I ordered last week a couple of PCBs with dev.dangerousprototypes.com dirtypcbs.com. As usually I send in multiple designs and use DHL 2-5 days shipping option. The costs for that is a bit more then the slow HK post option, but I want them as quick as possible. I expected them to charge me import duties and handling fee, but they seems not to get the numbers right.
For the Netherlands import duties/VAT (for PCBs) is 21% over the total value including shipping. If the total value is less then 22 EUR (or 25 USD) you don’t need to pay it. I was charged a total of approx. 70 USD for the designs sent in. Using the exchange rate Paypal used when I ordered that comes down to about 63.50 EUR and thus 13.25 EUR VAT. DHL charges 13 EUR (without VAT) or 15.73 (with VAT) for their ‘service’ to declare your parcel. If I use a small piece of paper (or even a calculator) the total amount due would be about 29 EUR, but DHL computation came with 42.83 EUR?! WT*?!
Last time when I ordered PCBs I had also issues with their way of calculating the import duties. It turns out they assume the costs of shipping to some ridiculous amount of 100 USD!! In fact they know who sent the parcel and what they charge him for that. Phoning and writing emails didn’t help back then. I must pay the ridiculous price and then ‘granted’ the opportunity to get a waiver I could use to ‘ask’ the tax office for a refund. As DHL collect the taxes, they will refund it to them. The only way is to send a snail mail with all documents to the tax office (using a stamp off course). Within 6-8 weeks they tell you if they will refund the overpaid taxes. As said they will refund it to DHL and not directly to you. Then you could ask DHL if they please want to refund it to you. My experience is it takes months and several emails/complaint to even get the intention they will refund it within 14 days. As a reference the overpaid taxes of the parcel I got this januari were refunded just this week.
Easy money? Yes, for 15 EUR I would expect more then this..
UPDATE may 11 2016:
I contacted them through a localized contact form and filed a complaint. Today they asked me to send them an invoice and a proof of pay. I mailed them with the invoice and screenshot of my paypal and they mailed my back and say the customs had changed the amount of taxes. Unfortunately because too much time is elapsed I can’t pay upfront, but only on delivery. We’ll see if the delivery boy have the same info I got 🙂
Perhaps the 15 EUR is well spent afterwards?
We will add the FedEx and UPS options back ASAP. Lots of complaints about DHL lately.
I mailed them with a complaint and the horrorstory I had with the previous parcel and they asked me to send in the invoice and a screenshot of the paypal transaction. Luckily they managed it to get it sorted with customs and now I can pay a much lower (and realistic) price on delivery. Unfortunately I can’t pay it in advance but only on delivery.
BTW thanks. I will try them out
Same for DHL in Slovenia. They changed Bank insurance from min. 2€+22% (in 2013) to 15€+22% currently. I talked to them and presented facts about these but got no info how to avoid these fees.
If I calculate OK:
only after import fees exceed 750€ they would charge you 2%, being 15€
so the total value of packet should be more than cca. 3750€
anything below it is still 15€+22%
How did you avoid these huge fees?
The first time I asked a recalculation and followed he official route. They made it too cumbersome and the whole process took about 4 month to get the refund finally.
The second time I filled in the complaint form on the local (Dutch) site before it arrived and tell them about the first time and told them it was unacceptable as it took 4 month to receive a refund of about 20 EUR.. They send a blabla story they made an exception and they manage to get in touch with customs and arranged it.. All the bullshit bells and whistles rang. Key is, I think, to be kinda polite but a huge pain in the ass to their custom service and it will get arranged.
Still I think they still made an error as the shippingcost also cover services not carried out in Europe, but they take the whole cost into the calculation. Don’t have the energy to fight against that thoigh. Next time I send in a design at a time and use the regular snail mail HK post option as most of those packages seem to pass through without any custom trouble.
I also use HK “snail mail”. But shipping times for DHL seem so tempting. It would be awesome to maybe sell from DP like you do. I currently work on a simple front&rear panel for LimeSDR (http://www.ebay.com/itm/112088499793)
How did you communicated to Ian for this? 🙂 Maybe I could also sell 1pcs directly from DP?
One month ago I bought a stereo microscope from CN with delivery from TNT. No problem whatsoever. Paid customs fee and tax . No additional charges from TNT side. Great experience for an item of 5.2 kg
It makes me puke. In Slovenia DHL raised minimal cost of bank guarantee to 18.3€ + 22%tax
I think this is general practice with DHL (at least in the Netherlands), as this happens with all international packages I received from DHL. I made a complaint the first time this happened, but they told me the same thing they told you, to send in a formal complaint by mail.
I don’t care that much since I own a business, and the BTW I pay to DHL gets deducted from the BTW I have to pay to the tax office, so effectively I don’t have to pay BTW on these shipments.