Question Scuba Gaskets order - duty payment required???

[BoltSnap]

I live in Libya and buy goods from all over Europe and the United States. Vendors don't care how much I end up paying when the goods are delivered here. Some tell me upfront that it's my responsibility to take care of that. Most don't, assuming you already know (which is a correct assumption). When goods arrive here, I usually don't have to pay much, if anything, since what I buy is for personal use, and its value isn't something the local authorities worry about. Ultimately, the vendor isn't responsible for anything once the goods leave their premises. Big vendors will arrange official documents, such as a certificate of origin or an invoice, that may be required by local authorities. However, these documents usually aren't required since what I buy is just for personal use and doesn't come in containers.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I hear you, and if it becomes the new norm - so be it. We'll adjust and I'm sure will survive.

But it hasn't yet. And I doubt that it will, it's just very unconventional - buying something not knowing how much you will end up paying. I'll venture a guess that the businesses that are going with this model will lose large portion of their customer base.

In either case, it was complete news to me, and if anything I hope this post raises awareness of the issue.

Unconventional for us, not for those in other countries who deal with this regularly.

As to business going with this model losing a large portion of their customer base, maybe ... maybe not. It depends upon how large their US business is and what competition exists, if any, and what that competition does. In the miniscule space that is the scuba industy, there sometimes are not other sourcing options, especially for niche items. Another possibility is that when buying things from OUS, this just may be something we have to get used to just as folks in other countries have to.

 

[Scuba-74]

Unconventional for us, not for those in other countries who deal with this regularly.

As to business going with this model losing a large portion of their customer base, maybe ... maybe not. It depends upon how large their US business is and what competition exists, if any, and what that competition does. In the miniscule space that is the scuba industy, there sometimes are not other sourcing options, especially for niche items. Another possibility is that when buying things from OUS, this just may be something we have to get used to just as folks in other countries have to.

I'm not convinced folks in other countries deal with it regularly. I'm not from the US originally, moved here as an adult, and the only time I dealt with it before was when I bought a car abroad and drove it personally into the country. My parents and a lot of friends are still in the old country, and I've never heard of them having to pay import taxes on small purchases after the fact.

There are huge international distributors, like Aliexpress and similar ones, that shield the end customer from having to deal with it, and I've never heard about people paying import taxes on something bought on, say, eBay. I can't speak for the whole wide world or how each small online store works, but in general I'm not aware of that happening where I am from.

 

[Scuba-74]

Paid the god damned charge.

What is interesting, only $2.69 of that amount is the actual tax, and $17 is DHL's "duty tax processing" fee.

So, f..k DHL.

 

[BoltSnap]

It'd be great if you refrained from bringing political garbage here.

I kind of ignored your previous attempts, but since you're offering an unsolicited advice over and over again, and now suggesting that I "expect the foreign vendor to solve some problems", kindly stop.

That's because you don't seem to get the point that foreign vendors aren't responsible for your internal mess or government polices. You keep insisting that somehow the outside vendor is supposed to figure out what your government is doing inside its borders. You are also insisting that they put labels all over their website telling you what your government will charge you, the buyer/importer, and look into their crystal ball to give a quote for that part. I buy from all over the US and Europe, and no one from my vendors does for me what you seem to be insisting they do for you. This point was made several times by others here, but you seem not to accept it and want it your way. Get over it.

 

[BoltSnap]

Paid the god damned charge.

What is interesting, only $2.69 of that amount is the actual tax, and $17 is DHL's "duty tax processing" fee.

So, f..k DHL.

That's normal and is relatively inexpensive compared to what they charge in Europe. I have to pay 40 Euros for customs handling to couriers when I send equipment for servicing or even warranty replacements. Again, get over it and count your blessings.

 

[happy-diver]

What I find hilarious

Is the at least ten dives worth of energy you've expended on whining
Buy elsewhere before you mess it up for the I can't buy parts whiners

 

[BoltSnap]

What I find hilarious, is that you (and some other's, but mostly you) have confirmed in your own posts, that you have to pay it where you live, but at the same time feel obligated to remind the US folks that we have "the problem", "the devil within", "the furher", or whatever else you can come up with being salty at the US government. Make up your mind, is it normal or not, lol. And let as worry about our internal issues, this post isn't about them.

It is your internal problem, not theirs. You figure out how to deal with it, not the overseas vendor. Tax or no tax, that's not their job, overseas vendor, to figure it out for you.

At the end, do you want cheese to go with your whine?

 

[wdeutsch]

And again, you missed the point completely, that the foreign vendor in this case knew exactly what I will be charged with, no crystal ball required, they just chose to hide it from me.

ScubaGaskets definitely knew that you would be paying for an import tariff and may have even known how much it was going to be on the day you ordered your stuff. However, it's a BIG ask for them to incorporate that into their point-of-sale software.

Condsider that they probably ship to over 100 countries, with more couriers than just DHL. Any country on any day and any courier on any day can change their tariffs/fees. So, the time required to keep up with that number of combinations is just not compatible with a low-overhead operation like ScubaGaskets. Their prices are low, in large part, because they avoid overhead by not having distribution networks, international warehouses, and import/export expert staff.

Yes, it sucks that we in the US have lost our free perk of being able to buy internationally and not deal with the costs/paperwork associated with that, but it IS the new normal per current administration policty. I'm sure you're not seeing it from all vendors because some have chosen to eat the costs in the name of keeping US customers happy. Others have ways around it of they're big enough. ScubaGaskets has chosen the low-cost way of dealing with it (for them) - probably so they can keep costs lower for their global customer base.

This should not have been a surprise to anyone. It was all over the news for a solid month and a half before it happened and was even discussed here in a couple threads. It sucks for those of us who were used to getting a free ride on duty. I'm sorry you got shafted with an unexpected bill. That sucks.

Question, though: With the added tariff/processing cost, were the kits you bought more, less, or the same as buying them from a brick and mortar dealer here in the US, or having your local shop do the work?

 

[tursiops]

But does the seller even know this?

I'm with ScubaGaskets on this one.

ah. I'm with Scuba-74. If Scuba Gaskets knows enogh to say it on social media, then they know enough to put it on their websie/point-of-sale. They are at best being lazy, at worst being misleading.