Import Duties, Tariffs & Free DDP Shipping

Tariffs, Duties & Importing Blades — What Every Customer Should Know

We want every order to arrive with no unpleasant surprises. Because we ship hand-forged swords, knives, kukris, machetes and axes from Nepal to customers all over the world, your order crosses an international border — and most countries charge import duties, tariffs or taxes on goods arriving from abroad. This page explains, honestly and plainly, how those charges work, how they have changed recently, and the two ways we can ship your order — including our free Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) service, where we handle the duties for you.

Why There May Be Import Charges on Your Order

When goods cross a border, the destination country can levy some combination of customs duty (a percentage based on the product type and its country of origin), a tariff (an additional trade measure some countries apply), and a sales tax or VAT (charged on the import). These are government charges. Everest Forge does not set them, does not collect them on a standard shipment, and does not receive any part of them — they are paid to your own country's customs service, usually via the courier.

How much, if anything, you pay depends on three things: the type of blade and its customs classification, the declared value of the order, and the current rules of your destination country. For many customers the amount is modest; for some countries and higher-value orders it can be significant. The rest of this page helps you know what to expect — and how to avoid the hassle entirely with DDP.

Important: US Import Rules Have Changed

If you are ordering to the United States, there is a recent change you should know about. Until 2025, low-value shipments (under about 800 US dollars) could enter the US duty-free under a rule called the de minimis exemption. That exemption has now ended. It was suspended for all countries in August 2025, made indefinite by regulation in mid-2026, and is set to end permanently by law in 2027.

In practical terms: US shipments now attract import duty and applicable tariffs regardless of order value — even a single knife. Blades in particular are subject to tariff measures that have expanded to cover finished swords, knives and tools. This is not specific to us; it applies to every seller shipping blades into the US. It is exactly why our free DDP service is worth considering for US orders — with DDP, you are shielded from these charges at your door entirely, because we pay them.

How Everest Forge Ships Your Order — Two Options

Every order ships one of two ways. You choose which by what you put in your order note. Both are fully legal, with accurate customs declarations; the only difference is who handles the duties, and how fast the parcel moves.

Option 1 — Standard Shipping (default)

Your order ships directly from Nepal by FedEx. This is the faster option, with quicker transit and tracking that updates promptly. The trade-off is that, on arrival, any import duties or taxes are your responsibility — they are assessed by your country's customs and collected by FedEx, who will contact you or bill you for them before or at delivery. You pay these directly; they are not part of what you paid us.

Option 2 — Free DDP Service (Delivered Duty Paid) — recommended

If you would rather not deal with customs charges at all, request our DDP service — it costs you nothing extra. Here, we ship your order through our own channel, clear customs and pay all import duties ourselves, then hand the parcel to a local carrier (UPS in the United States) for final delivery to your door. You pay nothing on delivery — no duty, no tax, no DDP fee.

The trade-off is time. Because the order passes through our import-and-clearance process before it enters the local delivery network, DDP takes noticeably longer than standard FedEx, and the tracking number takes longer to appear and update. If you value a predictable, all-in price and a parcel that simply arrives with nothing to pay — and you are not in a hurry — DDP is the better choice. If you want it fast and don't mind handling duties yourself, choose standard.

Ordering From Outside the US

The same principles apply worldwide, with each country's own rules:

• United Kingdom: orders above the low-value threshold generally attract import VAT and possibly duty, collected by the courier before delivery.
• European Union: import VAT applies to orders from outside the EU, plus duty depending on value and classification.
• Australia & Canada: GST/taxes and possible duty apply per each country's customs rules; note that Australia restricts double-edged blades on import, while the single-edged knives, kukris and swords we make import normally.
• Everywhere else: most countries charge some duty or tax on imported goods. Amounts vary widely.

Our free DDP service is available for other countries too, not just the US — if you would like us to handle the duties so your parcel arrives with nothing to pay, just request DDP on your order, wherever you are. To understand the legal side of importing blades to your country, see our country-by-country knife law guide, global sword laws, and machete laws by region.

Please Read Before You Refuse a Parcel

One important note for standard (non-DDP) shipments. Once your parcel reaches your country, it is treated as imported — even if you refuse it or do not collect it. If you refuse delivery to avoid the duties, the charges generally still stand, and the courier may add return or handling fees on top. Refusing a parcel is therefore not a way to cancel an order, and refused or abandoned shipments cannot be refunded for those sunk costs.

So if you are unsure about potential charges, please contact us before your order ships — we will help you understand what to expect and, if you prefer, switch you to our free DDP service so there is nothing to pay on arrival. We would much rather sort it out up front than have a parcel refused.

Frequently Asked Questions