If you're ordering deckarts wall art from outside the country it ships from, your package may be subject to import duty and tax in your own country — and the exact rules depend on where you live and what your customs authority currently charges, not on how the package is described. There's no invoice wording or order-splitting trick that changes what you legally owe; anyone telling you otherwise is giving you customs-evasion advice, not a shopping tip.
How International Orders Actually Ship
deckarts is based in Berlin, and production and fulfillment are handled through partners in the US and Europe. Depending on where you're ordering from, your piece may ship from a partner closer to you rather than from Germany directly — which is one of the reasons shipping times and any import handling can vary by destination.
Why We Don't (and Can't) Guarantee a Duty-Free Delivery
Import duty, VAT, and any handling fees are set by your own country's customs authority, not by deckarts. Those rules change over time, differ by country, and are based on the actual nature and value of the goods — not on how a commercial invoice happens to word the description. We're not going to tell you to ask a seller for an invoice that says "not suitable for its literal use" in order to get a lower duty rate, and we're not going to suggest splitting one order into several smaller ones to dodge a threshold. Both of those are ways of misleading a customs authority, and that's not advice we're willing to give, regardless of how common the idea is online.
What You Can Actually Do Before Ordering
The price shown at checkout is the product price. Any import duty or tax your country applies is separate, and it's genuinely worth checking before you order rather than after your package is held at customs. Your own country's customs or postal authority website is the accurate source for current thresholds and rates — not a blog post, and not ours. Because these rules are updated periodically by each government, a specific number published here could easily be outdated by the time you read it, which is exactly why we're not listing one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I have to pay customs duty on decorative wall art?
It depends entirely on your country's current rules and the value of your order. Some countries have a value threshold below which no duty applies; others charge duty and tax on every import regardless of value. Check your own country's customs authority for the current figure.
Does deckarts cover customs fees for international orders?
No. The checkout price is the product price; any duty, tax, or handling fee your country's customs process applies is separate and is the buyer's responsibility.
Can I ask for an invoice that describes the item differently to reduce duty?
No. An invoice needs to describe what was actually purchased. Requesting different wording to influence a customs classification is a way of misleading a customs authority, and it's not something we'll help with.
Why doesn't this guide list specific duty rates or thresholds?
Because those figures are set by individual governments and change over time. A number published here could be wrong by the time you read it. Your country's customs or postal authority website will always be more current and more accurate than a retailer's blog post.
Article summary
- Import duty and tax on an international order are set by your own country's customs authority, not by deckarts, and vary by destination and over time.
- There is no invoice wording or order-splitting method that legitimately changes what you owe — that's customs misdeclaration, not a savings strategy.
- The checkout price is the product price; any duty or tax your country applies is separate and is the buyer's responsibility.
- For current thresholds and rates, check your own country's customs or postal authority directly rather than relying on a retailer's blog post.
About the Author
Stanislav Arnautov is the founder of deckarts, a graphic designer and print specialist originally from Ukraine, now based in Berlin, where he personally designs and prepares every deck. Follow on Instagram or visit stasarnautov.com.
0 comments