by tttigre » Tue Jun 23, 2015 9:49 am
@klonopin
It seems somewhat arbitrary, but there are some shops (TBS) that are better at avoiding customers paying customs fees than others (End, Sneakerboy). As far as I can tell, it mostly has to do with declared value. For what's it's worth, I've never gotten a customs charge on a package from Japan either.
I got a $40 invoice the other day from FedEx for a ~$240 End order that I made a few weeks ago, but nothing for the other two orders (~85, ~120) that I made over the past couple months. The invoice I got also had a ton of papers in it that answered questions about the items - where were they manufactured, what are the primary materials, is this intended solely for men or boys? I didn't remember anything like that in my previous customs invoices but I hadn't gotten one in over a year. Might be standard.
The first time I got one I called a customer service rep to pay it and I asked them about the process. Basically, the carrier (in your case, DHL) pays the customs charge to get it into the country initially, and bills you that (with an upcharge they term a 'convenience fee'). Otherwise, it would be held at customs until you paid the charge. So, it's owed money, and if you don't pay it it could end up with a collections agency and hurt your credit score. It's nothing to really worry about, but it sure is annoying, and it's something to keep in mind when ordering from overseas - VAT discounts might end up getting counteracted by customs charges.
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