Customs Tax importing a Uke to the States???

i just bought a Tenor ukulele....

price in USA U$ 440
price in Rapa Nui (after taxes, import fees, shipping etc, etc) U$750


that's why i was asking for a nice uku under the 500 range, cause if my article it's over U$500 i have to pay an adittional fee for "luxury" ....
 
i don't really know anything of this subject, and i don't want to sound political, but don't US companies move to countries like china because the labor is so cheap and there's no import/export tax (free trade)? it's sad to think our cousins in Australia would have to pay a huge fine to ship a single uke here. i could understand having to pay 7% sales tax at the end of the year but to think there may be a tariff makes me sad :( again, i don't really know what i'm talking about. it's just the impression i get.
 
Add me to the camp that didn't have to pay any customs on an uke purchased from Jon.
 
Lol. I bought a uke from Jon, too. You should open up a store! Anyway, I wasn't required to pay anything either.
 
Wow, I am awaiting shipment on a uke from Jon. Maybe we need to start a Eugene Ukulele Ukulele owners club!
 
Here in Brazil
price in USA until U$500: 60% taxes (including shipping costs)
price in USA above U$500: 95% taxes (including shipping costs)

Resuming with an example:
My Koaloha Pikake w/ Shipping and Mi-Si Final price by MGM: U$800
My final price: U$1550 (95%...)

My Black Bear mahogany soprano by UkuleleEugene from Australia: No taxes! (miracle)
 
Today, I received a vintage banjo ukulele, delivered to me here in Norway from Hawaii. I did not pay anything other than the price + shipping and handling.
So folks, if you're not afraid of a little snow, cold and ice; move here...let's jam, y'all!!
 
Sounds like "Buyers Remorse"

You got that right brother Phil. I have 40 emails back and forth to testify to that. Whew!!! I just hope the buyer doesn't have to pay any import duty as I'm really hoping this episode is over. I packed the uke so securely (3 layers of foam wrap!!!) so as to avoid any further stress or communication.

Thankyou everyone for your input. The uke is now on her way. I'll update you if there is another chapter to the story.
 
hi everyone

Here's the story: I've just sold a ukulele to a man in New York valued at $1100. I am in Australia. When I asked him about US customs taxes on imported goods he went into a panic, saying he knew nothing about them. He is now balking at the sale and, I fear, may ask me to refund his money...

So my question is on both our behalves: what , roughly, would he be likely to have to pay on this imported uke valued at $1100.

Any help is very much appreciated. :confused:

Yours, concerned
eugene :uhoh:




how was the issue resolved?
 
how was the issue resolved?

I don't know how that one was resolved, but I bought National Resophonic Uke from someone in Tasmania (his name rhymes with "Hon Plunken") sometime after that, and there was not duty fee.

I also bought a used (Although spotless!) Timms soprano via eBay a few years ago, and again, no duty fee.

This is all within the past 10 years, since Jon started the thread.

[indent/-Kurt[/indent]
 
funfact: importing uke from usa to europe i have to pay extra 27% of total cost. And sadly there are only a few stores that stock good uke brands.
 
funfact: importing uke from usa to europe i have to pay extra 27% of total cost. And sadly there are only a few stores that stock good uke brands.

I was just informed that an incoming package from the UK to me here in the US will cost me about $95.00 to release (UPS). It’s no 27% (!), but is a surprising [and very disappointing] first.

I’m thinking it’s a UPS brokerage fee, and not governmental…?

Ed.: Scratch that, I found the fine print: $37.00 UPS Brokerage Charges, $58.24 "Government Charges."

:rolleyes:

~ S.
 
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But are the fees US or UK fees?

Looks to be US fees? From another source, albeit 3rd party and also wanting a piece of the pie:

What is customs duty?
You’ll need to pay customs duty (or import tax) on any goods you move across the US border from the UK, though goods from some countries are exempt due to different international trade agreements. The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) enforces customs rules.

Customs duties vary by country of origin and type of product. You'll need to know the Harmonised Tariff Schedule or HTS code to calculate the exact rate due. CBP uses extended version of international HS codes — Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Annotated (HTSUS).

The minimum threshold for import tax is $800. Goods valued below that are not subject to duty.

Which answers why I haven't run into this before-- I've not crossed the $800 threshold previously.

The Brokerage fee is a UPS fee, and I'm assuming also a stateside service fee (though I could easily be wrong).

From what I can (barely) tell, instead of my knowing how to file the correct paperwork to "clear the goods" and pay the accurate import fee myself, UPS handled all this for $37.00. I'm assuming this is all stateside, but have no true idea.

Everything has gone super smoothly-- Shipped Monday, was due today but hiccuped until tomorrow-- at a reasonable *shipping* cost. This is just a surprise, is all, one I had no idea to factor in.

~ S.
 
I bought a uke from the UK and had to pay an import tax of about $100 on a $2k instrument. It was done through UPS.

Cheaper than VAT; I'm happy.
 
I bought a uke from the UK and had to pay an import tax of about $100 on a $2k instrument. It was done through UPS.

Cheaper than VAT; I'm happy.

Spare a thought for us Europeans. We pay anywhere from 20% to 27% VAT + import duties on instruments coming from outside the EU...
 
Spare a thought for us Europeans. We pay anywhere from 20% to 27% VAT + import duties on instruments coming from outside the EU...

I almost didn't make the purchase when I saw how much the VAT was (figured I'd have to pay something comparable in customs fees). It was a pleasant surprise for sure that it was so low. Hopefully you can make up the difference in other areas?
 
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