Thread: Are there U.S. import fees for straight razor purchases from Europe?

You guys are very, very lucky, I get my pants pulled down when I buy from across the pond. I once got charged £158ish from Japan. Anything I buy over something like £25 I get slapped with import duty.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Technically it depends on the value and the material and the country it comes from. So, yes it's possible but not very likely unless you receive it via FedEx or UPS who will find any duty they can so they can charge you for it.

U.S Customs is very liberal when it comes to accessing duty unlike other countries who depend on these fees heavily. Before the Income tax the U.S got most of it's revenue from tariffs and duty too.

Now if you be talking Canada they be very wily customs agents to charge you a mint if they can.

Whether you get assessed duty or not is up to CBS in Canada. Technically that depends on the value and the material and the country it comes from, as in the US. Country of origin can make a big difference depending on what kind of trade deal there is with that country or even if there is a trade deal in place.

I am sure there is a value limit below which CBS views that it is not worth the while to generate the paper work to collect an assessment. Then there is how the individual CBS officer is feeling that day. No, not kidding. Yes, nobody in their right mind would import using a courier service like FedEx or UPS and the like as they will ensure you pay an assessment which increases the broker fee they can charge you. Nothing like getting both barrels at once.

If you feel that you have been wrongly assessed you may grieve it. Say the imported item is from England and is described as belt rather than a razor strop you will be assessed. If it had been described as a razor strop there might have been no assessment. Don't ask.

It can be a fun game importing items for personal use.

Bob

Agreed Bob - I usually and 99% of the time have never paid a dime from anywhere to anywhere..no problem.

If it comes from UPS or FedEx, absolutely, never anything less than $30 for something that I was unfortunate enough to have to receive via them, unless of course it via the eBay GSP, in which case, you were already bent over the table and sang, "Moon River" at the time of purchase.

But yea, literally if some dude or dudette decides to pad the job for an hour or two, I'll get dinged....happened only a few times, and every time fee was around $17 Cdn....

Originally Posted by Phrank

Agreed Bob - I usually and 99% of the time have never paid a dime from anywhere to anywhere..no problem.

If it comes from UPS or FedEx, absolutely, never anything less than $30 for something that I was unfortunate enough to have to receive via them, unless of course it via the eBay GSP, in which case, you were already bent over the table and sang, "Moon River" at the time of purchase.

But yea, literally if some dude or dudette decides to pad the job for an hour or two, I'll get dinged....happened only a few times, and every time fee was around $17 Cdn....

Oh well, it is the only form of gambling I indulge in so it is no so bad.

Bob