US Customs questions

[Jimmy Carbomb]

one:When Customs receives a package, does one receive a call or letter of notification? How long does it take for notification to occur?

two:How long does shipping of bulky parcels between the US and the UK typically take?

One: usually a call or the delivery person will notify. IF going through FedEx (which yours should) you will need to simply provide them with a Tax ID... if you're a business... or your social security number. I have to do this all the time. IF going through the USPS, your chances of being stopped, held, and delayed in customs is pretty good. It's more of a time delay than a money thing.

Two: from Ireland, my stuff takes about 5 days. From the UK, it takes about 10 days.

[Mychael Sporrano]

Is this kilt from the company that you were less than satisfied with the customer service?

Yes. Normally I would say that it is a case of getting service equivalent to that for which one has paid, but the prices were not substantially different between the two. Certainly nothing budget about any of this. The level of service certainly has been quite different, though.

I need to do an exchange on the gillies. My US shoes say size 11 UK (11.5 US), but the size 11 gillies I received are HUGE on my feet. Shoes are always a bugger to get right, and I was worried about this. I hope that the exchange goes smoothly. The box is ready to go out in today's post...

Mychael

[mkmound]

I need to do an exchange on the gillies. My US shoes say size 11 UK (11.5 US), but the size 11 gillies I received are HUGE on my feet. Shoes are always a bugger to get right, and I was worried about this. I hope that the exchange goes smoothly. The box is ready to go out in today's post...

Mychael

Mychael,

Hopefully, you haven't put the box in the post yet . . . if not, before you send it, check the UK Customs web site and send some emails to make sure you have met all the requirements to get the shoes clearly marked as an exchange.

http://www.hmce.gov.uk/

Last year I ordered an Argyll jacket on eBay which was a good deal, but based on the measurements I wasn't sure exactly which size to order. I ended up ordering the smaller size, which didn't fit well. When I sent it back, it got tagged (erroneously) for customs duties as a product which is normally produced in the UK but was being shipped from the US. I eventually got the duties refunded, but it seems like the duties refund had to be requested in a very short time frame, and I ended up having some expensive international phone calls to resolve it. I would also avoid the courier service which is well known for their brown trucks, as they add broker fees to the customs duty collection. I think USPS is probably a good idea. The vendor I bought the jacket from normally uses the postal services, and hasn't had any problems. The net was that I hadn't fulfilled ALL the requirements for the package to be recognized as an exchange of a previous purchase.

Best wishes,
Mark

[GMan]

Another Congratulations Mychael for yet another new kilt!

Sorry to hear the customs problem, but who knows what will happen when you protest. Good luck to you in that endeavor, and if you keep getting kilts at this rate, you will be giving Ham a run for his money But I am not holding my breath

[Vince]

Mychael -

Sounds pretty pricey. When I received my 8 yd. from Gaelic Themes last November, customs ran about $35.00.

[Xcop]

Mychael, congratulations on the new outfits. Too bad about the ghillies. I know how you feel having to pay duties and taxes to the gov't on your purchases.

David

[Mychael Sporrano]

Hopefully, you haven't put the box in the post yet . . . if not, before you send it, check the UK Customs web site and send some emails to make sure you have met all the requirements to get the shoes clearly marked as an exchange.
Mark

It is interesting that you should mention this because I put forward a lot of effort trying to find out what exact procedure I had to follow in order to avoid problems down the road. I mentioned the return to the purveyor in an email- with absolutely no feedback, as expected. The UK Customs web site said it can take upwards of 10 days to get a response to my email, and I wasn't in the mood to chat long distance with either party so I filled out the U.S. Custom's slip and marked everything, box included, as "Goods of UK origin for exchange". Deciding to toss caution to the wind, I sent the parcel out yesterday.

As for my letter of protest to U.S. Customs, it is ready to go out in today's mail. I was hoping to hear back from U.S. Customs first, but feel I have enough info to send the protest on its way. The thing that gets me about the duty I was charged is the seemingly arbitrary VAT rate of 17.5% that was applied to the declared value. Wool goods are taxed at 12%, everything else in the box taxed at less. Why 17.5% was chosen is beyond me.

I am lucky that U.S. Customs did not open my package because, entirely unknown to me, the dress sporran states on its back that is was manufactured from seal. That is a big import no-no here in the States, and something that I am not exactly comfortable with myself. That said, it is absolutely gorgeous with its copper cantel and tassels...

Really, this whole idea of involving governments in kilts and such is really such a bother!! It makes it much easier to stick domestically, I suppose, and not such a bad idea for most things, really. I chose to buy my traditional kilt outfits from the U.K. based around the fact that I liked the jackets that were available. Everyone has the same old stuff, for the most part. However,I really liked the tweed jackets KA has. Not so regimental with those pesky epaulettes and gauntlet cuffs. The other purveyor offered a particular "Wallace" charcoal tweed jacket that I really liked for looks and ability to be useful in all but the most formal of events. Those coatees are a mite busy for me, the barathea argyll jackets too wedding-like.

My, this post is rambling on.

Mychael

[Mychael Sporrano]

Congrats on a new kilt Mychael, and I'm so glad your wife is pleased too! Sounds like it will be great for the winter!

What started this whole journey to Kiltsville was my decision to get a formal kilt to wear to funerals and weddings, etc. Something different. Every funeral I have attended lately has been in the bleak of winter. The Campbell of Argyll weathered tartan with its heft and subdued colors seemed perfect, so I centered an outfit around it. This tartan really does look a lot like the tartan being worn in the gallery pic by Alan Rickman on the home page, alongside our handsome saffron adorned Mr. Bear.

With my last post, I see that I have managed to acheive "Kilted Regiment" status. Does that come with a complimentary kilt, perchance? At least a good pint?

Mychael

[Mychael Sporrano]

DHL has waited a month before sending me a bill for border fees. You're not out of the woods, yet.

How true have these words of forestry advice from wise old bear proven themselves to be when yesterday should arrive by post a bill from DHL for a few units in excess of $200 USD. The amount is based on a flat 12%, the typical rate of duty applied to garments of wool not meant for warmth. (If you are buying it to keep yourself warm, laddie, the rate for such a privelege is 16.3% plus $.41/kg. of weight.) Were I to file a protest, I could probably get a few dollars knocked off since the entirety of the shipment was not of a woolen nature, consisting also of a belt and a kilt pin, both of which are purportedly taxed at a lower rate than wool, and I might decide to persue this path of objection if I am feeling particularly tenacious/tedious come Monday morning. What I will most likely do is cut a check for this one and keep things simple with the one letter of protest I have already sent.

For reasons of being thorough, I am also trying to presently obtain some specific classification information from U.S. Customs. I would like to give some hard facts here should anyone else in the near future need to know specific designations for kilt related imports and their corresponding rates of duty. I have a few of the numbers for the wool garments but nothing confirmed for goods of a leather nature such as shoes, belts, and sporrans. Metal items such as jewelry, and sgian dubhs also confound me since the tarriff data base is one nebulous place to loiter: Is a sgian dubh a weapon, or is it jewelry? Suffice to say that it you use it to open a letter or butter your bread, the rates of duty will be potentially different.

Mychael

[Freelander Sporrano]

I live in the land of Extreme taxes.

They will not let me receive a pakage in the post which has a value of more than $29 without having to pay 24% tax on the total value including postage.In addittion to which theres a duty of 6% and a handling fee of another $22.
CAD NKR
Kilt + paking 195 - 1021
6% Duty 12 - 63
Tax 24% 50 -260
Total 257 -1344
Handling 29 -150
All in All 286 -1494

From this I can tell you that I'm going to have to have a good portion of the original purchase price of my new Bear just to get it out of customs.Makes you wonder why I'm doing it

However. I have relatives in the UK so usually I send anything like my kilt through them.They send it to me as a present or an alteration.Presents I can receive up to the value of $145.

Funnily enough I get DVD's from Canada via DHL without no probs .Delivered to my workplace within Three days. They are og course opened for extra protection to be added for transport.Therefore they can be sent as used software to me here in Norway. So if only I could convince Bear of this.

And To someone who lives in Norway I can say that he does Exist.Norways biggest export is Christmas.Just ask any tourist