customs

[Rutger]

So I bought a Buzz in Japan, ebay. Asked the seller if they could ship with an indicated value of $50. Shipping would be $30, I think.

Couple days later, I get a message from DHL, the package had been picked up and if I'd be so kind as to transfer 47 euro to them to cover the customs charges.
Hell, $80 total value, 47 euro charged as a tidy extra. Makes me wonder what I'd have had to pay if they had written the actual amount on the shipment. Bought the jacket for $330, plus $30 for shipping.

Funny nowadays.
When I order at ebay USA the automated programm calculates customs in advance and there's no way anyone can change the outcome.
Obviously DHL in Japan does the same for shipments abroad, except that they don't (yet) know the actual value, but only know what the seller wrote on the package.
Ebay UK : The automated programm calculates customs in advance since january.

Basically, buying abroad is getting less and less attractive.

 

[taiAtari]

I found out recently in a call with DHL, after I complained about having to pay about double for a simple pair of pants from the UK, that the seller has to state the actual shipping costs on the forms too, otherwise DHL just add an amount that Dutch customs has detemined to be 'general' shipping costs. This turned out to be very much more than actual shipping. Of course there was no way DHL could know the actual shipping costs ... What annoys me the most is that you have to pay DHL a handsome fee to screw you over like this. I was informed I could send a lot of forms and proofs to customs to hopefully correct all this, so I would get slightly less screwed, but I decided my time isn't worth the hassle and further annoyance.

 

[Rutger]

The thought to give'm a call crossed my mind....but ditto.

 

[rob20uk]

Tax is legalised theft

 

[John Lever]

The couriers seem to quote a nice low shipping price then bump up the price with extras

 

[taiAtari]

I don't mind taxes, it's quite nice to have decent public services and infrastructure. The VAT itself I can live with, I'm annoyed by the shipping company fees and their apparent inability to know what the delivery costs are that they charge ...

 

[John Lever]

Heard that imports of Talon zips from Japan into Greece attract something like 150 % tax rate.

 

[Ken at Aero Leather]

We've had a customer in France getting hit for £60 on a £117.50 sweater

If we want this to stop we need to impose simiiar "tarriffs" on BMW Audi, Merc VW etc.......We don't need all these imports clogging up our roads anyway
I've owned over 50 cars during my driving "career"
One part US Part UK built (which I loved),
One Porsche (which I hated) all the others were British, currently I drive a 31 year old Range Rover, 3rd consecutive MOT pass with no advisories, all straight passes 10000 miles a year average
We used to build World beating cars we can do it again


"Tarrifs" is a new term in the Brexit terminology, it's NOT duty, we have a duty free deal after all

But look both words up in the dicionary