Shipping and Customs Guide: What US, EU and UK Buyers Pay in 2026

What we charge, and how long it takes

Nothing is added at checkout beyond the price you see. Shipping is free worldwide on orders over $49.9, every parcel is trackable, and the delivery window is 7 to 15 days from dispatch.

• Free shipping — Worldwide on orders over $49.9
• Delivery window — 7–15 days after dispatch
• Order handling — 1–3 business days before dispatch
• Custom printing — Adds time — printed shirts are made to order
• US low-value relief — Ended — duty applies to every parcel
• EU low-value relief — Ended 1 July 2026 — flat €3 per product category under €150
• UK low-value relief — Still in force, removal planned by October 2028

Handling and delivery are two separate clocks. A shirt that is in stock is normally picked and dispatched within 1 to 3 business days; the 7 to 15 day window starts when the parcel leaves us, not when you order. If you add name-and-number printing, the shirt is made to order and takes a few days longer.

United States: the $800 exemption is gone

For a decade, anything under $800 entered the US duty-free. That is over. The exemption was suspended for goods from China and Hong Kong in May 2025 and extended to all countries on 29 August 2025. US Customs and Border Protection made the suspension indefinite on 24 June 2026, the last postal carve-out ended on 24 July 2026, and Congress has repealed the provision with effect from 1 July 2027.

In practice: every parcel entering the US now needs a customs entry, and duty can be owed whatever its value. Two exemptions survive — gifts valued at $100 or less per recipient, and travellers bringing back up to $200 in personal items.

European Union: a flat €3 charge since 1 July 2026

The EU removed its €150 duty-free threshold on 1 July 2026. Orders of €150 or less now carry a flat €3 customs duty per product category as a transitional system, while orders above €150 continue under the standard duty rules as before.

The charge is applied per product category on the declaration rather than per item, so ten of the same shirt attract one charge, while an order spanning ten different product categories attracts ten. Two shirts and a pair of shorts is a three-category order, not a three-item one.

From 1 November 2026 an additional handling fee applies per declaration line, and product identifiers become mandatory at variant level — a product code, the manufacturer’s reference and a barcode such as a GTIN or UPC. Declarations without them risk being held at the border.

United Kingdom: no change yet

The UK’s £135 low-value relief is still in force, so most small parcels continue to clear without duty. Removal is planned by October 2028, and nothing in the 2026 changes affects UK buyers today.

How a duty charge is worked out

Three things decide the number: the declared value of the parcel, the product category code (the HS code) each item falls under, and your country’s duty rate for that category. Shirts are consistently classified, so what changes between orders is value and destination — not the kind of shirt.

Duty is collected by your own customs authority, not by us. In most countries the carrier collects it on delivery or bills you afterwards, which is why a parcel that used to arrive with no payment due can now arrive with an invoice attached.

Planning around the change

If you are ordering for a specific date, work backwards from the schedule: 1 to 3 business days before dispatch, 7 to 15 days in transit, plus a few extra days if the shirt is printed. For Christmas delivery our published cut-off is 5 December.

On cost, the practical thing is to expect the duty line rather than be surprised by it. Combining a multi-shirt order into one parcel does not lower the EU charge, because it is counted by category; splitting an order can actually raise it, since each parcel is assessed separately.

Printed and custom orders

Printed shirts are made to order, which means two things worth knowing before you buy: they take longer to leave the building, and they cannot be returned for a different size. Check the measurements first — our jersey sizing guide covers every size we stock from Small to 5XL.

On a printed shirt the declared value includes the printing, so if you are near a threshold — €150 in the EU, for example — a personalised shirt can tip an order over it.

Shipping terms reviewed 22 September 2026. Customs rules quoted as at that date: US de minimis suspension (CBP, 24 June 2026), EU low-value reform (1 July 2026) and UK £135 relief (removal planned by October 2028). Rules are still moving — check your local customs authority’s guidance before ordering if duty is critical to your budget.