Shipping problem: Duties and taxes

#1

Hello.
So far I have been very happy with shipping to Europe (using DHL) and the overall service and rapidity (It’s my sixth order on the website).

However, this time I had quite an unpleasant surprise:
I have order for 140$ on the store (170$ in total if you add shipping to Belgium).
DHL request me 70$ for duties and taxes, so half of the value of the product.
Knowing that generally taxes are about 20%, there is no way it should be so high.

Asking DHL details about these rates, they explain me that they apply taxes on the sum of item value AND shipping cost. And HERE is the problem: if no shipping cost is indicated on the package (as they pretend), they “compute” it using an usual rate (they call it statistical value). It means they compute it as if it was a shipping for a particulate (and not for the low price you have as a company) In this case they consider 230$ of shipping cost (instead of 30$).

At the end, my taxes are so high just because I’m taxed on shipping cost that do not exist!

So PLEASE, Makeblock team, could you specifies the shipping cost on the package?
This would avoid such situation where we have to pay these aberrant taxes just because an information is missing on the package!

#2

Hi
Thanks for your always support and feedback,we are very sorry about the too high duties and taxes. Next time we will try to specifies the shipping cost. Could you please let us know your order number? we would like to check the records. Thanks so much!

Kind regards,
Alice

#3

Shure! It is order #21330.
I have also send you a mail with the taxes computation DHL as provided me (a part is in French however).
Thank you for looking at this poblem, sorry for bothering you.
And happy new (Chinese) year!

#4

Thank you very much for your information and email. We will check it soon, we will try to provide better service on the new year. Happy spring festival :slight_smile:

#5

Hello makeblock,

I just paid 82 dollars in taxes for a shipment from Makeblock. It could be order 21591 (439 dollar total), or it could be the VIP-packet. It should be delivered tomorrow, then I will know.

The bank processed payment for order 21591 on March 27th.

paul

#6

Hi Paul,
The tax should be the order. Please ask the local DHL to know clearly about it. Let us know too. Thank you inadvance.

I have sent the shipping records to your email.

Alice

#7

Everything arrived in one package, thanks! (two packages == two times taxes)

I only took a quick glance, I have to work hard and will probably open this on April 26th… see you then!

cheers,
paul

#8

Hello Makeblock team.

I had the taxes problem once again.
This is very frustrating because DHL requires me 30 euros more than what they should ask.
And once again the reason is the same: because you do NOT indicate the shipping cost (22$ in my case) DHL use the shipping cost in the “general” case, that is more than 230$.
So instead of being taxed on the price of the Makeblock+ 22$ of shipping cost, I get taxed on the price of the Makeblock + 230$!
This make a huge difference!
I find it a problem because this could easily be avoid by adding ONE line on the bill (“shipping cost: 22$”).
In addition the problem has already been reported!

Once again if necessary I can send you DHL computation of duties and taxes.

#9

I have had this problem too. It’s REALLY important that Makeblock do NOT forget to do this. The price of shipping MUST be on the package. If the shipping is free for some reason, The price of shipping MUST be set to $1. If it is set to $0 or nothing is written on the package we will get the tax penalty from DHL.

Dear Makeblock team: please fix so this never happens again?

#10

Dear Adebeir,

Sorry for the convenient.
Please email me your Makeblock account, my email is christina@makeblock.cc. We will confirm with our order processing department and avoid it happen next time.

Best regards!
Christina
Makeblock Community Team

#11

Dear Jenschr,

We’re very sorry to cause the tax problem. Please let me know your Makeblock ID (my email: christina@makeblock.cc) I will notify our order processing department to avoid this happen again.
We appreciate your contribution for Makeblock community, thank you very much.

Best regards!
Christina
Makeblock Community Team

#12