Dumb customs question

Hello everyone!

I was just wondering what the customs duties typically are for importing ancient coins into the US from Europe. For some time, I've been buying the overwhelming majority of my coins from Europe, and I haven't had any issues.

Recently, I bought some coins from Roma in the UK. I've purchased from them several times and haven't had any issues. Today, though, I received a message that I had to pay customs duties.

When I looked at the invoice, there was:
Merchandise Processing: $27.75
Advance Payment: $17

I looked up both fees, and as I understand the $27.75 is the minimum charge from customs for looking at the shipment. The $17 is charged by DHL for handing the package to customs to look at it. Both fees seem to be only processing related. I wasn't charged anything for the actual coins AFAICT.

Although I've never been charged anything, I just paid the fee since it wasn't that much.

This makes me wonder though why I was suddenly charged. Was this just someone being grumpy for working Thanksgiving? Was I just unlucky to have my package pulled aside, or was I lucky that this was the first package they bothered to pull aside?

Here's an obligatory coin that has nothing to do with this post, other than it came from Germany and had no issues with customs.

Teres II is believed to be the son of Amadokos II (another post). He was supposedly installed on the throne by Philip II, then removed by him when Philip overran Thrace.

Teres II 350-341 BCE
AE 13.48g
Jurukova, Thracians, Tf. IX, 59 HGC 1712
Doppelaxt / Weinstock mit 4 Trauben
Ex Dr. Busso Peus

 

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That is strange. I've never had to pay customs fees either. I've had them open and look through a package, but no fees.
Maybe reach out to Roma and ask what gives.

 

I don't believe that I've never been charged a customs fee for purchasing a coin from a European dealer, including the UK. Although I seem to remember some of the Spanish dealers mentioning a 5% customs fee, I don't recall being charged that extra amount. Admittedly, I don't always look that carefully, and if the dollar total seems a bit more than I had expected, I tend to assume that it was something to do with the exchange rate, or whatever charges PayPal decides to tack on!

 

One thing I always do when paying via PayPal is charge the amount in GBP, CHF, or Euros. My credit card has no international fee and gives pretty close to the market rate. I do the exact same when travelling - always charge in the local currency. The PayPal rates seem worse.

However, in this case I paid via wire transfer.

 

I've been doing that recently myself after reading that advice from several people here.

 

I had faced a similar situation earlier this year. I purchased a higher-value coin from Canada, and seller shipped via DHL. I didn't have an account with DHL within a year, so DHL had to create one for me (some sort of international buyer ID) to deal with US customs. DHL emailed me a bill of its services later.

 

I had a similar experience with FedEx this year. It was a higher invoice than my usual, but far from my highest. The delivery was held up while FedEx contacted me to clarify something about a customs account, and then I got a bill for ~$30.

 

Yes, @happy_collector That’s exactly what happened to me when ordering from a Canadian dealer in October of this year. Thank you for posting.

 

You might want to consider it worth having DHL keep an eye on it while it is in the hands of the CBP at JFK. I have had a number of coins go off the radar never to be seen again once they were handed off to customs. I have one or two that I would gladly have paid a much higher fee if it would have meant that they would actually get out alive. I'll never buy another high dollar coin from a seller in Europe due to the risk. These were modern coins all from the 18th through 20th cent, not ancients if that matters.

This was the last of mine to cross into that "Bermuda Triangle" for coins.

 

It has been a while since I bought a coin from the Canadian Mint, so my memory is a little fuzzy. I do know that I looked at my credit card charge and found the amount charged included a charge by my credit card for dealing with a Canadian vendor. It wasn't much but the Canadian Mint will show how much the coin is in U.S. Dollar and when I opened my credit card bill, it was more than the amount they said the coin would cost. I contacted the Canadian Mint and I was Charged the U.S. rate as advertised, but the charge was from the U.S. to convert the charge to U.S. amount.
I know that my entry is a bit rambling, but I have never bought from a foreign country or used my credit card for the purchase. I contacted my credit card company and was told the charge was a normal conversion charge and was in the documentation for the credit card.
I got the lowdown on how to calculate the conversion rate and was never surprised again.
What's wrong with these companies telling us what the total cost will be. I do not like surprises.
Canada does have some neat coins/medals though. In 2019, the had a one ounce silver coin for the Apollo 11. It is gorgeous. I liked it a little better than the U.S. version.

 

I wish that I could charge people money for going through their things without permission.

 

This thread so far has been disconcerting and confusing to me. As far as I know, numismatic items are not subject to a US customs tariff. Now, there might be a few unique categories which we would consider numismatic but have some sort of special tax (as I am no expert).
In the past seven years I have been charged a customs fee twice. The first time was through DHL (probably from the UK) and it was small enough that it wasn't worth the trouble to fight it. The second was just recently through UPS (from Canada). Essentially, the driver was not allowed to release the package to me until I paid the extortion (oops, I just showed my hand). In this case, even after talking to reps over the phone and being promised a call back several times which never happened, I did pay it but resolved to follow up and try to get it refunded and to complain with great vigor. Unfortunately, my plate got full with other stuff and I kept putting it off.
My hypothesis is somebody doesn't know the tariff rates (0% in this case), applies one and then the company &/or customs just decides to take advantage of the situation. I am more than glad to listen to another viewpoint.
As far as bank fees and conversion rates are concerned, I don't have a gripe with them. I simply try to avoid them (which is difficult) and put them down to the cost of the hobby. Businesses charge for their services 'cause don't we all want to get paid for our work?

 

Based on what I've learned, you're correct. It seems that in this case, I was just the victim of bureaucracy. They never actually charged me any duty for the coins. Both fees were administrative, and my belief is someone was just grumpy for having to work Thanksgiving.

A previous time I had to fill out a form, and then my coins got through. FWIW, I received the coins mentioned above yesterday without any other issues.

 

Well, here in Canada we get dinged 13 % HST/ so on a coin worth 2000 Euros/ customs converts that into our Dollars=$3000 Can. then you get a bill for $390 Can. duties + $25 fee for their hard work

This is why, I get my coins sent via registered post/ No value
However, some auction houses like Gorny& Mosch/ Naumann/ MDC Monaco insist on useing FEDEX/ DHL Express=getting charged. So, my solution....I will only deal with the auction houses that play ball. Insist that they send by reg. mail/ not courier services like UPS/ FEDEX/ DHL express.....

 

I've never paid fees, as such, but sometimes duty for items valued over a certain limit, and that through Fedex, but not through shipping by the USPS.

I was bestowed the singular honor, though, by CBP to have a shipment "randomly" selected for inspection (and detention), but that is another story. Even in that case, once the coin was released I did not incur any fees.

If I have high value coins coming in from the UK or EU, I try to have them sent through the USPS.

 

CBP is also responsible for enforcing various MOUs that prohibit the importation of certain items.

That requires inspection of packages even if duty is not imposed and that - my guess - triggers the fees.

 

I was party to something similar a couple of months ago when I sold two NGC-slabbed coins to a man in Norway. Normally, I just package and send coins through USPS, but this time I decided to send through eBay's "Global Shipping Program." NEVER AGAIN!

The fellow was charged $27.05 in "Customs fees, etc." But Norway does not charge for the importing of numismatic items. I tried and tried to get this refunded for him, to no avail. Ebay gave me a whole list of "reasons" for the fees, but it was all BS.

The purchaser was going to try from his end, but I know how that will end. I've offered to refund him the fee, even though I won't be reimbursed from eBay because it was my decision to send through Global Shipping. Believe me, my selling through eBay is going to be less and less.

Steve

 

Problem is that UPS/ FEDEX/ DHL EXPRESS require shipper to include invoice for insurance purposes/ thus customs ends up either charging 13 percent on top of all the other things like comm. fees (20%) exchange rates (for us) anywhere from 34-80%. Canadian coin collectors are getting shafted so bad, its a surprise anyone can afford the hobby I will rather take the chance and have coins shipped "uninsured" and discreet to avoid all the hassles. Never lost any shipment since that packet in 1998 (Triton I) CNG (teo Aurei) FDC that ended up MIA. Reason? Well when you state on customs slip "gold coins/ value 12.600 US what do you expect. Luckily I got my $$$ back and used it in Triton II.
John
PS: Now I ONLY deal with auction houses that play ball with me

 

I did some research on this when I was required to fill out a form and pay duty on a large stated value (for me) shipment of ancient coins from Europe this summer. There is a threshold of stated value, under which numismatic items are duty free entering the US. Beyond which there is a small percentage of this value charged to the courier company that is passed on to the recipient. I don't remember the threshold but my shipment was about $5000.

 

According to the DHL lady I talked to, the threshold is US$2,000.