Importing outdoor furniture, from Italy to your terrace

Importing outdoor furniture from Italy sounds harder than it is. RODA builds RODA outdoor furniture in Gavirate and Bodio Lomnago on Lake Varese, north of Milan, and the pieces reach US terraces through a well worn route. You don't need to run it yourself, but you should know the steps, because each one shows up on the final invoice.

Step one: a written quote

It starts with the list of pieces, finishes and fabrics. We send a written price for each piece, the frame finish and the cushion fabric, plus the lead time the factory confirms. RODA prices on this site are on request, because duty and fees move a landed price and a printed number would go out of date fast.

Step two: production to order

RODA makes each piece after the order, in the finish and fabric you pick. RODA Stresa by Piero Lissoni, for example, runs one smoke finish through all its aluminum frames, and the cushions come in RODA's own outdoor fabrics from Allegro to Shore. The factory builds your set with your fabric, so the lead time depends on the order.

Step three: freight

Most furniture crosses the Atlantic by sea, packed in crates. Air freight exists for urgent pieces and costs more. Your forwarder books the space and hands the shipment to a customs broker on arrival.

Step four: customs and duty

At the border, the broker files the entry. Each piece gets a tariff code from chapter 94 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule: 9401 for seats and chairs, 9403 for other furniture such as tables. Duty is a percentage of the declared value, and the rate depends on the code and on trade rules between the EU and the US.

Those rules have changed several times in the last two years. We don't print a rate on this site for that reason. The broker confirms the rate on the day of entry, and we put it in writing with your quote.

Two smaller customs fees come on top: the Merchandise Processing Fee on the value, and the Harbor Maintenance Fee when the goods arrive by sea.

Wood and cushions need their own papers

RODA Levante is solid teak, so the Lacey Act applies. A PPQ 505 declaration goes in with the shipment, listing every wooden part with its species and the country where the tree was felled. Upholstered pieces need a TB 117-2013 label that names the fire test of the filling and says whether flame retardants went in.

Step five: delivery

After customs releases the crates, a carrier takes them to your address. Ask whether the delivery includes carrying the pieces to the terrace, opening the crates and taking them away. A long teak table or a three-seater sofa needs two or three people and a clear path through the house.

The importer of record and sales tax

Someone has to act as the importer of record, the party named on the customs entry. On a RODA order, ask who that is and whether the shipment needs a customs bond, and get both answers in writing. Sales tax is a separate matter from duty: each state sets its own rules, so ask us to show the tax for your address on the quote.

Step six: keep the papers

Keep the commercial invoice, the entry summary and the wood declaration. They help with a warranty claim, an insurance claim or a resale, and they show what you paid in duty if trade rules change again.

Tell us through the form below which pieces you want and the ZIP code of the delivery. We reply with a written price per piece and the shipping and customs steps for your address.