The real cost of buying from a store abroad
Per ZATCA: personal parcels from online stores worth less than SAR 1,000 (goods, shipping and insurance) pay no customs duty, but 15% VAT is still due, plus a customs service fee of 0.15% with a SAR 15 minimum. From SAR 1,000 up, customs duty is added at the item's tariff rate.
The 5% default is an estimate: about three quarters of GCC common-tariff lines were at 5% in the WTO's 2021 review of Saudi Arabia, and many lines have been raised since, so check your item's rate with ZATCA. This is an estimate. ZATCA · Customs guide
What it works out
Ordering from a store abroad, the price at checkout is often not what you end up paying. Enter the goods price, shipping and insurance in SAR. Their sum is the customs value. Under SAR 1,000, no customs duty is charged. From SAR 1,000 up, duty is added at the rate in the duty box, 5% unless you change it. VAT at 15% is then charged on the value plus any duty, and a customs service fee of 0.15% of the value is added, never less than SAR 15 and never more than SAR 500.
Tick the box if the store already collected VAT and duties at checkout; the total is then what you paid.
Limits
The 5% duty rate is an estimate, not your item's tariff. Duty depends on the product's tariff line. About three quarters of lines stood at 5% in the WTO's 2021 review of Saudi Arabia, and many have been raised since, so confirm your item's rate with ZATCA before relying on it. The other figures follow ZATCA's published rules, and the result remains an estimate.