- Original Poster
- #1
I've been importing goods to the UK for over 30 years mostly using the same trusted broker who I can pick up the phone to and have a grown-up conversation with.
However, sometimes I have to use the larger carriers for importing and exporting smaller shipments.
We are all aware of what a big part tariffs and customs charges play in international trade as they have hardly been out of the news for the last 10 years. What is not talked about is how the implementation of these tariffs is left to the likes of UPS and FedEx who seem to have a very cavalier approach to how the rules are implemented.
A couple of recent experiences to illustrate this –
I recently imported some hand-made musical instruments from Italy. The manufacturer supplied paperwork with the shipment clearly stating that the goods were of European origin and as I'm sure we all know, under the terms of the UK/EU post Brexit trade agreement this means there should be zero import duty. However, UPS decided they were gonna slap import duty on it anyway. Trying to get this refunded means entering a kafkaesque labyrinth of unanswered emails and support links that go nowhere.
I also recently used a third-party service to book a shipment via FedEx to a customer in Belgium Despite completing comprehensive details online regarding the value and tariff codes of the contents, when my customer asked where the parcel was we found that it was being held by FedEx because they "didn't have customs details". We supplied all the details a second time and the shipment got delivered, but my customer was then hit with a €60 fee for storage charges. Again, trying to get this refunded is laborious and time-consuming.
The point of this rant is that it seems to me that implementing tariffs is too important to be left to unaccountable parcel carriers whose only contact with you will be a disinterested call centre in the Philippines. Time for some stiff regulation, perhaps?
However, sometimes I have to use the larger carriers for importing and exporting smaller shipments.
We are all aware of what a big part tariffs and customs charges play in international trade as they have hardly been out of the news for the last 10 years. What is not talked about is how the implementation of these tariffs is left to the likes of UPS and FedEx who seem to have a very cavalier approach to how the rules are implemented.
A couple of recent experiences to illustrate this –
I recently imported some hand-made musical instruments from Italy. The manufacturer supplied paperwork with the shipment clearly stating that the goods were of European origin and as I'm sure we all know, under the terms of the UK/EU post Brexit trade agreement this means there should be zero import duty. However, UPS decided they were gonna slap import duty on it anyway. Trying to get this refunded means entering a kafkaesque labyrinth of unanswered emails and support links that go nowhere.
I also recently used a third-party service to book a shipment via FedEx to a customer in Belgium Despite completing comprehensive details online regarding the value and tariff codes of the contents, when my customer asked where the parcel was we found that it was being held by FedEx because they "didn't have customs details". We supplied all the details a second time and the shipment got delivered, but my customer was then hit with a €60 fee for storage charges. Again, trying to get this refunded is laborious and time-consuming.
The point of this rant is that it seems to me that implementing tariffs is too important to be left to unaccountable parcel carriers whose only contact with you will be a disinterested call centre in the Philippines. Time for some stiff regulation, perhaps?
