Essentials for less? How I dodged the Dutch markup on the 2026 Core Collection Hoodie

Why the 2026 Core Collection is haunting my dreams

It is April 12, 2026, and I am still buzzing from the Fear of God Essentials spring drop that happened just four days ago on April 8th. If you are like me and live in the Netherlands, you know the struggle of trying to secure a hoodie from the '2026 Core Collection'. Jerry Lorenzo has really refined the silhouette this year, leaning into those heavy, structured knits that we all crave, but getting my hands on one locally felt like a mission to Mars.

Estimate Shipping For Fear of God Essentials 'The 2026 Core Collection' Hoodie

Price(US $) *

Weight(KG) *

Ship To Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten (Dutch part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Türkiye Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands

Email

Create an account with your email & receive 15% OFF shipping coupon!

Get a Quote

Buy It For Me

Just a moment, securing your connection...

The hype is real because this collection introduced the new 'Cement' and 'Vellum' colorways which are only available in limited quantities. While a few boutiques in Amsterdam and Rotterdam might get a handful of pieces, the stock levels are nothing compared to what is available across the Atlantic. I decided I wasn't going to play the 'sold out' game with local retailers this time around.

The US versus Netherlands stock showdown

I spent my morning comparing stockists and the results were frustratingly predictable. US retailers like PacSun and Nordstrom received massive allocations of the 2026 Core Collection, including those exclusive tall sizes and specific hoodie cuts that never seem to make it to the EU. Even with the exchange rate, the retail price in USD is significantly lower than the inflated Euro prices I see in Dutch high-end shops.

However, many of these US stores have restrictive shipping policies or charge a small fortune to ship directly to the Netherlands. I realized that if I wanted to save money and actually get the specific color I wanted, I needed to shop US store sites directly using a local presence. This is where I had to get a bit creative with my logistics strategy.

My secret weapon for US shopping

To pull this off, I didn't rely on direct shipping. Instead, I used a freight forwarder to bridge the gap. By using a tax-free US address in Oregon, I managed to avoid US sales tax entirely at checkout, which already saved me about 8-10% depending on the retailer.

Once my 2026 Core Collection Hoodie arrived at the warehouse, I was able to forward packages straight to my house in Utrecht. We often think international shopping is too complex, but once I saw the international shipping rates, the math actually started to favor the US import over the local Dutch markup. I used the shipping calculator to compare different couriers before committing, ensuring I wasn't in for any nasty surprises.

Shipping estimates for your Dutch doorstep

If you are planning to follow my lead and grab a hoodie from this drop, here is the breakdown of what you are looking at for shipping logistics. I find that being prepared with these numbers makes the checkout process much less stressful.

I always suggest you estimate shipping cost early because the volumetric weight can bite you if the retailer uses an oversized box for a single hoodie. Check our guide on restricted goods if you plan on adding sneakers or accessories to your haul, as some leather cleaners or aerosols can be tricky.

Importing to the Netherlands without the headache

Living in the Netherlands, we have to be mindful of the 21% VAT and potential customs fees for items over €150. Even with these costs, my total for the 2026 Core Collection Hoodie ended up being about €30 cheaper than the resale prices currently floating around the Dutch market. Plus, I have the peace of mind knowing my item is 100% authentic from a major US retailer.

When I saw the international shipping options, I chose a mid-tier express service. It took about five business days to get from the US warehouse to my front door. If you are tired of seeing 'Out of Stock' on every European site, I highly recommend looking West. Using comGateway made the process feel like I was just ordering from a shop down the street, rather than across an ocean.