and that's on top of whatever additional fees the courier company imposes due to having to do brokerage/bonds for the parcel to get it released for you. So your $5 widget becomes $75 after all this is said and done - shipping, $1.5 of duties, the minimum $50 fee, and then carrier brokerage fee.
at least my return flight to the United States is before the per item fee kicks in so I can bring back souvenirs for my family like a civilized woman without being out several hundred dollars on about a dozen tiny gifts for the relatives she says, knocking on wood anxiously
only for "per postal item". hand carry only attracts the 30% duty it looks
I am basically prepared to pay whatever CBP tells me at the airport with the possibility of going through legal process to be repaid I have had to chase down an insurance company, a hospital system, and an anesthesiologist and get them all to agree to the contract they'd already agreed to
I would rather negotiate with bureaucrats safely at home than get into it with CBP at the airport 😓 especially when policy is this loosely drawn
jesus christ they managed to fuck this up even more since April. www.federalregister.gov/documents/20... $80 fee per parcel for <15% source country, $160 for 16-25%, and $200 for >25% rates. that's going to functionally kill anyone shipping anything of commercial value.
This is mercantilism as wielded by a narcissist. bsky.app/profile/fran...
Want $200 of saris from India? That'll cost you $500. $200 for the saris, $200 for the duty, and $100 of shipping including the brokerage fee.
bespoke economic collapse delivered overnight
the parcel companies are gonna love this shit
oops! all fees bsky.app/profile/lizt...