Important Customs Requirements

International Returns – Customs Clearance

Returns that cross a customs border will need to be declared to customs, usually on exit from the Customer’s country as well as on import back into the Retailer’s country. To minimise the risk of delays in clearance or/and to avoid extra costs in the preparation and submission of the required customs declaration we require specific information to be present in the chosen data feed. Failure to provide the required information, in full, in the order feed greatly increases the likelihood that your returns are held, delayed, incur additional costs or/and are returned to the Customer.

Customs Advice

ZigZag does not give customs advice, Retailers are encouraged to seek their own advice on appropriate clearance for their International returns.

Relief from Tax / Duty on Returned Goods

Subject to meeting the requirements of the relevant Customs Authorities there is widespread acceptance that Returned Goods qualify for Relief from Tax or/and Duty on import back into the country from which they were exported. The specific requirements may vary from country to country but in principle as long as the Retailer has good records and can satisfy the relevant Customs Authority that the goods were originally exported; were of the appropriate Tax / Duty status prior to export; are being returned in the same condition and are being returned within a suitable timeframe then the Retailer should be able to claim relief and not have to pay Tax / Duty on import back into the Retailer’s country. Some Customs Authorities, particularly the UK, have a number of routines in place to support Retailers with high volumes of eCommerce returns from overseas customers. Some Customs Authorities require additional information which might not be supported by our data feeds – For Example, US CBP may require the original manufacturer’s details before allowing relief on returned goods; some EU Customs Authorities may require either the export clearance number or (rarely) a copy of the export clearance document before allowing relief on returned goods.

Return / Item level fields required for Cross Border Returns

Required fields are available in the Order Feed Page