Bad news, a wicked amount.........I know you were determined to hit the birthday/xmas deadline.Originally Posted by South-east boy
Makes an even stronger argument in favour of the Balikbayan box. My Mrs has confirmed that there will be no extra charges/duty etc on the 60cm x 60cm x 60cm box currently being filled. Cost's about £80 plus you get a small box thrown in, once it's full and I've strapped it both guys will be needed to lift it on the van
Balikbayan boxes are the best way. If you send by courier again, clearly mark the items as gifts of no value.
Sorry to hear about this :-(
What kinds of Items are you sending? Ate there any lists anywhere of what things are charged and not charged for? I would have though that some of the things I sent would have had no or low taxes on them. The balikbayan box for me would have only been £40, but I thought that the courier fee of £62 was pretty good for a 2-3 day service. But then I got the extra charge of £18 for the volumetric weight (but I had weighed and measured it carefully), now this extra charge of £80! All these charges have come to £160 to get a 15kg box there! If only I'd found this forum a little earlier and known about the balikbayan boxes I could have saved a fair bit of money!
I had marked the value down, but they say they check and x-ray stuff, so it would be clear that the items were not worthless. But how much they do actually check the items and x-ray the parcels, I don't know? If I had known that the customs charges could have been this much on top of the courier charge, then I would have definitely sent a balikbayan box.
At present in this box seems to be going a tool kit, clothes, biscuits foodstuffs, soaps, toothpaste, cosmetics etc. I know in one last year went (carefully wrapped !) 6 bottles of wine, kids toys & clothes, sweets, coffee, tea. The wine arrived fine cos I drunk some. Forex ought to be able to advise you but here she seems to be saying it all gets through OK. Better luck next time.What kinds of Items are you sending? Ate there any lists anywhere of what things are charged and not charged for? I would have though that some of the things I sent would have had no or low taxes on them. The balikbayan box for me would have only been £40, but I thought that the courier fee of £62 was pretty good for a 2-3 day service. But then I got the extra charge of £18 for the volumetric weight (but I had weighed and measured it carefully), now this extra charge of £80! All these charges have come to £160 to get a 15kg box there! If only I'd found this forum a little earlier and known about the balikbayan boxes I could have saved a fair bit of money!
And it just gets worse!Am really in a bad mood now! Try and do something good for her & her family and get stung! Will just have to go on the sodding credit card as i have no choice, especially with no bonuses at the mo & Christmas etc. Now it will be even longer before I can go to see her.
Last time I EVER send anything abroad by courier!
i sent a very small box by parcelforce was suppose to be able to track but once left the country tracking stopped arrived after12 days it was a crap service box weighed 3kg cost 75 quid did say the were gifts with no value and no extra charge but wouldnt do it again defiantly a balikbayan boxes for me next time...anybody know how i find a company in my area i am in bury st edmunds suffolk
regards
jj and av
Was the £75 the cost to send it or the charge when it arrived there?
I'm not sure if Forex/UMC will deliever and pick up a box from where you are or not?
Just got the charge/fee list! Don't really understand it all, but they seem to charge for anything & everything!
Cost- $396.94
Freight- $122.5
Insurance & packing- $27.7858
Dutiable value $- $547.2258
X rate of exchange- 46.652
Dutiable value Php- 25583.90
X rate of duty- 0.07
Customs duty- 1790.87
TAXABLES
Dutiable value Php- 25583.90
Customs duty- 1790.87
Brokerage fee- 700
Customs Doc. Stamps- 265
Import process. fee- 260
Landed cost Php- 28589.77
X VAT rate- 12%
VAT- 3431
SUMMARY
Customs duty- 1791
VAT- 3431
Import proc. fee/CDS. 515
TOTAL DUTY AND TAX- 5737
Duty handling fee- 250
VAT (12% on DHF)- 30
TOTAL Php- 6017
Anyone understand all of that?! Why they are taxing me for what I paid to sent it I don't know and what the insurance & packing charge is for I dont know?! I don't know what the difference between 'dutiable value' and 'customs duty' is either? Seems they give you a load of charges, then give you charge for those charges! There seems 10 times the amount of charges you get when importing something into this country!
Jeez! That seems a lot of money.
So what was the total cost to you in £s to send the box, get it cleared by customs and get it to your girl? Also what size was the box?
Thanks
NS
£62 courier + an extra charge of £18 as they said it weighed more (don't believe that!), then £79 customs & VAT, then a courier service charge of £11 for them making the payment, which they will then charge me ) as of course Suzie can't afford the 6000 pesos charge), so £170 altogether!The box is 91cm long x 31cm wide x 31cm high, weighing (I thought) 15kg. I marked the value of it down too, bit thought I'd better not mark it down much more as they would be too suspicous etc. would have been so much cheaper to have sent her money, but of course it's not quite the same as surprise presents and it's not very personal.
Like I said before with those costs + what I spent on the presents I could have flown there for cheaper which is why I'm so annoyed!
Balikbayan box next time for sure! That's a very expensive lesson learned!
Ouch! Yep, pretty expensive. I remember sending balikbayan boxes a while ago. I seem recall the cost was £90 for the large size box (no weight limit), of course it took about 12 weeks to get from UK to RP. This is going back about 9 years.
12 weeks is quite a long time! When I enquired about them earlier, they said 8-9 weeks. Think the next time, I'll get a balikbayan box delivered early, then gradually buy things to fill it to a certain date that leaves enough time for it to get there. That means I'll have to be buying & wrapping xmas presents in September though which will seem weird!
Ricky said he's put balikbayan on things he's sent there before, I wonder if I had done that, it would have made any difference to the charges I had or would it only apply to 'actual' balikbayan boxes?
did you send it with DHL? In which case I suggest you contact them immediately. There should be NO freight or insurance charges, only customs.
DHL attempted to deliver my package on Friday and failed. They didn't tell her, but she thought of going to their office anyway, and picked up the parcel on Monday. No charges to pay.
Customs offices across the world are corrupt so you might be getting caught up in something. As I said, contact DHL asap.
How come you had no charges when I had every charge that they could think of under the sun?! Lol! Sounds like you were pretty lucky! It's now sat with them for over a week! I did phone DHL who couldn't really help much and just said that's what the customs charges are. There seems to be no-one that can help and say if it is correct or not. Who says/where does it say that you don't have to pay the freight or customs charge? I jVe already paid it as I seemed to have no choice. The courier company said if I don't pay it, then it will be sent back to me for a charge as much as the customs and VAT charges which would be pointless.
£62 courier + an extra charge of £18 as they said it weighed more (don't believe that!), then £79 customs & VAT, then a courier service charge of £11 for them making the payment, which they will then charge me ) as of course Suzie can't afford the 6000 pesos charge), so £170 altogether!
Like I said before with those costs + what I spent on the presents I could have flown there for cheaper which is why I'm so annoyed!
Balikbayan box next time for sure! That's a very expensive lesson learned!with free luggage 30 kg. but got mine 34.4 kg no problem
Don't make promises when you are in JOY. Don't reply when you are SAD.
Don't take decisions when you are ANGRY. Think twice, Act wise. BE happy.
Try DHL again. Tell them that their local delivery agent is trying to make you pay additional freight charges. Make sure they understand it is NOT a customs and duty charge.
Ian
In view of IanB's info and what appears to be sharp practice by DHL why don't you phone them and say it is their last chance to sort things out before you take it up with your local Trading Standards Department and BBC's Rogue Traders/ Watchdog programmes. I must admit my dealings with their Customer Service on UK Domestic parcels left a lot to be desired.
She's now actually opening the parcel/presents (birthday and some other general things for everyone) with her family as I write this! I SO wish I was there right now!
I spoke to her by yahoo, then on cam and on the phone at the same time! She was so happy and was wearing a fitted t-shirt, a necklace and some of the make-up that I sent her for her Birthday!Her sisters were fighting over looking at some fashion magazines that I sent as well!
So it was worth it in the end....cost you a bit more, well quite a lot more than you hoped, but you made her day.I spoke to her by yahoo, then on cam and on the phone at the same time! She was so happy and was wearing a fitted t-shirt, a necklace and some of the make-up that I sent her for her Birthday!
Here's a few pics from some that she just sent me after the parcel arrived showing her, her sisters, brother, Mum and nieces:So it was worth it in the end....cost you a bit more, well quite a lot more than you hoped, but you made her day.
looks like all that hassle,worked well for you!
they look a nice family and i hope it works out for you
i have learnt to do what my wife says!
Suzie looks very happy to have your presents.
Well done
Though you do not write books, you are the writer of your life. Because everything depends on YOU.
Thanks! She and they still have the Christmas presents to open yet (which they placed around the Christmas tree) including some Christmas crackers!
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