Oy, for the amount of euro I spent getting that package out of customs, we could have got Wesley Crusher to make a personal appearance in our living room. Too bad we couldn't get the DVD's from Amazon.de, the German site, but we didn't really want to watch Star Trek voiced over in German. The Amazon UK site had them in English, but not the American format. So, this is important, if you would like to send us a package for Gianna's birthday or Christmas, the only safe bet is to order from a German site (like Amazon.de or ToysRUs.de). Packages from private parties (sent person to person) can still get held up in customs with taxes due. So unless it's something small and marked as "gift" with a low retail value, there's a good chance they will stop it and make us pay. Another option for Gianna is to let us know what you would like to get her, we can buy it over here, and you can deposit money into our US bank account.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Import Tariffs
Yesterday I spent the morning at the east docks retrieving an Amazon.com package from customs. This long awaited beauty contained 6 DVD box sets of Star Trek TNG, Birds of Britain and Europe Peterson field guide, and Lonely Planet Vietnam, 2009 edition. As I sat in the chair with the box opened before me, Wil Riker stared back from one of the box sets and whispered "you're going to have to pay a lot of money if you want to take me home. Hope you brought cash!" Oy, for the amount of euro I spent getting that package out of customs, we could have got Wesley Crusher to make a personal appearance in our living room. Too bad we couldn't get the DVD's from Amazon.de, the German site, but we didn't really want to watch Star Trek voiced over in German. The Amazon UK site had them in English, but not the American format. So, this is important, if you would like to send us a package for Gianna's birthday or Christmas, the only safe bet is to order from a German site (like Amazon.de or ToysRUs.de). Packages from private parties (sent person to person) can still get held up in customs with taxes due. So unless it's something small and marked as "gift" with a low retail value, there's a good chance they will stop it and make us pay. Another option for Gianna is to let us know what you would like to get her, we can buy it over here, and you can deposit money into our US bank account.
Oy, for the amount of euro I spent getting that package out of customs, we could have got Wesley Crusher to make a personal appearance in our living room. Too bad we couldn't get the DVD's from Amazon.de, the German site, but we didn't really want to watch Star Trek voiced over in German. The Amazon UK site had them in English, but not the American format. So, this is important, if you would like to send us a package for Gianna's birthday or Christmas, the only safe bet is to order from a German site (like Amazon.de or ToysRUs.de). Packages from private parties (sent person to person) can still get held up in customs with taxes due. So unless it's something small and marked as "gift" with a low retail value, there's a good chance they will stop it and make us pay. Another option for Gianna is to let us know what you would like to get her, we can buy it over here, and you can deposit money into our US bank account.
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Ackk!
ReplyDeleteI remember one of the professors, ML, spent a sabbatical year in Switzerland. His sister sent a bunch of Hersheys Chocolates for Christmas. He had to pay a tonne of money for "crappy chocolate". Duty and tarriffs can be a PIA
Shameful! My old office mate had to beg, barter and steal her wedding gifts back from US customs! She was married in Italy and given priceless family heirlooms. They all needed a value for the tax! It took her days to sort the mess out.
ReplyDeleteNope, I think we shall buy her presents here in the US and keep them. We will take pictures of her presents at your Hillsborough house and just send the pictures to her. Then she will make sure you come back here!
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