Buying on Ebay from Japan - Import duties to US

[vk2109]

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Hello,

I have found some really good deal on Ebay from reputable japanese resellers and wanted to see if anyone has experience with the US Tarriff /import fees.

How much % would i be subject on $1600 summicron lens purchase ? I am looking on

https://hts.usitc.gov/search?query=9002.11.90 and see the fees like 2.3% 

so it's reasonable..but anyone had surprise  ?

 

Thanks 

 

KV

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[M11 for me]

Who cares? 🤣

[nitroplait]

Don’t know US rules, but wouldn’t you also have to add sales tax and a processing fee?

[wda]

I suppose it depends where you live.

[vk2109]

3 minutes ago, nitroplait said:

Don’t know US rules, but wouldn’t you also have to add sales tax and a processing fee?

Sales Tax are already added when you buy on ebay. I am talking about Tarriff/import duties 

[vk2109]

2 minutes ago, wda said:

I suppose it depends where you live.

Sales tax Yes (as add when you buy on Ebay)  -  Import duties are separate and the same where you in the US it's a federall tax 

[Smudgerer]

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Not sure about the US now but when I was living there I did not pay import taxes on many of the items bought from Japanese sellers, primarily in my case these were purchases of cinematography gear and accessories that were scarce in the US at one time or another............But it is different now in the EU, in my case France, where I have given up buying anything on Ebay from Japan in particular because the import charges levied are a crap shoot.

With Fedex which many Asian sellers seem to like to use, you don't know what the final customs bill is going to be until you get a letter/facture/invoice from Fedex a couple of weeks after the delivery with the duties / tax due when it's too late to refuse or return the shipment, plus Fedex would even demand payment of customs charges even when you've already paid them upfront through Ebay on making the purchase, that mess takes weeks and months to sort out with Ebay being as useful in the dispute as a chocolate tea kettle.

I was caught too many times over this, now just simply do not buy off of Ebay for any Asian sellers or use Fedex either.

[Anthony Miller]

The de-minimis rules usually allow $1600 before import duties apply. I have never had to pay on purchases less than that is the seller used mail, DHL or Fedex type services. UPS has its own deal and I have had to pay fees and processing to them so will no longer buy from international sellers who only use UPS.

 

With the new tariffs on China and Canada I have no idea what happens now though

[BradS]

I have never paid any import duty when buying USED equipment from any overseas sellers - eBay or direct. However, and as mentioned above, I absolutely will not buy from any seller who want to ship via DHL....and, yeah given the current chaos it's anybody's guess what the rules will be tomorrow or the next day.

[M11 for me]

vor 22 Stunden schrieb Al Brown:

Why would you write such a derogatory answer?

I wrote this as we all see what the US government is doing or is planning. The US government was elected in a fully democratic process. But no American was expecting this to come now (even though for many it was clear a long time ago). And who cares about 2.3% fees when a trade war is going to start with 20% or 50% or 100% fees? This is what I meant. But here it took me 3 lines whereas my first post was much shorter.

But I imagine that politics should have no place in this forum. So I leave it with this. I will not reply here any more.

Edited March 10 by M11 for me

[mikeamosau]

I just got a 50mm Summicron from Japan sent to the US. Lens was $1800 and fee from customs import was $47.50. Not a big deal at all.