DHL Shipping scam in Canada  

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

This has little to do with DHL. I had the same thing happen with Fed Ex. I ordered some sunglasses online, and it turns out the seller was in Italy. 

After I received my pair of glasses, I got a bill from Fed Ex for a little over 30 dollars for import duties.

It was an expensive pair of glasses, ($350 USD) but this felt unfair.

If you look at who is responsible for this import duty payment, it is the buyer.

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

Don do you work for DHL? Your example is less that 10%. I paid over double the item value. DHL isnt required to collect anything on items less than $60 but do so they can add their fees. I paid abt $3 tax and $18 for their fees to collect that tax. Its a blantant ripoff read the  %#$%$^%$ article DON!

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

Yes it is a legal allowed scam schema.

Here in mid-EU, they will start with it too (on Summer). You order a 1Euro thing from China, and just to copy-paste something into a tax+clo form, the post company will charge another 7Euros for it ... +  you also pay tax charge ( also clo if above some limit). I suppose, they will increase it to 10Euros after Summer. They already started with the post companies hidden ads that show, how hard is to do the tax+clo form alone.

All what is needed is for the clo agency to make a online payment possibility, where you pay the tax+clo for the item and all is ok. They have your phone on the package, so just a sms with a text "You received an imported item, please visit clo website with this unique key AAA".

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

I did read the article, and do not work for DHL. 

My point is that it is not exclusive to DHL, so perhaps your scam involves additional parties.

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

I wouldn't put them pass them. I had way too many package damage from them. I once order a trunk for my car and had video of the guy launch it out the back of the trunk and bent one of the edges. I had insurance and im still waiting payment for it.

When i placed my order for the mini the cheapest was DHL. i was like Nope and paid more for Fedex.

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

Hi, I also heard about this scam, Can you please share some tips to get safe from this scam?

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

The only solution is to get Prusa to stop using these thieving shippers. I wish they'd use the post office. I dont think it'll ever happen as these thieves do make it easier to ship for the seller. Prusa doesn't seem to care as these thieves aren't holding their packages hostage, just their valued customers. 

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

Sry that kind of "Scam" happen here in good old Europe to with all (!!!) Shipping Company when some order stuff from outside of the EU, Europe. The only way to avoid is that some Company Import the Stuff into Europe <-> Canada and sell them Locally.

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

In addition to what's mentioned above, DHL are just generally terrible at actually getting a package to its destination, intact, without major (weeks/months) delays; at least, they are in Canada, and from what I've heard they're just as bad in the US and UK. Even if they played straight with import duties I would never, ever use them to ship anything I actually cared about receiving.

Apropos this, does anyone know what happened to the FedEx shipping option? Earlier in the week I was putting together an order for shipping to Canada and it listed FedEx, UPS, and DHL as options; today when I'm trying to actually place the order it only lists UPS and DHL (and UPS is several times more expensive than FedEx was).

RE:

I have had pretty good shipping with FEDEX.  Heck, DHL has not been terrible for me.  

I am not sure who is left to deliver.  Carrier pigeon.  

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

It must be due to coriolis forces or the orientation to the sun...

Here in NZ UPS is completely hopeless, FedEx meeh and DHL works quite well. But we don't pay import duty and GST to the importer but directly to customs. You get yourself a customer number from them and pass that on to the shipper, when they have a parcel for you they pass on the waybill details to customs and they inform you about the charges. When that is paid the shipper releases the parcel. With a bit of luck this all happens while the shipment is still in transit and it is already sorted when it arrives in the country.

I didn't expect something working that smoothly in Kiwiland 😉

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

That is crazy. I have never had any trouble like that with DHL. The only complaint I have ever had with them is they move about as fast as cold molasses.

RE:

This is not a scam. Anything that doesn’t have payment prepaid with paperwork as it passes customs imparts a brokerage fee for getting the item through customs. Everything I’ve had from anywhere outside of canada generally has this fee. I’ve paid it several times through multiple different carriers. It is a terrible process.. just like trying to send money internationally (until PayPal arrived). AliExpress stuff is not subject to tariffs because it is usually small amounts (in my case) and not subject to any tariff. Some shippers can agree to collect the fees ahead of time and they will do the clearance.. (I think EBay does this). But Prusa would be the one who would have to arrange this. If anyone could make this better, it is Prusa. 

This is an unfortunate situation for us in Canada because our distributors can’t get any Prusa product to redistribute. So a $39CAD filament roll from Prusa costs $60 from one major distributor here.. At that price, they’ll sell nothing in Canada. Amazon is the only answer and unfortunately I don’t know how other distributors can compete.

The answer is to work with a distributor in Canada like VoxelFactory who will tell you when their next shipment is coming in.. and they do all the customers work. Otherwise count in about a $30 fee for any international shipment that gets held up in customs. 

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

In most cases the communications concern the sale of consumer goods over the Internet where payment may be requested before the goods are delivered. Please be advised that DHL does not request payment in this manner. DHL only collects money due for official DHL related shipping expenses. 😉

Attempts have been made to defraud Internet shoppers by the unauthorized use of the DHL name and brand via email communications and graphics which appear, on the surface, to have originated from DHL. 😊

RE:

dont order things from out of country sellers its simple ive never bought something from out of my dojo and not known there was a chance that customs can charge you if they randomly pick your box so people pissed just dont read well or else they would be prepared to spend that cash if they were unlucky ie:my new mk i ordered it from the u.s seller and suck eff the eastern block shipping lottery and i got it in three days not 2 months that companies doing a great job over here

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

Having same issue with DHL and it IS a scam. 

DHL sent an email that I must pay duties within 4 days or the item would be returned to shipper. At first I found this oddly aggressive, but didn’t think much about it. 

I followed the link in the email and saw a description of duties and taxes levied. 

Regularory charge (L1) $1.19 

Import Export Duties (L2) $38.71 

Duty tax receiver (L3) $17.00

The duty tax receiver is in actuality the following… they convince customers is a tax levied by Customs. It allows them to quote lower shipping estimates to take business from competing shipping companies and then charge a hidden fee on the back end. Canadians really get hit hard with this since it’s applied to any purchase amount.

“Payment Deferment – ADVP  $17.00

A processing service charge is applied to any import non-document shipment for which DHL advances U.S. Customs duties, charges and taxes, and then re-bills a U.S. receiver. This service charge will be equal to 2% of the amount advanced subject to a $17.00 minimum. This processing charge will appear as a separate line item on DHL duty invoice.”

I think this information is available elsewhere, but the US Customs Harmonized System code is: 8485.20.0000 Machines for additive manufacturing, By plastics or rubber deposit

3.1% charge which is in line with what the Prusa shipping help topic estimates. Just know that DHL is going to add $17 at a minimum to purchases over $800 up to $2500 as an “informal entry”.

Over $2500 has a different procedure. I’m not sure what surprises DHL has other than the 2% fee.

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

I described in detail what the scam is. DHL lists their $17 fee as a duty/tax on the bill. 

It intentional, and dishonest and class action law suits in the US and Canada are addressing the issue. 

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

Moral of the story is, when checking out your order and comparing shipping quotes, add a minimum of $17 to the DHL amount before making a decision. 

This applies to both Canadian and US orders. Only difference being the minimum threshold amount before duties are applied. 

RE: DHL Shipping scam in Canada

I ordered something from Prusa recently and this morning I received text message from FedEx... at 5:30am! I work till 1am and I don't appreciate them text me to wake me up. 🤬 

Posted by: @cwbullet

I have had pretty good shipping with FEDEX.  Heck, DHL has not been terrible for me.  

 

I am not sure who is left to deliver.  Carrier pigeon.