Amazon France Customs/Brokerage Fees

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ricefields
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Amazon France Customs/Brokerage Fees

Post by ricefields » Sat Nov 05, 2011 3:33 pm

I got my cargo train early - amazon stated nov 14 for delivery and the set came on Nov 1. So that's very fast shipping from europe. Even though its bought from amazon.fr, the set came from germany.

Good news: NO TAXES or DUTIES/FEES WERE CHARGED! :-D So this is awesome deal for canadians - basically 46% off canadian msrp or 31% off US msrp!

Although the amazon shipment confirmation email stated DHL, deutsche post was the carrier which means when it came to canada, canadapost took over for delivery, and therefore no fees unless they inspect it. There were no price labels on the outside but the custom forms were found inside a plastic pouch taped to the box, but there was so much words on the plastic pouch no one would ever see the 85 euro marked on the forms.

BAD NEWS: The set was not well packed, box was made up of cardboard panels taped up together and inside there was one scrunched brown paper to act as cushion. Also the seals were lifted off by someone or somehow got messed up during shipping. There was no tape from the customs so I don't suspect it was inspected and opened by border services and there would be a fee too. So this set was wide open on one side. :eek: I dumped the contents and confirmed that all bags are there and there are many loose tracks and large pieces in this set but they were all there too.

SUMMARY: Great deal as I said above but was disappointed the set was opened and I was not planning to open this set, just to hold on to for selling/trading later like I did with the cargo train deluxe. However, since it was a test/experient/gamble with the big unknown about the taxes/fees, I think it turned it ok. Now if the set was opened and I had to pay duties/taxes on top of that I would have been much more angry/disappointed.

The cargo train is still on sale at amazon.fr but not as cheap as before. Now it comes out to $102 euros or $143cdn, but still a great deal. Passenger train still on sale too but the discount does not make it worth pulling the trigger, as it comes out to about $126 shipped. Better to find a 20-25% off sale on US msrp. There is no more sale on the pirate ship or tower bridge either, else I would think about ordering those too!

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by Ice » Sat Nov 05, 2011 9:59 pm

Good to know there's no brokerage! Its unfortunate that many of the prices have went back up, but there's still some on the first page of the Bestsellers List. Fire Temple is going for €68,04 and Hogwarts Castle for €94,49. Best deal is City Advent Calendar for €17,50.

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by fouzie » Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:44 am

Sad, I got charged by UPS US$20 for tax and $20 for brokerage fees. :(

ricefields
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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by ricefields » Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:07 am

fouzie wrote:Sad, I got charged by UPS US$20 for tax and $20 for brokerage fees. :(
$20US? Why US? What did you order, the amount, and was it also deutschepost? thanks

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by eliminator » Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:28 pm

same question here. I'm in Canada and thinking of ordering this set

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by fouzie » Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:35 pm

ricefields wrote:
fouzie wrote:Sad, I got charged by UPS US$20 for tax and $20 for brokerage fees. :(
$20US? Why US? What did you order, the amount, and was it also deutschepost? thanks
I'm not from canada, I'm from Indonesia
No, they send it via UPS not deutschpost.
I wonder how can they decide to ship it via UPS instead of deutschpost? I choose the cheapest shipping method available in amazon.

it's free if the carrier is deutschposte
Last edited by fouzie on Mon Nov 07, 2011 2:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

ricefields
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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by ricefields » Sun Nov 06, 2011 10:56 pm

its probably the destination country that might determine if they ship UPS instead of deutschepost. Where did your package originate? I understand it would be free for US buyers too since I never heard of us buyers every paying customs. If it was non UPS, you would not have gotten your package this fast though. I believe they quoted 2 weeks for shipping so probably unlikely to go from france to indonesia in two weeks without having to use UPS or similiar carrier. I am suprised about the speed to canada too ie. one week and when it got here, expresspost service was used and that is 1-2 days delievery once its gets into the country.

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by fouzie » Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:22 am

Yes, I wouldn't need to pay for brokerage fees if it is not UPS :-)
but the speed for deutschepost is not slow either from europe to Indonesia, I have several order on bricklink and it only tooks 3-5 days using deutschepost.
But it's okay, I'm just testing to know how this dealfrom amazon france works

Also the seals is come off just like you, I'm thinking that it is france customs doing this, because I've ordered many things from overseas (US, europe) never got the seal cut like this before.

And I guess I'm off topic because this thread is supposed for canadian buyers, I'm sorry :-D

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by eliminator » Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:55 am

ok, I'm going to order it with shipping to Ontario. I was going to buy the Pet Shop modular, but that's going to be around for the next couple of years. I currently have the new Passenger Train and just built the Emerald Night last night. Enter train phase. I need more track, some switches, and power functions to power the Emerald (plus the XL motor and lights)

I did some quick math and the power functions, track and 2 switches I wanted were going to cost me about 120. So, another $30 or so for 3939 is worth it in my book. I could probably even sell off some of the rolling stock on ebay next year once this set becomes harder to find.

Switches: $20
Track: $25
Battery Box: $18
Train Motor: $20
Remote: $18
IR Receiver $19

Total value CDN: $120, so $150ish is a great deal. Maybe I should pick up two.... :geek:
Last edited by eliminator on Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by eliminator » Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:40 am

Well, order placed. I also picked up a few more things since they were on my to-buy list anyways. Not exaclty killer deals, but way better than what we pay here in Canada.

Mode de livraison: Rapide
Conditions de livraison : Envoyer les articles en un minimum de colis
Articles : EUR 124,86
Livraison : EUR 12,26
Montant total : EUR 137,12

Date d'envoi estimée pour ces articles : 10 novembre 2011

1 "Lego - 7939 - Jeux de construction - lego city - Le train de marchandises"
LEGO; Jouet; EUR 109,45

3 "Lego - City - jeu de construction - Routes droites et Carrefour"
LEGO; Jouet; EUR 8,99

1 "Lego - 7936 - Jeux de construction - lego city - Le passage à niveau"
LEGO; Jouet; EUR 12,90

-------

For comparisons sake, I added the same items to the Lego.com Canada shop at home:

Straight & Crossroad Plates
Item: 7280
$19.99 $59.97

Level Crossing
Item: 7936
$26.99 $26.99

Cargo Train
Item: 7939
$239.99 $239.99

Sub Total $326.95
Shipping FREE
Tax $42.50
Order Total $369.45

----------

So, if i dont pay customs or taxes on my amazon order, it should be 137 euro = $190CDN.
$370CDN - $190CDN = save $180. So, not too bad if it all works out....

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by bulwark » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:09 pm

I ordered the Unimog from Amazon france, sadly I was dinged $27 by customs. Oh well, won't let that spoil my fun!

eliminator
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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by eliminator » Tue Nov 08, 2011 4:25 pm

Are you in Canada?

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by bulwark » Tue Nov 08, 2011 6:14 pm

Yup, in the GTA.

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Re: Amazon France Custom/Brokerage Fees

Post by Ice » Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:29 pm

fouzie wrote: And I guess I'm off topic because this thread is supposed for canadian buyers, I'm sorry :-D
I changed the title of the topic so no need to be sorry now. ;-)

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Re: Amazon France Custom/Brokerage Fees

Post by eliminator » Tue Nov 08, 2011 7:35 pm

...too bad about the customs, but still good deals. I checked the "gift" option that eliminates any price on the packing slip. I know they declare a value to DHL, but lets see how this turns out. Crossing my fingers my package slips through the cracks.....

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by ricefields » Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:25 pm

bulwark wrote:I ordered the Unimog from Amazon france, sadly I was dinged $27 by customs. Oh well, won't let that spoil my fun!
Can you please provide details
purchased price
taxes paid
customs/fees paid
handling fee paid

thanks. Basically what does the $27 comprise of: only taxes or true duties/fees/handling fee?

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by bulwark » Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:04 am

ricefields wrote:
bulwark wrote:I ordered the Unimog from Amazon france, sadly I was dinged $27 by customs. Oh well, won't let that spoil my fun!
Can you please provide details
purchased price
taxes paid
customs/fees paid
handling fee paid

thanks. Basically what does the $27 comprise of: only taxes or true duties/fees/handling fee?
purchased price: 106.54 Eur
taxes paid - 19.18cad
customs/fees paid - 0
handling fee paid - 8.50cad

It was also opened by customs, so it was just luck of the draw I guess.

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Re: Amazon France Customs/Brokerage Fees

Post by eliminator » Wed Nov 09, 2011 5:27 am

thanx for the breakdown. I just got a shipping notification for part of my order, it appears they're shipping my baseplates separately. Again, since I choose the "gift" option I'm hoping it confuses someone along the way and they dont bother slapping the all the fees onto it.

I'm still happy with the deal if I pay a few fees, but hoping for the best.

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by ricefields » Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:11 pm

bulwark wrote: purchased price: 106.54 Eur
taxes paid - 19.18cad
customs/fees paid - 0
handling fee paid - 8.50cad

It was also opened by customs, so it was just luck of the draw I guess.
The unimog is $250cdn so even with the taxes/handling fee, this is still a very good discount of 37% off cdn msrp or 19% off US msrp

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Re: Canadians buying from Amazon France

Post by bulwark » Thu Nov 10, 2011 7:53 am

ricefields wrote:
bulwark wrote: purchased price: 106.54 Eur
taxes paid - 19.18cad
customs/fees paid - 0
handling fee paid - 8.50cad

It was also opened by customs, so it was just luck of the draw I guess.
The unimog is $250cdn so even with the taxes/handling fee, this is still a very good discount of 37% off cdn msrp or 19% off US msrp
Agreed, this is my first technic set and I probably wouldn't have got it if it wasn't for this.

Figured I might as well go big or go home :mrgreen:

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