Shipping and Charges to expect

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Check with US Customs-- last time I looked "ethnic costumes" entered the USA free of duty, whereas a "wool skirt" attracted 12% duty. In my experience you are less likely to be caught for duty using FedX or UPS than the Post Office. Check it out and good luck!

[Barb T]

Check with US Customs-- last time I looked "ethnic costumes" entered the USA free of duty, whereas a "wool skirt" attracted 12% duty. In my experience you are less likely to be caught for duty using FedX or UPS than the Post Office. Check it out and good luck!

If at all possible, avoid using Fedex or UPS. Not only will you pay duty if the item is dutiable, but you will also pay a significant handling fee to Fedex or UPS for the privilege of having them shepherd your package through Customs. If the vendor ships Royal Mail, small packet, you definitely won't pay a handling fee. And you might or might not have to pay duty. It's more than irksome to pay a fee (the handling fee) that you really don't need to pay in the first place. In the long run, if you have to pay duty on something that comes Royal Mail, you're at least paying something that you know you ought to be paying. If you don't get charged duty, you can consider it a lucky break.

You should also know that, although duty is technically refundable if you have to send something back to an overseas vendor, in practice it is a nightmare to get what you paid in duty refunded. If you have to have a size exchanged, you could wind up paying duty twice and going through a whole lot of paperwork to try to get the first duty refunded. Another good reason to by Stateside.

[DWFII]

I can't answer for anyone else but my recent experience with the Kiltstore was very good. I paid something in the neighborhood of $40.00 for express shipping (FedEx, as I recall) and that was it. I got a call from FedEx customs department wanting me to fill out a form. I did that. FedEx explained that Kiltstore was taking care of the rest.

So even if the customs and brokerage fees were included in the shipping charges, it was all up front and I knew waht to expect--No surprises, no additional charges or fees.

I am happy with the Kiltstore's policy as I have imported both leather and tools previously from England and Germany respectively and had to get custom brokers involved and so forth.

This was easy. If I was going to order another kilt, I'd deal with the same outfit.

[turpin]

I can't answer for anyone else but my recent experience with the Kiltstore was very good. I paid something in the neighborhood of $40.00 for express shipping (FedEx, as I recall) and that was it. I got a call from FedEx customs department wanting me to fill out a form. I did that. FedEx explained that Kiltstore was taking care of the rest.

So even if the customs and brokerage fees were included in the shipping charges, it was all up front and I knew waht to expect--No surprises, no additional charges or fees.

I am happy with the Kiltstore's policy as I have imported both leather and tools previously from England and Germany respectively and had to get custom brokers involved and so forth.

This was easy. If I was going to order another kilt, I'd deal with the same outfit.

How recent was this experience? If in thelast month and it was a kilt I give you my blood oath that FEDEX will be sending you a customs bill, plus a $25 fee for processing a "Formal Entry" through customs. the amount of duty will depend on what you bought, but if it was a kilt, you WILL get a bill.