I want to order some new books from Amazon.com for Zoë. I know that in order to avoid paying duties, the shipment has to be valued at under U$S 50. Does anyone know if that is U$S 50 including shipping or excluding shipping costs?

Good news! Books are exempt from duties and fees. They fall in the category of educational/artistic items, which also includes CDs, DVDs, software, and more.

For items which are subject to duty, technically they are supposed to include the shipping, but sometimes they don't. Under US$50 is exempt; US$50-100 incurs duties and fees (around 62% of the value plus shipping); over US$100 requires the involvement of a customs broker, whom you must pay (in addition to paying the duties and fees). Drugs (which according to Uruguayan standards includes ordinary nutritional supplements) also require a prescription from a Uruguayan physician and some additional paperwork steps.

Shirley

Thanks so much Shirley! It'll save me a bunch on shipping not having to group the books into 3 shipments!