Are we now paying Customs Duties on camera gear coming into the US?

[Emile de Leon]

DHL used to be good..
..but now..well...

 

[farlymac]

DHL used to be good..
..but now..well...

I will give them credit where it is due, and that is the package arrived in Greensboro (and would have been on my doorstep without the Customs issue) in two days. Never had a Postal service do that before. Sometimes it sits in a facility for a week before it even leaves the home country, and then it has to go through all that again when it reaches the US, plus being routed through three or four Sorting Centers on the way from NY.

PF

 

[raid]

DHL used to be good..
..but now..well...

During the years of embargo to/from Iraq, DHL was the only carrier that allowed people to mail families in Iraq "stuff" just to survive.

 

[Emile de Leon]

DHL is fast..but 2x's the cost..maybe more..
I liked them better when they shipped domestically too..
But I noticed..you have to be careful w/them..as they can add on a lot of..."costs"..not mentioned in the original quote..
And you can save a bunch..if an expensive or large item..by driving it down to the DHL center yourself and working out your best deal there..and avoiding the pickup costs by one of their drivers..or the inflated overseas costs quoted on the website..
I only use them when someone wants an item fast..and even then..occasionally..there are delays..and good luck w/them honoring their 3 day money back gurrantees..will never happen..
But..
Sounds like they were a lifesaver for you Raid! Not all bad..

 

[skucera]

I've bought a few cameras from overseas, but I haven't been charged duties on any of them yet. Then again, I haven't paid more than $20 for anything yet for old equipment, but none of it appears to have even been searched or opened in transit.

Scott

 

[raid]

Sounds like they were a lifesaver for you Raid! Not all bad..

I don't know who arranged it all, but you could mail stuff to Amman (Jordan) and the a 4-wheel drive car take the parcels across the desert to Baghdad. I am sure it was known to all, and it was a simple "valve" to prevent an explosion.

 

[sepiareverb]

After the FINAL NOTICE I have been notified that my lens is being “held”. A used lens that is missing the hood. Just how I wanted to spend my day tomorrow, on hold...

I’ve written MAP Camera to see if they can do anything from their end.

Glad I am reaching the end of my gear purchasing for the foreseeable future. Having to check and confirm who is going to be the carrier is not something I really want to bother with.

 

[farlymac]

What it all came down to is there is an $800 trigger amount that if the item is above that in valuation, then CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) can impose the duty, which in my case is $78.34 (or 5.8% of the valuation according to the HTS Code 9006.91.0001), then DHL charged $11 on top of that, which is fair.

The thing is whether I would be able to convince the CBP to drop the duty. I'm going to give it a try, but will not be holding out any hope in doing so. It could be a fun exercise in dealing with a bureaucrat.

In the meantime, I've paid the invoice from DHL, and now await to see when my package will be back on the road to me.

As an aside, I got a notice from DHL of another shipment they would be handling that is coming from Japan. Apparently, the seller had only made out the paperwork, because after I contacted them through the eBay mail system, thanking them for notifying me of shipping the lens, I also requested that in the future they not use DHL for a shipper to the US. Got another message from the seller this morning that they had changed the shipping to EMS, so I caught that one just in time. But after my discussions with DHL this morning, I would not have had to worry because it was under the $800 trigger amount.

I'm glad I don't deal in all this expensive stuff every day. I am a bottom feeder after all.

PF

 

[farlymac]

After the FINAL NOTICE I have been notified that my lens is being “held”. A used lens that is missing the hood. Just how I wanted to spend my day tomorrow, on hold...

I’ve written MAP Camera to see if they can do anything from their end.

Glad I am reaching the end of my gear purchasing for the foreseeable future. Having to check and confirm who is going to be the carrier is not something I really want to bother with.

That's who I made my latest purchase through! I got in touch with them before the lens actually was picked up, so they changed shipping to EMS. But you'll notice from my previous posting if it's over $800 in value, you might as well just pay up, and get it over with.

PF

 

[sepiareverb]

Yes, just off the phone after being cut off then the line not working when I called back for 15 minutes. Finally got back through, and was told there was nothing I could do, unless I had some mysterious code number that they could not direct me to find. $19 in duty and $11 for them to to collect it from me. Glad I am done buying for the duration. I'll have one lens to get for the Hasselblad when it is released later in the year, but will just get that from B&H.

It would appear that DHL has figured out they can charge everyone $11 if they simply make CBP aware of duty owed and front the money. Kinda sleazy. EMS, Korea Post, Japan Post or China Post shipments have never once been charged duty, even on items of much higher value.

 

[farlymac]

Yes, just off the phone after being cut off then the line not working when I called back for 15 minutes. Finally got back through, and was told there was nothing I could do, unless I had some mysterious code number that they could not direct me to find. $19 in duty and $11 for them to to collect it from me. Glad I am done buying for the duration. I'll have one lens to get for the Hasselblad when it is released later in the year, but will just get that from B&H.

It would appear that DHL has figured out they can charge everyone $11 if they simply make CBP aware of duty owed and front the money. Kinda sleazy. EMS, Korea Post, Japan Post or China Post shipments have never once been charged duty, even on items of much higher value.

It's DHL's way of taking that last little bit off the top.

PF

 

[Rob-F]

Most likely DHL is holding your gear ransom to pay for them to inspect the contents of the package to ensure no duty is due. The fee is for them to open the package, look inside, and reseal the package. Old trick with all the private shippers. I've never had USPS do it, only FedEx & UPS. It's not duty (fee to the US government) but an added charge put on by the shipping company. Based on my some of my experience I don't think they even open the package. I always make sure shipments into this the US are by government mail services. The fee is outrageous (or was, it's been awhile). Generally triggered I think if the insured value is over some amount.

UPS pulled this same stunt on me when I bought a Hasselblad projector and some slide trays from Canada. The trays were shipped in a separate package. UPS charged me $26 for each package, for a $52 charge! For doing nothing! Now I always insist on Canada Post, which automatically transfers to USPS. From Canada right to my door, no extra charges. USPS--the United States government-- doesn't find it necessary to route through Customs. And UPS does it anyway, just to line their pockets.

What can be done about this?

 

[splitimageview]

What can be done, is exactly what you did: don't use a common carrier that charge brokerage fees. Use USPS, which by the way does not bypass customs.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I've got a used Zeiss 50/2.8 for the Fuji X coming from Japan, from MAP Camera.

I’ve written MAP Camera to see if they can do anything from their end.

That's who I made my latest purchase through! I got in touch with them before the lens actually was picked up, so they changed shipping to EMS.

The FAQ on Map Camera's website says the following:

Can MapCamera ship the product to overseas?
　A:No, sorry but we do not ship any of our product(including GMT, Kingdom Note and MapSports) to overseas.

Is Map Camera selling directly overseas now and they just haven't updated their website yet???

https://www.mapcamera.com/html/worldguide/english_page.html

 

[sepiareverb]

Is Map Camera selling directly overseas now and they just haven't updated their website yet???

Via eBay yes.

 

[farlymac]

Thanks for the link, Jon. They're just three blocks from the main train station!

PF

 

[farlymac]

DHL released the Leica CL outfit at noon, and it arrived here around 5:30pm. It sure is a sweet looking little camera. Now I need to get a Zeiss Ikon ZM.

PF