Shipping woes

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I still think that the couriers like DHL, Fedex and UPS are shipping and delivering. Personally I like DHL as it seems like when a package gets to their Cincinnati Hub it goes through Customs very fast, faster than any USPS Customs.
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  • MuddyPoppins
I don't like DHL that much, but Japan Post doesn't ship anything to my country for over a month now, so I must use DHL.

DHL shipping is usually much expensive, and they charge extra their "service" of sending your parcel to customs. That's additional 18 USD or so. Currently they don't accept online payments for who knows what reasons, so you have to go to the bank, pay, and send them the proof of payment by email.

Then you pay VAT and customs duties in full amount (the Post sometimes passes the SAL or Economy parcel without sending it to customs, but DHL never misses that step!). That's 25% (my local VAT) of value of goods + shipping. And you pay customs services extra.

You have to do all of that quickly, unless you want DHL charge you with their storage fees.

And of course, there is the famous EORI Number you must obtain and provide to DHL before you pay all duties. The Post doesn't ask for that number, but DHL does. And you have to validate it at European Commision. No matter if you are a big corporation or just an ordinary person, in the eyes of EU you are an importer and must have validated EORI Number. Lot of complicated forms that must be filled, lot of red tape!

So, if you live in Europe, DHL is the most expensive and most tiresome, therefore the worst and last option.

But I really wanted that Sakura Tram... Smile Smile
My YouTube Channel: Mister No
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  • Super
Whoe...thankfully I don't have to go through all that. I just buy an item and it arrives at my door.

Sounds like you have to arrange your own shipping with DHL Mr-No
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DHL was sellers choice, he didn't asked me anything, but it's an obvious choice, since the Japan Post is not shipping anything here. I just had to follow the procedure as described in DHL's texts and emails, what else could I do?

One thing is interesting, though. My Sakura Tram was collected at Kansai, Japan April 28th. Flying from Osaka to Hong Kong, and then to Cologne, Brussels, Leipzig and Frankfurt (in that order, according to DHL Tracking), it arrived at my local Customs office last Thursday. So only three days from Japan. After six days, and after the collosal procedure as described in my previous post, and some 50 USD for fees, customs, VAT etc. - I still didn't get it. Smile Tracking says: "Customs Delay".

But I know I'll be happy when it finally arrives. Smile


"EORI Number" is a special story. Thankfully, I validated mine some years ago, and is still valid so I didn't have to do that this time. But it's a bit creepy. You tipe the abbreviation for your country + your personal identification number (that's the EORI Number, actually) in a special EU Commision web-page, and it tells you if it is valid or not. But it tells a whole lot more! For example, I concluded that EU Commision knows that I moved some years ago, because they changed my address automatically. Great! Big EU Brother knows everything... and keeps me safe, of course! Smile
My YouTube Channel: Mister No
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2020, 10:12 AM by Super.)
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  • Super
LOL..."Big EU Brother" Smile
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EORI is not essential . I import £10-20000 of stock from US and Japan per month . DHL is my courier of choice . Takes 2 days from pick up to my front door . DHL are a customs broker so they process the Vat and Import duty and then invoice it . Other couriers use third parties to clear their parcels . Parcelforce which is probably the largest parcel company in the UK uses UPS to clear their goods which is why you get delays . I have never registered for EORI and have never had any issues
Well, nice for you. That's how it's in your country, here is different. EORI is essential - I can't get anything by DHL without validated EORI number - they are very clear about that. And it's just DHL. On their website they stated as following:
"As of Croatian accession to the European Union, Ministry of Finance, Customs Administration implemented EORI system ( Economic Operators Registration and Identification System) - electronic system for registration and identification of legal entities which are, within their business, engaged in activities covered by customs legislation.I n order to operate and carry out activities under the jurisdiction of the customs legislation of the European Union, it is essential for every Croatian legal entity to apply for granting EORI number.
So every time you have something coming with the DHL - you have to provide validated EORI number, no matter if you are just an individual or a corporation. First you have to send the EORI number to them, then they start to do their job. That is how they do business here. Once again - it's just DHL. Post does not require anything like that.
Additionaly, DHL charges their "service" with some extra fee and this time they required an invoice twice - via SMS and then again by an email. The bottom line is - my tram travelled 3 days from Japan, and it took a week for DHL to do their job. And I have a valid EORI number for years, who knows what happens with clients who don't! They are the worst.

But I got my Tokyo Sakura Tram today! Horaaaay! Smile

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My YouTube Channel: Mister No
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  • chrisjo, Finno, MuddyPoppins, Super
Congratulations Mr-No. How many days total from when shipped in Japan until you received the Tram?
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Thank you, Super!
It was collected at Kansai, Japan April 28th at 09:35 and I got it today at 13:09 Smile
I hope yours is coming soon, too!
My YouTube Channel: Mister No
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That was really fast but that had to have been due to it shipping via DHL. My Tram was accepted at Japan Post shipped EMS on April 13th and it still has not arrived. I would say that if DHL would have been delivering it to me it would be in my hands quite some time ago. Shipping through the general Postal services of Japan and the US has been very much delayed. Japamart, my Agent, says that it now can take 2 weeks or more for a package to even get on a plane in Japan.

How do you like the Tram? Is yours as fast as the ones we've seen in video"s?
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