Tariff Update

[marshg246]

Finally got UPS on the phone. For this $737 order they said:

$187 Duty (25%)
$209 Customs and Brokerage Fee (DHL was charging $17)

This is on top of the massive shipping fee AN paid.

UPS appearently wants to hid the dispute email, but I got it: aknentyrvw@ups.com If you get a ridiclous bill from them, dispute it!

 

[Fast Eddie]

It’s just a big freakin’ scam isn’t it !!

As I’ve said before, the tariff itself is not too bad IMO, we pay 20% here in VAT, and we pay it on anything we import, and always have done. So I personally do not see that as over the top.

But $209 handling charge on top of the fact you’ve already paid for shipping, it’s daylight robbery.

They are profiteering. They are taking advantage of a confused situation and desperate customers.

Utter robbing bastards.

 

[concours]

It’s just a big freakin’ scam isn’t it !!

As I’ve said before, the tariff itself is not too bad IMO, we pay 20% here in VAT, and we pay it on anything we import, and always have done. So I personally do not see that as over the top.

But $209 handling charge on top of the fact you’ve already paid for shipping, it’s daylight robbery.

They are profiteering. They are taking advantage of a confused situation and desperate customers.

Utter robbing bastards.

This man speaks the real truth.

 

[marshg246]

As I’ve said before, the tariff itself is not too bad IMO, we pay 20% here in VAT, and we pay it on anything we import, and always have done. So I personally do not see that as over the top.

I understand, but VAT has long been a part of your tax base. We pay taxes differently. I directly pay Federal Income, State Income, County Real Estate, Social Security, Medicare, Personal Property, and on most things purchased 6% sales tax (VAT). Sales tax is not on imports.

Adding tariffs is a new tax on top of our existing taxes.

 

[marshg246]

This is getting crazier! I got a response to my dispute of the $396.

They now say I owe $78.80 Duty and $14.00 fee ($88.80 total). I can live with that.

However, when I try to pay it they now want $384 instead of $396!

Here's how it's likely to go. They won't get to it until next week. The UPS driver will show up Monday wanting $384. I will send him away and they will return the package even though I'll tell him it's under dispute and provide him a print of the email they sent.

 

[hybridracer]

This is getting crazier! I got a response to my dispute of the $396.

They now say I owe $78.80 Duty and $14.00 fee ($88.80 total). I can live with that.

However, when I try to pay it they now want $384 instead of $396!

Here's how it's likely to go. They won't get to it until next week. The UPS driver will show up Monday wanting $384. I will send him away and they will return the package even though I'll tell him it's under dispute and provide him a print of the email they sent.

You know about Big Brother - yes?

 

[Fast Eddie]

This is getting crazier! I got a response to my dispute of the $396.

They now say I owe $78.80 Duty and $14.00 fee ($88.80 total). I can live with that.

However, when I try to pay it they now want $384 instead of $396!

Here's how it's likely to go. They won't get to it until next week. The UPS driver will show up Monday wanting $384. I will send him away and they will return the package even though I'll tell him it's under dispute and provide him a print of the email they sent.

Wow.

It’s starting to sound like a Monty Python sketch !

Further to my profiteering comment (still true) it seems it’s also clear that they haven’t got a freakin clue and their systems are not set up and ready yet.

So, hopefully things will improve as they adjust.

 

[Madnorton]

Just like a rep from a big global shipping company said, ''we're chasing a shipment that contained no metal at all and that was charged the tariff for aluminium'' It's sickening to see how a US shipping company and the CBP are more than willing to rip off their own citizens.

 

[marshg246]

So, turns out that the dispute people cannot change the online amount being requested so you have to call another number for accounting. 93 minutes waiting and finally got the lady who was only barely understandable who informed me that the bill was $300.80. I told her that I have an email from the dispute dept stating $88.80. Then she said that since it was a pre-paid package that there is an additional $12.00 fee! When I asked why then $300.80 and she said that she double checked and it's $100.80. After a bunch of round and round, I ended up paying $100.80. So, $100.80 plus the shipping cost for $747 of parts.

Had I not disputed it, it would have been $396 + the shipping cost.

 

[SteveBorland]

So, turns out that the dispute people cannot change the online amount being requested so you have to call another number for accounting. 93 minutes waiting and finally got the lady who was only barely understandable who informed me that the bill was $300.80. I told her that I have an email from the dispute dept stating $88.80. Then she said that since it was a pre-paid package that there is an additional $12.00 fee! When I asked why then $300.80 and she said that she double checked and it's $100.80. After a bunch of round and round, I ended up paying $100.80. So, $100.80 plus the shipping cost for $747 of parts.

Had I not disputed it, it would have been $396 + the shipping cost.

What was it the man said last year? Tariffs, the most beautiful word in the language, or something like that......
Just call it an import tax and be honest about it.

Oops, sorry, just realised I was asking politicians to be honest. Pigs flying and all that sort of stuff

 

[marshg246]

Real world example of Outside and Inside US buying.

I need at least 2 04-7710 (layshaft bearing). I've bought many from AN and they were about $40 each delivered. If I buy today from AN they will be about $60 delivered due to duties, fees, and shipping.

The identical FAG bearings are available from Amazon for $39, but for free shipping they won't arrive until Oct 10th. To get them Monday or Tuesday like I would from AN would cost $24.89 ($63.86 total) so no bargain.

The US office of 123bearings has a better price than both but they ship from France so duties once again.

Generally taking a basket case from boxes to like new looking costs $10,500-$11.500. I have LOT of parts from before tariffs, but parts like this start adding up quickly.

 

[360 Twin]

All purchases less than $800 ought to be tariff-free like it used to be.
Also, a 10% UK tariff ought to be 10%, not 50% + total due to customs and taxes.

 

[grandpaul]

All purchases less than $800 ought to be tariff-free like it used to be.
Also, a 10% UK tariff ought to be 10%, not 50% + total due to customs and taxes.

Mathematics and minimum/nominal amounts can play havoc with small value items or orders. With a very large order, the nominal charges are much lower, relative to the total order.

 

[marshg246]

All purchases less than $800 ought to be tariff-free like it used to be.
Also, a 10% UK tariff ought to be 10%, not 50% + total due to customs and taxes.

I don't follow you. Are you saying:

It would be nice if?
Or, de minimis is still in affect? It's not!
Or, what?

The US tariff on purchase from the UK are 10% if no metal is involved and 25% if any metal is involved so basically, motorcycle parts form the UK have a 25% tariff and the shipped charges a fee for handling it - UPS = $14.

Right now, if you want an estimate of what a $500-$1500 order of small parts from AN will cost delivered to the US, multiply the price in GBP by two. This factors in the exchange rate, bank fees, tariff, shipping, customs fees. Smaller orders will require a higher multiplier and larger a slightly smaller multiplier. If heavy items are included then the multiplier goes up. In other words, it's a PITA today to figure out until you've paid all parts of the purchase.

 

[marshg246]

Mathematics and minimum/nominal amounts can play havoc with small value items or orders. With a very large order, the nominal charges are much lower, relative to the total order.

Yes! For instance:
1) Order $100 of parts from AN, with tariff, $125 + $14 UPS fee = $139 (39.0% increase due to customs) + shipping)
2) Order $1000 of parts from AN, with tariff, $1250 + $14 UPS fee = $1264 (26.4% increase due to customs) + shipping.

Also, shipping is calculated in ranges. The order I have in right now has mostly light weight parts and was coming in at 27.18 GBP for shipping. Then I added a pair of rear shocks, and it jumped to 40.57 GBP, so I added a bunch more small parts which did not make it jump.

BTW, I have just over $72k in parts from the UK and AU that are pre-tariff. Everything I add to stock today sells for MUCH more as it costs me MUCH more.

 

[Richard Tool]

I would hazard a guess that the tariff management costs for the government - accounting, collection , etc . - on smaller items is equal to or greater than the tariff charged . I think that was the reasoning behind
de minimus to begin with . If I am correct, then this coupled with the disruption of business and all the other negatives just underscores how stupid the whole scheme is . Insane.

 

[johnm]

I would hazard a guess that the tariff management costs for the government - accounting, collection , etc . - on smaller items is equal to or greater than the tariff charged . I think that was the reasoning behind
de minimus to begin with . If I am correct, then this coupled with the disruption of business and all the other negatives just underscores how stupid the whole scheme is . Insane.

That is certainly the case in NZ . There is an amount where the cost exceeds the fee so it makes no sense to collect it.

NZ doesn't charge a tarrif on the majority of goods. It does charge a sales tax of 15 % called GST. But that applies to goods and services from anywhere in the world. The same % whether it's made in UK, USA, China or 500 metres down the road from my house.

 

[gpzkat]

This is all so depressing, and I'm not a vendor. I can only imagine.

 

[Onder]

We are tiny players in the overall picture. We don't matter to the US guvmint or UPS or much else. The word
'niche' applies.
Things have changed as they always do and always will. It is out of our hands. Do your best and adjust to the
playing field as you find it.
Think of the money and time that Andover has invested in their business and how they now have to try to keep their ship afloat. The individual bike owner can hardly imagine.

 

[marshg246]

UPS has finally made it easier to understand and made my accounting easier. On my last order, there was no way to pay the duties and fees online so I had to pay the driver by check (only check and money order accepted) with no accounting of what the money was for.

My incoming AN order caused an email from UPS to me with the option to pay online. At that payment page, it clearly broke down the charge:

$249.25 Duty
$14.00 Brokerage (what UPS charges to handle paying the duties for you)

$12.00 When I previously spoke with UPS, they called this a "pre-paid" fee which made no sense to me. It is actually a fee for the driver to collect the payment and since I paid online, I did not have to pay it.

Also, they now accept PayPal. Although I have a business checking account and a business VISA I prefer to use PayPal for business. For one thing, my bank charges 3% on international purchase via the business checking or business VISA. There is no fee to me when I use PayPal, and the fee to AN is less than the VISA fee so good for both sides.