My company got billed by UPS for customs charges -- what?

[columbia92]

Originally Posted by RJman

Customs duties are technically due on (almost) ANY purchase of ANY value shipped to you from outside the US. State law has nothing to do with it, it's federal.

A lot might depend on the shipping service used, the reported value, the additional fees leveled by any customs broker in cahoots with UPS/Fedex/etc. and even how the customs agent parses the declaration of contents.

Trust me on this.

add name and the mood of the agent you're dealing with on the day....

 

[clausc]

Same happened to me before when ordering from Yoox. Even though I put shipping address my work address and billing my home address, they still charged my company.


Question for the OP: I just ordered an utility blazer from Albam and asked on the phone if they ship internationally (Switzerland in this case) via Royal Mail and they confirmed me so. However, the person on the phone was hesitating. I pay almost double custom duties when the shipment is via UPS or DHL. I did not received yet a tracking #. Is it always UPS?

 

[unjung]

UPS does publish clearance charges on their site... they are high.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by Chargersfan

Years back when I broke up with my then American fiance, she shipped some stuff that I had left at her place back to Canada via UPS. I had to pay $70 TO GET MY OWN STUFF BACK. She worked for UPS at that time, and even declared it returned personal goods to a citizen. Seriously, their 'customs broker' bs has to be one of the biggest scams going. That being said, you're gonna have to pay...consider it a lesson learned.

You should be able to contest the customs charges and get your money back...

 

[RIDER]

Whenever you are importing goods, the 'ship to' address is officially the 'importer of record'. The 'importer of record' is responsible for all duties, brokerage fees, clearance fees, storage fees, and in the case of UPS fuel surcharges. Also, if there were to be a problem - and trust me, since the Census Bureau took over Customs they are finding all kinds of problems - the importer of record would be responsible for those problems.....including penalties.

Some of the fees I am reading here that people call bogus are, in fact, legitimate fees - a bond needs to be posted for every import shipment for example. I pay $120 bond fee no matter if I am bringing in one pair or 100 pair. UPS actually discounts the bond and calls it a 'processing fee'.

Honestly, I'm surprised more don't complain or get questioned about the goods they bring in. Technically speaking, the importer of record (NOT the shipper) is also responsible for the correct importing codes - the list I just received is 84 pages long. And don't try to buy/import something of a material that you are not familiar with the importation rules of, and the potential risk if your package is stopped for inspection. Again, trust me. Illegal importation of goods is a felony - and they don't accept 'I didn't know' or 'the shipper didn't tell me that' as an excuse.

You are the citizen, you are the importer, your responsibility to know what you are doing.

Example - you live in California and buy a pair of shoes from ebay Italy....the shoes are made of kangaroo, but the seller doesn't know this and lists them as calfskin. You get your package inspected on the random list, they see kangaroo - you are a felon.

 

[Wes Bourne]

Similar thing happened to me. A few months ago, I put in a couple of orders with BB. Had the stuff delivered to my office (in Montreal) by FedEx. At first, I was all giddy because no customs brokerage + taxes were due upon delivery.

Several weeks later, I received some outstanding FedEx bills through internal mail. It seems FedEx had billed my company's account for those fees. The bills went through accounting, then HR before ending up on my desk... While I can't be upset that I had to pay the fees, I sure wish they would have collected them from me when they delivered. Best is something like LL Bean does with USPS and their own Borderfree(?) system whereas all fees are calculated and charged right when you checkout.

 

[Bill Smith]

For that reason I am very leery having stuff shipped via UPS or Fed Ex. At one employer I had a standing arrangement with accounts payable to forward any outstanding invoices for duties and brokerage to me. I was not the only person to shop online at work and as long as my name and work phone number was on the paper work, it was good.

 

[bigbris1]

Originally Posted by RIDER

And don't try to buy/import something of a material that you are not familiar with the importation rules of, and the potential risk if your package is stopped for inspection. Again, trust me. Illegal importation of goods is a felony - and they don't accept 'I didn't know' or 'the shipper didn't tell me that' as an excuse.

You are the citizen, you are the importer, your responsibility to know what you are doing.

Example - you live in California and buy a pair of shoes from ebay Italy....the shoes are made of kangaroo, but the seller doesn't know this and lists them as calfskin. You get your package inspected on the random list, they see kangaroo - you are a felon.

This is scary

 

[TheWGP]

Originally Posted by bigbris1

This is scary

Yeah, but in a case like the one Rider presents, you can show evidence that you thought it was legal - not saying it won't be a PITA, but you'll get it cleared up eventually. Things like the auction listing and any seller statements or communication ARE considered - but ONLY to show what YOU knew and were ordering.

There is a "knew or should have known" component... think about people who order things that LOOK like ivory without being stated as ivory - most are plastic or something else, but some maybe are afoul of regulations. Those people are going to get busted - you, for kangaroo shoes? So long as it was reasonable for you to believe they were calfskin or cordovan or whatever, you'll be okay in the end... after a year or two and lots of $$ spent defending yourself, true, but you won't be in jail as long as you followed all other requirements.

To foreclose on the easy argument - I mail Rider, unsolicited, a pair of kangaroo boots. It'd be easy to do that from any mailbox in Canada, just drive across and mail it via UPS. Think about that example!