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This is an update on the package of toys/gifts that I sent to Germany for my 2 cousins' kids. My cousins see each other regularly, so I sent all the items in a single package to reduce the shipping costs.
After handing off the package at my local post office on Dec 12, the USPS tracking page showed no information (other than "Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS" dated Dec. 11 from when I bought the pre-paid label to put on the package) until this week. During that time I worried that the package had been stolen/mislaid/lost, but reassured myself that the tracking system was most likely unreliable - as I had seen them scan the label at the post office and not even that was shown in the tracking.
On Jan 8 the page finally showed something: "Processed Through Sort Facility", "Customs Clearance", and "Customs clearance processing complete" activity in Germany.
Yay! This relieved me, and I expected the package to surely be delivered in the next few days.
But yesterday to my great disgruntlement, the tracking was updated with "Payment of charges - Item being held, addressee being notified".
I come to find out that in Germany, packages - even gifts - worth 45 euros or more are charged an import duty.
I can't figure out how much of a fee is charged however, as the above page mentions duty fees and import tax and value added tax, and it's not clear to me which ones are applicable and which ones not. It sounds like at minimum, a VAT of 17.5% is charged.
The way the 2 pinpressions toys rattled, they sounded like pills in bottles - something that would raise the suspicions of customs officials. (I remember long ago when my mom sent my aunt some supplements that my aunt had requested, they were confiscated by customs). So I put cardboard on them to reduce the rattling, but wasn't entirely successful. Maybe that has something to do with why the package is being held.
On the customs label for the package, I had estimated the value of the contents at $100 which currently equates to 84.37 euros. If I had shipped the gifts separately in 2 packages, each one would have been worth 42 euros, under the 45 euro limit.
If I had known that, I would have done that and paid the higher postage to avoid my cousins being inconvenienced. I don't want them to have to pay a fee just to get their gifts! I mean really: "You've got some gifts. But you can't have them until you pay a fee."
Update: My cousin contacted me to let me know that she received the package. She did have to go to the customs office in a nearby town to pick it up. They made her open it while there to check the contents, but at least they did not charge her a fee, after all.
After handing off the package at my local post office on Dec 12, the USPS tracking page showed no information (other than "Pre-Shipment Info Sent to USPS" dated Dec. 11 from when I bought the pre-paid label to put on the package) until this week. During that time I worried that the package had been stolen/mislaid/lost, but reassured myself that the tracking system was most likely unreliable - as I had seen them scan the label at the post office and not even that was shown in the tracking.
On Jan 8 the page finally showed something: "Processed Through Sort Facility", "Customs Clearance", and "Customs clearance processing complete" activity in Germany.
Yay! This relieved me, and I expected the package to surely be delivered in the next few days.
But yesterday to my great disgruntlement, the tracking was updated with "Payment of charges - Item being held, addressee being notified".
I come to find out that in Germany, packages - even gifts - worth 45 euros or more are charged an import duty.
I can't figure out how much of a fee is charged however, as the above page mentions duty fees and import tax and value added tax, and it's not clear to me which ones are applicable and which ones not. It sounds like at minimum, a VAT of 17.5% is charged.
The way the 2 pinpressions toys rattled, they sounded like pills in bottles - something that would raise the suspicions of customs officials. (I remember long ago when my mom sent my aunt some supplements that my aunt had requested, they were confiscated by customs). So I put cardboard on them to reduce the rattling, but wasn't entirely successful. Maybe that has something to do with why the package is being held.
On the customs label for the package, I had estimated the value of the contents at $100 which currently equates to 84.37 euros. If I had shipped the gifts separately in 2 packages, each one would have been worth 42 euros, under the 45 euro limit.
If I had known that, I would have done that and paid the higher postage to avoid my cousins being inconvenienced. I don't want them to have to pay a fee just to get their gifts! I mean really: "You've got some gifts. But you can't have them until you pay a fee."
Update: My cousin contacted me to let me know that she received the package. She did have to go to the customs office in a nearby town to pick it up. They made her open it while there to check the contents, but at least they did not charge her a fee, after all.