Fedex - Just received invoice

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rodden-live

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Before Christmas I ordered goods from America which were delivered via fedex.

I have now received an invoice from fedex for €70 to paid in relation to custom charges, vat and their own €10 admin fee. They did not supply me with a receipt which proves that they actually paid the vat and custom charges.

Where do I go from here? They've sent me a letter demanding payment within 5 working days.

Can I send them an e-mail requesting they send me proof that they have paid the vat and custom charges? I'm also annoyed that this invoice has come as I thought that once I signed for the goods that was the end of it, I presumed if I was going to be charged they would have given me the invoice on delivery.

All advice is greatly appreciated.
 
I got a package from the US ..... a gift from a US Senator for my class. He FedExd it and had paid on his side but I got the same bill from FedEx and had to pay it eventually. About €40 I think it was. I paid it out of my own pocket.

And they were pushy .... because the school name was on it I didn't want any case against the school so I just paid the bill and swore I'd never again accept a package from FedEX
 
I get where you're coming from. I'm just angry that they can get away with doing this. They haven't even given me proof that they've even paid the bill!
 
rodden-live said:
... I'm just angry that they can get away with doing this. They haven't even given me proof that they've even paid the bill!
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FedEx are authorised customs clearance agents. Once you pay their bill you get a receipt, which is normal practice.

Are you angry that they get away with doing their job (delivery, customs clearance)?

Next time you order from the States, you'll know what to expect.
 
rodden-live said:
Before Christmas I ordered goods from America which were delivered via fedex.

I have now received an invoice from Fedex for €70 to paid in relation to custom charges, vat and their own €10 admin fee.
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I bought a Digital Camera on www.eBay.com in New York in December.
Cost around 300 euro
Two weeks later I get an invoice from Fedex as follows :
  • Duty = € 8.10
  • VAT = € 47.65
  • Admin Fee = € 10.00
  • VAT = € 2.10
Total bill = € 67.85

These additional fees make my purchase more expensive than buying in UK/Europe .
Of course , if I had known about this is advance , I would not have gone ahead with purchase.

I have sold many items to USA on Ebay.ie and I wonder if my American purchasers have to pay these fees as well on my items .

By the way, I still have not paid Fedex and now have an overdue reminder. I was hoping someone would contact me , so I can settle with Laser/Credit Card .

I have bought before in Hong Kong and Paris , but this is my first time to receive an additional invoice
 
The following Revenue info may be of help?

[broken link removed]

Customs duty applies to many non-EU imports.

Then there is VAT as well.
 
allthedoyles said:
... By the way, I still have not paid Fedex and now have an overdue reminder. I was hoping someone would contact me , so I can settle with Laser/Credit Card ...
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Did they not supply contact information with the invoice or the reminder? They also take cheques... ;)
 
All courier companies automatically charge VAT on shipments from the US to Ireland. Fedex, DHL.... they are all required to do this. Next time stick to regular mail and insure it.
 
The problem I had was that the package I got from the US was unsolicited and wasn't something I had paid for. The package came to the door by courier. I signed for delivery and then a bill turns up later. When I contacted the sender he said that he had paid all fees on his side.

I paid anyway ... but I will never accept a FedEx parcel again ... especially one that is sent to me unsolicited.
 
allthedoyles said:
I have sold many items to USA on Ebay.ie and I wonder if my American purchasers have to pay these fees as well on my items .
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I am dismayed to confirm that apparently they do! I have just received an invoice for duties incurred for importing an antique silver item from London a week ago. The item cost £350, and the price was quoted to me "inclusive of shipping and handling". So now I got an invoice for an additional $21. Granted, not nearly as bad as the €70 bills someone mentioned here, but it's an unpleasant surprise nevertheless..

I am just wondering - just how binding is this invoice? What if I just don't pay? I never promised to pay any additional fees at the time of making the purchase, did I? I paid for the item, paid for shipping and handling, and the the item was delivered and handed over to me. So what's with this extra billing?

This is just not an appropriate way to handle duties etc on Fedex'/Shipper's part. The customer needs to know upfront what the delivery costs will be. I particularly feel for European purchasers facing this VAT slap in the face.. At least I wasn't asked to pay sales tax..
 
lexee said:
... So now I got an invoice for an additional $21...
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Does the invoice give details of the charges, which I suspect may be customs clearance chrages into the US? Vendors and shippers always include a caveat that customs clearance charges, government duties, border levies, etc. are always the responsibility of the recipient.
 
mathepac said:
Does the invoice give details of the charges?
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Yes, it does.
Customs duty: $16.00
Advancement Fee: $5.00

Some time ago I had to send an iPhone from the US to Russia, and so I researched various relevant US Postal Service FAQs concerning customs, duties etc. One conclusion I made at the time was that the sender was always required to cover all fees and taxes at the point of sending. And the recipient would not be asked to pay for anything upon receipt.

So I guess this varies across carriers or maybe even countries involved. Definitely did not expect a bill in the mail though. Something just doesn't sound right! Consumers shouldn't be getting surprise bills out of the blue. There needs to be better transparency in the process. Not even sure to whom such a plea should be addressed exactly.
 
lexee said:
I have just received an invoice for duties incurred for importing an antique silver item from London a week ago.
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Something wrong here. Your goods were coming from London so there should be no duty on the goods coming from another EU country. Unless they are trying to charge VAT on the transport end of the transaction but coming from London, I doubt if it cost 100 euro to send over. Contact them and fight your case.

It doesn't mean if they are Customs Clearance agents that they cannot or will not pocket a few bob if they can get away with it.
 
mercman said:
Something wrong here. Your goods were coming from London so there should be no duty on the goods coming from another EU country.
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but

lexee said:
The item cost £350, and the price was quoted to me "inclusive of shipping and handling". So now I got an invoice for an additional $21
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$ so reckon lexee is in US of A; duty due.
 
rodden-live said:
I have now received an invoice from Fedex for €70 to paid in relation to custom charges, vat and their own €10 admin fee. .
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Next you will receive an overdue notice from Fedex . If this notice is ignored , you will receive a FINAL NOTICE from Avance Group Ltd , based in Glasgow .

They will tell you that they have ''been instructed to recover the overdue amount ''.

Will also tell you that they'' would prefer an amicable settlement , however will not hesitate to commence with formal proceedings ''
 
i've ordered items from the US and know that certainly on some sites it states that where appropriate, customs and duties in the relevant country have to be paid by the person receiving the items. Fedex are a registered VAT agent and are authorised to collect the customs due. If items are shipped by ordinary mail and An Post catches it, you have to pay them the duty on receipt. Fedex at least will deliver the items and then invoice you. Whether you were avoiding Irish customs by ordering from the US or just ordering items which cannot be bought here, you still have to pay the duty.
 
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