Another shipping rant...

[HCA]

Starting to receive the parts for my new engine creation.

Gearbox from Voigt arrived with an invoice from UPS for 750€!

I am happy with 550€ of that being French TVA, but the other 200? Asking UPS for a breakdown gets you nowhere - '...its handling and taxes mate, pay it or we send the box back...' Numbheads!

Do you guys in Oz and Stateside have the same problems?

[pharriso]

Starting to receive the parts for my new engine creation.

Gearbox from Voigt arrived with an invoice from UPS for 750€!

I am happy with 550€ of that being French TVA, but the other 200? Asking UPS for a breakdown gets you nowhere - '...its handling and taxes mate, pay it or we send the box back...' Numbheads!

Do you guys in Oz and Stateside have the same problems?

Ouch!! Didn't pay a penny (or red cent) when my Voght box was shipped from the UK to NY.

[HCA]

Do you not have Value Add Tax over there? No local taxes at all?

I think I picked the wrong place to live

[pharriso]

Do you not have Value Add Tax over there? No local taxes at all?

I think I picked the wrong place to live

We have State sales tax which varies State to State. My county in NY it's 8.625%, but it's not usually collected by shipping companies. This is a used Gearbox 'guv... barely worth shipping...

[HCA]

I think you Guys in the US have a much healthier attitude to moving goods and money around the place so that everyone is happy and it helps inflation.

We have the dreaded VAT in Europe that is pretty well 20% country to country which actually could be regarded as a hindrance to trade compared to how it is done in the US, but it is there and we have to live with it.

What I cannot accept is the opportunistic way that the shipping companies have jumped on the brexit situation and use it as a tool to extract more money in the form of 'handling' or acting as 'shipping agents'. Brexit is a pointless situation, made worse by the freeloaders.

Maybe a trip to Long Island to check out house prices is in order...

[mbell]

Its hit and miss in the US.

I had big order from TTR and that got stuck for a week in customs where I had to somehow had to fill in all the forms and provide the right magic codes for what was in the box. In the end I had to pay ~2.5% import tax and maybe a smallish handling fee to FedEx. FedEx were pretty rubbish and unhelpful and the package took a real beating, double walled cardboard box that was mashed around enough to deform the open end of a rear shock true slightly.

I've hard order from SJS that they just sent me a ~2.5% duty bill to pay and none of the week of back and forth of guess the codes of the FedEx package. I think that might have been DHL. I've also had orders that just appear with not request for duty.

[HCA]

OK! Enough of making me feel bad

I will call into Austin as well to check out house prices

[mbell]

I will call into Austin as well to check out house prices

It might make you feel bit better about your current situation. House prices here going insane, then there the stupidity of property taxes to compound that.

[alan.barker]

Hi HCA,
The only way is to ask supplier in UK to make a bill for you of half it's true price. Then you organise DHL or UPS to pickup and you also Insure it for half the true value.
Customs then will follow the stated value and charge less ( frais de Douanne).
Because of the 51% who stupidly vote for Brexit without ALL the facts a problems it will cause.
I only order in EU now unless i have no choice. My last deal with DHL got through to me.
Alan

[Frogelan]

Messieurs

Expediting freight from GB to Europe is now clearly a luxury - self imposed sanctions as far as I can tell - but not many brits understand the economy or they would not have voted for this mess.

I personally see this as a challenge and anyone I know crossing the channel gets pressed into transporting parts...so far a hardtop, some wheels, a sump and various other bits and pieces.

Might I suggest you also do the same!

[HCA]

Yes, I do this where possible Alan, but you have to be careful as some will not do it as the ramifications can be unpleasant, plus it is difficult to ask and put someone in an awkward position. I would have felt uncomfortable asking Alan voigt. My next import is from QED and if under insured and went missing would be a severe knock!

Yes, it is all a cause of brexit! You are being polite about it. Me, not so! They had the facts but facts to the mentally challenged mean little

Yes Frogelan, I bring what I can, but space in a Lotus Evora is not condusive to gearboxes or engine blocks! As for a hard top, the mind boggles!!

[mark030358]

Had the same with UPS when I bought those Aussie drives shafts.
They wanted£75 or they would take it away. No breakdown, no paper work, nothing. I emailed them but got sweet FA back. Best bet to use another courier, UPS are crap.

Just my 2p worth.

Cheers

[mark030358]

As for Brexit, well that depends. But that’s another topic….

[snowyelan]

Canadian perspective here. I always try to use the local mail service (USPS from the USA for example) specifically because they hand it off to Canada post at my end. CP don't seem to bother with most stuff, and when they do find something that they want to apply duty to its at a more reasonable 'handling' rate. Last negative experience was $70 in handling from UPS vs $10 from CP.
I also expect delivery to be significantly longer with CP. Plan ahead or pay a premium I suppose.

[alan.barker]

DHL are crap also.
They took 6 yes 6 attempts to pick up a Hardtop at supplier. In the the end it was the supplier who loaded it in the Van. They then lost it for a week at their Depot.
They charged me 420 GBP + 100 GBP certificated Packing Case.
Then i had Customs charge 140 Euros.
That's about 640 GBP.
Good job the Hardtop was stated value 300 GBP and there was a stowaway Glass Window also in the Packing Case.
Sorry for ranting but it just pisses me off thinking about it.
Have fun boys
Amicalement
Alan