Duty fees on out of country orders????

[jvbutter]

So I placed an order from big online seller (ChainReact) back in Sept… now I’m getting a bill from US shipper for Duty Fees…. is this normal? Does anyone else get this extra fee when ordering from outside US retailers? This is a deal killer for me.

[Jeff Barber]

Dude, that sucks, though it’s not totally surprising. Aaron and I were just talking about this last week and wondered if import duties were collected on bike purchases made from international retailers. We’ve both purchased things online but never anything large or expensive, and have never been charged duty fees.

Some quick research shows the average import duty in the US is 5.6% of the value of the item being imported, though it can range as high as 37% for certain items. What is the percentage you’re being charged? Do you have to pay it before you receive your package or did they send the bill separately? Who sent the bill, the retailer or Uncle Sam?

[Shinobi]

I placed an order through chain reaction for a set of rockshox this past weekend.  Being delivered tomorrow.  So far nothing for me on having to pay import tax when I track my package.   Hope it stays that way otherwise the good deal I got will be for not.

[Brian87]

I know me and my dad have bought many things from Chainreaction and never had that happen.  Dont think we have placed any order over 300 yet, so not sure if it is just the larger orders.

[Shinobi]

Update: Got the shocks in yesterday afternoon.  No bill was handed to me by the DHL guy.  I am guessing it will have to do with how much the product costs that is being brought into the country from overseas

It does indeed depend on the product cost; and what it is; and where it was made; and where it is coming from; and whether it is for personal use or commercial (e.g. for resale); and how it is shipped; and where it is delivered; and who handles the import paperwork. Fees include tariff, customs processing fees, and customs broker fees if a broker is used. A major shipping service like UPS or DHL is likely to supply a customs broker to handle the paperwork, but might then pass on the costs. For a bicycle or bicycle part imported from a country that is party to a free-trade agreement with the United States (e.g. NAFTA for Canada or Mexico, AUSFTA for Australia), the duty is zero. There are free trade agreements with at least 20 nations. For more info: http://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases, http://export.gov/fta/ftatarifftool/TariffSearch.aspx

[jvbutter]

Its all about the cost… I had a dropper post of $260 and now hit with the charge… I’d assume Customs does not care to much about smaller items … less than $200.

Shinobi, I placed the order back in Sept… and it just now showed up… so it might take time…

drcbarth… thanks for the links….

[Shinobi]

Jvbutter,  thanks for the info.  Well my order was 267. So I guess I’ll get hit by it as well.  How much did the import tax run you if you don’t mind me asking.  I’ll know what to expect at least.  Wonder why if you ordered it in September that it took till late November/December to get to ya.

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