Important update to customs charges for USA customers

A letter to our valued U.S. customers.

The following information aims to address new changes to U.S. customs processes and acts in extension to information available under our established international delivery policy.

From 29th August 2025, the United States Government has announced a new Executive Order which outlines significant changes to customs obligations and processes for goods being imported into the USA. From this date, the duty-free threshold (‘de minimis’) of USD $800 will be removed and replaced by tariffs (duties).

How this affects your order

Royal Museums Greenwich will continue selling to the U.S., shipping via FedEx DAP (Delivered At Place). When you place your order, you will be charged, as usual, at checkout for your order total and shipping cost. As per our existing import duties and tax policy, applicable import duties, taxes, and customs processing fees are payable by you (the customer/receiver) and not by Royal Museums Greenwich. These fees will be handled by FedEx who will contact you to collect the fees before delivery. Royal Museums Greenwich will provide all required information to ensure accurate customs classification and a smooth process.

Required duties will be based on:

• An item’s value and,
• The country-based tariff rate (country of manufacture, not country of shipping).

For example, for a $100 item:

• If the product or its components are made in China (30% tariff rate*), the estimated duty payable: $30
• If the product or its components are made in the UK (10% tariff rate*), the estimated duty payable: $10

Note: These are estimates for illustrative purposes only and *tariff rates are subject to change at the discretion of the United States Government. FedEx will provide the final amount based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing.

If you wish to calculate the potential required duty for your order, please contact us using the contact form and we will provide information on an items country of origin. We unfortunately cannot provide individual assistance with customs matters. We endeavour to update our product descriptions with the relevant product origin information in time.

In the event of charges remaining unpaid, and/or an order remaining unclaimed, a refund will be given when the order arrives back at Royal Museums Greenwich. The time this takes will be dependent on the local customs authority, and a refund of the original shipping charge unfortunately cannot be given.

Please be aware these new changes may result in some delay to shipping times. Thank you for your continued trust and support. If you have any questions about these changes or how they may affect your orders, please don’t hesitate to contact us.