I am not sure if everyone realises over here that each carrier still needs to clear each package from HMRC irrespective of if there is VAT due or not. The cost of this service is included in the shipping cost which is the reason International Shipping is generally costlier than Domestic Shipping. So when a carrier asks for an admin fee when there is a VAT/duty due, this is simply an excuse as the admin work involved does not change as the same documentation needs to be submitted for each shipment. What differs really is the credit facility that the carrier provides to us as they are making a payment to HMRC from their account before we pay to them ? This is why I also feel it is outrageous to charge a flat fee of £11 by DHL for shipments with low value of VAT/duty or 2.5% of the VAT/duty amount paid. In both cases the financing cost is much lower and the fee charge does not reflect the true cost. To make matters worse, DHL has now even started including a virtual shipping cost of transporting the item from the Airport Borders to my home address even though this is included in the shipping cost. This they claim is being asked by HMRC to be included to calculate VATable amount. I have so far never heard of this practice from Fedex, UPS, Royal Mail.