Import fees

[Bleedingblue]

Ordered 5 hybrid inverter/ charge controllers from overseas. They were flown in and i got a call from a UPS agent wanting my SS#. Checked on my package and if it was sent out yet. Saw this mesaage on my tracking number. Cost including shipping was $4140 it was $3575 for the 5 units themselves.

There are import fees due on this shipment. We recommend using our online payment system to expedite final delivery. Your driver also accepts limited payment methods upon delivery.

Final Charges 938.95 USD



SO by the time i paid shipping and then fees its roughly 50% higher than the actual items.

Anyone else experience this?

 

[RCinFLA]

You likely got nailed because of five units and total invoice amount.

They blow off single unit packages most of the time.

Also have the Trump Chinese import tax directive.

 

[John Frum]

Where the shipping terms ddp?

Delivered Duty Paid: What DDP Means for Importers, Exporters

Under delivered duty paid (DDP), the seller is responsible for the cost of transporting goods until customs clears them for import at the destination.

www.investopedia.com

 

[Bleedingblue]

2 yrs ago i ordered a $5000 item from Canada and my tax was only a little over $100.

 

[John Frum]

2 yrs ago i ordered a $5000 item from Canada and my tax was only a little over $100.

Cool story.

 

[Bleedingblue]

Where the shipping terms ddp?

Delivered Duty Paid: What DDP Means for Importers, Exporters

Under delivered duty paid (DDP), the seller is responsible for the cost of transporting goods until customs clears them for import at the destination.

www.investopedia.com

I dont know what that is. I paid for door to door

 

[Bleedingblue]

Cool story.

Ok

 

[Bleedingblue]

You likely got nailed because of five units and total invoice amount.

They blow off single unit packages most of the time.

Also have the Trump Chinese import tax directive.

Have not gotten my lithium cells yet. Are my taxes going to be even higher for those? It was around the same price but shipping 2x higher because of weight.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Are my taxes going to be even higher for those?

Were they shipped DDP? Then you don't pay any extra taxes as they are included in the amount you already paid. Check out this:
https://diysolarforum.com/ewr-carta/incoterms/

 

[Bleedingblue]

Were they shipped DDP? Then you don't pay any extra taxes as they are included in the amount you already paid. Check out this:
https://diysolarforum.com/ewr-carta/incoterms/

No clue on where to see if it was paid or not and do not really understand it on how it works if they take care of it.
Wouldnt the seller then just charge ya another 1000 to ship it then? Instead of shipping being $570 it just be $1570 up front?

 

[Bleedingblue]

I have not heard back from the seller yet on if it was DDP. But in an earlier message he did say that it was really high and normally his customers pay around $300
I messaged the seller on the lithium cells i bought and asked if it was DDP on those. He said yes it was and pointed out it was door to door.
Well my inverters also say door to door as well

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Door to door != DDP. DDU is also door to door but you still have to take care of customs and taxes.

DDP works in that the customs handling is taken care of by the local delivery contractor, and the contract and pricing for this is agreed between seller and this local delivery/broker company. You can usually quite easily figure out what the taxes and duties are supposed to be (by getting a DDU quote for example and then doing the calculations). Of course, you always pay the costs - but with DDP there are no surprises.

 

[Bleedingblue]

Door to door != DDP. DDU is also door to door but you still have to take care of customs and taxes.

DDP works in that the customs handling is taken care of by the local delivery contractor, and the contract and pricing for this is agreed between seller and this local delivery/broker company. You can usually quite easily figure out what the taxes and duties are supposed to be (by getting a DDU quote for example and then doing the calculations). Of course, you always pay the costs - but with DDP there are no surprises.

I guess i can negotiate with them( the broker)?

It was flown in to Louisville Ky and i live in Ky. UPS is delivering them today. UPS main hub is in louisville.

 

[RCinFLA]

Have not gotten my lithium cells yet. Are my taxes going to be even higher for those? It was around the same price but shipping 2x higher because of weight.

???
Like to say 'Russian Roulett' but in this case I guess its 'Chinese Roulett'

Hopefully you won't be unlucky the second time in a row.

 

[Bleedingblue]

I was able to talk to someone today that was collecting the fee on UPS's end. What he said was this is the Tarriffs that are now imposed on Hong Kong starting last week. Said China likes to use Hong Kong as the shipping point to beat the tarriffs on mainland china. My hybrid inverters say shipped from Hong Kong. So they were smacked with tarriffs that are high.

I do not know how this effects everything else being shipped out but looks like china can no longer use Hong Kong to get by on Tarriffs. Could be all our shipping costs are going to be going up. My batteries are sitting in California right now, ordered those in early June and the inverters werent shipped out by air until Monday. Those were ordered first of July.

Its gonna suck having to pay 2000 bucks in taxes because the items werent shipped out when ordered. If so i wouldnt had to pay maybe.

 

[learning all the time]

Wow! I just ordered my batteries from Alibaba two weeks ago. I apparently set the wrong shipping price on the first set and had no clue what all the crazy terms were. I tried to figure it out and I believe DDP was the last option which is what I chose. My understanding was I would not have to pay anything else to customs. I am glad I am not the only one confused with this stuff. Thank you guys for the info.

 

[Gazoo]

What he said was this is the Tarriffs that are now imposed on Hong Kong starting last week.

That's a shame.

Also have the Trump Chinese import tax directive.

Does anyone have a percentage on what the extra fee is? How much per $100.00 for example?

 

[RCinFLA]

That's a shame.



Does anyone have a percentage on what the extra fee is? How much per $100.00 for example?

Depends on 'class' designation. I don't know the classification details but worse class is 33% of value. Since can lie on invoice value sometimes
agent will look up U.S. wholesale price of like item in his data base.

When I worked for Motorola we would claim small quantities as 'engineering samples' with component piece part value.

I know from experience the Chinese are the best at getting around duties. We used to call Hong Kong the 'looking glass' though which duties would vanish.

 

[Bleedingblue]

That's a shame.



Does anyone have a percentage on what the extra fee is? How much per $100.00 for example?

I think it was 28% on the value of the items not shipping costs that was also included. What you are going to have to do is tell the shipper to lower the value down considerably so the charges wont be so high. Hopefully it slips through without being noticed.

 

[Bleedingblue]

Depends on 'class' designation. I don't know the classification details but worse class is 33% of value. Since can lie on invoice value sometimes
agent will look up U.S. wholesale price of like item in his data base.

When I worked for Motorola we would claim small quantities as 'engineering samples' with component piece part value.

I know from experience the Chinese are the best at getting around duties. We used to call Hong Kong the 'looking glass' though which duties would vanish.

The customs guy told me it depends on the HS code of the product and the Tarriffs that will be imposed.

 

[Gazoo]

Thanks for the information and suggestions. They can probably devalue shipments by a wide margin and get away with it. Especially batteries. Maybe devalue things to their cost. Pretty sure they could get away with that.

 

[Gazoo]

I think it was 28% on the value of the items not shipping costs that was also included. What you are going to have to do is tell the shipper to lower the value down considerably so the charges wont be so high. Hopefully it slips through without being noticed.

I am working on an order for batteries from China. I asked the seller to devalue they shipment and he said he would. Just wanted to thank you again for the tip. I don't know how much it will be devalued and I don't want to get into all that with the seller due to translation. It's hard enough as it is getting answers but in the end should be worth it.

 

[Gazoo]

Double post.

 

[Bleedingblue]

I am working on an order for batteries from China. I asked the seller to devalue they shipment and he said he would. Just wanted to thank you again for the tip. I don't know how much it will be devalued and I don't want to get into all that with the seller due to translation. It's hard enough as it is getting answers but in the end should be worth it.

Anything to help. Wish I had known about it before I ordered but then again who knew when China was going to take over Hong Kong and then the tariffs apply to them as well. I just so happened to be one of the first to get screwed by it.

Need to have a sticky somewhere at the top and Will go over about the tariffs and what you need to do to help by step them.

 

[upnorthandpersonal]

Might not want to advertise that; there are considerable fines involved if you misrepresent the value of the goods you're importing and get caught doing that.