Reps customs in United Kingdom
For goods up to £135 you buy yourself, the seller adds VAT at checkout and there is no customs duty. Above £135 you pay VAT (and duty where it applies) to the delivery company. The £135 duty relief ends by October 2028 at the latest. Customs destroy or sell what they seize, and you have one calendar month from the seizure to challenge it.
Duty and tax
- If you bought the goods yourself, the seller has included VAT in the total you paid (goods up to £135).Source: GOV.UK
- Customs duty is charged on goods worth more than £135; above £135 you pay VAT to the delivery company before or at delivery.Source: GOV.UK
- The government plans to charge customs duty on goods worth £135 or less, brought forward to October 2028.Source: GOV.UK, 23 June 2026
Fake branded goods
- Border Force works with brand owners to check whether goods are genuine, and brand owners can choose to prosecute importers privately.Source: GOV.UK, Border Force
- Customs will destroy or sell anything it seizes from you, unless you challenge it.Source: GOV.UK, customs seizures
If customs stop your parcel
- Send a notice of claim within one calendar month of the seizure (Notice 12A), or ask for the goods back (restoration) within 45 days.Source: GOV.UK, Notice 12A
Other countries
United StatesEuropean UnionGermanyPolandCanadaAustraliaMy parcel was seizedAre reps illegal?Which agents are upShipping by country
Questions
Do I pay customs on reps shipped to the UK?
For goods up to £135 you buy yourself, the seller adds VAT at checkout and there is no customs duty.
What happens if customs in the UK stop a parcel with fakes?
Border Force works with brand owners to check whether goods are genuine, and brand owners can choose to prosecute importers privately. Customs will destroy or sell anything it seizes from you, unless you challenge it.
How do I challenge a seizure in the UK?
Send a notice of claim within one calendar month of the seizure (Notice 12A), or ask for the goods back (restoration) within 45 days.
This is general information from official government and EU pages, checked on 20 October 2026; it is not legal advice. Rules changed often in 2025 and 2026, so open the linked source before you rely on it. GRAILS sells nothing and is not an agent.