Custom duties on coins … a new minefield

Discussion in 'Coin Chat' started by calcol, Jul 24, 2026 at 10:15 AM.

  1. calcol

    calcol Supporter! Supporter

    Previously (see link), I posted on recent customs duties on coins that were part of Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. That tariff expired July 24. However, it was renewed immediately under Section 301. 60 countries are covered including the EU. Tariffs range from 10 to 12.5%. I have not yet been able to find out if coins are excluded. Exclusion list should be available soon. If there is a means of exclusion, it will depend on shippers putting the correct HTS (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) code on the invoice. Even then, duty or no duty on individual shipments may depend on the particular customs officer looking at the invoice.

    Meanwhile, if you order coins from outside the U.S., don’t be surprised if duty is tacked-on. If you don’t have an account with the carrier (FedEx, DHL, etc.), the shipment may be held until duty is paid. There may be a service charge by the carrier on top of the duty charge.

    Mike

    https://www.cointalk.com/threads/custom-duties-on-coins-…-a-minefield.423071/
     
    kaparthy, Tall Paul and Spark1951 like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. BRandM

    BRandM Counterstamp Collector

    I buy coins quite often from overseas...mostly from the UK or Ireland...and haven't had to pay any fees or tariffs.

    Bruce
     
    fretboard likes this.
  4. calcol

    calcol Supporter! Supporter

    The new tariffs started in Feb 2026, so oversea orders before then usually weren’t charged custom duties. With the new tariffs, best chance to avoid tariffs is if the sender puts down the HTS code for informational items rather than for coins. If you’ve ordered coins since the new tariffs were implemented and weren’t charged duty, you were probably lucky unless the correct HTS code was on the invoice. If customs officials are busy and the coin is relatively cheap, it might slide through untaxed.

    I’ve ordered one coin from overseas since Feb 2026, and got nailed with a 10% tax.

    Mike
     
    kaparthy likes this.
  5. -monolith-

    -monolith- Well-Known Member

    I'm currently fighting 10 "tariff fee" notices all from FedEx on packages they already delivered.
     
  6. calcol

    calcol Supporter! Supporter

    I hope you're successful. An appeal to FedEx is just passed on to U.S. Customs unless FedEx made a clerical error. I've been told that U.S. Customs may charge a "processing" fee whether an appeal is successful or not. I decided it wasn't worth it to appeal the duty I was charged.

    Mike
     
    kaparthy likes this.

Share This Page