Trade Duty Refund has announced a strategic partnership with ZigZag, the global returns and post-purchase network, to deliver the first integrated EU Duty Drawback Service for UK retailers selling into the EU. The service combines ZigZag’s market-leading returns technology with TDR’s digital claims capabilities to enable duty recovery on EU customer returns.

This launch comes ahead of major EU customs reforms due later this year, including the abolition of the €150 duty-free threshold and the introduction of a €3 flat customs duty for low-value parcels from 1 July 2026 - changes expected to increase UK-to-EU import costs. ZigZag research found that nearly a quarter (24%) of clothing purchases were returned in 2025. As duties rise on every good returned, retailers will need robust mechanisms to recover costs on items that come back.

Matthew Jacques, COO at ZigZag, said: “The custom landscape is becoming more complex, with more paperwork, more delays and more costs. As EU duty rules tighten, retailers need a scalable and compliant way to protect margins on cross-border returns. Managing duty drawback is a cumbersome process for retailers, and one they desperately need to get right. By combining ZigZag’s returns expertise with Trade Duty Refund’s digital claims engine, we’re delivering the first fully integrated solution in the market, designed for modern ecommerce.”

Why This Matters for Retailers

With EU duty exposure set to increase significantly due to upcoming regulatory changes, the new service enables retailers to:

• Recover stranded import duties on returned goods
• Strengthen margins in a high-return environment
• Ensure audit-ready compliance through automated evidence capture
• Reduce operational complexity with a unified, technology-driven workflow

The operational model spans the full cycle - UK → EU import → DE export → UK return → EU duty reclaim - ensuring retailers receive accurate, timely repayment of duties.

Jocelyn Montpert, CEO at Trade Duty Refund, added: “Duty drawback is becoming mission-critical for merchants trading into the EU. Our technology ensures retailers can submit complete, compliant claims at scale, with returned items evidence generated and structured by ZigZag.”

An Easy Way to Claim What’s Yours
ZigZag provides a localised EU returns and post-purchase experience, including first-mile consumer shipping options and full returns management. From its German returns hub, ZigZag captures the necessary data to claim back duty on items returned over the EU border. This includes MRNs, exit confirmations, return scans, and item-level identifiers. Together with TDR, ZigZag performs item-level matching between EU import and export events and assembles all evidence required to support customs repayment claims.

TDR provides the digital claims infrastructure, transforming ZigZag’s structured evidence into customs-ready duty drawback submissions. TDR ensures claims meet all EU repayment/remission standards and manages the entire digital filing process with the relevant EU customs authorities.

Together, ZigZag and TDR automate claim eligibility checks, assemble complete evidence packs, and manage filings through to refund approval - giving retailers an intuitivecross-border duty recovery solution.

About ZigZag

ZigZag is the world’s most connected post-purchase and returns network, powering every stage of the post-purchase journey for ecommerce retailers. The platform links major retailers to 220+ warehouses and 3,000+ carrier lanes across 170+ countries, helping them reduce costs, improve customer experience, and transform returns from a cost centre into a commercial advantage. ZigZag has won more than 30 industry awards, including Best eCommerce Support Business at the eCommerce Awards 2025.

Learn more at zigzag.global

About Trade Duty Refund

Trade Duty Refund helps eCommerce and international brands recover import duties, unlock duty-free selling advantages, and improve margins across global markets. TDR simplifies customs duty recovery and trade compliance so businesses can save money and sell more competitively worldwide..

Learn more at tradedutyrefund.com