Use flexible store tools, like the handling fee, to cover costs of international tariffs and duties upfront, and keep your pricing clear.

Tariffs, are fees that a government from one country adds to the price of products brought in from another country. The recent end of the “de minimis” rule means that all shipments into the U.S. are now subject to tariffs, which can affect sellers shipping internationally to the U.S. Due to this change, many international carriers now require you to fulfill orders using Delivery Duty Paid (DDP), meaning the seller or shipper pays the estimated tariff before shipment.

This guide outlines tools you can use to manage your store's pricing and shipping to account for these additional costs.

Note: This guide offers useful information, but it isn't legal or accounting advice. Squarespace doesn't provide advice about laws applicable to your site or business, as stated in our Terms of Service. If you have questions about collecting taxes, or if you need help figuring out the right figures to adjust your prices for tariffs, consider speaking with a tax or legal expert.

Add a handling fee

Add a handling fee to your flat rate and weight-based shipping options to help manage fulfillment costs like tariffs, duties or insurance. A handling fee can be useful for DDP shipments, as it enables you to cover tariff costs upfront. This can help reduce delivery delays and avoid the unexpected costs for your customer that can occur with other shipping terms, such as DDP and Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU). 

The handling fee adds a percentage of each item’s cost to the overall shipping charge, which customers see as a single, combined shipping total at checkout. You can set different fees for various shipping destinations by using shipping zones. To apply a handling fee by product, create fulfillment profiles.

Update your prices to include tariff costs

You can change the base price of your products in the Products & Services panel to be inclusive of additional tariff costs. The price you enter will be the price customers see on your store page, before any applicable sales tax, VAT, or GST is added at checkout.

Add a pricing note

To transparently let customers know that the price they see already accounts for duties or surcharges, you can add additional information to your products using the Additional Info section on your product pages.

Communicate price changes

Create a blog post, announcement bar, promotional pop-up or email campaign to let your customers know about your pricing changes, including the specific products affected and the date the pricing change takes effect.

FAQ

How do I know what tariffs apply to my products?

Determining which tariffs apply to specific products can be a complex process. They usually depend on the product's classification, country of origin, and destination. For example, the tariff on a single product can vary based on the materials it's made from and the country it was manufactured in. For specific guidance about your business's tariff and tax obligations, we recommend working with trade body, government, tax or legal expert.

Can I add Harmonized System (HS) codes, country of origin fields, and surcharges at checkout?

No. It’s not possible to create separate surcharges at check out or add HS codes or country of origin fields to products. However, you can cover these costs by including tariff costs in your product's base price or by adding a handling fee to your shipping rates.