Larry77

So is it not normal to get a customs bill after receiving an item from an international seller? How could I have avoided it?

Red-headed ex-girlfriend is running karaoke at some dive bar but you all can go for it ;-) She is still hot...

Lazyass

So if I ordered a saddle from Wiggle it's a hit or miss if I get some customs bill? How does that work, like, what if you don't pay it?

CaptKelly

Yes, hit-or-miss.

If you don't pay the bill, you'll have CBP (a federal law enforcement agency out of the department of homeland security) come collect it, like any other federal debt -- they'll collect it one way or another.

Marcus_Ti

Depends on how it is delivered.

DHL will deliver it and send you a separate bill for customs/brokerage/"convenience fees" days/weeks later.

UPS will completely withhold your package unless you present COD for the additional bills.

PharmD

I ordered a Selle Italia Superflow SLR for $140 from wiggle about a month ago. No customs bill for me. My wallet and butt are very happy. Much better than the $275-325 they go for in the states.

dtrain

Larry - I just wanted to thank you for the tip. My karaoke was a little rusty, but oh my was that redhead a hot little ticket. Fun times!

Lazyass

Well, I want a reproduction Turbo saddle. It's over $100 in the US and Wiggle sells it for $42. How much are these customs bills?

GuitarBob

I think I recall there being a lower limit, below which there are no fees -- maybe $200? If someone knows, please chime in.

If I have that right, then you'll not be asked to may import fees.

Dave Mayer

Huh? So the Feds are a collection agency for the couriers? On cross-border shipments, our couriers charge 'import fees', 'processing fees', 'administration fees' etc. that in considerably higher than the actual tax or duties owed to the government. How is this fair?

And when you have a mixed parcel that includes clothing, components, bike electronics etc., the couriers will charge you the highest tax/duty of anything (usually clothing) in the parcel to the entire parcel. Then they will remit to the Gov't only the actual taxes/duties owing, a much lower amount. Nice.

bt

government can and will take the money directly from one of your bank accounts.

dtrain

****

Pantani98

We recently bought my wife's Wilier from Wiggle and a few clothing items. Customer service was excellent, shipping was quick. Zero complaints and would shop there again.

NormanF

You don't get hit with duty as long as the value doesn't exceed $200. After that you pay the post office or the parcel company the required duty.

znomit

Late at night, you jump online and check out their prices?

mawashi

Don't ask, just buy lol!

Pantani98

DHL delivered the bike we ordered. Just had to pay around $125 for the duty fee. Once paid DHL brought it over. The jersey and accessories were delivered via DHL with no additional fees. The bike was here within 3 days and packed so there wasn't a scratch. Don't complain about the prices. Buy and enjoy! I try and support my LBS when I can but for the money I spend at shops and struggle to get deals, sometimes it's just not worth it.

soom

I've been a long time lurker but I wanted to clarify to the best of my knowledge regarding how these bills/customs work.

I was an intern when I was in college (I graduated in 2013) for an international trade non-profit where we worked with small businesses in California export and import internationally. I think i can help provide some insight on this matter if it hasn't been cleared up yet.

The best way to ascertain if you will or will not get hit with a bill is to look up the HTS code (Harmonized Tariff Schedule) for the exact item that you are ordering. You will then have to look up the tariff rates to match up what you're ordering and where it's being sent to.

The UK and Europe may have favorable rates on the imports (0-10%) but again its dependent on the destination country where you reside and how the vendor declares what's inside the box. This is why you'll see a CIPL (Commercial Invoice Packing List) on the outside of your boxes that states the declared value of each item.

For example luxury goods may face a 10%-30%+ rate on the declared value of the item. This is why luxury watch resellers in Japan will sometimes mark down the price of the good when shipping to skip a customs sniff test. The inherent risk here is if in the event of a loss, insurance may not cover the full value of the item which is why some businesses will not mark down an item or will offer warranties outside of the original equipment manufacturers. In between these extremes is the option that they are grey market items where you'll be on your own if it's defective.

Perhaps ironically while the intent of international trade is to increase the welfare of two different societies (economies benefiting from trade beyond their production capabilities - production possibilities frontier) yet with so many regulatory bodies in place and the self-interest of these competitive economies, it sometimes can stymie competition. This is why sometimes (or a lot) free trade agreements are of questionable practice in global politics/economics.

So in summary if you did not know this before:

Your final tariff/bill will be the stated % in the HTS code (you can learn more about HTS here: " + ttlms_connect.course_name + ") of the declared value from origin country to destination country.

Also the reason you may be hit with a service fee through UPS/FedEx is instances where they must broker and process the importation of the items on their behalf. The value generally does not have anything to do with how much you've paid for your items. It may be tiered but I dont work for UPS/FedEx so you'll have to inquire with them.

Hope it helps a little. Ask me other questions if you're wondering? If any one else is a better subject matter expert on this let me know. Or I can ring up my old boss and ask him very specific questions on international trade on your behalf.

rms13

And I thought the reason I haven't got hit with any bills is because Merlin/Ribble write "Samples" on the customs declaration

soom

This could be very well the case and it would be hard to disprove that they're really not. I've had a watch from Japan held up in customs but released once it was under the threshold of what is allowed by the tariff schedule. I know luxury imports are heaviliy taxed around the world to protect domestic industries and many exporters will carry the burden of risk when total loss occurs.

I wouldn't be surprised if Merlin/Wiggle used FOB shipment terms or a shipper bear all INCO term (definition: Incoterms® are a set of rules which define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers for the delivery of goods under sales contracts. They are published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and are widely used in commercial transactions) with less protections. If the cargo ship or plane crashed in the Atlantic ocean Wiggle/Merlin would take the hit as revenue streams from consumers purchasing low-cost bicycling goods exceeds the probability of such an incident occurring.

Stravacyclist79

Very true, but the trick is hit the advance search link then search in the keyword box and select search titles or body etc. Works like a
charm. So you won't have to do this.