Problem with Chinese postal service ?

I have just had a very strange email to say that due to a problem of over load all Chinese post is delayed.

I am told there is a big meeting about how they are going to resolve this.

I wonder if the recent holiday has caused a huge back log ?

Regards

Jerry

Hi just had an update. I think it is to do with their national holiday and the fact that they are clamping down on batteries being posted.

Fortunately my items are not for a huge amount just some cells for my DIY batteries. It appears that the authorities are re-looking at the way batteries are being shipped.

As we have already concluded there is always a risk when purchasing direct from China.

Regards

Jerry

Yes, Fedex are refusing to handle Lithium batteries. I had to pay an extra 27 dollars postage to cover DHL's charges for my 'Little Frog' battery.

This could be the start of a trend then in the courier industry it looks like. Chinese battery suppliers can get around this by using sea freight and shipping battries in bulk in sea freight containers to the UK to Chinese distributors employed directly over here who then send them out via Royal Mail.

Many Chinese firms are already doing this approach on eBay for other consumer goods. This approach has many benefits, no VAT/import duty for consumers to worry about and faster/safer domestic delivery of course. It could significantly lower the cost of batteries and provide more competition in the UK marketplace...

My order is only for £50 so no big shakes its a risk I know I take when I order. They have offered a refund if they fail to ship but as I said its a known gamble.

Surely sea freight would still attract import duty/VAT ?

I spoke to Ping who said he was now offering sea freight shipping of his batteries.

Regards

Jerry

A recent small order from China using China post, shows the package was posted on the 22/9 in Guangdong and got to Shenzhen International on the 26/9 and hasn't moved since. (despite me tracking it every few hours for the last few weeks.... lol)

A horse a horse.. my kingdom for a thumb throttle

Edited October 17, 201213 yr by Old_Dave

Dave,

I think the holidays has also caused a huge back log.

Jerry

My order is only for £50 so no big shakes its a risk I know I take when I order. They have offered a refund if they fail to ship but as I said its a known gamble.

 

Surely sea freight would still attract import duty/VAT ?

 

I spoke to Ping who said he was now offering sea freight shipping of his batteries.

 

Regards

 

Jerry

It does, but the way VAT and import duty is calculated is very unfair (EU rules enforced on UK) and means consumers (and small businesses such as myself who import small consignments by air freight) are paying what amounts to 30-35% tax, because the VAT is not only charged on the goods value (which often HMRC estimates higher than cost price comparative to UK prices) but is also charged on the air freight cost, which has already been taxed.. so you're effectively paying Duty on goods+shipping+VAT then import VAT on top of all that. They even estimate the shipping cost and don't go by the actual shipping cost you've paid, couriers have fixed scale of shipping charges supplied by HMRC (set by EU) which they work to and will "adjust up" shipping cost to determine import VAT. It's a racket. Ontop of that you have the "deferral fee" racket (usually £15 a time) which nearly all couriers engage in (which incidentally I've had confirmed by HMRC is totally unnecessary as consumers and not obliged to pay VAT/Duty through deferment accounts and can pay it directly to HMRC).

I've challenged these unfair import tax practices with the Department of Trade via my MP and they claim their hands are tied due to EU law and it's the same across the Union. I'm now pursuing it at the EU-level and think all small businesses across the EU should bring a class action to reclaim all the VAT they've been overcharged over the years. What's really unfair is that big multi-nationals like Tesco, Amazon etc, are engaging in VAT and import-duty tax avoidance schemes using off-shore company fronts and getting away with hundreds of millions in unpaid taxes which the government is ignoring, and it's us smaller businesses who are getting hit.

So anyway, if you can bring goods in bulk by sea freight (which is a substantially cheaper way to transport goods, often 10 times cheaper than air freight) the overall duty and VAT is much less. And smaller businesses or small consignments can be combined into one container load so the cost is even less then to individual businesses who share the cost.

Edited October 17, 201213 yr by morphix

Yeah, I'm currently waiting fro a few lipo packs from HobbyKing - ordered on 9/09/2012 - so I've just opened a paypal dispute to get a refund.

I'll re-order from HK Germany or the UK store if they've got the packs I want.

Yeah, I'm currently waiting fro a few lipo packs from HobbyKing - ordered on 9/09/2012 - so I've just opened a paypal dispute to get a refund.

 

I'll re-order from HK Germany or the UK store if they've got the packs I want.

I ordered a cellog about that time and it came within a week, so might not be Hobbyking, just the postal service.

Seems the problem of recent battery shipping restrictions out of China has been raised already.

Endless-sphere.com • View topic - Ping Battery horrible shipping delays.

http://www.endless-sphere.com/forums/download/file.php?id=93963

Regards

Jerry

TNT says they will ship lithium batteries but class them as dangerous goods and only will ship by special arrangement and after paying a surcharge:

TNT Express - Lithium batteries

I ordered a cellog about that time and it came within a week, so might not be Hobbyking, just the postal service.

Not my problem - that's for HobbyKing to sort out.

You only have 45 days to raise a dispute with PayPal and I've waited long enough. As far as I'm concerned I've paid HobbyKing for a service and that service hasn't been provided.

Current delays are due to Holidays with the shipping agents who collect parcels from the sellers and pass them to the shipping companies who are then in turn affected by the holidays. Hopefully the holidays will be over soon....

Also, I was told that the issue with Japan over the islands caused some issues

I spent £350 with one company recently and paid £47 tax on top plus I've had to wait for ParcelForce to process the custom charges......

Yeah, I'm currently waiting fro a few lipo packs from HobbyKing - ordered on 9/09/2012 - so I've just opened a paypal dispute to get a refund.

 

I'll re-order from HK Germany or the UK store if they've got the packs I want.

I've been looking at the German warehouse recently, too. Not a lot of stock, but sometimes it's worth the small extra cost to be assured of quick despatch.

My batteries just turned up!

Ordered 11/10/12 arrived today 30/11/12 i.e. 7 weeks.

They actually refunded me a couple of weeks ago so I will obviously need to repay them

I have to admit over the last three years that I have been dealing with ebike parts ordered directly from China all my transactions and their communication (they try their best and speak much better English than I speak Chinese) have been excellent.

A little patience is often needed, but overall I give these guys top marks.

Regards

Jerry

Edited November 30, 201213 yr by jerrysimon

Ouch!

....and I've just received an invoice from TNT for £30 to cover import duties on my 'Little Frog' battery. And that's on top of the extra £17 postage I had to pay for shipping via TNT.

Oh well! win some-lose some

....and I've just received an invoice from TNT for £30 to cover import duties on my 'Little Frog' battery. And that's on top of the extra £17 postage I had to pay for shipping via TNT.

 

Oh well! win some-lose some

Ignore the "deferment/VAT clearance fee". It's a racket. I ignore it and they've never bothered to pursue me.

In future, when you have anything shipped, before it arrives in UK, tell the carrier (TNT or whoever) that you want to pay the VAT and Duty DIRECTLY to HMRC on arrival (or you can do it on receipt of their VAT bill). They will probably tell you, you can't, and it has to go via their deferment account. That's a load of rubbish, I've got it in writing from HMRC which I'm happy to provide on request to anyone. Stand your ground and tell them, its your right to pay HMRC directly and HMRC are happy to take direct payments for import taxes from the public. There's no law or contract between you and the carrier to pay a fee for any clearance service. Most carriers when faced with this will back down and realise they're not going to get anywhere.. you might get a few automated reminders and the "final reminder" and threats of being passed to a debt collector etc, but just ignore them.. in my experience for such a small sum they won't bother trying to pursue it, especially since as I said they have no legal contract, so no leg to stand on in court.

You can do as I do, just pay the VAT/Duty to them and ignore the fee stating there's no express agreement or contract between you and them to pay it, and you wouldn't have agreed to pay it, knowing the above i.e. that you can pay these taxes directly to HMRC and cut out the middle man. Or if you like, be extra cheeky and just pay them whatever you deem to be a reasonable fee for their "service"... £2? It's largely automated anyway. £15-£17 is pure extortion, especially in many cases where it costs as much as the shipping or up to 50% of it.

Edited December 1, 201213 yr by morphix

One carrier (TNT) once was quite persistent and tried to me tell me there was a law which gave them the legal right to charge a customs clearance fee and the law placed a legal burden on the public importing goods to pay it. When I asked which law that was, they couldn't tell me. I made enquiries about the law with HMRC who said it's nothing to do with them and to contact the UK Border Agency. I did so, and to date, they have never replied. The only law I can find remotely similar, is that couriers have an obligation to clear items through customs (which is now under the remit of Border Agency, not HMRC), declare the shipping cost and customs taxable value etc...this is an automated system all carriers use (I forget the name of it). There's nothing specifically in the law that gives them a right to charge a fee for that service or places any legal obligation on the public to pay them.

I faxed TNT the letter i got from HMRC saying the public can pay import taxes directly to us, and that soon shut TNT up. They removed the charge off my bill at my request, and re-issued it for just the VAT and Duty!

Edited December 1, 201213 yr by morphix

It would be 'nice' if the couriers tracking info showed (kinda like wot parcelfarce does) that the item had cleared customs but a vat charge of £x had been levied, rather than just a letter arriving out of the blue some weeks after the parcel had been received.

Yesterday I got smited with a £7 vat and £10.50 advancement fee for a delivery 2 1/2 weeks ago, so will be following morphix's advise.

It would be 'nice' if the couriers tracking info showed (kinda like wot parcelfarce does) that the item had cleared customs but a vat charge of £x had been levied, rather than just a letter arriving out of the blue some weeks after the parcel had been received.

 

Yesterday I got smited with a £7 vat and £10.50 advancement fee for a delivery 2 1/2 weeks ago, so will be following morphix's advise.

I just had a package sent (freewheel) from China by EMS via AliExpress which has tracking links incorporated.. the site is a load of rubbish, and the tracking doesn't work.. first of all, it links to Royal Mail! When you actually enter the tracking number on the right site, it gives a server error! Conclusion: The Chinese Postal Service site is broken, and they don't reply to e-mails either.