Shipping & Import Charges
EmpressKorea ships from South Korea. Enter your delivery address at checkout to see the available carrier, delivery estimate, and whether import charges are prepaid for that order.
If checkout shows an import duty, tax, IOSS, or other prepaid import line, that amount is collected before shipment. A selected FedEx rate may instead include duties in shipping; checkout will not add the same charge again. Only an explicit import charges not included or DDU/DAP notice means the carrier or customs authority may collect charges before delivery.
What shipping costs
There is no flat rate. Every rate is calculated live at checkout from your destination, the parcel’s weight and volume, and the carrier, so you always see the real price before you pay. Carriers price by weight, so adding items can move the order into a higher weight bracket.
- Automatic shipping credit. Eligible orders receive 10% of the eligible item subtotal off shipping, up to US$500. The credit can never exceed the shipping you were charged, and a few oversized or restricted items are excluded.
- Free shipping. When the credit covers the whole shipping charge the method is labelled Free shipping at checkout. There is no separate free-shipping order minimum.
- Carrier choice is yours. Checkout lists every method your address qualifies for with its own price and delivery estimate.
Carriers
- FedEx Express: live destination rates and tracking. DDP is used only where the checkout confirms prepaid import charges.
- Korea Post K-Packet: economical tracked postal delivery, accepted up to 2 kg per parcel. Outside the United States, postal shipments are DDU, so destination charges may be collected on arrival.
- Korea Post EMS: the faster postal service, accepted up to 30 kg, used where K-Packet is unavailable or the parcel is too heavy for it.
Current import treatment
| Destination | How it works |
|---|---|
| United States | All orders are DDP. Import charges shown at checkout are prepaid. |
| European Union | At or below €150, destination VAT is collected through IOSS and the temporary €3 customs duty per tariff classification is prepaid. Above €150, eligible FedEx orders use DDP for VAT and applicable duty. |
| UK, Canada, UAE, Saudi Arabia | Orders below US$500 are DDU. Orders of US$500 or more use FedEx DDP when the prepaid line appears at checkout. |
| Mexico, Central America, South America & Caribbean | FedEx DDP at every order value, with Korea Post DDU for Peru and Uruguay. Checkout uses the FedEx landed-cost quote when FedEx returns one. FedEx rarely returns one for Korean-origin parcels, so applicable import duties and taxes are otherwise prepaid from each destination’s published rates (Mexico: 33.5% global import rate; Brazil: 60% non-PRC import tax plus ICMS) together with the FedEx advancement fee, except Puerto Rico, which uses the current FedEx transport rate with the U.S. customs and Puerto Rico IVU contract. Peru and Uruguay ship by Korea Post only: personal orders with goods value up to US$200 are delivered DDU and normally clear without import tax (Peru SUNAT Importa Fácil; the Uruguayan personal postal allowance of three shipments per year). Orders above US$200 cannot be placed for these two destinations. Ecuador, Venezuela and Cuba are not served: no carrier can deliver from Korea with import charges settled in advance. The carrier, notices, and total shown at checkout are authoritative. |
| Australia, New Zealand, Singapore | Local low-value GST rules apply; higher-value FedEx orders use DDP where confirmed by checkout. A low-value threshold is not always a tax exemption. |
| Other destinations | DDU/DAP. Any applicable duty, tax, or clearance charge is determined and collected by the destination authority or carrier. |
Delivery timing
Preparation typically takes 1–5 business days before dispatch. After dispatch, FedEx transit typically takes 2–7 business days and Korea Post (K-Packet / EMS) 3–10 business days; to the United States both typically take 3–7 business days. These are transit estimates, not total time from ordering. A carrier-provided estimate takes priority. Weekends, public holidays, customs and remote-area delivery can extend the estimate.
Tracking your parcel
A tracking number is emailed as soon as your parcel is dispatched, and you can follow it any time on the Track Your Order page or in your account. Postal tracking can stay quiet for several days while a parcel moves between the Korean export hub and your national carrier; this is normal and does not mean the parcel is lost.
Delivery addresses we can use
- P.O. Box: accepted for Korea Post (standard) shipping only. FedEx Express requires a street address.
- APO / FPO / DPO: we cannot deliver to military addresses with either carrier.
- Please include the apartment or unit number and a reachable phone number. Customs brokers and delivery drivers use the phone number, and an incomplete address is the most common cause of delay.
Address changes are possible only before dispatch. Contact us with your order number as soon as possible; once a tracking number is issued the address is locked with the carrier.
Products some countries do not allow
Some items cannot legally enter certain countries — for example children’s products and toys into the United States, which require CPSIA certification and customs e-filing we do not hold, and food or animal-derived items into markets that restrict them. Those products are blocked for the affected destination at checkout with the reason shown, rather than shipped and seized at the border. If an item disappears from your cart after you enter your address, that is why.
If a parcel is refused, unclaimed or lost
- Refused or unclaimed: for a DDU/DAP order the recipient completes clearance and pays any destination charge. A parcel refused or left unclaimed is returned or destroyed by customs; refunds in that case follow the Return & Refund Policy and exclude costs already spent or not recoverable.
- Delivered but missing: contact us with the order number. We open the carrier record and the available claim process with you.
- Tracking stalled: if tracking has not moved well past the estimate, contact us and we will investigate with the carrier and agree the next step.
Damaged, defective or wrong items
Submit your order number and clear photos through the Return Center within 7 days of delivery. The form uploads your photos and our team replies within 1–2 business days. Full conditions are on the Return & Refund Policy page.
Important
- We declare the actual transaction value and accurate product description. We cannot mark commercial orders as gifts or lower the declared value.
- Some destinations restrict specific categories. Checkout blocks combinations we cannot legally or reliably ship.
- You can cancel an order in full any time before a tracking number is issued. We pack quickly, so send the request as early as you can.
- If a carrier asks you to pay a charge that your order already shows as prepaid, contact us with the order number and carrier notice before paying again.
See the Import Charges Guide for current country details and official authority links.
Policy rate blocks are synchronized weekly with checkout settings. Last policy review: September 12, 2026. Government rules and carrier assessments can change; the destination-aware checkout and customs assessment for the shipment control.
