Customs hold BS  

RE: Customs hold BS

Did not happen to me, but I have heard of folks having to pay the tariff first.  

RE: Customs hold BS

I just spoke with DHL and I also looked into it through customs. They randomly select shipment and require either a Fein or a ssn. My son is currently under attack from Identy theft. One SSN CAN NEVER EVER EVER be just given out… to anyone besides a bank, your tax person, the irs, a lawyer or employer. NO ONE ELSE NEEDS IT!!!!

so… either no ssn or that xl goes right back to Joseph.

This is what we get when a supplier does not have a distributor on shore.

RE: Customs hold BS

I got a email from DHL that had a link wanting an EIN/SSN as well, but I ignored it.

Not sure if it made a difference but I made a MyDHL+ account, and wound up just getting an email (4 hours after the EIN/SSN one) to pay the import duty. Got my printer the next day.

RE: Customs hold BS

I had to do the same thing for my 5 head XL last week. Shipper was DHL.

RE: Customs hold BS

Did you supply your SSN or did you go the MyDHL+ route and get an e-mail requesting you to log in and pay the bill without having to supply SSN/FEIN?

Posted by: @seth-2

I had to do the same thing for my 5 head XL last week. Shipper was DHL.

RE: Customs hold BS

I gave them the Fed Employer ID (EIN) from my now closed biz. That was good enough. The XL is now in my garage.

RE: Customs hold BS

Supplied SSN

Posted by: @ed4487

Did you supply your SSN or did you go the MyDHL+ route and get an e-mail requesting you to log in and pay the bill without having to supply SSN/FEIN?

Posted by: @seth-2

I had to do the same thing for my 5 head XL last week. Shipper was DHL.

 

RE:

Needing a SSN/EIN is fairly common when importing large/heavy items any longer. It is a pretty typical request for infrequent importers. Frequent importers, or persons with a KTN profile generally aren't asked their SSN/EIN because the match-up can be done reliably by computer. As I understand it, this information is used for these reasons:

1. Looking up your credit history, arrest profile, trusted traveler profile, etc to make a risk assessment on the parcel. That is: AI will score the probability that the imported item contains contraband to make a determination of whether to perform a physical inspection.
2. Developing a Use Profile for you. For example, if you purchase fertilizer and diesel fuel, but don't have a history of these purchases, you will score many, many risk points because these are red flag items when purchased close in time and irregularly. Items such as 3D printers can be used for good or bad, but it is one data point that can be used to develop your risk profile.
3. Help correlate multiple shipments which may be "under the radar". For example, you can generally import items under $800 without duties being collected, and if it is the rare exceptional item just over this limit the fee collection can be waived. But some people avert paying duties by splitting larger orders into parts, each being under $800. Collecting shipper information helps correlate shipments so that duties can be collected on all of them, since multiple related importations are not exempt if the combined total is over $800.
4. On rare occasion, an importation can trigger enforcement action, or a justification for an enforcement action. For example, if you are under suspicion for something (eg selling drugs) but there isn't enough evidence to obtain a search warrant, then when you import something you are automatically granting a search warrant for the entire delivery address. This is not well understood, but CBP does not require "Probable Cause" and can search any article that is being imported, and can search where it is being delivered to without a warrant. Thus, it is considered to be an "enabling event".

Remember that outside the United States you do not have any constitutional protection or rights. Importing articles subjects you to a level of examination that is not normally available domestically.

Now, for those who are paranoid, note that a lot of data is collected about you already, and this is just one small piece. And, use of imported goods as an enabling event for an enforcement action is exceedingly rare. But it is a powerful enough tool that the government doesn't want to miss high-value opportunities or make mistakes.

When you are crossing in or out of the USA, all of the rules and concepts about privacy, rights, and enforcement change entirely.

RE: Customs hold BS

Thats was very useful info. Thanks for that. In the meantime... my 5 extruder machine is now in my garage.

RE: Customs hold BS

There have been a number of people in the US fail or refuse to pay the tariff.  I can see why they want a SSN.