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<p>[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 8172776, member: 110350"]Much to my surprise, the package was finally delivered about 8 pm (after the "end of the day" as DHL defines it), but I didn't complain. Especially because no further demands for money were made!</p><p><br /></p><p>I am very pleased with the four coins I received. Because Roma's auction photos of the coins, unless I've recently become color-blind, were in black and white, I will try to take new ones before I post them here. I don't think black-and-white fully captures what they look like. One of the four came in its own separate little box: the Roman Republican denarius of Lucius Memmius, depicting Apollo (probably) on the obverse and the Dioscuri and their horses on the reverse, from the [USER=90666]@Andrew McCabe[/USER] Collection with auction provenances to NAC in 2014 and Aureo y Calico in 2004. (The other three are denarii of Trajan and Hadrian, and a Trajan drachm from Lycia.)</p><p><br /></p><p>As for DHL's $44.75 charge, it wouldn't surprise me if the company is following the same deceptive practices in the USA as [USER=93702]@Clavdivs[/USER] has described in Canada, and was not being truthful when it told me that I was responsible for "import duty" and that the company had "paid the duty for [my] parcel." Perhaps it made that statement about advancing a supposed "import duty" because its USA website is deliberately opaque about the existence of a service or processing charge imposed by DHL itself on the receiver of merchandise. See DHL's website, in the section entitled "Receiver’s guide to Duties and Taxes" (see <a href="https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/receiving_shipments" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/receiving_shipments" rel="nofollow">https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/receiving_shipments</a>), stating only as follows:</p><p> </p><p>"When goods are not shipped domestically (within your country) or within a single customs union, such as the European Union, you are liable to pay any inbound duties and taxes which your local customs authority deems appropriate.</p><p><br /></p><p>To ensure the DHL courier can deliver your goods in shortest possible time after entering your country or customs union, DHL pays the customs authority on your behalf for any duties and taxes that are due on the goods.</p><p><br /></p><p>Once the duties and taxes are fully repaid to DHL the goods will be delivered to you."</p><p><br /></p><p>The only reference to a service charge is hidden in the Shipper’s Guide to Duties and Taxes (<a href="https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/sending_shipments" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/sending_shipments" rel="nofollow">https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/sending_shipments</a>), which states:</p><p><br /></p><p>"The payment of duties and taxes are typically the responsibility of the receiver, although DHL Express does offer the opportunity for DHL account holders to pay for them.</p><p><br /></p><p>In that case, after shipment delivery, DHL invoices customers for the duties and taxes we paid on their behalf at destination, <b>plus a small administration fee</b>." (Emphasis added.)</p><p><br /></p><p>There's no specification, of course, of just how "small" the fee is.</p><p><br /></p><p>But if Customs did, in fact, charge DHL an administration or processing fee on my package, and DHL paid it on my behalf in advance (rather than charging me the fee on its own behalf), and simply sought reimbursement from me, I'm not sure I understand the basis for the imposition by Customs of a processing fee. First, as I pointed out in my OP, the USA, through Customs, does not charge any import duty on ancient coins or any other coins made "prior to the 14th century." See Section 9705.00.0001 of the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule ("HTS") of the United States, expressly categorizing that classification as "free" of import duty. And, DHL's own invoice to me admits that the additional charge to me was not an actual import duty (contrary to its cover email), but consisted of fees for "merchandise processing" and "duty tax receiver," not otherwise explained.</p><p><br /></p><p>Furthermore, even though Customs does charge a "merchandise processing fee" on an <i>ad valorem</i> basis in certain cases, particularly "for imports of <b>commercial</b> goods valued at $2,500 or more" (see the summary of the relevant CFR provisions at <a href="https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-334?language=en_US#:~:text=The%20Merchandise%20Processing%20Fee%20(MPF,than%20%2427.23%20For%20example%2C%20if%20" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-334?language=en_US#:~:text=The%20Merchandise%20Processing%20Fee%20(MPF,than%20%2427.23%20For%20example%2C%20if%20" rel="nofollow">https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-334?language=en_US#:~:text=The Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF,than $27.23 For example, if </a> [emphasis added], and the relevant provisions themselves at <a href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-24/section-24.23" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-24/section-24.23" rel="nofollow">https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-24/section-24.23</a>), it doesn't appear to me that Customs should charge any merchandise processing fee at all in the specific case of ancient coins. See <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases" rel="nofollow">https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases</a> ("<b>If</b> any duty is owed, CBP will charge a processing fee for clearing your package") (emphasis added); see also <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/trade-agreements/merchandise-processing-feed" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/trade-agreements/merchandise-processing-feed" rel="nofollow">https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/trade-agreements/merchandise-processing-feed</a> ("MPF Exemption on Unconditionally Free Goods - CSMS message 09-000292 . The MPF exemption is available to unconditionally free goods even though "Free" is not listed in the "Special" column of the HTSUS [Harmonized Tariff Schedule US]"). As stated above, ancient coins are, in fact, listed as "Free" in the HTS.</p><p><br /></p><p>So my suspicion is that DHL didn't advance anything to Customs, and is imposing its own "service" or "administration" charges on ancient coins, under the guise of advancing import duty (or merchandise processing fee) charges and taxes supposedly required by Customs on shipments exceeding a certain value.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="DonnaML, post: 8172776, member: 110350"]Much to my surprise, the package was finally delivered about 8 pm (after the "end of the day" as DHL defines it), but I didn't complain. Especially because no further demands for money were made! I am very pleased with the four coins I received. Because Roma's auction photos of the coins, unless I've recently become color-blind, were in black and white, I will try to take new ones before I post them here. I don't think black-and-white fully captures what they look like. One of the four came in its own separate little box: the Roman Republican denarius of Lucius Memmius, depicting Apollo (probably) on the obverse and the Dioscuri and their horses on the reverse, from the [USER=90666]@Andrew McCabe[/USER] Collection with auction provenances to NAC in 2014 and Aureo y Calico in 2004. (The other three are denarii of Trajan and Hadrian, and a Trajan drachm from Lycia.) As for DHL's $44.75 charge, it wouldn't surprise me if the company is following the same deceptive practices in the USA as [USER=93702]@Clavdivs[/USER] has described in Canada, and was not being truthful when it told me that I was responsible for "import duty" and that the company had "paid the duty for [my] parcel." Perhaps it made that statement about advancing a supposed "import duty" because its USA website is deliberately opaque about the existence of a service or processing charge imposed by DHL itself on the receiver of merchandise. See DHL's website, in the section entitled "Receiver’s guide to Duties and Taxes" (see [URL]https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/receiving_shipments[/URL]), stating only as follows: "When goods are not shipped domestically (within your country) or within a single customs union, such as the European Union, you are liable to pay any inbound duties and taxes which your local customs authority deems appropriate. To ensure the DHL courier can deliver your goods in shortest possible time after entering your country or customs union, DHL pays the customs authority on your behalf for any duties and taxes that are due on the goods. Once the duties and taxes are fully repaid to DHL the goods will be delivered to you." The only reference to a service charge is hidden in the Shipper’s Guide to Duties and Taxes ([URL]https://mydhl.express.dhl/us/en/help-and-support/customs-clearance-advice/duties-and-taxes.html#/sending_shipments[/URL]), which states: "The payment of duties and taxes are typically the responsibility of the receiver, although DHL Express does offer the opportunity for DHL account holders to pay for them. In that case, after shipment delivery, DHL invoices customers for the duties and taxes we paid on their behalf at destination, [B]plus a small administration fee[/B]." (Emphasis added.) There's no specification, of course, of just how "small" the fee is. But if Customs did, in fact, charge DHL an administration or processing fee on my package, and DHL paid it on my behalf in advance (rather than charging me the fee on its own behalf), and simply sought reimbursement from me, I'm not sure I understand the basis for the imposition by Customs of a processing fee. First, as I pointed out in my OP, the USA, through Customs, does not charge any import duty on ancient coins or any other coins made "prior to the 14th century." See Section 9705.00.0001 of the current Harmonized Tariff Schedule ("HTS") of the United States, expressly categorizing that classification as "free" of import duty. And, DHL's own invoice to me admits that the additional charge to me was not an actual import duty (contrary to its cover email), but consisted of fees for "merchandise processing" and "duty tax receiver," not otherwise explained. Furthermore, even though Customs does charge a "merchandise processing fee" on an [I]ad valorem[/I] basis in certain cases, particularly "for imports of [B]commercial[/B] goods valued at $2,500 or more" (see the summary of the relevant CFR provisions at [URL='https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-334?language=en_US#:~:text=The%20Merchandise%20Processing%20Fee%20(MPF,than%20%2427.23%20For%20example%2C%20if%20']https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-334?language=en_US#:~:text=The Merchandise Processing Fee (MPF,than $27.23 For example, if [/URL] [emphasis added], and the relevant provisions themselves at [URL]https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-19/chapter-I/part-24/section-24.23[/URL]), it doesn't appear to me that Customs should charge any merchandise processing fee at all in the specific case of ancient coins. See [URL]https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases[/URL] ("[B]If[/B] any duty is owed, CBP will charge a processing fee for clearing your package") (emphasis added); see also [URL]https://www.cbp.gov/trade/priority-issues/trade-agreements/merchandise-processing-feed[/URL] ("MPF Exemption on Unconditionally Free Goods - CSMS message 09-000292 . The MPF exemption is available to unconditionally free goods even though "Free" is not listed in the "Special" column of the HTSUS [Harmonized Tariff Schedule US]"). As stated above, ancient coins are, in fact, listed as "Free" in the HTS. So my suspicion is that DHL didn't advance anything to Customs, and is imposing its own "service" or "administration" charges on ancient coins, under the guise of advancing import duty (or merchandise processing fee) charges and taxes supposedly required by Customs on shipments exceeding a certain value.[/QUOTE]
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