iHerb in Europe: IOSS VAT, the new €3 customs duty and delivery to Germany, Ireland and beyond

iHerb Europe: how ordering to the EU works

iHerb ships to EU countries by air from warehouses outside the EU, mostly in the US. It is registered for the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS), the EU scheme that lets non-EU sellers charge VAT at checkout. That means the price you see in the basket already includes VAT for your country.

Set your delivery country before you add anything. It decides the VAT rate, the couriers on offer and which products you can buy. The general walkthrough is in how to order from iHerb.

iHerb VAT EU and IOSS: up to €150

For orders worth €150 or less, VAT is included in the product prices and paid through IOSS. iHerb says no separate customs or handling fees are charged at checkout or on delivery. If anyone asks you for fees on such an order, contact iHerb customer service.

Couriers sometimes ask for VAT a second time by mistake. Show them your order confirmation, as iHerb advises. If the courier insists, pay to avoid delays or a return, get a formal receipt and send it to iHerb, which refunds the duplicate charge.

The €3 EU customs duty since 1 July 2026

Until mid-2026, parcels under €150 were free of customs duty in the EU. Since 1 July 2026, the EU charges a temporary fixed duty of €3 on low-value parcels from outside the EU.

On an iHerb order it works like this:

• the duty is charged per customs category, not per parcel or per item, and categories follow tariff headings rather than iHerb’s own sections;
• several products in the same category pay €3 once, so supplements, skincare and pet products in one order could mean up to €9;
• iHerb offsets the duty with an automatic discount on orders over €10, though you’ll still see it as a line on the invoice, sometimes combined with VAT;
• if you return part of a category, the duty refund is shared across the items in it.

The €3 rate is a stopgap. The EU has agreed to scrap the €150 duty exemption altogether once its customs data hub is running, which the Council expects in 2028. In March 2026 the Council and Parliament also agreed a separate handling fee for small parcels to cover customs checks. As of October 2026, check the order summary for the final total.

Orders over €150

IOSS doesn’t cover parcels above €150. They need a full import declaration, with import VAT at your country’s rate and customs duty where it applies. iHerb’s German and Irish delivery pages say duties and fees are prepaid at checkout, but they describe orders up to €150 and don’t say how larger parcels are handled.

If your basket of vitamin D, magnesium and a protein tub creeps past €150, splitting it into two orders keeps things simpler.

Compare the EU with the UK and Switzerland in our iHerb VAT and customs checker.

Country notes: Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, France

Thresholds are iHerb’s limited-time offers as of October 2026 and change from time to time. In every EU country, the IOSS and €3 rules are the same; national differences are mostly in VAT rates, couriers and which products are allowed.

Products that may be restricted

iHerb tries to exclude products that can’t be sold in your country, but rules change often and it asks customers to check. Two groups need a second look:

• melatonin, because rules differ across Europe: some countries treat it as a medicine, others allow low doses in supplements. If iHerb blocks a melatonin product for your address, don’t try to reroute it; our sleep supplements guide covers doses and evidence;
• high doses, since many US products exceed EU upper limits. Check the dose per serving with our Supplement Facts guide.

If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or take prescribed medicines, check new supplements with your doctor or pharmacist first.

Returns from the EU

The refund policy is the same as for every country. You have 30 days from delivery (90 for iHerb’s own brands) to request a return, and then 14 days to send it. iHerb doesn’t provide return labels for international orders, and return postage or handling may be deducted from the refund.

How to order from iHerb in the EU

1. Set your delivery country and currency.
2. Compare the cost per day of each product, not the bottle price.
3. Keep the basket under €150 where you can.
4. Group items you need into one order to limit €3 category charges.
5. Check the order summary: VAT, duty and the iHerb discount.
6. If a courier asks for fees, contact iHerb before paying.

Tick off the same points in the checklist as you go; it remembers your progress in this browser.

Ordering from the UK instead? See iHerb UK. All our ordering guides are in iHerb guides.