US Import duty when purchasing a lens from Europe

[Habbable]

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Hey all,

 

This is partly a question, but maybe a statement of fact.

 

I recently decided to buy a 75 Summilux and found a nice (I hope) copy at the Leica Shop in Vienna. I was assuming there wasn't duty on cameras or lenses imported, but I think I'm wrong about this because UPS is holding the package and needed some contact info from me. The pertinent department is closed at the moment, but the operator mentioned there was ~$150 of import duty fees.

 

Have any of you experienced this?

Edited March 21, 2017 by Habbable

[LeicaPassion]

When I purchased a lens in Osaka years ago, Uncle Sam imposed a duty at O'Hare. I don't remember the % but it was more than $100.

 

You should be able to Google the %.

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[Habbable]

Looks like a camera is duty free but lenses may be taxed based on a classification of "other" @ 2.3% plus whatever brokerage fees, etc that get added by UPS...Maybe just a heads up for other people looking to buy a lens from overseas. I should have assumed as much.

Edited March 22, 2017 by Habbable

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Habbable,

 

Welcome to the Forum,

 

This topic has come up before & I think that if you search in the search box at the top, right, of this page you might find out more that might be useful to you.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

[Leicauser7]

Looks like a camera is duty free but lenses may be taxed based on a classification of "other" @ 2.3% plus whatever brokerage fees, etc that get added by UPS...Maybe just a heads up for other people looking to buy a lens from overseas. I should have assumed as much.

 

This is exactly correct.  However, you have to check UPS like a hawk.  They often try and apply a higher fee on lenses and in this case, you have to get the item "rerated".  Keep in mind that just because the total duties are more than 2.3% does not mean that UPS made a mistake as there is typically about $35 or so of fixed brokerage fees in addition to the 2.3%.

[darylgo]

A used lens purchased in Paris 4-5 years ago had no import duties assessed when carried back to the US. The lens, declared value was $2800. Maybe I got lucky because I paid for a lens sent from Canada, $50 for a $1200 lens iirc, sometime around 1995.

[Robert E]

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It's my understanding that UPS and FedEx will charge import fees where USPS will not. I've purchased many lens from Canada and the Orient with no import fees whatsoever. My only request is that the seller indicates the lens is "used".

 

 

 

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[enboe]

DHL collected import duties plus a fat handling fee when I bought a used 90/2.8 from Canada.  Cameras have come to me duty-free.

[Ronazle]

I've never paid import duty on photo stuff and have ordered quite a bit over the years from Canada. I sort of think that the major ocean ports when ports of entry are a little more likely to hit one with a duty, legal or not. No doubt, commercial shipments with agents and the like are more predictable. There seems to be a lot of arbitrariness from Customs personnel when dealing with personal imports.  My law enforcement friends, most of whom are now deceased, always ranked Customs personnel at the lowest point on the LE totem. Regards, Ron

Edited March 23, 2017 by Ronazle

[FeralCoton]

Well. You have to pay duties by law. But, if you don't feel bound to do this yourself it really depends on who the shipper is. Ups typically collects duties as they tack on a 'brokerage fee' that you never agreed to. I've found that dhl sometimes assesses duties but not usually and that FedEx almost never does. It depends on how the shipper routes it through customs. Ups has a motive given their unique charge of brokerage fees. Id request FedEx or dhl shipping myself.

 

 

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[Guest]

There is no import duty on still cameras and lenses — I posted the US customs document on this in another thread. Also, I bought an M8.2 and a couple of lenses from a store in the UK, right after the GBP fell from US$2.00 to US$1.50, so that the price in US$ was at that point much lower than i=buying in Europe or the US. I paid no import duty, but UPS charged a $75 fee, which was a handling charge but described, mendaciously, in a way that could make the buyer think it was import duty. At that time, most other courier companies did not charge that fee.

 

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