Received a PostNL import bill for a China parcel? Use a short worksheet to identify the charge, check earlier VAT payments and choose the right review or refund contact.
A PostNL bill after your China purchase does not by itself prove you have paid the same tax twice. First identify the exact charge and compare it with what you paid earlier. Duplicate checkout VAT, an incorrect declared value and PostNL's own handling fee need different requests.
This worksheet is for a private buyer who already has a bill. It does not estimate the cost of a future order. Policy and carrier instructions checked on 8 November 2026.
Open the actual invoice before deciding
Open PostNL's website or app yourself, find the parcel and save the itemized invoice. A payment message alone gives you too little to check. PostNL's payment-request guidance says to use its tracking page rather than a direct payment link.
Write down the payment deadline now. PostNL currently gives 14 days to pay, after which it returns the parcel. Ask whether anything changes while your query is reviewed; do not assume opening a support case stops that clock.
If the invoice is absent or belongs to another parcel, stop the comparison and ask PostNL to identify it. If the message instead requests missing purchase information, use the PostNL missing-information reply guide to prepare the response rather than treating it as a tax bill.
Make a six-line bill worksheet
Copy the wording from the invoice, even if it is in Dutch. Put the source document beside each answer.
| Write down | Check against |
|---|---|
| Parcel and invoice reference | International number, Dutch delivery number and recipient |
| Goods actually inside this shipment | Paid orders, quantities and final packing record |
| Each charge, separately | The exact Dutch label and amount on the invoice |
| What was paid before dispatch | Receipt identifying VAT, freight and other services |
| One specific discrepancy | The document that contradicts that invoice line |
| Deadline and next contact | Payment notice, receipt date and case reference |
For a consolidated parcel, connect every included seller order to this box. Exclude goods still waiting in China or sent separately. With Taobao or Pinduoduo orders, use the selected variant and paid transaction, not today's listing price. If an agent purchased for you, ask for an available itemized breakdown: a single payment may cover goods, service and transport.
If you are still deciding how to place another Pinduoduo order, the Netherlands buying-route guide addresses that earlier decision. Here, work from the shipment that was actually billed.
Read the labels without combining every fee into “VAT”
Btw is VAT. Dutch Customs lists 21% as the usual rate and 9% for some products, including books. Ask for the taxable base as well as the percentage: its current consumer explanation includes goods, freight, insurance, duty and the European handling fee in the VAT calculation.
Invoerrechten means customs duty. The old assumption that every parcel below €150 is duty-free is outdated. Dutch Customs' e-commerce duty guidance describes the temporary €3 charge for qualifying consignments up to €150 from 1 July 2026. Ask PostNL which goods and declaration lines support your charge; counting the physical items yourself is insufficient.
Europese afhandelingsvergoeding is the European handling fee. Customs' specific fee page records €2 per declaration line from 1 November 2026, also above €150. This is separate from PostNL's own afhandelingskosten. PostNL's table currently lists €10 up to €150 and €16 above that; an extensive declaration can also attract €16 below the threshold.
These are checks on the bill, not a universal formula. Ask PostNL to explain the classification, declaration lines and calculation used for this parcel.
Choose the request that matches your worksheet
The same VAT appears to have been paid at checkout
Put the checkout invoice beside the PostNL invoice and receipt. Check that both cover the same goods and shipment. A label such as “tax included” is not enough to establish which tax was collected.
For purchases up to €150, PostNL directs checkout-VAT repayment questions to the webshop or sender. Send the carrier payment proof and identify the earlier VAT line. Ask for that specific amount to be reviewed, rather than claiming every later handling charge is duplicate VAT.
If a purchasing agent placed the order, ask which party collected the claimed VAT and who can request repayment. A Chinese domestic purchase receipt alone may not explain the Dutch import charge.
The value, quantity or calculation seems wrong
Name the mismatch: wrong currency, another order included, incorrect quantity or a discount missing from the paid price. Keep the original evidence; do not alter an invoice to produce a lower value.
PostNL's objection process requires payment and receipt of the parcel first; keep the packaging and customs label. Its published route uses chatbot Daan. Ask for confirmation that your request concerns the disputed assessment, not only a general service complaint.
Act promptly. PostNL mentions six weeks after receipt; Customs' tax-objection guidance counts six weeks from when the costs were billed. Ask PostNL which deadline applies to your case rather than waiting for the later date. If that period has passed, check the current repayment route with it.
The handling fee seems expensive, but the records agree
Ask PostNL to explain its own service charge and tariff. Disliking the amount is different from showing an error. Do not subtract the fee from your payment or change the declaration yourself. Get a written answer on what remains due and keep the case number.
Your shipping quote promised to cover the charge
Send the written quote and payment record to the party that made that promise. Ask whether it covered import VAT, duty, the European fee and local handling, and who was meant to pay PostNL. This may be a disagreement about the quote rather than an incorrect tax assessment.
Keep the records until the case is resolved
Save the worksheet, invoice, receipts, parcel label, supporting orders and replies together. If you are considering refusing or returning the parcel, first check the current Customs repayment conditions. A return does not guarantee all import charges back. A seller dispute about the product is separate; the Taobao order-problem guide helps identify who should handle that issue.
For a shipment YDA Express handled, send its parcel reference and itemized bill when requesting available purchase, warehouse or packing records. We can help match those records; PostNL and the relevant authority decide corrections and repayment. Paying a bill does not resolve a separate product-permission issue. Before another purchase or dispatch, recheck the goods, Dutch requirements and current route; this article's check date is not a promise that fees or procedures will stay unchanged.
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