Heed this warning! Whatever price is put on your incoming package for 'Insurance', will be the amount you are taxed on; about 19% import tax.
Example:
My Father recently shipped me my Ski Boots along with several 'Mr. Clean Magic Erasers' (which are amazing and unavailable in Holland). The boots are a few seasons old, well worn; the Magic Erasers were new and valued at about $8.00 total. The total value for Insurance was $300. We were taxed 54€. Even though the boots were not new and such, doesn't matter; they tax off of the insurance value on the package. This is on top of already paying $60.00 shipping, and will probably be the last time I receive items in this manner. Oddly we were not charged like this tax when I received my Christmas package, which had a higher value...Christmas items were sent via FedEx as gifts, and the recent items were sent via USPS as just a normal package. I'm still a bit confused by the whole thing.
When my man called to discuss this with the Postmaster, they said the worst is when people just blindly say the value is 1000€ and get charged exorbitantly, having only a couple hundred worth of items in the package. The tax can exceed the actual value of the package in this case, but there is no compromising. Whatever is listed as the Insurance value is taxed.
You have been warned!
