davidom2513 wrote: » Hi, I bought a GSM booster from Aliexpress. It cost €117 shipped. DHL contacted me today, stating I need to pay €50 customs fee before they will release it, which is ridiculous. When An Post seizes something, they ask for a receipt, and they calculate the customs based on that. Where are DHL getting their figure? Can I refuse to pay what they ask? Thanks, David
firestarter51 wrote: » If you refuse to pay it will be destroyed
myshirt wrote: » Wth are you on about? DHL don't set the customs & vat rate on this continent. They have no right to destroy this man's goods for an arbitrary figure they came up with. Lets get that straight. Op, ask them for a receipt for the fee they paid on your behalf or a bill. Quite common that DHL just making up fees, many threads here on it. So get transparancy. Could be the case that it is 23% on the value you paid, plus their 16e handling and warehouse fee. Alternatively, people should be aware that DHL make it their business to ensure customs is charged on everything from China so they get their fee. Annoying but fine, ok, i get it. What they can't be doing is imputing their own market value, adding notional shipping charges, calculating import charges, adding their fee, lamping you for it, and then settling up with Revenue for less. This is a scandal. Hearing about this way too often. Op is right, use the invoice, it is an arms length transaction.
VincePP wrote: » The fault is entirely with the sender. For imports a proper invoice detailing the cost of item and the cost of shipping must be included - if not an estimate is used by customs. More than likely delivery was not detailed on the invoice and hence a delivery estimate was added. This is obligatory for dhl to do and the vat & duty is based on that total cost. 23% vat on invoice = €26.91 23% vat on delivery fee (prob put at €40) = €10.60 DHL customs processing fee €10 + vat @ 13.5% Total = €50+ Nothing unusual about that Even using your own figures the total is over €40 - so in effect you are arguing over a tenner
Jaden Brave Tortoise wrote: » What planet are you on? It's customs who will destroy it, not DHL. It is customs who levy the charge, not DHL. It is Customs who decide who pays what, not DHL. The most DHL get is a tanner to process all. Let's be straight, customs most certainly can and will destroy an item on which duty and tax is not paid.
myshirt wrote: » Revenue sample little of what DHL brings in. DHL have an account with Revenue that Revenue charge. That's their deal. That's why DHL is so quick. Where Revenue have not sampled the DHL shipments, DHL are stepping in and doing the customs assessment because for every chargeable item that Revenue miss, DHL loses their handling fee. On Revenues side, they sample little DHL as they know DHL will come forward and declare. Issue is the assessment needs to occur by Revenue, not DHL, so op needs to get a copy of that independent assessment and not pay DHL figure which may not be passed on in full as they declare their items in aggregate. It is a scandal, I stand by that. Now ok, in this instance, it is a tenner, but its becoming too many tenners too many times. A DHL thread week on week. All over UK forums aswell.
ED E wrote: » GSM boosters are illegal transmission on a licensed frequency and subject to €5000+ fines for simply being turned on, refuse it and have them return to sender.
myshirt wrote: » I think the issue is DHL arbitrarily imputung the market value, which they have no remit to do. That"s Revenues job where an apparant underdeclaration has occurred. Not DHL's, even as agent. Revenue make the assessment, or the op or supplier gives the invoice, that's what the bottom line. DHL nees to facilutate that if they want their fee.
firestarter51 wrote: » Your talking **** pal Customs tell Dhl what to charge and if it's not paid to Dhl then they will hand it back to customs and it will be destroyed if it's not paid in the time frame given
davidom2513 wrote: » Customs do not tell DHL what to charge. They are calculating it themselves. If the correct documentation was not provided, then all DHL need to do, is ask the buyer for the invoice, LIKE EVERY OTHER SHIPPING COMPANY DOES.
myshirt wrote: » ....people should be aware that DHL make it their business to ensure customs is charged on everything from China so they get their fee..
satguy wrote: » An Post just know that,, this phone or that phone, was only €100, and and the only reason Mom or Dad are buying it, is because they only have €100 to spend, and that these people live on the same streets they live on.. DHL just see a licence to print money,, even if they do say that they are only doing it by the book,, Why go of page when you are raking it in.... Mr DHL does not live on my street,, he lives somewhere warm....
satguy wrote: » DHL just see a licence to print money,, even if they do say that they are only doing it by the book,, Why go of page when you are raking it in.... Mr DHL does not live on my street,, he lives somewhere warm....
whiterebel wrote: » The couriers, such as DHL, do customs entries for dutiable products coming from outside the EU. Companies in China know if they declare correct values, shipping etc on their invoices it will make them unattractive to buy from (which is the whole point behind customs duty/VAT/Excise etc in the first place). Courier does the entry based on the value shown, but if there is no shipping, or the amount of the product is stupidly low "including delivery", they need to add proper shipping to it ACCORDING TO THEIR TARIFFS. Why should they have to go chasing an exporter in China for proof of shipping they paid? They should put it on the paperwork in the first place.The courier makes no more money out of it by declaring a higher value for shipping. If you don't believe this, ask the courier for a copy of the customs entry which should show value+ Freight+ Duty, then 23% VAT charged on the lot. All they are showing in the freight charge is what THEY would charge for shipping from China/USA/Canada according to their official tariff , not what Chinese Post/USPS/Fedex would charge. Difference between An Post and DHL/TNT/UPS/FedEx is An Post are semi-state and the others are private companies. An Post should be stopping all consignments over the value for customs, but don't, probably out of laziness. We pay them a €6 fee because its a company that doesn't seem to know how to turn a profit unless it involves increasing stamp prices every 20 minutes. Their idea of a good business decision is pairing up with DHL for international parcels and packets. Because of the lack of competition here it means they can charge one-off customers about 6 times the going european rate for shipping. If the courier company gets a tenner to complete a customs entry, pay out VAT/Duty on your behalf and organise it if it goes red or yellow channel - for customs inspection. It doesn't sound a lot to me
VincePP wrote: » Most of your post makes sense except the anger at an post. An post have international postal agreements with most countries - it would be utter madness for an post to transfer all parcels to a third party. It would delay delivery and add costs. In any case, it is customs revenue themselves that operate the an post inward parcel fee system (directly employed by revenue with own office within an post centre in Portlaoise) - hence just a €6 charge for fee collection rather than customs entry.
