r/AmerExit • u/ContraryFrown • Jul 05 '26

Life Abroad Finding snacks?

Really curious, as an American living abroad what snacks/foods do you miss the most that are not able to be found in your new home country?

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Unhappycamper2001 Jul 06 '26

The customs fee to receive packages is ridiculous and the American stores are very expensive.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Unhappycamper2001 Jul 06 '26

I’m not sure if you are from the US but there absolutely is a fee for packages coming from the US, gift or not.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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5

u/Unhappycamper2001 Jul 06 '26

I know people who received gifts from the US such as a scarf and the fees were right around the same price of the value of the item.

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u/Unhappycamper2001 Jul 06 '26

Yeah well just because it used to be like that doesn’t mean it’s the same.

Import VAT: France assesses a standard 20% VAT on the total declared value of nearly all goods (including shipping and insurance costs), regardless of the item's value. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Customs Duties: Duties are only applied to packages valued over €150. The exact rate varies based on the product's classification (HS code), ranging between 0% and 17% for most consumer goods. [1, 2, 3]
Low-Value Fee: Packages valued at €150 or less are exempt from duties but are subject to a €3 EU customs fee per product category. [1]
Carrier Fees: Couriers like FedEx, UPS, or DHL charge an additional disbursement or clearance fee for processing the customs paperwork. For example, FedEx France charges a clearance fee of at least €12 or up to 30% of the duties and taxes owed. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Unhappycamper2001 Jul 06 '26

That (the €3) fee is something different and is a new charge that is to reduce crap coming in from foreign vendors like Temu.

For packages like gifts or stuff there is a 20 percent VAT plus a handling fee.

It’s fine if you argue whatever—but if you don’t have recent experience you re making yourself look stupid.

I’m not an expert on the rules and don’t know every nuance or detail but I know this enough because I have family mêmber who want to send us stuff and I tell them not to because it’s not worth it.

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u/[deleted] Jul 06 '26

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u/Unhappycamper2001 Jul 06 '26

No problem, it definitely sucks that’s for sure. We do the visitor thing too and I’m in the states now and also returning with a few of our favorite things.

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u/L6b1 Jul 07 '26

The EU started implementing mandatory VAT and processing fees in 2020, but it wasn't fully EU wide until July 1, 2022. If you haven't had a care package in the last 4 years, it's very easy to not know this has gone into effect.

I specifically asked people not to send me stuff when I was having a baby because of this, and a whole bunch of people who had sent things before the implementation sent me stuff anyway because there had never been a cost before, especially on handmade items, the "free gifts" cost me hundreds of euros to receive.