friends) and had to paid taxes when they came in, and if so, what is the tax percentage? If anyone knows, it'd be great help, thanks.

For most ordinary stuff the import tax is equivalent to the standard rate of VAT, ie 19%.

If it's over 40 Euros or something like that. If customs holds it so that you can pay tax on it, they will also charge you an administration fee. I did this once with something from Victoria Secret. Never again. At the time the dollar was strong, so a pair of $25 pajamas cost me, in the end nearly 60 DM.

I ordered 3 pairs of Levi's jeans and a few other things from JCPenney in April this year. The package arrived at my door 18 days later and I never did get any customs forms or extra fees. Saved a bunch of money and got a style of jeans that aren't available here in Germany. I'll be doing it again in the Fall.

Ive ordered stuff from amazon.com from us and havent been asked to pay any tax on it. Do books count?

then you guys were lucky. but I'd say this is not the norm. personally, i would not risk it.

A book with a value under something like 50 euros probably won't be charged the applicable VAT, which is 7%. Experiences vary though, as Elfenstar and others have pointed out.

Risk it? What risk? YorkshireLad6 confirmed my calculation that even with all customs duties, I'd still be getting my Levi's jeans a lot cheaper than from any German store. And I got stuff that you can't get in Germany at all. (brand and style) I was fully prepared to be told to pay anywhere up to an additional 25% and I still would have been very happy. At taxes equal to 100% of the value (wouldn't happen) then I'd still be saving a bit. Now I'm just even happier!

Can't wait for the next big sale at JCPenney. Will be ordering again.

Indeed. I was at the Zoll in HD last week. The package (CDs) had a value of USD40 (€25) and I was charged €9 in taxes/fees. The nice lady told me the limit was €23 when it's not a 'gift'. But as the CDs aren't on sale in Europe it didn't bother me.

Ive ordered all sorts of stuff from the US, with the dollar where it is its pretty attractive. Some things do slip through the customs net, but if it lands at the Zollamt youll have to pay 19% value added tax plus import tax which depends on what exactly you are importing, but generally comes in at 3-5%. As the sort of stuff I tend to buy is half the price in the US, its still well worth it.

andy M