Charles,
That works double for me. This quizzical country where I reside, charges sales tax as well as customs on foreign purchases. Then there is this odd little charge that the local post office throws in for spite. Old bikes often slip through without the charges, probably the inspectors at the airport don't spend much time in Dale's living room, but a high declared value insurance wakes them up every time. Sales tax on foreign purchases, is that also protectionism or what! Please complain to your congressional representatives for me.
Dennis Young Hotaka, Japan
> Phil Sieg wrote that he was suprised by a modest
> customs charge for something he had shipped from
> overseas.
>
> Customs charges are usually provoked by the value
> of an item. I had an extremely rude surprise when
> I had a rare tandem shipped from France. I made the
> mistake of having the seller insure it and declare full
> value. As a result, I ended up paying customs
> duties and release/agent fees to DHL that were
> significantly higher than the actually air-freight cost!!
>
> Word to the wise: if you're importing something valuable,
> try to keep the declared value to a minimum, otherwise,
> you're gonna get killed. I'm still recovering from the shock..
>
> Charles Andrews
> SoCal