More Shipping Problems - UPS Exception Notification

[Drax]

Ugh, sorry to hear it Victoria! I'm glad to hear that the stuff made it unmolested, though.

This reminds me of a problem I used to have (and other) when ordering chainmaille supplies from Canada via UPS. We kept getting these additional bills (also around $25) from UPS, or more specifically, some sort of customs UPS entity.

It turns out that if packages were of a certain price range (it was greater than either 150-200, or somewhere around there), then the package would trigger this extra fee. To be honest, I'm not sure we ever figured out why (if it required UPS to "vouch" for it, or whatever), but we then cut down our orders (which sucked because we tended to order a lot to maximizing the gain over the shipping cost to begin with).

I think the vendor eventually found a way to eliminate the problem. . .

Either way, I've been less and less thrilled with UPS as time goes on.

[AdamMY]

Ugh, sorry to hear it Victoria! I'm glad to hear that the stuff made it unmolested, though.

This reminds me of a problem I used to have (and other) when ordering chainmaille supplies from Canada via UPS.

Yeah chainmaille costs a ton to ship, as you are basically shipping a box full of metal. I need to get back into doing that, its so peaceful to just sit there and construct stuff with your hands. Not to mention a great hand work out if you get a certain size ring or more.

[Victoria]

Yeah I guess the total gram weight may have been the cause. It is more then I have ever ordered from them. 365g total, now that I checked.
3-100g bags and one 65g. Guess it doesn't pay to stock up. Probably a loosing battle to fight it.

But yeah, I'm very glad it was unopened.

And since I took time off work to be home, I guess it was fortuitous as my Lochan Teas arrived from Fed Ex and needed a signature. And my Hagi Ice Split arrived also, as well as my Fred Parker piece.

[AdamMY]

Victoria sounds like hit hit a verifiable jackpot with shipping today! Though sadly you had to pay out of pocket to receive one shipment.

[betta]

I paid regularly these fees at the custom office, basically if the item price is over 100 or 120US$, I have to pay approximately additional 33%*(item + shipment price). Minimum I have to pay 19%*(item price).
Should they need some additional checking procedure on my tea, they will offer me either pay the cost for the checking (with laboratory test, blah.blah.blah.. which will be expensive) or return the parcel. A friend got his imported protein milk from USA checked by lab with additional about 100$ cost. The stuff itself worth not even close to that value.
I would consider it is already lucky to get the parcel released instead of sent back or "broken by accident".

Victoria, it really has nothing to do with the vendor. It just happens by chance when they're nosy. In my case, most of the time they are. Moreover the vendor did respond in a professional way from my point of view.

[Victoria]

Victoria, it really has nothing to do with the vendor. It just happens by chance when they're nosy. In my case, most of the time they are. Moreover the vendor did respond in a professional way from my point of view.

Thank you and I agree but ... If there is a price point or a gram point that triggers extra fees they should make their customers aware. Meantime I wrote to UPS and they are pointing back at the vendor. So both are pointing to each other. And the documents were totally removed, so I have no copy to see what was what.

I do realize I was more fortunate than most, but still it was upsetting for me nonetheless.

[ABx]

Victoria, it really has nothing to do with the vendor. It just happens by chance when they're nosy. In my case, most of the time they are. Moreover the vendor did respond in a professional way from my point of view.

Thank you and I agree but ... If there is a price point or a gram point that triggers extra fees they should make their customers aware. Meantime I wrote to UPS and they are pointing back at the vendor. So both are pointing to each other. And the documents were totally removed, so I have no copy to see what was what.

I do realize I was more fortunate than most, but still it was upsetting for me nonetheless.

I've had bigger packages sail through while smaller ones get stopped; I really think that it's luck of the draw. The soaked box was clearly Chinese customs; I suspect that U.S. customs got the soggy box and just said: "Yuck. Pass." It wouldn't surprise me if they do it just as a way to get fees for packages that they think should be taxed but that they can't prove. At any rate, the only thing that I can find in common with the ones that Homeland Security opened was that they were larger bags than normal and they were sealed by the vendor (I've had bigger bags that were vacuum packed at the farm come through without problems). When it comes down to it, it's really just a risk that you take any time that you import something, although I suspect that it wouldn't happen on a properly declared package with proper duties paid; there's a reason that buying the same tea direct from China is so much cheaper

If you talk to the vendor then they are usually pretty willing to talk to you about their experiences with customs and how they deal with it. Consider also that if you just talk to them about it, then they can factor that information in with all future orders. You can probably expect less problems from vendors that have been shipping to U.S. customers for some time just because they will have plenty of trial-and-error under their belt, but even then you're going to get problems now and again when your package falls into the hands of a Customs officer having a bad day. Holidays are the worst; even if they don't stop it, it can take much longer just to get through. Last year I had packages that normally took a few days to a week that took several weeks to arrive after spending a full week in customs.

Just remember US Customs is Homeland Security these days.

Hehe, it probably just depends on how careless they want to be These actually had green tape with the eagle emblem on it and "HOMELAND SECURITY" written in between. This is, of course, the tape that they used to sloppily "seal" the box again At least when regular Customs opens something, they usually try to do so nicely, reseal it with consideration, and make it evident that it was them that did it.

Apparently, from what I've heard, puerh just confounds Customs officers the world over ("This is tea?! Doesn't it go stale?")

[betta]

Thank you and I agree but ... If there is a price point or a gram point that triggers extra fees they should make their customers aware.

I'm afraid the vendor itself isn't familiar with the custom regulation in the destination country. What I find surprising is that even UPS behaved as if they also didn't know it. I would suggest you to ask the custom office about such a regulation. I have it online, but specific for EU.
Calm down... enjoy tea...