Shipping From the U.S. – What to Expect When Ordering Internationally

We’re excited to serve customers all around the world! If you're ordering from outside the United States, please take a moment to read the following important information about shipping, customs, and possible additional charges. We want to make sure you know what to expect — no surprises!

🌍 International Shipping Overview

All of our products are shipped from the United States. That means your order will cross a national border before it reaches your doorstep. When that happens, local customs authorities may charge additional fees. These are not shipping costs, but rather import-related costs that are collected by your local government.

These fees can include:

• Import VAT or sales tax

• Customs duties (depending on the product and value)

• Handling or processing fees charged by your postal service or delivery company

These costs are not included in the price you pay at checkout on our website, and we have no control over them. They're determined by the laws of your country.

🇬🇧 What About the UK?

If you're in the United Kingdom, there are some specific rules to be aware of:

Orders under £135:

• UK regulations require VAT to be collected at the point of sale if the seller is registered with HMRC.

• Since we’re a non-UK business and not VAT-registered in the UK, VAT will not be charged during checkout.

• Instead, Royal Mail or the courier may collect 20% VAT + a handling fee before delivery.

Orders over £135:

• These may also be subject to customs duties, depending on the product category.

• Again, VAT and fees will be collected before or during delivery.

➡️ In short: you may be charged by your local postal service or courier upon delivery. This is entirely normal for cross-border shipments and applies to many international sellers.

🇪🇺 What About EU Countries?

If you're in the European Union, the situation is similar, though slightly different:

• For orders under €150, local VAT may be charged by your country’s customs or delivery service.

• Unlike large platforms like Amazon or Etsy, we do not currently use the IOSS system, so VAT is not included at checkout.

• In most cases, you’ll be asked to pay the VAT before receiving your package, along with a small handling fee.

Orders over €150 may also be subject to customs duties depending on the product type and destination country.

❗ Important Notes

• We do not profit from these charges.

• These fees are not shipping charges and are not collected by us.

• Refusing to pay import charges may result in the parcel being returned or destroyed, depending on the policies of your local postal service. Unfortunately, we cannot refund shipping costs in those cases.

📦 Why Don’t You Include These Fees at Checkout?

We understand it can be frustrating to receive an unexpected customs or VAT charge when your order arrives. However, we want to be transparent: we simply don’t have the ability to include or predict these fees in our checkout process — and here’s why.

Every country has its own tax system, with different rules, thresholds, percentages, exemptions, and procedures. Even within regions like the EU, there are variations from country to country. Some countries charge VAT starting from the first cent, others have minimum thresholds. Some classify our products as cosmetics, others as spiritual goods, each with their own duty codes. And to make it more complicated, these laws change frequently and without notice.

For a small, independent ministry like ours, it’s practically impossible (and legally risky) to try to implement and maintain accurate tax rules for every country in the world. Large platforms like Amazon or Etsy can do this because they have teams of tax professionals and local registrations in many countries — we don’t.

Additionally, we are not the ones charging these fees — they are charged by your own government, collected by your postal service or courier. If you have questions about import charges, we kindly encourage you to check with your local tax authority or customs office. They can provide the most accurate and up-to-date information for your specific location.

In short:
📦 We ship your order,
📜 Your government charges the taxes,
💸 You may be asked to pay them before delivery.

We hope this explanation helps clarify why these costs are separate and outside of our control. We're committed to keeping our product prices fair, and our shipping as affordable and reliable as possible.

💬 Questions?

If you have any questions about ordering to your country, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our customer support. We’ll do our best to assist you.

Thank you for understanding, and for supporting a small international ministry! 🙏🌍