VAT / Duties Policy

Prepaid duties for US/UK • Transparent customs process for other countries

Is your price included the shipping fee?

No, our product prices do not include shipping fees. You may register a free account on HomeLava or checkout as a guest. The grand total you pay is the sum of:

● Item subtotal

● Shipping fee (calculated at checkout)

● Optional shipping insurance

The amount you are billed is exactly the amount shown on the order summary page before you complete your purchase.

Do I need to pay any duties or import fees? (US/UK vs other countries)

US For customers in the United States
GB For customers in the United Kingdom
We ship all orders to the US and UK using Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) shipping methods. This means HomeLava will prepay any import duties, VAT, or customs fees on your behalf. You will not be asked to pay any additional customs charges upon delivery.

🌍 For shipping addresses outside the US and UK
We may also use DDP (prepaid duty) shipping for some countries, depending on the carrier and destination. If DDP is not available for your order, the shipment will be sent as Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU). In that case:

● Import duties, VAT, or other customs fees will be the buyer’s responsibility.

● We will contact you via email within 1‑3 business days after order confirmation to notify you that customs charges may apply, along with an estimate (based on the product value and your local tariff rules).

● We will only ship your order after you confirm that you accept the potential duties. If you do not wish to pay the estimated duties, you may cancel the order and receive a full refund of the product price (no shipping fee will be charged because the order has not been dispatched).

✅ US/UK customers: You will never be charged extra for duties. The price you see at checkout is final.
⚠️ Other destinations: If we cannot ship DDP, we will always obtain your explicit consent before shipping. No hidden surprises.

How do you handle customs declaration?

All international shipments include a commercial invoice declaring the actual purchase price and accurate product description as required by law. We do not offer under‑declaration or misrepresentation of goods.

For DDP shipments (US, UK and selected countries), we manage customs clearance on your behalf. For DDU shipments, the declared value will be the amount you paid, and any duties will be calculated by your local customs.

What if my package is inspected by customs?

If your local customs authority inspects your package, please cooperate and provide any requested information. For DDP shipments, HomeLava will handle any communication with the carrier/customs. For DDU shipments, you may need to pay duties directly to release the package.

HomeLava cannot influence customs inspection procedures or the amount of fees charged by your country.

Can I refuse delivery if I don’t want to pay duties? What about refunds?

For US/UK customers (DDP shipments): You will never face unexpected duties. If you refuse delivery for any other reason (e.g., changed mind), standard return policy applies – you may need to cover return shipping fees.

For customers outside US/UK (DDU shipments): Because we will have already obtained your confirmation before shipping, we expect that you are aware of the potential duties. If you still choose to refuse delivery solely to avoid paying duties that you previously agreed to pay:

● The package will be returned to our warehouse in China (this can take several weeks).

● We will refund the product cost minus the original outbound shipping fee and any return freight charged by the carrier.

● No additional penalties or “refusal fees” will be applied – deductions are limited to actual shipping costs incurred.

We strongly recommend contacting customer service before refusing any delivery. In many cases we can offer a better resolution (e.g., partial refund, re‑routing).

ℹ️ If you refuse delivery before we have shipped (i.e., you cancel during the pre‑shipment duty confirmation phase), you will receive a 100% refund of the product price. No shipping costs are deducted because the order has not been dispatched.

Who is responsible if I wasn’t aware of this policy?

This VAT/Duties Policy is clearly published on our website. It is the customer’s responsibility to review relevant policies (shipping, returns, customs) before placing an order. By completing a purchase, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these terms.

If you have any questions about duties or import fees, please contact our support team before placing your order – especially if you are located outside the US or UK.

📋 Summary – duties responsibility by region

United States & United Kingdom: DDP (HomeLava prepays all duties) → You pay $0 extra at delivery.

Other countries: May be DDP or DDU. If DDU: We will contact you within 1‑3 days, explain potential duties, and only ship after you agree. You may cancel for full refund if you decline duties.

Refusing a DDU shipment after agreeing to duties: Refund = product cost − outbound shipping − return shipping (no arbitrary penalties).

We never reimburse duties after the fact – the policy above is the only applicable arrangement.