We got hit with the 145% charge for our item. I suspect DHL was in possession of the package before May 2, and chose to hold the package until the date changed to charge extra fees. I've read several posts saying the charges will increase the longer they hold your package, and DHL duty disputes are no longer answering phone calls and will most likely not answer our email until the 5 day period is up.

I also read that DHL will either pay the charge on your behalf and invoice later/send you to collections.

If we pay the fee right now, and successfully dispute, will the fee be refunded?

I purchased a weaving in Nairobi for about 50,000.00 Kenyan shillings - this is equivalent to about 460 US dollars. Unfortunately when the shop in Kenya shipped it to me, and as noted in the shipping paperwork to Customs, the shop listed the sales price at 50,000 US DOLLARS, not KENYAN SHILLINGS. It was a simple mistake - they just indicated the wrong currency.

But as the value was noted as USD and not KSH, Customs charged DHL (and in turn me), a duty of $5,500 DOLLARS.

I've already argued with DHL about this once, as the package was being held in customs. I supplied my credit card statement showing the USD value, pictures of my hard copy receipt in KSH; a picture of the actual sales tag in KSH; documents from the Nairobi vendor. This was a simple mistake and frankly I can't believe DHL or Customs haven't seen it before. Most of the emails from DHL were pretty rude, but whatever - I was trying to be professional and helpful.

I thought it was sorted when the package finally arrived out of customs - but to my surprise when I received the final duty bill last week from DHL, it was for... the same $5,500 USD amount.

I don't want to call DHL back to start this argument again until I get some advice?

Lord I am pissed. Any help would be appreciated.

I ordered a watch from France 2-3 weeks ago that has been stuck in customs for a while. I reluctantly submitted the paperwork, including my private info and also the watch worksheet. The price of the watch is about $2000 USD (1750 Euro), and now DHL says $445.xx in customs duty is owed. That absolutely can’t be true. I’ve read many other accounts for much more expensive watches, and it should be nowhere near this amount. I believe the decimal was off by 1 digit. How do I dispute this? There’s no phone number or email provided.

The de minimis exemption is ending August 29th, but it seems like many people are receiving duty invoices ahead of this deadline, including me! This is a write-up of my very recent experience receiving a duty invoice for a package handled by DHL and disputing the tax.

Basic info:

• Package origin: Amsterdam, Netherlands

• Delivery location: Texas, USA

• Contents: Goods of different origins from a small Dutch retailer. The retailer lists where the item is made on each product page. I checked this before making my purchase. Nothing was made in China or Hong Kong so everything should be eligible for the de minimis exemption.

• Total: Just shy of 315 USD, including shipping so well below the $800 limit.

• Order placed: August 18

• Order shipped/processed: August 19

• Order held for duty: August 21 -- I immediately started a duty dispute upon receiving the duty invoice. I never paid the duty.

• Order delivered: August 22

• Duty charged: I ordered 4 items. 3/4 were "dutiable", one item taxed at 19.7%, the other two were the same thing (different colors :p) and taxed at 37.5.%.

  • $17 for DHL brokerage fee + $80.63 for the actual duties + $1.31 for regulatory charges whatever they are = $98.94 duty charged.

Detailed info:

• 8/21 Yesterday I received phone and e-mail notifications that "IMPORT DUTY PAYMENT IS REQUIRED" for my DHL package. I clicked on the link in the e-mail to go to the duty payment page and downloaded the duty documents there. There were two, a commercial invoice and the duty invoice. There's no country of origin information on either forms, just the HS and the HTS codes on the commercial and the duty invoices, respectively.

  • HS = general global code for a good, HTS = HS code + additional numbers specific for the country of import.

• 8/21 I called DHL at 1-800-225-5345 and spoke to an agent. I essentially asked how do I dispute a tariff since my order is eligible for the de minimis exemption and has already arrived stateside before the executive order becomes active. I said I was confused why I was already being invoiced before August 29th. The representative said that CBP was already processing shipments as if de minimis had ended ahead of the deadline. She gave me another number to call (honestly I don't remember what she said about that number and I typed it out somewhere I can't find anymore, sorry!) and told me to start the dispute by e-mailing [email protected] (with an S!) with my AW# number as the subject and reasons for disputing the duty.

• 8/21 I started typing up the short e-mail while I was trying to get through to an agent on the other number. I spoke with an agent and basically said I was told this call this number, but I'm not sure why lol. I told them I wanted to dispute a duty invoice for xyz reason. This agent just reiterated the e-mailing information.

• 8/21 This was my e-mail to DHL at 8:39AM:

Hello,

I am disputing these charges. The items purchased were not made in China or Hong Kong.

1. ITEM description - made in XYZ. Link to item purchased from retailer (info page included where the item was made).

2. ITEM description - made in XYZ. Link to item purchased from retailer (info page included where the item was made).

Etc.

The de minimis exemption is still in effect and my order does not total more than 800USD.

Thank you for your help addressing this,

pistakioo

• 8/21 at 8:50AM I received an automatic response: Thank you for contacting the DHL Advance Duty Collections Department. Our hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm (CST). We will reply to your request within 3 business days.

• 8/21 at 9:03AM I received a response from a representative: A dispute has been filed with the clearance team. Please allow up to 24 hours for the resolution.

• 8/21 You can see in the tracking information that at 10:05AM there's a hold for payment, then at 10:32AM there's just a hold, and finally at 10:54AM the tracking showed "Payment is received and recorded for shipment related fees". I had not paid anything, just started the dispute. At this point and for the rest of the day the tracking page still showed a delivery estimate of end of day. I didn't receive the package that day.

• 8/22 This morning I woke up and checked the tracking package. There was no delivery estimate date. I called DHL for the automated tracking update and it stated there was still a hold for the package related to duty payment, despite the tracking page still showing "Payment is received and recorded for shipment related fees".

• 8/22 at 10:07AM I send a follow-up email to the agent's e-mail requesting an update on the dispute. I receive the automated response soon after, but nothing from an agent.

• 8/22 at 11AM Tracking is updated to show the package is out for delivery. I also receive phone and e-mail notifications.

• 8/22 at 2:23PM Tracking shows the package is delivered.

• The only time I heard from an agent via e-mail was the confirmation that my dispute had been filed.

Hopefully this is helpful if anybody else finds themselves in a similar situation.

It's no wonder DHL is pausing business shipments to the US ahead of the executive order deadline if CBP is already creating chaos by processing packages for duties ahead of August 29th. DHL must be inundated with calls and e-mails right now.

I see a lot of people out there struggling to actually speak to a human at DHL. For those who are curious just call the number, wait until after the Spanish part and then say "speak to a representative" while the voice goes over the various options. It will then ask if this is about tracking a package. If you say yes it'll bring you back to an automatic voice, so say no and there ya go. You'll have a human on the other line in less than a minute.