Customs woes

[Jimi2]

I started a thread a week ago that got shut down due to discussion of Ireland/Northern Ireland/Brexit/EU tangents, so please refrain from such on this one, as I could really use some advice.

I returned a used Lowden to the Fellowship of Acoustics in the Netherlands almost two weeks ago, and had problems right away - originally, USPS sent the guitar back to me before it departed the U.S. for reasons I’m unclear on. Went back to them and they resent, promised I would be all set. It reached the Netherlands this time, but according to tracking has been “held in customs” since May 1st, with only one update on the 7th that says the same thing. TFOA has not been contacted regarding any duties due (I marked it as a return), and neither have I.

I spoke with TFOA, and they told me they couldnt help and to call USPS. USPS says they can’t help, and to call Dutch customs. Dutch customs says they can’t help. This is a huge amount of money for me, and I’m concerned about recovering it. Someone on my previous thread said that “held in customs” doesn’t mean it’s processing, it means there’s an issue and that’s why it’s being held. Anyone have more insight into this?

[Coler]

Sorry you are stressed by this.

I don't see anything in the updates to suggest you have a problem here. I appreciate waiting it out is hard.

When you say Dutch customs "can't help" I find that odd given it is currently with them - am I write about that?

What exactly did they say?

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by Coler

Sorry you are stressed by this.

I don't see anything in the updates to suggest you have a problem here. I appreciate waiting it out is hard.

When you say Dutch customs "can't help" I find that odd given it is currently with them - am I write about that?

What exactly did they say?

Yeah, if it’s just a matter of waiting I’m fine, but I’m not clear on whether this is what’s required. Not having shipped anything nearly this expensive internationally before and experiencing these problems does have me stressed. When USPS returned the guitar to me the first time, they left it in front of my house in a busy downtown area with no notification, so that was t a good start to all this.

I believe what Dutch customs said was that Post NL would have the guitar, but they would just tell me to contact customs. I guess a call to Post NL couldn’t hurt though.

[donlyn]

Jimi,

In the U.S. there are such things as "Customhouse Brokers", which are companies set up to assist in getting things processed through U.S. Customs. Similar to an income tax company which helps you file your taxes correctly. I would presume that there is a Netherlands version of these companies to help with filing paperwork and clearance into the Netherlands.

Time for you to do some research, but you need someone on your side to help interface with Netherlands / EU customs authorities. Finding such a company in the U.S. or more importantly, in the Netherlands should be something to check out. You also might try to speak with someone in a Netherlands Embassy in the U.S., wherever there may be one.

Be well and good luck,

Don
.

[massimo]

I must say for some reason if I have to have a guitar shipped from the US to EU, I always tell the seller not to use USPS. I have had problems a couple of times with them. Long waits at the customs. Sparse tracking information, etc. It is always best to use a fast shipping option (expedited, and such), with UPS or Fedex, not because they are faster per se - one can wait- but because they have a fast/safe lane through customs. Yes, there is a cost, but money spent to avoid headaches is money well spent in general I believe.

[massimo]

With the above said, I wish you a happy ending. Just be patient, and it will be all fine 🙂

[Silly Moustache]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. ere in the UK Customs & Excise are in a world of their own, and it is likely that the Dutch equivalent are much the same.

I have only shipped three guitars from the US to the UK using UPS or Fedex, and shipped guitars to Spain, Sweden, and ... er...!?

I have heard horror stories about C&E in different countries, and your guitar is sitting in a cold "in bond" warehouse somewhere, waiting for someone to fish it out and sort the issue.

It is probably fine, but the only thing that I can suggest it to telephone Rudy Bults the founder and boss of TFOA, and beg him for more advice and assistance.

In my experience he's a good guy.

I do hope that it sorts itself out!

[Moldstar]

This burden is on the Fellowship of Acoustics shoulders, imo. You don't engage in international sales and returns without making sure there are zero customs hassles for the customer. If there is an issue, especially in the EU, YOU take care if, FOTA, you don't leave the customer hanging, footing the bill AND possible losing a guitar. Word of mouth and forums will for sure (a) cause you to lose business, who wants to do business with somebody who leaves you hanging when there is an issue? (b) function as really bad PR, via the same channels. I don't think Anderton's would have left you hanging, for instance. Man, this is why I just don't buy guitars from overseas, as tempting as it is. I am so sorry for all your hassle. FOTA, you really should be assisting this person.

[RodB]

It’s not long since 1st May to clear customs and pass through the Post NL system. This includes a weekend and public holiday in the Netherlands. I am not surprised neither TFOA nor USPS can provide any further detail.

I recently imported some parts from US to France and once duty was paid on arrival in customs I could get no further info for the 2 weeks it then took for them to be delivered through La Poste. Tracking stopped at the border.

Stay calm

[Colin_Mac]

I sent an envelope, with tracking, through normal post from the UK to Sweden recently. The Postnord tracking status says:

Stopped

The shipment item is in customs clearance and there is no estimated delivery time yet

But actually it was delivered on schedule a day or two after arriving in the country .

Now, I'm not saying this is what has happened to your guitar. I'm just saying that the tracking information after the shipment reaches customs may not be reliable. The guitar may be on its way to TFOA using the Dutch postal service or some other agency.

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. ere in the UK Customs & Excise are in a world of their own, and it is likely that the Dutch equivalent are much the same.

I have only shipped three guitars from the US to the UK using UPS or Fedex, and shipped guitars to Spain, Sweden, and ... er...!?

I have heard horror stories about C&E in different countries, and your guitar is sitting in a cold "in bond" warehouse somewhere, waiting for someone to fish it out and sort the issue.

It is probably fine, but the only thing that I can suggest it to telephone Rudy Bults the founder and boss of TFOA, and beg him for more advice and assistance.

In my experience he's a good guy.

I do hope that it sorts itself out!

Thanks Andy, I guess if the problem doesn’t resolve itself by mid week I will take your advice.

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by massimo

I must say for some reason if I have to have a guitar shipped from the US to EU, I always tell the seller not to use USPS. I have had problems a couple of times with them. Long waits at the customs. Sparse tracking information, etc. It is always best to use a fast shipping option (expedited, and such), with UPS or Fedex, not because they are faster per se - one can wait- but because they have a fast/safe lane through customs. Yes, there is a cost, but money spent to avoid headaches is money well spent in general I believe.

Good to know. I went with USPS because UPS nearly destroyed the box on the way to me, and I also thought filling out all the paperwork right at the Post Office would minimize errors. Obviously I thought wrong.

[Jimi2]

Originally Posted by Moldstar

This burden is on the Fellowship of Acoustics shoulders, imo. You don't engage in international sales and returns without making sure there are zero customs hassles for the customer. If there is an issue, especially in the EU, YOU take care if, FOTA, you don't leave the customer hanging, footing the bill AND possible losing a guitar. Word of mouth and forums will for sure (a) cause you to lose business, who wants to do business with somebody who leaves you hanging when there is an issue? (b) function as really bad PR, via the same channels. I don't think Anderton's would have left you hanging, for instance. Man, this is why I just don't buy guitars from overseas, as tempting as it is. I am so sorry for all your hassle. FOTA, you really should be assisting this person.

Yeah, I don’t expect them to work miracles with customs, but honestly it’s pretty disappointing - when I contacted them, all they did was check the tracking and give a virtual shrug. When I asked them to contact customs (I couldn’t navigate the phone system in Dutch) they stopped replying to my inquiries - at least they haven’t in the last few days. This is added to the fact that the guitar wasn’t accurately described in the first place.

[Coler]

Originally Posted by Moldstar

This burden is on the Fellowship of Acoustics shoulders, imo. You don't engage in international sales and returns without making sure there are zero customs hassles for the customer. If there is an issue, especially in the EU, YOU take care if, FOTA, you don't leave the customer hanging, footing the bill AND possible losing a guitar. Word of mouth and forums will for sure (a) cause you to lose business, who wants to do business with somebody who leaves you hanging when there is an issue? (b) function as really bad PR, via the same channels. I don't think Anderton's would have left you hanging, for instance. Man, this is why I just don't buy guitars from overseas, as tempting as it is. I am so sorry for all your hassle. FOTA, you really should be assisting this person.

With respect, it is not fair to blame TFOA for a currently non-existent problem.

And there is zero they can do to speed up the customs process. The customer has not been "left hanging".

Originally Posted by Jimi2

I believe what Dutch customs said was that Post NL would have the guitar, but they would just tell me to contact customs. I guess a call to Post NL couldn’t hurt though.

Sounds like you havnt managed to speak with the carrier who actually has the guitar.

Anyway, I don't see any cause for alarm at this stage. It has not been overly long since the guitar was shipped. Two - three weeks clearing customs would be broadly normal where goods are shipped from outside the EU.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by Moldstar

This burden is on the Fellowship of Acoustics shoulders, imo. You don't engage in international sales and returns without making sure there are zero customs hassles for the customer. If there is an issue, especially in the EU, YOU take care if, FOTA, you don't leave the customer hanging, footing the bill AND possible losing a guitar. Word of mouth and forums will for sure (a) cause you to lose business, who wants to do business with somebody who leaves you hanging when there is an issue? (b) function as really bad PR, via the same channels. I don't think Anderton's would have left you hanging, for instance. Man, this is why I just don't buy guitars from overseas, as tempting as it is. I am so sorry for all your hassle. FOTA, you really should be assisting this person.

This is just wrong. It’s a Customs issue, over which TFOA have no more control than the OP. Apart from making polite enquiries, there is nothing they can do. They are not ‘leaving the OP hanging’. The responsibility for ensuring the goods are accompanied by correct and full documentation to ensure a problem-free passage through Customs lies with the person who ships the goods and the shipping company they use, not with the intended recipient.

And, when dealing with Customs authorities, patience and politeness are the watch-words - the Customs guys hold all the cards.

JayBee (49 years professional experience working in the shipping industry, dealing with, amongst many other things, import and export of goods in the UK, and dealing with Customs clearance issues).