For eligible cross-border orders, we pay duties, taxes, and fees to the carrier on your behalf, so you don’t need to handle payment with the carrier before your order is delivered.
What does it mean that Faire pays duties, taxes, and fees for my order?
Cross-border orders have duties, taxes, and fees that the carrier assesses when your package crosses the border.
On eligible orders, your cart and checkout show estimated duties, taxes and fees and the note No surprise bills. We’ll handle the import process for this international order. For these orders, we pay the duties, taxes and fees to the carrier on your behalf, so you don’t need to contact the carrier or use its payment portal to get your order delivered. We then charge you for the duties, taxes, and fees based on the carrier’s final invoice.
Does Faire become the importer of record?
No. You remain the importer of record and are responsible for your import obligations. We pay duties, taxes, and fees to the carrier as a convenience.
Why is my order stuck at the border if Faire paid for the duties upfront?
At this time, Faire is only handling the duties, taxes, and fees associated with the order and charging you on the invoice. Cross-border issues, such as missing documents, are not covered and may cause your order to be held at the border.
For more information about buying internationally, review How to buy internationally on Faire. If the carrier reaches out for additional documents, please follow up directly with them to identify the cause of the delay and provide the required information.
How do I know if my order is eligible?
You can determine if your order is eligible for upfront duties, taxes, and fees at checkout. On eligible orders, your cart and checkout show estimated duties, taxes and fees and the note No surprise bills. We’ll handle the import process for this international order.
Orders not eligible for this experience will display the message: "The carrier will bill you for duties."
What happens if the final duties, taxes, and fees are different from the estimate?
Your estimate is based on what we expect the carrier to charge. The carrier sets the final amount, so it may differ slightly from the estimate.
Once we receive the final bill from the carrier, we’ll adjust your invoice as follows:
- If the final amount is higher: If your invoice has already been paid, we’ll charge the additional duties to your original payment method. If it hasn’t been paid yet, we’ll update your invoice to reflect the final amount.
- If the final amount is lower: If your invoice has already been paid, we’ll refund the difference to your original payment method. If it hasn’t been paid yet, we’ll update your invoice to reflect the lower amount.
How will the duties, taxes and fees be reflected on my invoice?
Once we receive the carrier's final bill, we adjust your invoice to reflect the final DTFs.
What you see depends on your invoice status:
- Order paid: If your order is already paid and our estimate was off, you’ll see a second line item on your invoice for the additional charge or refund.
- Order unpaid: If your order isn’t paid yet, you won’t see a second line item. Instead, we update the estimated duties, taxes and fees on your invoice to the final amount, and the line changes from Estimated to Finalized.
When will I be charged for duties, taxes, and fees if I use a payment on shipment?
At checkout, we’ll show you an estimate of your duties, taxes, and fees. They’ll appear as their own line, separate from your item total.
Once your order ships, we’ll charge you for the order total plus the estimated duties amount.
About two weeks after your order ships, we usually receive the carrier’s final invoice. In some cases, it can take about five weeks or longer. Once we receive it, we compare it to your estimate:
- If the final amount is higher: If your invoice has already been paid, we’ll charge the additional duties to your original payment method. If it hasn’t been paid yet, we’ll update your invoice to reflect the final amount.
- If the final amount is lower: If your invoice has already been paid, we’ll refund the difference to your original payment method. If it hasn’t been paid yet, we’ll update your invoice to reflect the lower amount.
For more information on how duties, taxes and fees will be reflected on your invoice, review How will the duties, taxes and fees be reflected on my invoice?
When will I be charged for duties, taxes, and fees if I use terms on my order?
At checkout, we’ll show you an estimate of your duties, taxes, and fees. They’ll appear as their own line, separate from your item total.
About two weeks after your order ships, we usually receive the carrier’s final invoice. In some cases, it can take about five weeks or longer. Once we receive it, we’ll then update your invoice, replacing the estimate with the finalized amount.
In most cases, this happens while you’re still within your Terms window, so you’ll only be charged once, for the final amount on your invoice.
Where can I see whether my duties, taxes, and fees are estimated or final?
- Navigate to your Orders page.
- Select the order you want to review.
- Review the duties and taxes amount. If it says "estimated," the amount has not been finalized; if it says "final," it means we have received the duties from the carrier.
Estimated amounts are also labelled on your order emails and on your unpaid invoices and paid invoices. Invoices with estimated amounts show as Proforma invoice until the carrier’s final invoice arrives, and the label updates once the amounts are final.
Should I pay the carrier if they contact me about duties, taxes, and fees?
It depends on whether your order shows No surprise bills at checkout.
If your order shows No surprise bills: We pay the carrier on your behalf and charge you for these costs on your Faire invoice. If the carrier still asks you to pay duties when your package arrives, go ahead and pay them so your package isn’t returned to the sender. We’ll refund the duties you paid to Faire, so you won’t be charged twice.
If your order doesn’t show No surprise bills: The carrier will bill you directly for duties, taxes, and fees before delivery.
Not sure which applies to your order? Contact customer support and we’ll help.
Can I still reclaim taxes on my cross-border order?
You remain the importer of record, so you’re responsible for your import obligations, including any tax reclaim available to you. You should continue to reference carrier invoices for your final tax documentation. Whether you can reclaim taxes such as VAT or GST depends on the destination country and your tax registration, so check with your tax advisor.
Is my estimate for duties, taxes, and fees guaranteed?
No. Your estimate is our best prediction of what the carrier will charge, and the carrier sets the final amount. We don’t cap or guarantee the estimate. If the final amount is higher, we charge you the difference, and if it’s lower, we refund the difference.
Does Faire charge a fee for paying duties, taxes, and fees on my behalf?
No, Faire does not charge a fee for paying the duties, taxes, and fees on your behalf. We offer this service to help streamline your cross-border experience.
What happens to duties, taxes, and fees if I cancel my order?
If you cancel your order, you won’t be charged duties, taxes, or fees. These costs only apply once an order crosses the border and is handled by customs, so a cancelled order never incurs them.
What happens to duties, taxes, and fees if my order arrives damaged?
If you report items in your order as damaged or missing, we’ll refund the portion of duties, taxes, and fees that applies to those items. You’ll still be responsible for the duties, taxes, and fees on the items that arrived in good condition.
What happens to duties, taxes, and fees if I return my order?
If you return your order, we’ll refund the portion of duties, taxes, and fees that apply to those items. You’ll still be responsible for the duties, taxes, and fees on the items that arrived in good condition.