When exporting trading cards to a customer abroad, you may be asked by your shipping provider to enter an HS (Harmonized System) Code when preparing the shipping label.
This may sometimes be referred to as an HTC (Harmonized Tariff Schedule Code).
The code is used by customs authorities to identify products for the purpose of assessing taxes and duties when exporting.
If you need to specify an HS Code for an international shipment of Magic: the Gathering, Pokemon, or other collectible trading cards, 950440 seems to be the closest fit.
950440 is the Harmonized Systems Code used for “Playing Cards”.
The following countries use the European Union (EU) Customs Rules and require an HS Code as well as a description of the items being sent: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
If you are looking for additional information on the subject, here’s a link to online shipper Pirate Ship’s Harmony Code explainer article.
For more information on which destinations need HS codes you can check out the USPS guidelines here.
If your looking for HS codes for a different product, The United States Census Bureau has a handy lookup tool here.