Shipping Dried Food from Hong Kong to the UK: Avoid Common Pitfalls | Recommended UK Duty-Paid Shipping Line

May 4
3 min read

Many Hong Kong online stores and physical shops offer a one-stop service, shipping directly from Hong Kong to the UK, including various dried seafood products and Chinese herbal soup packs. After customers pay in Hong Kong, the shop sends the goods directly to the UK. However, you may notice that some platforms say dried seafood cannot be shipped to the UK. In fact, some dried seafood can be sent to the UK, but you need to pay attention to the following points.

Important Notes for Shipping Dried Seafood to the UK

1. Shipping costs for sending dried seafood to the UK

Sending dried seafood to the UK has long been popular among Hong Kong people. Ten to twenty years ago, many people asked friends and relatives in Hong Kong to help buy dried seafood and then send it to the UK, but some courier companies did not allow it. However, PotatoShip can help you send dried seafood to the UK. Shipping fees depend on the actual shipment. In general, sending 5 kg usually costs around HK$600-700. If you are interested, you can check our rates.

2. How to declare dried seafood shipments to the UK

Most people declare dried seafood shipments to the UK as “Dried Food”. Even so, the UK still has local customs duties and VAT rules, so if the product value exceeds a certain amount, the parcel may still be taxed. However, there is no need to worry. Most PotatoShip services already include these taxes, so you do not need to worry about customs charging the recipient. In practice, compared with other couriers, 99% or more of our parcels are not charged import duty, which is a very high proportion.

3. Some dried seafood items cannot be shipped to the UK

Because the UK is quite strict about imported food, we can divide dried goods and dried seafood into low-, medium-, and high-risk categories.

Low-risk dried goods and seafood: common soup packs, soup ingredients, dried scallops, dried mushrooms, canned abalone, dried fish maw, dried sea cucumber, etc.
Medium-risk dried goods and seafood: dried seafood such as dried oysters, dried shrimp, shrimp roe, Qingdao shellfish, and other dried products that need cooler storage. Under normal conditions, these products are usually fine if delivered within a week, but flight delays or special circumstances may affect product quality.
High-risk dried goods and seafood: meat products such as cured meat, preserved kidneys, and ham.

We also know that many people living in the UK need Chinese medicine and Chinese herbal powder. Please note that these products are not allowed to be shipped to the UK.

4. How to pack dried seafood for shipping to the UK

Packaging is very important when sending dried seafood to the UK. Parcels may be bumped or damaged during transport, but too much packaging may increase both the shipping fee and the parcel volume. We recommend using vacuum packaging to keep dried seafood fresh, improve sealing, provide water resistance, and reduce damage caused by impact. When shipping dried seafood to the UK, you can also send it together with other items to reduce the possibility of it being treated as a commercial shipment.

5. Provide accurate information

When shipping parcels from Hong Kong to the UK, parcels may sometimes be inspected by customs. If the recipient information is incomplete, the recipient cannot be contacted, or the parcel is considered to contain prohibited items, the parcel may be confiscated. For higher-value items, we recommend considering shipping insurance. The insurance fee is calculated based on the item value. The premium is 5% of the insured value, and a formal invoice for the insured goods is required.

In addition, pay attention to prohibited and restricted goods. If prohibited items are discovered, they may be confiscated.

Why choose PotatoShip for shipping from Hong Kong to the UK?

✅ Duty-paid direct shipping, no need to worry about customs charges Our duty-paid shipping line includes import duties and taxes, so customers do not need to pay extra customs fees, ensuring that recipients do not bear any additional costs.

✅ Global delivery covering major markets No matter where your friends or family are located, we can help deliver parcels quickly, including to the UK, Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia and other key markets.

✅ Simple process, easy shipping With just a few simple steps, you can start shipping overseas without complicated customs procedures.