Fedex: Duties and Taxes for JA ring resize

[gwaipor]

Had to send a ring back to JA for resize. Quoted cost was 118 to send back for resize. 50 resize fee waived if within 60 days. Live in Australia.

Note that this query is nothing to do with the JA service, which has been splended throughout the whole process. It's to clarify the Fedex charges.

Ring came back with 2 invoices
- Import Shipment of 55.20 - that's expected. Same cost I paid for when I first bought the ring.
- Export Shipment 398.04 - should the customer here by paying this one?

 

[senorpacifico]

From sending purchases to my friends in Australia and working with James Allen in the past this would be a fee that comes down to FedEx's discretion.

What is most important is to have all paperwork present of the original fees paid. Never hurts to look over Free Trade Agreements supplied by the company to the customer. Show also any documentation of your original purchase and ask to communicate with FedEx supervisors or representatives that have authority.

Showing FedEx the original documents of the original item/package being brought into the country and having the ring sent back you on a service that was at no cost to you would usually be sufficient to have this charge usually delete/waived or minimized. Having the original FedEx tracking number of your original purchase should have documentation of what has been paid showing the additional "export shipment" should be waived. "Always believe in never hurts to ask".

Contact FedEx Australia : http://www.fedex.com/au/contact/

FedEx International Services : 1.800.GoFedEx 1.800.463.3339

http://www.fedex.com/us/international/irc/profiles/irc_au_profile.html#C11

Good Luck.

 

[Riesz]

I personally wouldn't go through the trouble of sending your ring back to the USA to JA for something like resizing. Most local jewellers will do it for $20-30 and only take a day or might even be able to do it while you wait. Saves the hassle of duties forms, the nerve-wracking worry your ring might be lost in the mail, and the time taken to mail it back and forth.

 

[YoungPapa]

Hi gwaipor,

Australian customs can be, well, let's say a bit 'onerous'. It really doesn't seem to matter how many copies of an Export Declaration, Commercial Invoice, AUSFTA agreement (electronic or paper), and/or registration of a package as repair that will be reimported back into the country, customs randomly loses or ignores the documentation. We've seen it happen time and time again, despite our best efforts to make the process as painless as possible.

With that said, an item returned to our office for resize would have been declared as a nontaxable package when it was shipped back to you. It's appropriate to be charged a processing fee for the handling of the package by customs, but if either of your invoices are related to taxes/duties that were already paid, you should work with our office to contest the charges.

In most instances we can get the charges waived. I say 'most', however, as there have been times when customs simply wouldn't cooperate regardless of how much proof was piled in front of them. In those cases you can pay the fees and file an appeal, but I think even then you get charged a fee to review the documents.

Your best, first move is to contact the person in our office who acted as your international shipping coordinator and ask for their assistance. That's probably a guy named Aaron, who is an expert at getting through the red tape. If you don't have his direct email, you can send a message to the service email and ask for it to be forwarded to his attention.

I hope this all makes sense and am cautiously optimistic we can get any taxes/duties previously paid (or taxes related to the export of the package) removed from your invoice.

All the best,

 

[John P]

Great, informative response from JA.

 

[arkieb1]

I agree taxes and duties you can contest and claim back - they frequently make you pay them anyway and then you have to go through the hassle of getting them back, but the handling and processing fees they will not refund.

Another Aussie suggesting to you that for less than the cost of the shipping in one direction you could get the ring resized at most good jewellers in Australia. If you live in QLD I know a guy here that does work for most of the chain stores who is good.

 

[gwaipor]

Some developments, have sent this to JA:

I spoke to Fedex, and the rep advised me that the Export Shipment charge of $398 was billed to the sender because I ticked the box on the International Air Waybill (attached) Section 7 as per James Allen's instructions:

Express Package Services - Check the box for FedEx International Priority
Packaging - Check the box for FedEx Box
Special Handling - N/A
Payment - Check the box for Third Party and enter the account number #JA's number
Payment - Bill Duties & Taxes - Check the box for Sender. (NOTE: an account number is not needed.)

Furthermore, the Fedex rep has advised the AUSFTA does not qualify as I put on the International Air Waybill the item as a 'Personal Adornment', as instructed by JA's original instructions


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Originally I did look at a whole bunch of jewellers in Australia. However most said the size down was too much (6.25 -> 5) and would disturb the side diamonds. It was also running close to the 60 day free resize/reset cut off.

In retrospect, would've skipped the 60 days, done a resize here, or send it back and paid 50 for the resize, which it ended up being happening anyway