# Don't you just hate customs taxes!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497 "2012-06-25T17:23:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonobiwan](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7cd45c/32.png) [@Jonobiwan](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/Jonobiwan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/1 "2012-06-25T17:23:44Z")
Well it’s just a little bit of a rant about customs who have charged me £34 for a parcel coming from the USA to the UK! Anyway, long story short, my package…my TC Gun Kit…has been stuck there (in the UK) for 2 god damn weeks (almost 3 weeks in total since the day it was sent by TC)!!! Even when I paid the ridiculous customs charge, they told me a week later it still wasn’t paid so there was an even longer delay while they sorted that out! I know it’s the norm for customs tax charges but wanted to know if anyone knew of a way to claim back taxes from customs? I’ve looked at the website but there seems to be no way at all. Doh! PS - I’ve just been told whilst writing this that a t-shirt I was supposed to get for my birthday 2 weeks ago still hasn’t come from the USA as the stupid UK customs people have kept that for unpaid customs charges!!! Apparently that’s been stuck there for 2 months almost! GRRRRRRR…(sound’s of anger fade in to the night)… ---
**Author:** ![ThrowingChicken](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@ThrowingChicken](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/ThrowingChicken)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:32pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/2 "2012-06-25T21:32:43Z")
This may grind your gears even more, but it seems like they decide which receivers to charge at a whim. Same item, same cost, same weight, same carrier, similar location, yet some customers don’t seem to get hit by duty fees. ---
**Author:** ![Jonobiwan](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/7cd45c/32.png) [@Jonobiwan](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/Jonobiwan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/3 "2012-06-25T21:43:43Z")
AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH NO WAY!!! 🙂 I’m still damn excited to get my gun kit though! They promised me it would be here tomorrow! IT’S LIKE CHRISTMAS EVE!!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![irricanian](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/irricanian/32/5887_2.png) [@irricanian](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/irricanian)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/4 "2012-06-25T22:09:35Z")
YES ---
**Author:** ![zombierepellent](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/zombierepellent/32/5970_2.png) [@zombierepellent](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/zombierepellent)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/5 "2012-08-02T17:28:19Z")
I hate them too. I moved here from the US. I was so used to just ordering whatever I needed and didn’t have to worry about it. So I went and ordered some of my favorite resin from burman industries. The resin was 75 bucks, shipping was 45, expensive but not ridiculous. Then they show up to my door and tell me I need to pay a 25 dollar duty fee, and a 28 dollar “brokerage” fee. The fees cost me more than the shipping itself. it’s totally ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![irricanian](https://forum.gbfans.com/user_avatar/forum.gbfans.com/irricanian/32/5887_2.png) [@irricanian](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/irricanian)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/6 "2012-08-03T03:44:03Z")
In Canada it’■■■■■ and miss, I’ve been hit with customs fees for US packages on occassion and then the next time not. Same package,same supplier,same value. It’s like they spin the wheel of fortune or something. Then theres the good ole GST and “handling fee” they slap you with. @ Zombirepellent… Have you tried buying thru Sculpture supply within Canada? ---
**Author:** ![Canadianknight](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Canadianknight](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/Canadianknight)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 6:11am UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/7 "2012-09-27T06:11:50Z")
UPS is the worst in Canada. Their “brokerage” fees are ridiculous. I can handle paying GST, and perhaps a small handling fee… but the brokerage… gah! Well.. here’s some tips for my fellow Canucks… UPS “brokerage” fees are complete at total BS. They are pretty much random, and are pretty much a money-grab. (I remember getting two packages from MasterReplicas several years ago… identical boxes… a week apart. One had a brokerage fee in the 30 dollar range. The other… nothing.) “That’s all fine CK, but I want my package” you think. Here’s how to do it. Find out where your cities CBSA office is (Canadian Border Services Agency). When the UPS guy comes to your door, and tells you that you owe ■■■ dollars for “brokerage” fees, tell the driver you refuse the shipment, and that you’ll “self-clear” the package. Go to your CBSA office, with a copy of your purchase invoice (showing how you paid, and for what) and your UPS tracking number. You’ll pay the required GST and duty (if any) and be on your way. Take your paperwork from CBSA to the UPS office, and claim your package. Once you’ve cleared it yourself, they can’t charge you their BS fees. This made headlines in Calgary a while back, as a guy did just that (paying $1.37 in tax, rather than the 19 dollars UPS wanted), and when he got his package at UPS, they still wanted the fee. He took his package and left, at which time the UPS supervisor called the police and accused the guy of theft. UPS then apologized, and claimed they hadn’t “implemented internal procedures regarding self clearance and hadn’t trained their staff”. They further said they needed six weeks to properly train their people. (This is also total BS, as people have been able to self-clear their packages for quite some time.) So… to sum up… ``` - Ask the seller to write "self-clear" on the outside of the box so UPS knows your intent then track the box yourself If the box comes to your door anyway, reject it and get the tracking number. Or just inform the driver you will self-clear it, if it's not written on the package. Next go to the CBSA office and give them a copy of the invoice from the seller and the UPS tracking number CBSA will decide if it needs to inspect your package or release it without inspection and will calculate the tax or duty owed Take the receipt to your UPS pickup location, and claim your package. ``` I happen to have an acquaintance who has been a full-time employee of the CBSA for many years. I just corroborated this procedure with her, and she told me they get quite a few people there self-clearing their UPS packages for this very reason. She also told me that the UPS charges are ridiculous. Next time they try to charge me a stupid amount of money for a package, I’ll be doing this myself. Thought I’d share. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hoot](https://forum.gbfans.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@Hoot](https://forum.gbfans.com/u/Hoot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://forum.gbfans.com/t/dont-you-just-hate-customs-taxes/28497/8 "2012-10-29T19:41:37Z")
Generally; any place outside of a federal postal service is going to charge you a brokerage fee. As for Customs in Canada, I know that as a rule at the Postal Facilities that its usually anything under $100 will usually get away without applicable duties and taxes. If you are a business, it’s smart to get a business importer number and self clear your shipments. You pay the GST instead of all 13% - provided country of origin is NAFTA. Any Canada Customs related questions ill be glad to answer in a PM. If I don’t know, ill research it for you. Cheers!