Customs Nightmares

[Anonymous No.7479125]

Let's talk customs. More than likely, we've all faced customs fees. Whether they be small or large, they're horrible to get and we all share a hate for them.

To get the ball rolling, here's a few things to discuss:

>What's the fees like in your country?
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
>Ever had any problems with customs?

[Anonymous No.7479140]

>What's the fees like in your country?
70% + taxes

>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
about 50 dollars for a Madoka BD

>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
About 2 months

>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
Yes, two out of three of my Madoka BDs didn't pay customs.

>Does your country have a handlers fee?
I'm not sure.

>Ever had any problems with customs?
Not really.

[Anonymous No.7479160]

Oh man
I was sweating over an $1100 package like crazy

Turned out I had $0 customs to pay

>tfw I usually pay $27 on $100 orders and was expecting over 100 in customs fees

[Anonymous No.7479181]

>>7479160
hahaha, omg anon. i would be dying of anxiety if i was you. how lucky!

[Anonymous No.7479195]

I have never had to pay a customs fee, I'm not even sure we have them here in Australia.

[Anonymous No.7479197]

>>7479125
>What's the fees like in your country?

20% for orders under 150€, 40% for orders above 150€

>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?

Gonna pay 100€ for an Innocent World order tomorrow. Will try an SS next time to try avoid paying customs.

>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?

Around 2 weeks.

>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?

I do not make large orders with companies (taoBao) since those will always end up in customs and I would rather pay two or three times for shipping (this would still be cheaper).
Most expensive order were two MM items for about 250€ from a girl in Canada; luckily I did not have to pay customs.

>Does your country have a handlers fee?

Not sure

>Ever had any problems with customs?

No, thank god. It is just annoying to drive an hour to the custom office.

[Anonymous No.7479198]

>>7479195
We do if the parcel is worth over $1000.

[Anonymous No.7479199]

Had to pay £30 just to get customs to send me a package with fucking sock glue in it from America. Wasn't worth it at all.

Also they held a Secret Santa gift from getting to me for 2 months and ended up going back to the sender, who kindly sent it again and it got through. Totally worth it.

[Anonymous No.7479205]

>>7479125
Do we even get customs in America?

[Anonymous No.7479208]

>>7479199
>£30 on sock glue
Jesus fucking christ. That had better have been a horse's worth of glue.

[Anonymous No.7479210]

>>7479208
Nope. A small 60ml bottle of sock glue
Fucking awful, but I really wanted those thighhighs

[Anonymous No.7479212]

>>7479199
What? You got all that from a secret santa on /a/?

[Anonymous No.7479215]

>What's the fees like in your country?
Well if the item is coming outside of the EU and is over €22 in value(or €45 as a gift), then you are charged depending on what the item is and more importantly what it's made of. Duty is charged if an item is valued at over €130(I think). This can make it expensive to order dearer items as it can work out that you are paying Customs + Duty + Handling Fee. If an item looks undervalued on the CN22 slip then they will look for the Paypal receipt to prove the correct value. If the value is the same they can choose to either, dispute the value and charge you the amount that THEY think is correct or they'll release the package.

>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
€23.00
This was for a pair of Japanese Zori that I needed for a kimono for a convention I was attending(I ended up not using them, they are still in the box).What annoyed me the most though was having to pay the €6 handling fee for An Post(our postal service) to deliver the package(which they would have done anyway!).

>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
I have been lucky with customs at most my items have stayed 2-3 days. As long as you are not ordering Airsoft there isn't much of a wait.

>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
Yeah, I had purchased a silk Kimono and Gold Zori from a seller on eBay, totalling about $100(I think). I was worried about Customs thinking that my $60 kimono would be worth a lot more. However I was pleasantly surprised when the postman arrived with my package with no Customs fees. Turns out the seller marked the CN22 as $20 used clothing.

>Does your country have a handlers fee?
Yeah if being delivered by An Post €6. By Courier it's €10

>Ever had any problems with customs?
No
(sorry for long post)

[Anonymous No.7479216]

>>7479212
They were really generous...
That was only 1 santa too, I signed up for two
sage for offtopic

[Anonymous No.7479219]

>>7479216
I might join the next one to get some free stuff.

[Anonymous No.7479221]

>>7479215
aaah forgot to add it's like 20 - 25% value of the item(under 130€, I think) and over that it's 40%

[Anonymous No.7479224]

>>7479219
You have to send stuff back you know
Don't try and fuck them over

[Anonymous No.7479226]

>>7479224
Why the hell would I send something to some virgin from /a/? You're making me laugh.

How often do they have those?

[Anonymous No.7479229]

>>7479226

[Anonymous No.7479230]

>>7479226
>Secret santa
>how often

[Anonymous No.7479234]

A girl from my comm posted the other day that her package from bodyline, containing all of one dress, arrived. With a customs bill. Of 700 euros.

Apparently they estimated its value to be 2000 euros. If she wants to file a complaint about it, she has to pay the bill first and she'll "probably" get the money back later. And apparently bodyline often destroys packages that are returned and asked to be resent.

Poor girl.

[Anonymous No.7479236]

>>7479234
Dear god. That['s a screw-up.

[Anonymous No.7479240]

>>7479234

Lol in what country do you live that this shit is legal?? This sounds fucked up, they could estimate every parcel to be about 200€ and swim in customs while the buyers try to work their way through month of complaints and documents; sounds almost kafkaesque.

In my country, if they estimate the value is higher than what it is marked on the parcel, you have to show the bill(s) at the custom office (and unpack the parcel to make sure you are not lying/no counterfeit colthes or anything) and THEN you have to pay.

[Anonymous No.7479253]

>>7479234
I've heard of this before, when Bodyline has written the price as yen, and don't bother converting to euro/dollar whatever, so customs think the price is written in their national currency.

[Anonymous No.7479258]

>What's the fees like in your country?
$0.00 - there are no custom fees.
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
$0.00 - yet again, no custom fees.
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
3 months. Wood items and my country = derp.
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
every single time.
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
nope.
>Ever had any problems with customs?
I bought a $2000+ Go Board, waited 3 months to get it, got to my house in three boxes. They cut it the SOLID block of wood in half to test it... then cut one of the halves again. Refused to pay for a new one and tried to fine me.

[Anonymous No.7479259]

>>7479258
>I bought a $2000+ Go Board, waited 3 months to get it, got to my house in three boxes. They cut it the SOLID block of wood in half to test it... then cut one of the halves again. Refused to pay for a new one and tried to fine me.

is this real life?

[Anonymous No.7479260]

>>7479240
different anon here, but that's the Netherlands. our country is fucked up when it comes to customs. I also once read that a package worth €1000 or something got destroyed by customs because the receiver didn't pick up their package in time, while there was no note left, I believe.

[Anonymous No.7479262]

>>7479230
I couldn't help but lol too.

>>7479226
Thats hella scummy man.

[Anonymous No.7479263]

>>7479258
>>7479259
I've had wooden items get ruined too, australia I assume?
Books are just as bad, if they are not printed here they'll pull them apart, sometimes you get lucky and they'll just spray them which gives them this weird smell for weeks. Most people assume the smell is because it is a new book. But nope, it is the spray.

[Anonymous No.7479265]

>>7479262
>>7479230
Well I just found out that they had it for valentine's day as well.

And I don't care, next time I'll be getting free gifts for me and my boyfriend.

[Anonymous No.7479267]

>>7479258
A literal tear just rolled down my cheek.

[Anonymous No.7479268]

>>7479258
Australia?
I've watched stuff like Nothing to Declare (I'm a loser) and i see the customs guys cutting through wood, shoes and anything that might have bugs in it in case the bugs ruin Australia's perfect plant life they do it for drugs too, and food. Surely they should find a better way of doing this.

[Anonymous No.7479269]

>>7479265
You go girl. fuck those neet virgins lel. we should all do it and ruin it so bad they never want to do it again.

>>7479268
A better way is for faggots to stop bringing shit into our country. Fuck off with your gay woods and foods or whatever.

[Anonymous No.7479272]

>>7479260
>different anon here, but that's the Netherlands. our country is fucked up when it comes to customs. I also once read that a package worth €1000 or something got destroyed by customs because the receiver didn't pick up their package in time, while there was no note left, I believe.
>got destroyed by customs

What? Why that, that does not make any sense? I thought they just send it back to the sender.

[Anonymous No.7479273]

>>7479269
you Didgeridon't know what you are talking about.
>>7479268
and that isn't even half of it.

[Anonymous No.7479276]

>>7479272
I guess the sender specified to get the stuff not send back. Bodyline doesn't want their stuff get send back too. so if the seller doesn't want it returned, the customs are supposed to destroy the package.

[Anonymous No.7479282]

>>7479197
Anon, do you live in Germany?

[Anonymous No.7479283]

>>7479276
>I guess the sender specified to get the stuff not send back. Bodyline doesn't want their stuff get send back too. so if the seller doesn't want it returned, the customs are supposed to destroy the package.

Wow, I did not even know this was possible. And I thought the German customs would suck, at least they always informed me so I could get my package.
Although I ordered something from Innocent World, and I have to get to the custom office to get the parcel since "there were no bills attached".
>mfw Innocent World attached detailed 3 page bills in japanese and English

We do have some postmen that do not deliver parcels though. Happened 4 times that they got send back since I did not get a note and I had to pay for (international!) shipping again... So now I always try to get tracking.

[Anonymous No.7479284]

>>7479282

Haha yes, I do. How did you know that; are you German too, Anon?

[Anonymous No.7479288]

>What's the fees like in your coun try?
Up to 20%+25%+handling fee outside of europe. Up to 20%+handling fee inside of europe.
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
$150 on a private parcel
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
Always a day or two
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
NEVER
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
Yes 100SEK
>Ever had any problems with customs?
Yes when they decide to put customs fees on my private mail, meaning things not bought from stores but from private sellers.

[Anonymous No.7479290]

>>7479234
well time to move to another country before I become a lolita here in the Netherlands because fuck that

[Anonymous No.7479294]

>>7479288
>Yes when they decide to put customs fees on my private mail, meaning things not bought from stores but from private sellers.

Not sure about the rules for your country, but many countries require to pay customs for private parcels too. Gifts are also not allowed to exceed a certain value.
Otherwise you could always use an SS and claim it is a privte parcel/gift, and avoid custom fees.

[Anonymous No.7479302]

>>7479294
Meh I just tell myself everytime that I got the stuff rather cheap and that it's okay to pay extra haha, I can't deal with anything more..
but from what I've heard from the postal office is that I shouldn't be fined on anything bought from private sellers.

[Anonymous No.7479303]

>>7479195
Yup. Our mailmen are good too(from my experience).

[Anonymous No.7479312]

>>7479197
>>7479284
Wait, did they raise the taxes? It used to be "only" 31% for orders above 150€ (12% customs fee + 19% import taxes).

>What's the fees like in your country?
see >>7479197
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
around 400€ for a large group order from Aatp
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
about 1 month
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
For some reason most of my large taobao orders arrive without customs when I use surface mail, I used to have luck with closet child orders in the past as well, but not anymore. Everything I order from Japan now gets hit by customs.
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
No
>Ever had any problems with customs?
Plenty of times.. I prefer to buy from stores directly or professional shopping services instead from private persons because the customs find private sales to be more suspicious for some reasons. One time they didn't believe my invoices at all and everything had to be sent back to Japan, the parcel got lost on its way back because the seller moved somewhere else in the meanwhile.
Stuff that got sent back because the postman was too retarded/lazy to deliver my package and so on.

[Anonymous No.7479313]

>>7479234
>customs detain packages worth over $50 and ask for bill/proof of payment to calculate tax
>always thought it was a needless fucking bother
>now I'm hella glad

It's like 30% minimum too, but at least they give you a chance, Jesus.

[Anonymous No.7479329]

>>7479234
wait one thing about story, I'm pretty sure that if they think it's worth something like that they'll ask you for the bill FIRST and just detain it and you'll have to pay the fees afterwards in case you can prove it's less

[Anonymous No.7479331]

>>7479312
>Stuff that got sent back because the postman was too retarded/lazy to deliver my package and so on.

This happened twice to me recently. The postman claimed my house doesn't exist..

[Anonymous No.7479332]

>>7479312
>Wait, did they raise the taxes? It used to be "only" 31% for orders above 150€ (12% customs fee + 19% import taxes).

Hm, you could be right. I did not really check how high exactl the custom fees were.

>Everything I order from Japan now gets hit by customs.

Same here, also almost everything from China. Said it previously, my IW order is stuck in customs even thozg they attached a detailed bill. Did not happen with parecls from merica, those just came through and we paid the custom fees upon delivery.
Guess they think "From Asia?? Must be counterfeit clothes!!"; so now I have to go to the custom office and unpack the stuff to show them it is not some counterfeit Chanel bag or a Chinese iPhone or whatever.

>For some reason most of my large taobao orders arrive without customs when I use surface mail

I wish mine did! I am always so mad when I see the mail threads here and people's orders are over $500... ;_;
>mfw this would never work for me
>mfw no comm to do group orders

>One time they didn't believe my invoices at all and everything had to be sent back to Japan, the parcel got lost on its way back because the seller moved somewhere else in the meanwhile.

Wow, I am sorry for you Anon! Glad I never had such problems.
Oh, also:

>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?

Once bought a dress worth over 150€; had to pick it up but did not have enough money with me. When I came the next day, the Dollar had lost value and my order was now worth 149,79€, so I only had to pay 20€.
>mfw

[Anonymous No.7479363]

>>What's the fees like in your country?
Ausfag here, we only get hit with fees for stuff over $1000.
>>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
never been hit
>>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
2.5 weeks
>>Does your country have a handlers fee?
Not that I know of
>>Ever had any problems with customs?
Late last year I was ordering a lot of stuff online and I guess customs thought the frequency and amount of packages coming through was pretty suss. All of my packages were being opened for inspection but thankfully nothing was removed. I guess they though I was importing drugs or something? I always imagine them opening up my packages and getting a good laugh out of all the frilly pink shit I was buying.

[Anonymous No.7479415]

Most expensive thing I've got through mail was a Bodyline package (about 200€) that I was sure would get stuck in customs. It didn't.

I recently got a package with two PSP games stuck in customs for a week. Games plus shipping had cost me 70€ and I had to pay an extra 32€ to rescue it from the post office.

Shipping from customs to my city was 18€, which is twice the shipping price I paid to get the package sent from Fukuoka. Bastards.

Protip for fellow Spaniards, never use EMS if you need to get something fast. Since the economic recession hit they assume all EMS packages are valuable and let them rot in customs for days and weeks on end.

[Anonymous No.7479470]

>What's the fees like in your country?
20% VAT on all orders over £15 or gifts over £34, plus customs duty on all parcels over £135 (5% for used clothes, 15% or more for new clothes! depending on material). The price of shipping is included in the taxable value.
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
Not too much, about £45 on a marked down MBok/Y!J haul ( the shopping service marked down to the cost of the items, not including fees etc, so I think it must have been about 15-25000 yen). I don't make large orders because I know that I'm going to have to pay customs anyway.
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
About a week. I always pay straight away, but it takes them am while to deliver the letter.
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
£125 order from ODiP somehow got through unscathed. Stuff that comes in by airmail never seems to get taxed, only EMS packages do. I think Royal Mail just can't be bothered.
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
£13.50 for Parcelforce (who handle EMS packages), and I think it's like £9 for Royal Mail, but I've never been taxed by them.
>Ever had any problems with customs?
Not really. I've never spoken to them directly, and never had a problem with getting my parcels after I've ponied up.

[Anonymous No.7479526]

>What's the fees like in your country?
24% for orders over 22€ from outside of EU
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
I like do small orders, so some 40€
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
3-4 business days
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
Some ~$150 packages have went through customs nicely
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
No, if you do customs declaration at yourself
>Ever had any problems with customs?
At before you had do customs declaration on custom's office, and there wasn't any near of my city.
Thankful you can do it now via online.

[Anonymous No.7479555]

>>7479332
>also almost everything from China
Maybe I've been lucky with my taobao orders then, idk. But surface mail always worked for me (even though it takes up to 6 months for the package to arrive). Just avoid EMS, it will get hit 100% by customs. The same goes for DHL, even though I like to chose DHL sometimes when I want my package to arrive faster + their customs service is so comfy. You can e-mail them all of your invoices and don't have to go to the customs office in person and don't have to deal with long waiting times and annoyed employees.

>so now I have to go to the custom office and unpack the stuff to show them it is not some counterfeit Chanel bag or a Chinese iPhone or whatever
This annoys me the most about customs. They treat you like a dangerous criminal, you have to unpack everything and they will ask you uncomfortable questions. One time they wanted me to show them my private e-mail conversations with one seller because my paypal excerpts weren't proof enough. This made me really unconfortable, like they don't have any decency for privacy at all.
Also that they have to touch and inspect everything in front of everyone. It's just clothes godammit.
>tfw I can never order cute underwear off taobao because of this

>mfw no comm to do group orders
I don't plan to do any group orders in the near future but sometimes I see some people doing one on animexx. Also asking in the taobao threads won't hurt, I'm sure there would be more people fond of the idea.

>Once bought a dress worth over 150€; had to pick it up but did not have enough money with me. When I came the next day, the Dollar had lost value and my order was now worth 149,79€, so I only had to pay 20€.
Nice. When I go to the customs to pick up my stuff I always pick a day when the exchange is good. It can save you lots of money when you are lucky.

[Anonymous No.7479571]

>>7479226
What a bitch.

[Anonymous No.7479580]

>>7479284
I am, and I've had pretty similar experiences. Thank goodness I live like 5 minutes by foot from the local customs office, I have to turn up there like every time, rip my package open, and show them my stuff. We do have handlers fee by the way, but I think that's only for large/heavy stuff.

For me, I've never had anything stuck in customs for more than two weeks, but I did have to pay 18€ customs on a 20€ order with tax/handling fee, because it was a huge/heavy order (like 12 yards of fabric that I got dirt cheap on sale).

Even thinking about customs gives me grief whenever I order overseas.

[Anonymous No.7479583]

>>7479312
Wait, we don't have handlers fee? I was sure they charged that too, depending on what it is.

[Anonymous No.7479586]

>>7479555
>The same goes for DHL, even though I like to chose DHL sometimes when I want my package to arrive faster + their customs service is so comfy. You can e-mail them all of your invoices and don't have to go to the customs office in person and don't have to deal with long waiting times and annoyed employees

Lol really? I will try that (and surface mail) out next time.

>One time they wanted me to show them my private e-mail conversations with one seller because my paypal excerpts weren't proof enough. This made me really unconfortable, like they don't have any decency for privacy at all.

Dear God, that sounds awful! I am glad my invoices were enough proof for them.

>Also that they have to touch and inspect everything in front of everyone. It's just clothes godammit.

It's their job to do so. I have mixed experience with customs; sometimes I have to unpack everything and lay it out, and they might even check the label; anther time they will just birefly glance at the opened parcel and that's it.

>tfw I can never order cute underwear off taobao because of this

Who cares, I bet they have seen worse. Also, as i just said, it varies with every employee; not everyone will take such a detailed look, especially if you tell them it is underwear. I once opened a parcel with a dress inside; the male employee just asked me "Is it a dress?" I said yes and wanted to unpack it, he just said "No, it is fine"- he was just nice and wanted to keep my privacy.


>I don't plan to do any group orders in the near future but sometimes I see some people doing one on animexx.

I am not really active on animexx but I will check it out sometimes. I wish I could get into dunkelsuess, I feel like most of the stuff happens there.
>mfw no dunkelsuess account
>mfw no comm near me active on animexx or FB

>I always pick a day when the exchange is good. It can save you lots of money when you are lucky.

Yup. So glad that the US-Dollar, Canadian Dollar and Yen are so weak, haha

[Anonymous No.7479588]

>live in Germany aka customs hell
>ALWAYS forge receipt (paypal screenshot + a little photoshop)
>nobody ever said anything

But I do live in bumfuck nowhere and there are only disinterested old people at the customs office. Might not work for everybody

>but that's illegal!
They once screwed me over because they were to stupid to understand the difference between Euros und Yuan. Fuck them.

[Anonymous No.7479592]

>>7479580
>I am, and I've had pretty similar experiences. Thank goodness I live like 5 minutes by foot from the local customs office, I have to turn up there like every time, rip my package open, and show them my stuff.

Same here, only the custom office is 30 minutes away from me. Could be worse, but still annoying. Also, their opening times are hell if you have Uni and a job, since they are usually open between Monday til Friday 7:45 - 15:30. Wft, when are people supposed to go there?! Especially since it is located in fucking nowhere.

>For me, I've never had anything stuck in customs for more than two weeks, but I did have to pay 18€ customs on a 20€ order with tax/handling fee, because it was a huge/heavy order (like 12 yards of fabric that I got dirt cheap on sale).

What infuriates me the most is that they add the shipping costs on top so that you have to pay taxes for that too, even if you can proof how much you paid for shipping.

>Even thinking about customs gives me grief whenever I order overseas.

Same here, I hate it.
I remember checking the John Fluevog store, falling in love with the shoes, and nearly crying about the thought of paying all the fucking taxes for such expensive shoes. ...

[Anonymous No.7479591]

>>7479586
where do you live?

If you mean you can't literally get into DS in terms of opening an account, I could talk to the mods

[ei666shii !otnRSDkuZA No.7479593]

I've been trying to pay off a stupid $23.39 customs fee from FedEx and they're making it fucking impossible. First I get the invoice and it says I have to go to a FedEx store to get a stupid account number so I can go online because they don't do custom fee payments in-store. Then I get my account number and make an account and there's no god damn place for me to enter the invoice number to pay for the customs fee. I got the invoice in January and it's overdue. I'm waiting for them to contact me back about paying it. I hope it doesn't go to tax and collections because FedEx tried to ruin my dad's credit one time for a $6.00 customs fee because he was in Europe for 4 months and couldn't get his mail.

[Anonymous No.7479598]

>>7479591
>where do you live?

I am from NRW.

>If you mean you can't literally get into DS in terms of opening an account, I could talk to the mods

I can't. They do not accept new members. If you could talk to them, that would be great - although, as I said, they seem to be against new members (unless you are from the media/go to a promo meeting at a con). Let me know if I should give you my email.

[Anonymous No.7479603]

>have to open a package myself at the customs office
>is that a wig
>yes
>what, do you have bald spots or something?
>Uh, no? (why not scream DO YOU HAVE CANCER?)
>staff is generelly being extremely rude
>forget gloves
>embroidered, expensive looking gloves that I loved
>Did I leave my gloves here?
>...................no
>Leave because I'm a pushover
>hear them laughing after I closed the door

[Anonymous No.7479609]

>>7479588
I like you

[Anonymous No.7479622]

>>7479598

okay, obviously you know more than me, it's really not possible to create a new account. sorry!

the German scene is very active on facebook, you could try these groups
fb. com/groups/272689922798407/

fb. com/groups/LolitaSalesGermany/

[Anonymous No.7479632]

I've never actually ordered anything out of country. Is there no way to like preregister with customs that I'm going to be ordering something and it's this expensive see here's the receipt to prove it? You know, to expedite things?

[Anonymous No.7479643]

>>7479603
Did you ever go back there again?

Please stand up to them if they ever mistreat you once more.

[Anonymous No.7479661]

>>7479592
Yeah, their opening times are the worst. I usually prepare for that, get up at 6.30 in the morning so I can go there before Uni.

You have to pay for everything, basically. I make sure I have twice as much money as I need to factor for customs mishaps.

I once ordered a 100$ worth of stuff from sockdreams, and the angry old dude working there at the time just looked at the socks and gave me this dirty look, I think he thought I was in some sort of fetish business. German customs are god awful, the workers are rude, it's a nightmare. If you have friends in Austria, I'd recommend just shipping everything to them, they don't get hit by customs that often.

>>7479588
You're lucky as shit. I'm jealous.

[Anonymous No.7479711]

Just had to pay £12 on a £40 pair of cosplay shoes because I didn't wanna attempt making shoe covers. Not even that happy with the shoes. sigh

[Anonymous No.7479717]

I really want to buy the Claudia dress when it comes back on BTSSB, but I want to avoid customs, but they won't accept forwarding addresses apparently.. Ugh, either I take the hit, or get a SS who are all probably fully booked up now.

If I got it, customs would be 20% (vat) + £15 (handling fee) + 12% (approx clothes customs duty fee). Yikes.

[Anonymous No.7479748]

>>7479622
>it's really not possible to create a new account. sorry!

Yeah, it sucks. I feel a little left out, haha...

>the German scene is very active on facebook, you could try these groups

I will, thanks!

[Anonymous No.7479759]

£480 fees is my record. I cannot begin to describe mfw.

Just as well I had the money. I did tell the seller to put a smaller amount on the customs invoice but she did not listen.

[Anonymous No.7479766]

>>7479759
>£480 fees is my record. I cannot begin to describe mfw.

Wow, what the hell did you order? Why was it so high?

>Just as well I had the money. I did tell the seller to put a smaller amount on the customs invoice but she did not listen.

As far as I know it is illegal to mark down parcels and you could get in trouble for that.

[Anonymous No.7479796]

>>7479260
Netherlands here, a friend of mine got a ''friendly'' note saying if she didn't pay the customs fee the item would get destroyed. It was a pretty expensive item too

[Anonymous No.7479814]

>>7479796
photoshop a receipt
ask them to clear any charges

[Anonymous No.7479821]

I have never faced custom fees. I DID, however, have my first major purchase in customs for around 3 weeks before I called customs myself to wonder the hold up, and the dress was sent the very next day.

I have a bodyline package in customs right now. Giving it another week before I call them.

[Anonymous No.7479872]

>What's the fees like in your country?
60%
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
like $50 on a $70 CD
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
a month and a half
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
yes, dum spiro spero's pre order bundle didnt even stop at their office
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
idk
>Ever had any problems with customs?
that one time my order got stuck there for a month so they just sent it back to japan
also, things tend to get stolen around here

[Anonymous No.7479959]

>>7479140
Just wondering, where are you from?

[Anonymous No.7479972]

>>7479643
yeah, but it was a year later and there were completely different (friendly) people.

[Anonymous No.7479986]

>>7479609

[Anonymous No.7480198]

>>7479125
>What's the fees like in your country?
20%
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
135 quid (for something worth 100 stupid chinese people not being able to write (they wrote 25USD to look like 1000+)
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
2 weeks
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
A couple of 5kg weighed items got through which extensive jap packaging
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
Yup and its usually around 15 pounds
>Ever had any problems with customs?
Nothing too bad.

[Anonymous No.7480321]

>>7479603
>What, do you have bald spots or something? (Why not scream DO YOU HAVE CANCER?)
Holy shit anon, me too. What is it about wigs that make people lose their minds?

I always order a shit ton of wigs near the end of con season so I have time to put stuff together (and for it to arrive) and every time I do that, the post people stare me down like ''OMG why so many? Are you dying?" *rude giggles*
Eventually got fed up and said,
"Yeah, I DO have cancer. Any other fucking questions?''
They put my stuff back in the box so fast lol

Guess who no longer has to open her packages in front of them anymore~ They ask what I ordered, I say wigs and they just quietly hand over my shit while adverting their eyes after scanning to make sure nothing metal is in it.

[Anonymous No.7480376]

Bumpin for moar customs horror!

[Anonymous No.7480438]

>>7480321
Seeing all these doormat posts at of late makes your post all that more satisfying. What kind of insensitive idiots even ask 'Do you have bald spots?'

[Anonymous No.7480507]

>>7480321
You shoulkd have reported them dammit, what cunts

[Anonymous No.7480512]

I live in AU and my ss always puts my parcel at some ridonkulous ass prices, like 50 dollars for a huge ass box thats like a metre+/- high, and I just wonder if they give a yeah fucking right look at it lol.

No real problems with them though, they're lovely here.

[Anonymous No.7480536]

Brazil here. Our taxing system is so rage-inducing I hardly buy anything anymore.

>What's the fees like in your country?
It's usually 60% over the declared value (that + shipping, sometimes).
They often round the numbers up, too, and by a lot. Just the other day I received a package that cost 87 USD and they taxed me as 100 USD.

>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
Around 350 BRL. Like 150 USD, or 175 back when my country's economic wasn't as shit and my people didn't gladly hand their asses over so other countries could fuck us.

>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
Around two weeks or so. Not too long.

>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
YES! I bought an AP heart bag from closet child marked as like fucking 7000 JPY and wasn't taxed. Then an OP that came with a huge ass 15000 JPY price that wasn't taxed either. Both came from EMS. I still can't believe how lucky I was with these two.

>Does your country have a handlers fee?
When I use DHL or FedEx, yes. They charge for exactly how much they had to pay for customs, so if the fee was 20 USD, they ask for fee + 20 USD. Insane, I don't use them anymore.

>Ever had any problems with customs?
I almost got arrested once I raged out and nearly threw a credit card machine at the attendant. First they assumed my package was marked down (it wasn't) and attributed to a U$20 pack the value of ~U$120. Then they refused to hand it to me because the package was sent to Mary Sue and my name was Mary Sue Williams. THEN they started whispering to each other whether they could still do something to keep me from getting my package.

I still wish I threw that machine on that woman's face.

[Anonymous No.7480541]

I live in Canada and I have no idea about fees because thus far I've been lucky enough to avoid them. I've ordered stuff from IW, secondhand auctions, and taobao. My most expensive package was ~$200 (taobao) and luckily - nothing.

However, one time, several years ago, I ordered some Christmas gifts through Thinkgeek. They only shipped DHL to Canada at the time (paid like...$40 for shipping) and then I had to pay some $20 fee on top of that. I never ordered from there again.

[Anonymous No.7480869]

>Live in USA

People very rarely get hit with customs fees here. Very lucky compared to the shit I hear from people living elsewhere.

[Anonymous No.7481542]

Sorry to get kind of off topic, Bodyline USA customers, how long do your AIR packages normally sit in customs? Two of mine have been sitting since April 2nd, and one has been in Kearny, NJ since April 4th.

[Anonymous No.7481934]

Anyone have any experience with DHL shipping to Canada?
What >>7480541 said about the fees is helpful, but at this point I'm more so worried about anything getting stuck in customs. My package got shipped out last Thursday so it hopefully should be here this week, but this is the biggest package I've ever gotten sent to Canada. ($300+ USD, it's a combined Taobao order via Bhiner with items for a con in about two weeks), should I be worried?

[Anonymous No.7482069]

>>7479526
Hey there fellow Finn!

[Anonymous No.7482077]

>>7480869
I don't think the US even HAS customs fees unless you're buying certain kinds of items, or if it's over like $1000 or some other obscene number.

At least, that's what I gathered from the government site. I was curious, but I can't seem to find any info about it anywhere, so I assume they just don't exist.

[Anonymous No.7482079]

>>7482077

Just kidding.

>Packages whose declared value is under $200 ($100 if being sent as a gift to someone other than the purchaser) will generally be cleared without any additional paperwork prepared by CBP. However, CBP always reserves the right to require a formal entry for any importation and generally exercises this option if there is something unusual about the importation, or if important documents such as an invoice or bill of sale do not accompany the item.

[Anonymous No.7482083]

>>7481934
I hate DHL; I don't know where you are but last time I tried to order something to Vancouver it got stuck in customs and I had to go all the way out to their facility at YVR to claim it. And they were just horrible about the whole thing.

[Anonymous No.7482661]

>>7482083
Oh no, that's awful. I'm right around the same area as you, too! (Vancouver /Island/, actually.) How would I know if it's stuck in customs? My agent still hasn't given me the tracking number for my package (they said they would as soon as they got it, and then were closed from the 5th to the 7th because of some Chinese holiday, I'm going to make sure to ask about it tonight, which should be the 8th in China.), I'm assuming that's how I'd find out?

[Anonymous No.7482674]

>>7482661
I guess what happened with mine is it first got delayed by customs and then they tried to deliver just once when I wasn't around, and they refused to deliver again even for a fee, etc. so I had to drive all the way out there to a warehouse in the boonies essentially.

I only found out about it getting stuck in customs after phoning them.

Hopefully you have DHL facility closer to you.

[Anonymous No.7482741]

>>7482674
Luckily for me, there looks to be a DHL location in Victoria, phew. Did they leave a slip on your door or something so you knew all the information about you package to tell them when you phoned in?

[Anonymous No.7483082]

>>7482674
Update: I've gotten my tracking number from my agent, and the latest update was at 11am today, saying
"Shipment held - Available upon receipt of payment"
After quickly googling this, it looks like I've got some custom fees to pay? I hope I don't get hit too hard, I guess I'll give them a call tomorrow, unless anyone knows of a way you can pay online? I've heard you can with DHL, but I can't seem to find it.

[Anonymous No.7483121]

>>7481934
Same anon as >>7480541

I ordered ~$80 worth of stuff that time. No idea why the fee was so stupidly high, lol.

Also, they wouldn't deliver to my house, I had to go to a warehouse that was unreachable by bus (so I had to bug my dad for a ride) and on top of that they were only open until 4 PM so he had to leave work early for me. So super inconvenient.

At least it got to me fast? Then again it shipped from Virginia so not like it had far to go. I live in Southern Ontario.

From what I've seen, DHL is supposed to be super fast and good if you have a heavy order. So hopefully it'll clear customs fast and get to you in time. When I did my big taobaoo order I was lucky enough that it didn't get stuck in customs so hopefully you will be too.

[Anonymous No.7483148]

>>7483121
Yeesh, I hope I don't get hit that badly. That seems like a whole lot, dang. Yeah it seems to have gotten into my province really quickly, unfortunately it looks like I will be having to pay customs on it, if what I found on google was at all reliable.
>>7483082
I guess I'll find out tomorrow whenever I call in.

[Anonymous No.7483178]

>>7481542
I just got my Bodyline AIR package today and it arrived in customs on April 2nd too. It didn't even update when it left. It's still not updated since the 2nd. Just showed up in the mailbox.

[Anonymous No.7483273]

>>7481542
>>7483178
How do you know when they're in customs? I only got a seifuku from the free AIR sale but haven't bought clothes from overseas before, only figures and the like.

[Anonymous No.7483408]

>What's the fees like in your country?
They charge customs in NZ if the tax they can add onto the total cost is equal to or more than $60. So generally if you spend $400NZD+

>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
When I've bought some lolita items valued over $400NZD I've got hit with customs fees of $150 more or less.

>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
A week at most? It's when a dresses packaging got largely destroyed so they couldn't read my address, though the dress was fine!

>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
No.

>Does your country have a handlers fee?
Yes. They have a bunch of different fees which is what makes it so exorbitantly expensive if you spend over the $400 threshold.

>Ever had any problems with customs?
No.

[Anonymous No.7483584]

>>7483178
>>7483273
I bought 6 pairs of shoes in the BL free AIR sale, and they're in 3 packages all at customs since the 4th. Last time I had something sent it was taxed HARD, like $100 for about $300 worth of stuff. This time we're sending it to the work address (big cooperation with local ties) and it's not from China (which for some reason draws big taxes here) so hopefully it'll be alright. The shoes only total $120 or so and I'll be devastated if I get hit with a big fee. It's so worrisome how long it's been in customs.

Comfort me kind anons. ;_;

[Anonymous No.7483599]

>>7479224
Why did you just turn those poor neets in to these pennygrabbing bitches? You know all we do here is figure out how to scam people with dress 'trades' and paypal disputes.

I'd love a seagull secret santa but it'd never work, didn't some people try last year?

[Anonymous No.7483606]

>>7483599
>tfw ill just send cards to /a/ people this year

[Anonymous No.7483679]

I just ordered my first JSK using an Japanese SS. The package arrived while I was out. My boyfriend told me the fee was 85 euro. That's over 50% of what the dress cost. Is that normal? I feel like I'm going to cry.

[Anonymous No.7483693]

>>7481542
Hmm, well I made a large order split into 3 packages. 1 of the packages was processed through Sort Facility in JERSEY CITY while my other 2 packages arrived in Kearny, NJ on April 4th.
I can just imagine it now:
>a tidal wave of BL packages flows out of the airplane
>workers have to sort through all of the packages
I wouldn't blame them for being suspicious of all of the grey bags coming all at the same time to loads of different households. I'm starting to wonder how many anon's packages were shipped and arrived at the same sorting facility

[Anonymous No.7483694]

>>7483606
They do a card swap santa too if you're not up for doing gifts

[Anonymous No.7483715]

>What's the fees like in your country?
21% tax + import duties(12% for clothing) I think? I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to this.
>Biggest customs fee you've had to pay?
Around €160,- ish euro's when I bought something worth 50k yen on y!auctions.
I anticipated this though as I used an online calculator.
At that time yen and euro were rather strong so in total I ended up paying just a few cents under 600 euro's but it was all worth it!
>Longest time your parcel's been stuck in customs?
A week maybe? It usually doesn't take long in the Netherlands.
>Ever gotten lucky on a fairly large order and didn't have to pay customs?
Yes, pretty much all of my taobao orders, mainly because the SS automatically marked them down.
>Does your country have a handlers fee?
Yes, I think it's between 13 and 17 euro's depending on what courier you use.
>Ever had any problems with customs?
Never, guess I'm lucky.

[Anonymous No.7483741]

Got a 700+€ package from Korea BJD and doll dress/wigs. The custom was 37€. Not too bad.

[Anonymous No.7483742]

I live in France and customs can be royals dicks sometimes.

I don't remember the exact rate but there's a fixed amount on top of a % so even if you buy a small item you'll end up paying at least 20€ from what I remember. Apparently that's also why prices are crazy in the Baby Shop and (closed) AP one.

Sometimes I wonder how they even calculate this because they end up with crazy prices and imo they calculate the fixed rate first so the percentage is higher.
You can't really complain because if you don't pay upfront they send back the package, no ifs, no buts, no "I don't have any money right now you dick". Though if you're not at home they keep it for a while. But that's so annoying when you don't have any money on you and they go back with your package and there's nothing you can do.

So now I only order with a SS even from Closet Child because I ended up paying taxes everytime and never pay anything when it doesn't come from a shop. In the end I save a great deal of money.

[Anonymous No.7483752]

>>7483741

Lucky you!
What country do you live in?

[Anonymous No.7483757]

>>7483752
France.
It's especially weird, since France has notoriously high taxes.

[Anonymous No.7483775]

>>7483757

Then you really got lucky, France is indeed notorious!
The worst countries when it comes to tax are definitely Germany, France, the Netherlands and Sweden.

[Anonymous No.7483784]

>>7479226
Gr8 m8 m8 I r8 8/8

[Anonymous No.7483788]

Wow these stories make me so salty and I don't even pay customs. I'm sorry you have to go through this shit Eurofriends.

[Anonymous No.7484737]

>>7483273
For mine the tracking said "Arrival at inward office of exchange", the location was the first location it hit when it got to the USA and that was at JFK in New York which I know is a customs hub. So if you ever see that your package is at JFK New York, it's in customs. There's more customs hubs, but that's the only one I know because almost all my overseas packages get sent to that one.


>>7483584
Do you live in the USA? If you do I'm surprised you got hit with a fee at all. But some comfort, I've had a package hang out in customs for like a week before (no fee charged).
But I say if it's longer than a week, you might want to call down to the facility it's at and inquire about it. Have heard about people's stuff getting lost in customs black hole.