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Bahamas import duty for Amazon and eBay purchases

Paste a product link and duty242 works out what Bahamas Customs will charge: import duty at the item's tariff rate, the processing fee, any environmental levy, and VAT. On Amazon you can compare that with the Import Fees Deposit shown at checkout, which often comes out different.

You can also use the duty calculator with any price, or install the Chrome extension to see the figure on the product page itself.

Guides

Written by George, a software developer in The Bahamas. They cover how the four charges work, clearing a package yourself, and the classification mistakes behind most wrong estimates. How the numbers are worked out.

How Bahamas Import Fees Work

Duty, the 1% processing fee, the environmental levy and 10% VAT: what each one is, the order Customs applies them in, and what they add up to.

Updated 2026-10-08

How to Read Amazon’s Import Fees Deposit (and Compare It to Bahamas Duty)

What the deposit is, why it often differs from the actual Bahamas charges, and what to do when it looks too high or too low.

Updated 2026-10-08

Everything That Is Duty-Free in The Bahamas

The duty-free list grouped by category (computers, books, medicine, baby gear and more), and what you still pay on duty-free goods.

Updated 2026-10-08

Why 10% VAT Costs You More Than 10%

VAT is charged on the landed cost, not the item price, so on a 45% duty item it comes to about 15.5% of what you paid.

Updated 2026-10-08

Where Import Estimates Go Wrong: HS Classification

Most wrong duty estimates come from the wrong tariff code. How the 6,702-line schedule is organised, and where it catches people out.

Updated 2026-09-30

How to Self-Clear a Package on Click2Clear

Clearing your own shipment through Bahamas Customs' Click2Clear portal: what you need, the steps, and when it makes sense instead of using a broker.

Updated 2026-09-30

All 17 guides

Example: a $600 TV

A $600 television is classified under tariff line 8528.7200, televisions (LCD, LED, OLED, QLED), which carries 35% import duty and a $5.00 environmental levy. Customs assesses duty on the value of the goods (plus freight, when there is any), then charges 10% VAT on the landed total.

Item price$600.00
Import duty35% of the $600.00 price$210.00
Processing fee1% would be $6.00, so the $10 minimum applies$10.00
Environmental levy$5.00
VAT10% of the $825.00 landed cost$82.50
Total import chargeson top of the price$307.50
Total landed cost$907.50

With $120 of freight the same TV pays duty on $720 instead of $600. See why 10% VAT costs more than 10%, or run your own numbers.

Common questions

How does Amazon's Import Fees Deposit compare to the real Bahamas duty?

The Import Fees Deposit is a refundable estimate Amazon calculates from its own product classification, which may not match the Bahamas tariff heading, so it can come out higher or lower than the actual charge. duty242 classifies against the Bahamas tariff schedule and computes the real duty, environmental levy, 1% processing fee and 10% VAT — the charges Customs applies. Amazon refunds any unused portion of the deposit on items it ships to The Bahamas itself.

How accurate are duty242's estimates?

Two things are labelled separately. Tariff lines that have been individually checked against the current schedule are tagged “verified”; the rest are as published in the Tariff Act. Each product's classification also carries a confidence level (high, medium or “estimated”) so you know how sure we are that it sits on the right line. Final classification and charges are always determined by Bahamas Customs.

What fees make up Bahamas import charges?

Four things: import duty (a percentage set by the product's tariff heading), any environmental levy, a customs processing fee of 1% (minimum $10, maximum $1,500), and 10% VAT charged on the landed value. duty242 breaks all four out on every product.

Do I still pay anything if a product is duty-free?

Yes. Duty-free means the import-duty rate is 0%, but you still pay 10% VAT on the landed cost plus the customs processing fee. Laptops, tablets, computer parts and books are common duty-free categories that still carry VAT, and laptops and tablets also carry a $5 environmental levy.

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