Customs value of 0 euros: why it's a red flag
Entering a customs value of 0 euros on your shipping documents is the quickest way to attract the attention of customs. Customs doesn't look at the selling price, but at the replacement value or intrinsic value of the goods.
Even if you give a product away for free, you have to state a realistic market value on the invoice. Fill in €0.00 or €0.01? Then customs will hold the shipment and estimate the value itself, which often leads to delays and extra administration costs. The rule of thumb: always state what it would cost to produce or buy the product.
Commercial samples and the pro forma invoice
When there's no commercial transaction (the recipient doesn't pay), you use a pro forma invoice for samples. This document is only meant for customs, to calculate the taxes and import duties.
To show that the goods are samples and not goods for sale, you need to use specific terms on your invoice:
Sample not for resale: this shows that the sample isn't meant to be sold on.
Sample without commercial value: although you enter a value for customs, this shows that no payment takes place between you and the recipient.
Stricter rules often apply to textile businesses. Textile samples sometimes have to be made "unusable" for customs (for example by punching a hole in the garment or marking the fabric "SAMPLE" in indelible ink) to qualify for exemption from import duties.
Value of a sample on the invoice: how do you calculate it?
Invoicing free samples correctly takes a strategic approach. You state the real value of the product, but at the bottom of the invoice you give the recipient a 100% discount on the total. That way the customs value (the value duties are calculated on) stays visible, while your customer pays nothing net.
Want to know how this affects the shipping costs? You can easily calculate the shipping costs for your parcel on our platform, and we'll help you with the right documents too.
Optimise your sample logistics with ParcelParcel
Shipping commercial samples (in Dutch) is a precision job. At ParcelParcel we understand that a delayed sample can mean a missed chance at a new customer. That's why our specialists proactively check your invoice for terms such as "sample not for resale" and check whether the declared value makes sense to customs.
Whether you're sending a parcel abroad or specifically shipping a sample (in Dutch), our system automatically generates the right customs documents. That way you avoid mistakes and your samples reach your future business partner in no time.
