How customs duty is calculated on a courier parcel into India
CIF value, basic customs duty, the social welfare surcharge and IGST, with a worked example of a US$200 parcel. Why gifts pay full duty and what heading 9804 means.
Updated 27 Oct 2026GUIDES
How cross-border express shipping actually works
The questions our customers ask before and after they ship, answered with the numbers: how duty is worked out at each end, why a box costs what it does, which papers an export needs, and what a tracking page is really telling you. Written by the people who clear the parcels.
Volumetric weight: why a light parcel can cost like a heavy one
How express couriers charge the greater of actual and volumetric weight, the 5,000 divisor, worked examples and five packing changes that cut the chargeable weight.
Updated 27 Oct 2026Documents you need to send an export courier shipment from India
Commercial invoice, packing list, KYC, the CSB-IV versus CSB-V courier shipping bill, when an IEC and AD code are needed, and how a GST LUT keeps the invoice tax-free.
Updated 27 Oct 2026Shipping to the USA after the US$800 de minimis ended
What Executive Order 14324 changed on 29 Aug 2025, how an informal entry works, what an Indian seller or a US shopper now pays, and the US$100 gift rule that survived.
Updated 27 Oct 2026UK and UAE import rules for parcels from India: the £135 and AED 1,000 lines
Where customs duty starts, who charges VAT and when, the £39 gift allowance, the 5% UAE duty and VAT, and the paperwork a seller needs on each side.
Updated 27 Oct 2026What each tracking milestone means, and what to do when a parcel stops moving
The eight milestones of an express shipment from booking to delivery, how long each normally takes, which pauses are routine, and the three that need your action.
Updated 27 Oct 2026