DHL service simplifies e-commerce imports in EU

DHL Freight is offering an integrated service for customs clearance and duties for e-tailers that don’t have offices in the European Union.    DHL Freight, the over-the-road trucking operation of DHL in Europe, has introduced a new customs clearance service for e-commerce transactions that it says makes shipping into the European Union for non-EU companies and end-customers more convenient. 
   The service, which is currently available for air and ocean consignments entering the EU from the United States and Asia via DHL’s gateway in the Netherlands, allows consumers who make purchases online from companies outside the EU to get their goods delivered at home instead of having to pick them up at the customs office and pay the customs and value-added taxes.
   Large international retailers increasingly have web stores that automatically calculate the proper exchange rate as well as required customs duties, VAT and other fees, but smaller e-tailers often do not have the infrastructure to simplify transactions for overseas buyers and do not have a physical presence in the EU. Consumers frequently are faced with surprise charges upon delivery that weren’t calculated during online checkout and the EU requires non-EU sellers to have physical establishment within the common market as a prerequisite for customs clearance.
   DHL Freight is partnering with customs broker Gerlach to provide the service, which is designed for bulk shipments and direct distribution of parcels and pallets to clients across Europe. Shippers can bundle e-commerce shipments for export to the EU and Gerlach will handle the customs clearance before handing off the cargo to DHL Freight, which will deliver the individual shipments to the buyers. Online retailers can provide the customer with clear cost transparency from the beginning.
  “The new customs clearance solution not only reduces the burden for non-EU sellers, who until now needed a physical presence in a country to run import activities, it also capitalizes on beneficial duty and VAT regimes at a minimum administrative level, all aimed at efficiently facilitating bulk clearances within the European Union,” Marc Bernitt, global head of customs at DHL Freight, said. “The product completes our service offering and will be available for multimodal transport services as well as a standalone solution.”