Customs Issues
Apr 7th 2007 | 9:54 pm
#16
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,212
From: USA
Re: Customs Issues
Cant give you more than my immediate experience.
My shipment arrived in Iowa from the Uk last Friday...about 700 cu ft.
The whole thing was relatively painless.
Packed January 24th in the UK. Has to be packed by the shippers since 9/11..used to be you could pack your own stuff ...maybe still can but customs in the US will jump all over any cartons marked "packed by owners"
Arrived in New Jersey around March 12th and I had them store it for me until we moved into our new home.
You do not need to be present for the customs inspection unless customs inspect and find prohibited goods...which could be just some soil on garden equipment or vehicles if you are shipping one...I didnt. I was pre warned the Dept of Agriculture has teeth
Customs charges are prorated on how much space you take of the container if you do not take the whole space. I took about half of one and the charges were $400 and my storage was $400 which I paid to the shippers with a certified check when it arrived.
All intact and zero damage that I can see so far.
Midwest Bob
My shipment arrived in Iowa from the Uk last Friday...about 700 cu ft.
The whole thing was relatively painless.
Packed January 24th in the UK. Has to be packed by the shippers since 9/11..used to be you could pack your own stuff ...maybe still can but customs in the US will jump all over any cartons marked "packed by owners"
Arrived in New Jersey around March 12th and I had them store it for me until we moved into our new home.
You do not need to be present for the customs inspection unless customs inspect and find prohibited goods...which could be just some soil on garden equipment or vehicles if you are shipping one...I didnt. I was pre warned the Dept of Agriculture has teeth
Customs charges are prorated on how much space you take of the container if you do not take the whole space. I took about half of one and the charges were $400 and my storage was $400 which I paid to the shippers with a certified check when it arrived.
All intact and zero damage that I can see so far.
Midwest Bob
Told me it would take 6 weeks, and actually took 6 months, then i got slapped with customs charges in the UK, well they sent me a bill for the xray that apparently my belongings had to go thru on admitance into the UK and used a great exchange rate from pounds to euros which made me think it was a bit dodgy! I told them that I would pay it when I saw the original invoice, believe me after 6 months waiting I then didnt give a dam if i had to wait another month, which the carriers then made me do as they had no shipment coming from the Uk to Germany which was BS. As they couldnt produce the bill from the customs for my belongings being xrayed from customs they dropped the charges as a good will gesture. (BS)!!
Got my belongs and when they tried to give me a couch and a pic of a naked self potrait were quite agitated when I told them that the belongings were not mine. All in all it was a disaster, we lost a whole bedroom, and the damage that was with the other belongings was terrible. Never again!!! And we thought we had one of the good more reputable firms.
