I am writing this post for anyone in the future so they don’t have to deal with everything I had to. My package got stuck in customs for around 1 month, and I was lucky it didn’t get shipped back to the US.
Use USPS. They are the cheapest option. They will ship to Denmark, and then PostNord will deliver from there. I went with the option of Priority Mail® International. The cost is about $30 – $70.
[https://www.usps.com/international/priority-mail-international.htm](https://www.usps.com/international/priority-mail-international.htm)
[https://www.usps.com/international/mail-shipping-services.htm](https://www.usps.com/international/mail-shipping-services.htm)
Make sure to ship early since your package will often arrive late. Make sure the shipper labels your item as “Personal item” and not “Gift”. There is a 25% VAT if the item is a gift, but 0 taxes if it’s a personal item. ~~There are also no forms you need to fill out for personal items.~~
I was shipping a personal item, but the shipper accidentally marked it as a gift and not a personal item, so it was stuck at customs. If this happens to you too: You need to deal with calling PostNord, not the Danish customs. I recommend emailing first and then calling if they are taking time to respond. I found this from another Reddit post:
>Email Privatimport@postnord.com and put the package number in the subject line and include as much detail as possible about the situation.
PostNord is a pretty disliked company. There were a couple of times when I called and it took 2 hours of waiting to get a customer service representative on the phone. This type of customer service is unacceptable in the US. Expect 30 mins – 2 hrs of waiting each time you call.
You can use Skype for international calling. It’s only a few cents but it adds up if you’re waiting for 2hrs. Instead, I recommend the Rebtel app. You get unlimited calls in Denmark for $2 a month.
PostNord number (you can call either):
**+45 70 21 80 70**
**+45 70 70 70 30**
Press: 9 for English
They also needed me to prove that this was my personal item and not a gift. You can upload your proof here: **PostNord.dk/kontaktformular**
They asked for either the receipt of the item or the screenshots of flights between the US and Denmark. On top of this, I recommend emailing them with additional proof that this is a personal item if you can. Also be warned that you have 10 days before your item is shipped back to the US, so make sure to deal with it urgently.
Edit:
No VAT and fees for gifts that are 360 DKK or less (around $55).
Actually, I believe you do need to fill out a form: [https://skat.dk/data.aspx?oid=1972348&lang=us](https://skat.dk/data.aspx?oid=1972348&lang=us) This one is for people moving to Denmark. I couldn’t find the form for tourists who are just visiting Denmark.
1 comment
It is nice to have all the contact info thanks. As somebody who ships quite often to Europe including DK, I believe “personal gifts” below $35-45 USD (depending somewhat on country and local currency equivalent obviously) are typically not subject to a fee. Also, I am not sure about your suggestion that “personal items” do not require any forms. Do you have a source for that? I think that pretty much everything from USA to DK except for maybe documents requires a custom declaration. Surprisingly I have never had a package lost by PostNord despite their reputation, but for any customs issues I typically call SKAT and despite the occasional wait time they have always been professional and as helpful as they can be. Are you sure that PostNord even sees the package until it is cleared by customs? That would seem strange to me…
Agree with USPS and definitely use at least Priority Mail International for numerous reasons, event though first class is often not much slower. For gifts I often ship Express just because I like to get it in their hands ASAP but it starts to get a bit pricey.