Fellow amateurs:
Back in the mid 1990s when the VK0IR Dxpedition was happening I did the
t-shirts for them and sold them as a fund raiser for the DXpedition.
ON4UN ordered a couple dozen of them for some ON hams and he sent me an
e-mail later indicating he ended up having to pay customs and VAT on the
shirts, plus even the Express Mail air charges. As a surprise, it was
cheaper to them them via the USPS' Express Mail than regular air mail
service. I marked the value of the shirts at my cost too, not what they
were selling for as a fund raiser for the DXpedition.
I know that DXpedition shirts are not real tower "equipment" , but I
think it shows that customs and VAT regulation on anything can vary from
day to day often depending on the customs folks that day. My daughter
in law's mom works works for the Dallas district office of U.S. Customs
at DFW Airport and has basically comfirmed to me the same thing,
although not "officially."
But of course Belgium customs regulations may be a lot different from
that of Canada. I think it all depends on the attitude of the customs
inspectors on a particular day, etc. I've had parts come in from
overseas and had $$ waiting because I expected to have to pay customs
here in the USA, but didn't, and then again when I wasn't expecting to
pay duties, then I got zonked for them.
I recently sent some parts to ZS-land from WX0B and other suppliers for
some South African hams and ham missionaries and I received an e-mail
back later indicating that SA Customs held them for several days trying
to decide what to charge in the way of duties and VAT tax. On my recent
C9 DXpedition several of us carried parts, antenna switches, even a
vertical antenna, as part of our checked luggage and didn't even get a
second glance from SA customs inspectors, who just waved us on through
after checking our passports.
73 de Tom, WW5L/C91TL
larryjspammenot@teleport.com wrote:
> I've shipped rotators and other ham gear that I've sold on ebay, etc. to
> Canada via the U.S. Postal System, filling out the customs declaration with
> the description of the equipment, and as being "Used Amateur Radio
> Equipment". I don't know if anyone ever wound up having to pay an additional
> customs charge at the other end. But the buyers always asked me to declare
> the value as just some very "minimal" amount, or list it as a "gift", for
> whatever I was sending. I think they were afraid that they'd get dinged for
> an additional amount when they received it, no matter how it was labeled.
> LJ
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
>>From: Kirb Nesbitt <knesbitt@nucleus.com>
>>Sent: Feb 11, 2007 4:53 PM
>>To: TowerTalk@contesting.com
>>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] alpha spid rotator
>>
>>Yes, it has for sometime (at least stuff coming into Canada). Applies to
>>all Amateur radio electronics, however I'm not sure if this exemption
>>extends to antenna hardware. I seem to recall being dinged duty on some
>>of my Force12 stuff a few years back.
>>Don't mistake the fact that your shipment may be exempt from duties and
>>the "brokerage fees" that the carriers now like to impose irregardless.
>>They will nail you either way and it is NOT the responsibility of the
>>shipper to inform or certainly pay these fees.
>>I no longer use the brown truck boys due to their excessive fees imposed
>>at the time of delivery.
>>
>>73,
>>
>>Kirb - VE6IV
>>--
>>
>>larryjspammenot@teleport.com wrote:
>>
>>>Somewhere, I had read that when shipping "Amateur Radio Equipment" to
>>>Canada, that it was exempt from Customs charges. Was I misinformed?
>>>LJ
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>
>>>
>>>>From: Alan NV8A <nv8a@att.net>
>>>>Sent: Feb 10, 2007 1:09 PM
>>>>To: towertalk reflector <towertalk@contesting.com>
>>>>Cc: Al Williams <alwilliams@olywa.net>
>>>>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] alpha spid rotator
>>>>
>>>>I ordered my AlfaSpid at Dayton 2005. The additional shipping charge was
>>>>somewhat higher than the original estimate, but I do not recall anything
>>>>about a customs fee.
>>>>
>>>>The whole amount showed as a single charge to my credit card.
>>>>
>>>>73
>>>>
>>>>Alan NV8A
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>On 02/09/07 10:56 am Al Williams wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>I would like to hear from hams who have purchased an Alpha Spid from the
>>>>>Canadian manufacturer as to if there was a customs charge and did the
>>>>>manufacturer pay it or did you the customer pay it?
>>>>>
>>>>>In October 2005 my Visa statement shows that I paid $1083.99 for the
>>>>>rotator with mouse option. Shortly thereafter I received a bill from the
>>>>>shipper (DHL Express) for $25.38. My senior memory recalls that I called
>>>>>the 800 number of the shipper and explained that the manufacturer said
>>>>>that I wasn't responsible to pay for it and gave them the manufacturers
>>>>>representative telephone number (I had also called the manufacturer who
>>>>>said that there was some sort of mix-up between them and the shipper)..
>>>>>Yesterday I received a bill from a collection agency in Texas for the
>>>>>customs charge plus an additional $6.35 penalty!
>>>>>
>>>>>This is a small charge and I could just go ahead and pay it but I would
>>>>>like to know if it is usually paid by Alpha Radio, Ltd?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>_______________________________________________
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>TowerTalk@contesting.com
>>>>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>>>
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>_______________________________________________
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
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