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Beware when orderimg from ST.com - nasty surprise
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BreakingOhmsLaw:
Hi everybody,

you might be subscribed to the ST newsletter and took advantage of their "free" shipping promotion in November.
I did, and ordered another STLink for my lab.

Today I found an invoice from FedEx in my mailbox for import taxes that nearly doubled the amount i paid for the damn STLink.

In the EU, the import VAT is calculated from the value of the merchandise plus the cost of shipping.
Of course i did not pay for shipping, but Fedex set an amount of €36,04 for shipping that I now have to pay taxes for. Plus an administrativer fee.
Thanks for the "free" shipping ST! %&$§% you very much! I ended up paying €17 more than if I would have just ordered it from Digikey.

So beware before ordering from ST.
tom66:
Ouch.  I really hate how much the courier companies charge for paying the VAT.  It's extortionate.  If you refuse the delivery, do you still need to pay? 

However, in future, if ordering from a company outside of the EU, the VAT must be paid at the checkout to avoid this, this is called "DDP".  Digi-Key offer this, as do Mouser.  Arrow *did* offer it, but I heard they withdrew it at some point, I'm not sure if they still do offer it, but the last time I ordered from them with DDP they totally screwed up the DDP and I ended up with a large bill, which they covered after a lot of arguing back and forth.
PartialDischarge:
That’s strange, FedEx uses the invoice to make customs payment, they cannot add anything extra( customs can)
So what you should pay is their administrative fee + Vat of the invoice
Shay:

--- Quote from: tom66 on December 30, 2022, 01:39:34 pm ---Ouch.  I really hate how much the courier companies charge for paying the VAT.  It's extortionate.  If you refuse the delivery, do you still need to pay? 

However, in future, if ordering from a company outside of the EU, the VAT must be paid at the checkout to avoid this, this is called "DDP".  Digi-Key offer this, as do Mouser.  Arrow *did* offer it, but I heard they withdrew it at some point, I'm not sure if they still do offer it, but the last time I ordered from them with DDP they totally screwed up the DDP and I ended up with a large bill, which they covered after a lot of arguing back and forth.

--- End quote ---
I have refused the delivery many times when the fees were 1.5x the price the product. They'll call every day, and you'll tell them the same thing, it goes on and on for a few days until they give up, and in 99% of the times, wont return the package to the seller, they would simple destory it or something.
After that, you'll be stuck in a gray zone, since the seller wants to refund only after the package will be recieved, but it will either take months, or it wont get there at all.
Thunderer:
Before buying anything, make sure the Incoterms are well indicated before clicking Place Order. The DDP is the safest (all duties paid), but any other will get you fees beyond your wildest thoughts.

So, it is not on ST, it is on the international rules and the shipper.

I once purchased from Mikroelektronika (Serbia) while visiting Sweden. DHL delivered as if I was a EU citizen. 2 weeks after, they called me and beg me to pay some fees because they realized that I paid with a canadian credit card, so I wasn't a real EU citizen, and the amount of the invoice was superior to some maximum exemption value. I paid for a simple reason: all deliveries I made during my visit were to my employer, so they sent all invoices to my employer directly (I know, they are stupid, I paid with my personal credit card). If I would have not paid, they would have again and again contacted accounting at my job.
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