Hermes' BorderGuru Advises U.S. Consumers of Important Import Duty Change

CHICAGO - March 28, 2016 - PRLog -- Hermes (http://www.hermesworld.com/), operator of the largest business-to-consumer (B2C) parcel shop network in Europe, and its subsidiary, BorderGuru, want U.S. buyers to know that, effective March 10, 2016, they can receive shipments of articles manufactured in and shipped from the European Union (EU) duty free, if the aggregate product value is $800 or less. This provision applies to one person on one day, where the aggregate retail value derives from the country of shipment. Further, no formal customs procedures are required on such express and postal shipments, meaning e-commerce retailers will have less trade-related paperwork to complete. For U.S. customers, shipping delays precipitated by duties owed customs will be avoided at or below the limit.

The Low Value Shipment Regulatory Modernization Act of 2015 amended the Tariff Act of 1930 to increase the value of duty-free e-commerce goods from $200 to $800. It is the first update to the duty-free exemption since 1993. Notably, in 2016 and beyond, the legislation provides for an annual adjustment of the exemption based on inflation.

Martin Kreiter, division manager group marketing and e-commerce business development at Hermes and managing director of BorderGuru, said, "The updated duty-free exemption is an important e-commerce development for U.S. consumers and EU merchants alike. Customers residing in the United States can now take advantage of the variety of goods EU merchants offer without facing import duties that can sometimes be a game changer at checkout. Likewise, e-commerce retailers can ship most purchases without completing time-consuming paperwork or collecting duties owed at the time of purchase. It is likely that more U.S. buyers will now take advantage of the product offerings on EU merchants' websites."

Kreiter continued, "Given the economical shipping rates that BorderGuru offers, it is a win-win situation for U.S. customers. No import duties owed on orders totalling $800 or less and low rates on parcel shipping and delivery with BorderGuru as the carrier."

About Hermes

Hermes provides international logistics services to the retail industry. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, it is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Otto Group. The company is a leading specialist in retail-related services and partners with numerous distance sellers of all sizes. The range of services provided by the twelve Hermes companies embraces the full length of the supply chain: sourcing, quality assurance, transport, fulfillment and home delivery. In 2014, the Hermes Group grew its consolidated revenue to 2.230 billion euros and increased the number of employees to 12,470. In 2014, Hermes made more than 530 million deliveries to end customers, establishing Hermes as one of the leading B2C delivery companies in Europe. Hermes operates worldwide and has established country companies in Germany, the United Kingdom, United States, China, Russia, Italy and Austria. For further information on Hermes, please visit http://www.hermesworld.com/us. For more information on BorderGuru, please visit http://www.borderguru.com.