Last week, a Shenzhen seller shipped a batch of phone cases to Saudi Arabia, declaring each at $0.5. Customs seized them immediately, demanding back taxes and fines. This is not an isolated case.
The first week of June saw Saudi ZATCA and UAE Federal Customs Authority launch a joint crackdown. Simply put, they are targeting low-value declarations on cross-border parcels. From what I've heard, between June 1st and 5th, Riyadh airport alone intercepted over 2,000 low-declared shipments. The penalty is three times the tariff difference plus a processing fee of 500 SAR per parcel.
In my experience, if you declare below 60% of the market price, you'll almost certainly trigger a manual inspection. For example, a typical phone case on Saudi's SABER platform retails at $2-3. Declaring $0.5 just doesn't stack up.
Customs systems now automatically compare your declared value against the average of similar items in the past 30 days. If your price is 40% lower than that average, the system flags it. Then a human officer checks invoices, purchase orders — it's a one-two punch that many sellers struggle with.
Three actionable tips: First, set your declared value at roughly 70% of the retail price on SABER or local e-commerce platforms — don't risk a few hundred bucks to save duties. Second, always keep your purchase invoices and payment proofs ready; customs may ask for them within 24 hours. Third, never write "gift" or "sample" on invoices — zero tolerance. If caught, they'll apply the highest tariff rate plus fines.
One more thing: UAE customs now shares data with Saudi in real time. If you under-declare in Dubai, it will show up in Saudi's system too. Follow-up checks will catch you eventually.
Still using the old low-declaration trick? If so, it's time to change — or peak season will become your crash season.