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WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
Okay, I'm sure I just happened to be the one that go screwed. So I'm posting this just as an FYI. With that said, check out the wonderful notice I received after receiving my wing suit:

In reply to:
Hello,

My name is Sarah and I am contacting you from FedEx Trade Networks in regards to a recent shipment that cleared US Customs on AWB# 000000000. This email is to advise you that the duty/taxes on this shipment is $ 213.60 USD. This amount will be billed to your FedEx account shortly.

If you have any questions or disagree with this amount, please contact me as soon as possible, by either email or by phone. If I do not hear from you by 1:00pm EST on 06/28/09, I will consider this amount correct and make entry as is.

When responding to this email, please reply to all included parties. Thank you!

THIS IS NOT A BILL

Respectfully,

Agent Name (Removed to protect the guilty…)
FedEx Trade Networks
Sr. ECO Import Agent
Audit Dept. - DV Group

Again, just an FYI...
SBCDave
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Re: [FedEx] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
This looks kind of like a scam to me. If you get an email from "fedex" asking you to pay it, don't. Log into your fedex account and pay through the fedex.com website, if you need to pay anything at all it should be listed in there. don't use the email links or phone numbers.
FedEx
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Re: [FedEx] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
I removed some of my comments from my original post... I want to make sure that I don't include my opinion on what happened.

Again, it is not my intention to blame... It is simply my intention to inform.
TomAiello
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Re: [SBCDave] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
It's not a scam. It's totally normal customs behavior.

If you want to avoid that, the best thing to do is have a friend (or friendly dealer) in the country of origin accept the shipment, repackage it, and re-send it to you.

The other good option is to take a nice BASE trip to wherever your stuff is being made, and jump the shit out of it just after you pick it up. Smile
wwarped
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Re: [TomAiello] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
TomAiello wrote:
The other good option is to take a nice BASE trip to wherever your stuff is being made, and jump the shit out of it just after you pick it up. Smile

but don't you then declare it as part of the goods you are bringing back into the country?

I'm sure jumpers wish to be honest! Tongue
mickknutson
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Re: [wwarped] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
The shipper declares the value, and the buyer pays the tax. Think of it as a Federal sales tax (verse local sales tax).

This is normal operations, but that does NOT bean you should not be suspect on the person.

I would get a legitimate number to call the person back. Never just 'trust' someone that calls you!
Wait, let me google your phone number and I will call you pretending to be a collector.... see what I mean. Too much fraud these days.

However, one easy way to avoid this in the future it to have it shipped to a local friend in that country, that can re-deliver the 'GIFT' to you. Thus no more DUTY incurred...
wwarped
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Re: [mickknutson] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
mickknutson wrote:
This is normal operations, but that does NOT bean you should not be suspect on the person.

I would get a legitimate number to call the person back. Never just 'trust' someone that calls you!
Wait, let me google your phone number and I will call you pretending to be a collector.... see what I mean. Too much fraud these days.

In the OP, the person says that the charge would automatically be debited from their FedEx account. The person called from FedEx. IF they had the account number, AND shipment info, odds are it was NOT a scam. The OP did NOT receive a request for further information, just a notification of the customs charge.
mickknutson
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Re: [wwarped] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
wwarped wrote:
mickknutson wrote:
This is normal operations, but that does NOT bean you should not be suspect on the person.

I would get a legitimate number to call the person back. Never just 'trust' someone that calls you!
Wait, let me google your phone number and I will call you pretending to be a collector.... see what I mean. Too much fraud these days.

In the OP, the person says that the charge would automatically be debited from their FedEx account. The person called from FedEx. IF they had the account number, AND shipment info, odds are it was NOT a scam. The OP did NOT receive a request for further information, just a notification of the customs charge.

There are countless ways to get a FedEx account number and phone. Then to ask to verify the info they did NOT have, is one of the scams.

Notification only is different.

fyi, I am actually working for FedEx Services right now, and there *ARE* some other scams going around that *DO* ask for additional information and some people have gotten slammed by this.
sinjin
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Re: [mickknutson] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
This is a bit of a hijack but similar

IF i buy from a European manufacturer and due to time constraints i have to pick the item up in Europe in which case i have to pay the VAT,, but i will get re-imbursed for the VAT when i leave Europe,,

will i have to pay this Federal Tax when i come back into the US ??????
wwarped
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Re: [sinjin] WARNING: Possible Hidden Fee's when buying a wing suit from outside of the US...
every time I've returned to the US, they pass out cards for immigration. one of the questions asks about the value of goods being brought back, i.e. imported. I assume amounts over a certain limit (printed on the card) are subject to importation duties.

I had an interesting exchange with one official after being out of the US for 15 months or so. he took that declaration quite seriously. he even asked me if I kept all my receipts!

so if you do everything by the book, declare everything, and exceed the allowance, expect to be assessed a duty. it matters not WHAT you buy.

see item #15 of this form