Duties and DHL | GTAMotorcycle.com

Duties and DHL

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Clutt-225

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Ok first thing. I do shop local and support both Royal distributing and GP bikes.
I also have shopped Fortnine a few times.
I placed an order on Revzila last week for a rad guard that caught my eye while browsing.
I checked and none of my usual places had the one I wanted.
R&G Racing rad guard for KTM 1190 Adventure $103usd
So I’m think it’s a bit much but oh well.
Today I get a text from DHL that they want $53 for Duties.
This seems ridiculously high for an item that’s only worth $100 and weighs very little.
I had the same issue With a hydration pack I ordered earlier this year from the UK.
I just figured it was because it was from the UK.
What would they charge for a Klim Krios Helmet that costs $800?
End of rant but can someone explain how DHL comes up with there charges?
 
Clutt-225 said:
Ok first thing. I do shop local and support both Royal distributing and GP bikes.
I also have shopped Fortnine a few times.
I placed an order on Revzila last week for a rad guard that caught my eye while browsing.
I checked and none of my usual places had the one I wanted.
R&G Racing rad guard for KTM 1190 Adventure $103usd
So I’m think it’s a bit much but oh well.
Today I get a text from DHL that they want $53 for Duties.
This seems ridiculously high for an item that’s only worth $100 and weighs very little.
I had the same issue With a hydration pack I ordered earlier this year from the UK.
I just figured it was because it was from the UK.
What would they charge for a Klim Krios Helmet that costs $800?
End of rant but can someone explain how DHL comes up with there charges?
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Most of the crook couriers charge you the duty (a few bucks), a collection fee of $5-10 and tack on a ~$40 fee for submitting the import paperwork for you. They do provide a service, but the fees are basically extortion. On an oil filter order, I paid more for DHL duty than I did for the filters.
 
You can self clear with customs but it takes a bit of effort. You need to decide how much that’s worth it to you. You need to tell the courier that you’ll do this though and you may need to do it in advance so it might be too late for this shipment. Try it, nothing to lose on this one.
 
I’m just going to pay the extortion on this one and the next one that I ordered a few days later. 🤷‍♂️ And then not buy from Revzila or the US unless absolutely necessary. I will stick with local or Fortnine.
if I’m going to over pay for something it may as well support local shops
 
Clutt-225 said:
I’m just going to pay the extortion on this one and the next one that I ordered a few days later. 🤷‍♂️ And then not buy from Revzila or the US unless absolutely necessary. I will stick with local or Fortnine.
if I’m going to over pay for something it may as well support local shops
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I very rarely order from the US unless they ship USPS. In my experience, it is the only safe alternative for a reasonable fee at the door.
 
Good thing it was with UPS, sheesh they would have charged you more. USPS is the way to go if you have an option.

I think we all have dinged on this, lesson learned for next time.
 
They charged me for "duties and customs clearance" on my own ecu that was coming back from Vcyclenut in Florida. I disputed it because there weren't any duties, and was told to get it cleared myself then come pick it up. Wasn't worth the effort and they knew it. I've never experienced that with USPS unless there were actual duties.

Funny thing is for international shipments, they're great...I've found them to be fast and charge a reasonable amount for actually clearing customs.
 
MacDoc said:
Fedex has deteriorated but way better than UPS or DHL. USPS works well.
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This. USPS is the safest way to ship from the US.I sometimes order from the UK or Europe and have never been charged duties. Patience is required tho.
 
Not supposed to be duty on auto parts per USMCA. They need to mark "automotive radiator" in the commercial invoice description. If they just put "radiator" you'll get duty charges.
 
Ok this is ridiculous
My second package from Revzila Costs and weighs more than the first.
Coming from the same place to the same place costs less to clear customs than the first one. In the same week. Wtf
 
For the parts to be duty free they need to be made is USA (or perhaps Mexico too?) as part of the free trade deal. NOTHING moves without filling out the export documents and country of origin is required for every line item.

I ordered a set of lowered footpegs from Knight Designs for my KTM 1090R and they arrived without any extra charges beyond HST. They are made in USA and crossed duty free.

The pegs are excellent by the way and improved comfort quite a bit. Amazing for lowering foot position less 7/8".
 
It really is a roll of the dice.
 
Roadghost said:
Not supposed to be duty on auto parts per USMCA. They need to mark "automotive radiator" in the commercial invoice description. If they just put "radiator" you'll get duty charges.
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You will still pay HST and brokerage fees.
 
Maniac said:
You will still pay HST and brokerage fees.
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Yes. The brokerage fees are what kill me. Something like $5 is reasonable to me as they don't even have a human touch the process. Charging $40 is just extortion as the system is set up to make one off clearances a huge pita.
 
Clutt-225 said:
Ok this is ridiculous
My second package from Revzila Costs and weighs more than the first.
Coming from the same place to the same place costs less to clear customs than the first one. In the same week. Wtf
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Duty really has nothing to do with weight, and cost is only comparable for goods within the same category. For example, you typically pay more duty on a pair of $100 riding gloves than on a $1k video card.
 
Typically, if I'm ordering from the U.S. or overseas I expect to pay 110% of the cost of the goods in shipping, brokerage and duties unless sent via mail.
I'm not often surprised or disappointed - and buy local if possible.
 
Roadghost said:
Not supposed to be duty on auto parts per USMCA. They need to mark "automotive radiator" in the commercial invoice description. If they just put "radiator" you'll get duty charges.
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TRUE
BUT you need a licensed import broker to file the forms.
Canada Post, British Post and USPS all have low flat rate brokerage fees
FedEx used to have a flat rate brokerage of $80Cdn.

There is no duties due on car (or motorcycle) parts (thank PET for the Auto Pact) or computer parts or machine tools... and a bunch of other stuff, but you still have to pay a broker to import them.

... and DHL is at present defending against allegations they are over charging and hiding fees.

Pitney Bowes offers a service to US retailers that will package, ship and broker packages... you see it on Ebay where they offer all rates, fees and duties paid in the shipping price, that is very popular.
I was trying to buy a speed controller from a scrap yard in Tennesee and there was no way of getting it to me for less than about $100 USD. The part is worth nothing. He wanted to just send it to me for free, but that would void his contract with Pitney Bowes.
... 3 weeks later I got a christmas card, in July, with a speed controller in it... which I immediately burned up. OOPS. (I fixed it, and now have intermittent wipers on my G body).

TK4 said:
and buy local if possible
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...which is sorta the point of import duties
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