American peeps - gear import duty/tax/fees?

[greymedicine]

A few weeks after my Judder arrived, Fedex mailed me a $23 bill. I think this is the first time I've ever been hit for importing. I'm going to call them tomorrow to see what's up, but I'm wondering if any of you have had this happen before, and why? Mine was shipped Fedex Express from the UK, so maybe my charge was for getting it through customs really fast?

[lordgalvar]

http://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-e ... -purchases was the article I read.

The part I found most relevant:

Courier Shipping: Goods shipped by courier, express, or other commercial service usually are expedited through CBP by a customs broker hired by that commercial service and then delivered seamlessly to your door. Customs brokers are not CBP employees. There are a number of different charges associated with these services, including shipping and handling, the fees charged by the service for clearing the merchandise through CBP, as well as any Customs duty and processing fees that may be owed on your importation.

Pluses: Get seamless delivery. All you have to do is sign for the package when it arrives. In most cases delivery is quick and reliable. When there's a problem, there is a tracking number that can help resolve the matter.

Pitfalls: Many people have found the various charges and fees levied to be higher than they expected, and sometimes exceed the cost of their purchase(s).

Don't know if that helps.

[MEC]

From your B/S/T thread:

I got charged a $15 fee from FedEx on my Judder as well.
I also had a $40 fee on an amp brought in from England via UPS.

I think it has something to do with the original courier service the shipper uses to get it to FedEx/UPS.

If you call FedEx, they'll let you pay over the phone and tell you the exact reason for the fee.

The Judder is an awesome pedal but after shipping, fees & PayPal conversion rates mine ended up costing $395.

My wife had something come in from Sweden via FedEx with this fee as well.
3 pairs of shoes with a $300 total value and she had to pay $30.

It seems like the fee is based on size/weight and not the value of contents.

[cheesecats]

the duty on imports of effects pedals is 2.6% ad valorem (HTS subheading 8543.70.9620):

http://www.usitc.gov/publications/docs/ ... 501c85.pdf

200 sterling = $316.60 today

$316.60*0.026 = $8.23 import duty

the remainder must be admin fees