Tariff Update

Richard Tool said:

I was about to ask Andover the same - please let us know what response you get - Thanks

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It is not yet an option - easy enough to see, just got through to checkout and don't checkout. I'm hoping they will and that they will support the greater than 2lg when they do. In the past they only offered Royal Mail if under 2kg. I did notice that DHL is back but WAY more expensive than UPS.

I also think that anything under $100 is not even being stopped and checked which makes a mockery of the reason why De Minimis was suspended, but again no solid confirmation of that. Royal Mail only stopped shipping certain parcels but for letters etc, and this can sometimes include small packages, were still being shipped.
Currently have two parcels being reversed collected from the US by our own global courier, each weighs 37lbs and it cost us £50 each parcel and that is for a 3 - 4 day shipping timescale door to door. Had we not collected we would have paid 3 x this amount. It goes to show that the same global companies delivering in the US and also ship outside the US have systems in place to handle and send parcels in 3 days to UK and that includes duties and sales tax, as you can see we are struggling to see why they have not got their s**t in one sock there for their US customers to receive parcels from outside the UK.

Madnorton said:

I also think that anything under $100 is not even being stopped and checked which makes a mockery of the reason why De Minimis was suspended, but again no solid confirmation of that.

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I confirm that not one cent was charged to me for my $85 purchase from Burton Bike Bits a few weeks ago. It arrived in my mailbox two weeks later, no fanfare.

Glad to hear that some are getting small orders through. On the other hand, today's UPS tracking update is below and they have not asked for money so it's not coming today and it would have to make it to a local facility if it were coming today:

I have not yet heard from Andover and can call the UK for free. I will do so tomorrow AM

Latest twist! I wrote UPS Customer Service asking for help - no reply. Shortly after the tracking changed to:



They have not asked for money. It will be really nice if they are so wrapped up on this that they have screwed up and I don't have to pay duties! I'm not holding my breath! The package, according to tracking is still in KY, over 600 miles from me!

Shock and awe - the package arrived today. Only took 8 days when it normally takes 3. Never got any answered to my voice mail or emails, but after it arrived, I got and answer to my email to UPS customer service saying that it was delivered and not answering the question of what was holding it up.

One really funny tracking event is when it was scanned leaving KY and scanned arriving in IL just over 400 miles away and that all took 9 minutes. Maybe UPS has quietly invented a Star Trek transporter! Three more stops after that over two days and it was loaded on the truck to come to me. It took 11 hours for the truck to deliver it.

When the Australian government began removing tariffs and subsidies, I knew it was the beginning of the end for many small manufacturing businesses. Neoliberalism is not reversible. It is like electronics - once the smoke has escaped, we buy a new one. With motorcycles - China makes a lot of components which could be used by creative people. However, in Australia - every road vehicle needs an engineers' certificate. 'Authoritarianism stifles creativity'. The mindset we had in the 1960s is no longer appropriate. When we consider things to be impossible - that creates certainty.

I thought this was a all figured out and I wouldn't need to update again. My last three AN order were 25% duty and $14 brokerage fee once all the back and forth ended.

I have a new AN order that shipped today. The correct duty is $477 and they are asking for that. The $14 brokerage fee is now called a "Disbursement Fee". Those are fine, but now they want an additional $213



If that "Entry-Line Charge After First Three Lines" is from the Commercial Invoice (they only thing they get AFAIK), the 1st item is some rubber taillight beads, the 2nd item is some taillight screws for the 917 taillight, and the 3rd item is the little rubber pad for the rear loop to fender mount. Since there is some steel there, the 25% duty kicks in, but the total of those three lines adds to $22.18 so they a want 1051% fee for working with US customs (that's what the $14 is for). On top of that, the shipping for the order is $82.37

Over all it is parts (all rounded) $1883 parts+$82 Shipping+$477 Duty+$14Fee+$213Fee=$2669 or 46% over the US parts prices.

I have been waiting on hold for 125 minutes and soon I'm sure they will shut off the phone without answering and won't be available until Monday. They will ship it back Tuesday if I don't buckle and pay.

marshg246 said:

I thought this was a all figured out and I wouldn't need to update again. My last three AN order were 25% duty and $14 brokerage fee once all the back and forth ended.

I have a new AN order that shipped today. The correct duty is $477 and they are asking for that. The $14 brokerage fee is now called a "Disbursement Fee". Those are fine, but now they want an additional $213

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If that "Entry-Line Charge After First Three Lines" is from the Commercial Invoice (they only thing they get AFAIK), the 1st item is some rubber taillight beads, the 2nd item is some taillight screws for the 917 taillight, and the 3rd item is the little rubber pad for the rear loop to fender mount. Since there is some steel there, the 25% duty kicks in, but the total of those three lines adds to $22.18 so they a want 1051% fee for working with US customs (that's what the $14 is for). On top of that, the shipping for the order is $82.37

Over all it is parts (all rounded) $1883 parts+$82 Shipping+$477 Duty+$14Fee+$213Fee=$2669 or 46% over the US parts prices.

I have been waiting on hold for 125 minutes and soon I'm sure they will shut off the phone without answering and won't be available until Monday. They will ship it back Tuesday if I don't buckle and pay.

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Online they say that the customs line is available 24/7. I couldn't take any more of their crappy recording and gave up at just over four hours - when I called, the machine said the wait would be about one hour.

After a grand total of 9 hours and 21 minutes on hold (three attempts) I finally got a woman who did nto speak understandable English on the dispute number UPS gave in an web page of theirs. She simply says the extra $210.00 is a fee "UPS is allowed to charge" and that is I want to dispute it I ust write to: aknentyrvw@ups.com who I've already written to.

My order is being delivered today - it will be refused. Bt the new rules, the $477 is correct, by my last four orders, the $14 is the fee for UPS to handle customs. I have no clue what the $213 is and I haven't paid anything like it before, although they tried once before and removed it when I disputed it.

Anyway, email that goofy address to dispute charges.

Saw this today Greg, maybe things are slowly improving ?

Fast Eddie said:

Saw this today Greg, maybe things are slowly improving ?


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The best part is simply not placing the order when the numbers don't add up.

I need the parts that are supposed to arrive today but must refuse the delivery because UPS is trying to add $213 to their pocket after already being paid over $83 for shipping.

I'm spending WAT too much of my life on this for no gain whatever. I guess I could mimic Old Britts, Steadfast, and The Bonneville shop, et. Al. and add 100%+ markup! Right now, I lose money on most orders even not considering my time and when I consider my time, I'm an absolute idiot for selling parts!

Curiouser and curiouser!

Got this in answer to my dispute: "Hello, as a one-time courtesy, your Entry Line Charges of 213.00 USD are now removed. Please be sure to consolidate like items of the same classification to the same lines to eliminate paying the extra fee on your future shipments. UPS also offers an automated service that does this for your shipments. You will need to see your account manager for that service."

Of course, they can't update the charge so I can pay online, I have to wait until they open tomorrow to pay by credit card over the phone. If I don't the driver will still want the original charge including the $213.

So, UPS doesn't like the order AN lists things on the "commercial invoice", and the "commercial invoice" has the same code on every line so it's simple nonsense to start with. Example:

My last couple of AN orders have used Royal Mail and it has been very smooth. You know in advance exactly what you will pay and you don't deal with the carrier at all - a real pleasure. It takes 2-3 days longer to arrive but that's no big deal to me.

However, things are not always the same. My last order was at 10% plus fees and the order I just placed is at 25% plus fees for all items, even for rubber items which are supposed to be 10%. However, the Executive Order implies that if any aluminum, steel or copper is in the order the whole order is 25% so I understand why the order is at 25%.

When I order, I do my best to max the 2kg limit. Ordering less increases the per item charge as the postage and duty fees still, at least partly, apply.

Because I have about $70k of AN parts pre-tariff and am getting parts with tariff now, when you lookup prices on my web site you may see one item at different prices. I used to average the cost to determine the price but now it goes strictly by what I paid. For instance, I have five pre-MK3 front isolastics in stock at three different prices so obviously you want the lowest and I will sell the lowest first. As always, Access Norton members and people who mention their club don't pay my published price - there's always at least a little off.

concours said:

Ordered on 10-8-25, after the close of business.

On my stoop on 10-15-25.

Absolutely ZERO drama.

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...and another UK vendor not buying into the drama. https://yambits.co.uk/parts-type-bike-models-c-241_1225.html

I ordered Monday, 12-1-25, on my stoop today.

concours said:

...and another UK vendor not buying into the drama. https://yambits.co.uk/parts-type-bike-models-c-241_1225.html

I ordered Monday, 12-1-25, on my stoop today.
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The seller causes no drama generally.

It's the shipper that collects the duties and fees. If FedEx delivered without collecting the duties and their fees, expect an invoice from them and expect to be sent to collections if you don't pay by their deadline - the invoice often arrives AFTER their deadline.

UPS simply does not deliver without being paid and they try to add extra huge fees.

In the case of AN, if the package is under 2kg, they can ship Royal Mail (Parcel Force) and the collect the duties and fees up front. That's the only way I buy from AN now - I need no more UPS/FedEx crap in my life!

I just got a charges due notice from a UPS shipped order from the UK. Details showed a $10 Canadian import fee, then Fed/Provincial sales taxes, then a UPS "Brokerage Charge", then a UPS "Brokerage Fee" (both about another $10 each), then more tax on those two amounts. What exactly are the brokerage fee vs brokerage charge?

Tornado said:

I just got a charges due notice from a UPS shipped order from the UK. Details showed a $10 Canadian import fee, then Fed/Provincial sales taxes, then a UPS "Brokerage Charge", then a UPS "Brokerage Fee" (both about another $10 each), then more tax on those two amounts. What exactly are the brokerage fee vs brokerage charge?

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In the US, all fees are money in UPS pockets. In the US, they are allowed to charge for the effort of reporting to customs and paying the duties. For you, the tax and Canadian import fee probably go to your govt., the rest to UPS. I've seen the fees called various things, but usually a brokerage fee. But then, if you pay the driver or pay via phone there is a "pre-payment" fee that they sometimes listed as a brokerage charge.

On my last AN order shipped by UPS, on top of those fees they wanted a $231 brokerage charge that they said was because I listed things on the invoice incorrectly. Of course, it was ANs invoice and there was absolutely nothing wrong and no way for me to change it if there was. That took over 15 hours total on the phone on hold and many emails to get rid of that charge.

I no longer will buy outside the US if UPS, DHL, or FedEx is involved. I'm hoping Tri-Spark switches to AU Mail because my stock is running low and I won't go through hell with FedEx again. Just before the increased duties for AU kicked in, I placed a small order everyday so it could go duty-free - raised my costs some, but better to have some in stock without the 25% + fees + headaches. I have no stock of 850 AMAL sets because they must come DHL which is the original PITA, with 25% duty and fees - they are already so expensive that people are switching to Wassel carbs which I can get for them, but that's a good bit of extra work figuring out what to get since they are generically jetted.

To figure my cost, I take the final charge in USD and divide by the parts cost in GBP. That gives me a factor that covers the shipping, handling, duties, and fees. My AN order that arrived yesterday by Royal Mail has a factor of 1.8615. The UPS order I mentioned above, which was bigger and should have had a lower factor came in at 1.9774. Had I paid the extra $231 the factor would have been 2.904. Before the nonsense started, my factors were around usually between 1.35 and 1.5 depending on the exchange rate as shipping weight.