Etsy becomes first marketplace to offer Royal Mail’s new USA delivery services

The announcement comes ahead of the festive season, when British gifts are extremely popular with American customers

Etsy has become the first online marketplace to offer Royal Mail’s new services to send to the USA, following new customs requirements that came into effect on 29 August.

Royal Mail’s postal delivery duties paid (PDDP) services are now available directly on the Etsy platform for all sellers. Royal Mail was the first international postal operator to launch a new service following the US executive order in July, which stated that goods valued at $800 or less would no longer be exempt from import duties and taxes.

With just a few exceptions, all goods entering the USA attract duties which need to be paid to the US Customs Authorities, a process handled by Royal Mail. This is a change to the previous rules where all goods under a value of $800 could enter the US duty free.

For consumers and small businesses, such as Etsy Sellers:

• Postage can be purchased directly through the Etsy platform.
• Duties on items are calculated and collected at the point of buying the postage.
• There is a 50p handling fee per parcel to cover the additional costs associated with
  providing clearance services into the US.
• Customers who only send personal correspondence are not affected by the changes. They can continue to send items to the US, without a customs declaration, as they do now.

Iain Johnson, Managing Director International at Royal Mail, said: “We’re delighted that Etsy is the first marketplace to offer our new PDDP services. We’ve worked with US authorities and our international partners to make sure Etsy’s business customers can continue posting to the US with ease. Etsy and Royal Mail both want to support small businesses and entrepreneurs, and this is a great way of opening up the biggest market in the world. Just in time for the festive season, this means British sellers can send their unique handmade and vintage gifts across the Atlantic with confidence.”

Roman Sobieri, Head of Global Shipping at Etsy, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Royal Mail on this important new Postal Delivery Duties Paid service. This collaboration will help UK-based Etsy sellers more smoothly and confidently reach U.S. buyers this holiday season and beyond. Innovations like this make a real difference in helping small businesses thrive globally.”

Further information for business customers can be found here: www.royalmail.com/usabusinessupdates