In short
- An Post’s February 2026 guide lists USA Standard parcel postage up to 2 kg at €48 and the eligible prepaid 2 kg box at €38. The lower packaging price is not the delivered total: commercial goods also require the current US tax-payment and customs process.
- An Post’s USA guidance requires a recipient email for ecommerce goods, a physical street address and accurate customs information.
- The carrier says it does not accept goods valued above $2,500 on the described route, or addresses containing Return(s), Amazon or FBA.
- A sale sent as a present remains a commercial sale. Do not use the separate low-value gift rule for a webshop order.
- AirPost is a peer-to-peer fulfilment network: online shops have their orders packed and dropped at a parcel point by verified people near their customers, who earn a fee per parcel from home. No warehouse, no minimum order volume.
A US customer can like your product and still abandon the delivery when another payment request arrives. Your shipping policy needs to explain that request before purchase. The Irish postage charge pays for a transport product; it does not establish that all taxes have been collected or that the contents are accepted on the chosen route.
This article uses An Post’s current official pages and the guide effective 3 February 2026, checked on 14 October 2026. It is for Irish sellers sending goods to US buyers. Compare the finished postal format and the commercial acceptance conditions together, rather than attaching an old “under $800” assumption to a current price list.
Is my order a packet, a parcel or a prepaid box?
An Post calculates postage from weight, shape, size and destination. Its USA rates belong to the relevant destination category and service. Packet eligibility can make a large difference to a light product, but only when the finished package meets the format conditions. A carton cannot be priced as a packet solely because the product itself is small.
| USA Standard option | Packed weight not over | 2026 published postage |
|---|---|---|
| Packet | 100 g | €13.00 |
| Packet | 500 g | €17.00 |
| Packet | 1 kg | €24.00 |
| Packet | 2 kg | €34.00 |
| Parcel | 2 kg | €48.00 |
| Prepaid box | 2 kg | €38.00 |
For a product that genuinely qualifies for the 500 g packet rate, €17 postage is below the prepaid-box reference. For an eligible 2 kg parcel that safely fits the prepaid box, €38 is €10 below €48. These comparisons illustrate why the cheapest An Post option changes with the packed format. They do not establish a universal best product.
Keep the packaging decision defensible. A fragile item may need enough protection to move into a different format or weight band. Measure it after adding that protection. If two items in one basket require a larger carton, price the actual combined parcel instead of adding two single-item packet assumptions to the checkout.
Ask whether the selected product supplies the tracking and protection your shop needs. Standard postage, insured postage and a courier product are separate purchases. Do not describe a price table as comprehensive end-to-end tracking evidence. Retain the selected service’s conditions and use those to write your buyer-facing delivery promise.
Why is the old $800 duty-free assumption unsafe?
An Post’s current USA guidance says the previous de minimis treatment below $800 no longer applies to the goods covered by its new process. For commercial sales, it describes taxes linked to the goods’ country of origin and payment by the recipient before delivery. This makes checkout communication part of the shipping workflow.
There is no single tax percentage you can safely apply to every catalogue item from this statement. Product classification, origin and current rules matter. The fact that you post the parcel from Ireland does not prove that every product has Irish origin. Keep manufacturing-origin information at product level and verify it when sourcing changes.
A customer ordering a gift from your webshop is still buying goods. The separate gift treatment is not a shortcut for declaring a sale as a private present. Use the transaction’s real purpose and value. A discount, replacement or return-related movement may need its own accurate description rather than a label invented to avoid payment.
An Post directs business customers wanting a duties-paid arrangement to their account manager or its business team. If you want that experience, confirm the specific service and charges first. Do not advertise taxes included just because your own checkout collected Irish postage or because you expect the buyer’s tax bill to be small.
Which American addresses and orders should I screen out?
The carrier’s USA guidance requires a full physical street address, city, state and a matching ZIP code. It says PO Box addresses are not accepted for the described goods route. Check these fields before the order enters packing, so an incomplete address is resolved while the parcel is still in your control.
It also excludes addresses containing Return(s), Amazon or FBA, and goods valued above $2,500. These are carrier-route acceptance restrictions, not a statement that every logistics provider follows the same rules. If your customer needs delivery to an Amazon facility, source an explicitly suitable service instead of removing a required facility name from the address.
| Checkout or product issue | What An Post’s USA guidance says | Seller action |
|---|---|---|
| PO Box destination | Not accepted on the described goods route | Request a valid physical delivery address |
| Missing city, state or ZIP | Complete matching address fields required | Resolve address details before label purchase |
| Amazon, FBA or Return(s) in address | Not accepted | Obtain a suitable alternative service |
| Goods value above $2,500 | Not accepted | Check another service’s commercial acceptance |
| No buyer email | Email needed for ecommerce payment contact | Collect a valid address and explain its shipping purpose |
Check the prohibited-items list for your actual product before offering US delivery. An Post lists route-specific restrictions, including some foods, in its current USA information. A parcel’s low weight does not make its contents acceptable. A sold-out delivery option is less damaging than taking payment for an order you cannot send through the advertised route.
What customs information should my packer receive?
An Post’s general sending guidance requires electronic customs data for non-EU goods and the corresponding CN23 attached to the item. It asks for a valid goods description, HS or tariff code and country of origin. Keep those fields tied to the actual product variant and quantity rather than expecting the person at the packing desk to create them.
A useful dispatch record has the webshop reference, complete recipient details, commercial description, quantity, value, origin and classification information. Match it to the physical contents before completing the booking. When the basket contains different products, the record should preserve that distinction instead of compressing everything into “merchandise”.
An Post tells business customers using a post office to complete the necessary US data through Click & Post. The recipient email is part of that process. Include a usable address rather than a placeholder entered to satisfy a required field; the buyer needs to receive the payment request associated with their parcel.
Protect the connection between customs data and the label. If a buyer changes the basket after you prepare the export information, update the goods record and booking as needed before handover. A signed customs declaration describing yesterday’s basket is not corrected by placing today’s products in the same carton.
What should the customer know about the tax-payment email?
The carrier describes a payment email containing the details and a secure payment link. Its process says payment precedes customs clearance and onward movement from Ireland to the USA. Tell the buyer to watch their inbox and spam folder and explain why the carrier will contact them. Avoid promising that the parcel is already in the United States merely because postage was bought.
Keep order confirmation and carrier payment confirmation distinct. The customer has paid your shop for the purchase, while the carrier’s request concerns the applicable import process. Your support team should know which payment is unresolved before answering a delay enquiry. A generic “already paid” reply can send the buyer back to the wrong system.
If a customer declines the separate charge, follow the selected service’s current procedure and your applicable sales policy. Do not invent a return timetable or promise a free replacement. Use the actual carrier status, contact record and terms to decide the next action, with product and transport costs visible to your shop.
How can I separate preparation expense from the USA label?
Price the work before comparing margins. For a hypothetical four eligible parcels using the published €38 prepaid-box product, postage and supplied packaging total 4 × €38 = €152 before US charges and your own preparation. This is an arithmetic example, not a reported batch or a negotiated business rate.
AirPost’s separate preparation reference uses shared constants checked on 14 October 2026: €2.25 recommended small-parcel sender payment plus €0.85 platform charge equals €3.10. Four matching dispatches would have €12.40 in those components before carrier transport and other costs.
That component calculation does not establish an AirPost Ireland-to-USA service or make the An Post prepaid box an importable AirPost label. No verified AirPost export quote is used in this article. For an actual arrangement, use the sender’s agreed price and a service genuinely available for the route and contents; shipping-options prices already include the platform component.
For local stock placement, read shipping domestically in Europe without a warehouse. The Irish stock guide addresses goods held in Ireland. Use AirPost for webshops to discuss where orders will be prepared, while keeping international service acceptance a separate check.
Frequently asked questions
How much does An Post charge to send a 2 kg parcel to the USA?
The February 2026 guide lists €48 Standard parcel postage and a €38 eligible prepaid 2 kg box. Confirm the final format, product acceptance and current booking; US charges and preparation are separate.
Is a packet cheaper than a parcel for shipping to America?
It can be. The listed 500 g packet rate is €17, but your finished packaging must qualify for that format. Product weight alone does not establish packet eligibility.
Are webshop orders under $800 still duty-free?
An Post’s current USA guidance says the previous de minimis treatment no longer applies to the covered goods. Do not use an old threshold as your checkout promise.
Can An Post deliver commercial goods to a US PO Box or Amazon FBA?
The current described goods route excludes PO Boxes and addresses containing Amazon, FBA or Return(s). Find a suitable service for that actual destination instead of changing the address to hide it.
Why does An Post need my American customer’s email?
The USA process uses it to contact the recipient about payment before delivery. Capture a valid address and tell the customer to expect the carrier’s message.
Sources
Give your local sender complete product and address data so the preparation arrangement can be assessed before you offer an export service.
Discuss webshop preparation