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Comment by signal11 | Hacker News Reader

I’m not sure I follow. The UK and other European countries have equivalents, although the term “de minimis” isn’t used. The UK has a £135 limit, Germany iirc had €150. This is the limit for duty exemptions, VAT still applies.

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You are correct that technically this is true. The EU has proposed to eliminate the threshold [1] but in practice EU consumers have not seen the benefit of the de minimis practiced by the US: try and import goods below the threshold from outside the EU and you will be hit by a variety of fees [2], making it uneconomical for a consumer to buy anything from outside.

[1] https://copenhageneconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/S...

[2] https://www.postnord.dk/siteassets/pdf/forretningsbetingelse...

"You are correct that technically this is true" is an odd way to admit your statement was completely false.

But it's not. I do not enjoy the benefits of a de minimis as a resident of Denmark. Every policy set in place is to discourage my enjoyment of a de jure de minimis.

If you import goods into this country at below the threshold, you are very likely to pay more than the original price of the good itself. That's the truth. There is de minimis in name only.

>try and import goods below the threshold from outside the EU and you will be hit by a variety of fees [2], making it uneconomical for a consumer to buy anything from outside.

This is completely false. I buy tons of cheap things from outside of EU, including China, and they're insanely cheap (often for the price of quality of course). Maybe it's a Denmark problem?

What country are you in?

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