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I recently ordered some PCBs from JLCPCB and chose FedEx for shipping.
The shipping cost was not very high (about 16$), but after receiving the order they sent me an invoice for customs services for about 48€. The shipment was to Spain.
What is the best option for the transport that charges as little as possible or directly that does not charge customs?
I remember that years ago I placed orders that did not have these costs. I sent the parcels through the postal service because I didn't mind it taking several weeks to save some money.
The problem now is that they don't give that option at JLCPCB. -
I'm in the UK and they offered the direct postage rate for me, that was last week but I only ordered 5 boards, no stencil, if I added a stencil the postage shot up.
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[...] after receiving the order they sent me an invoice for customs services for about 48€. The shipment was to Spain.
Was that 48€ really only for FedEx's services (putting your package through customs)? That would be a painfully high fee. But I assume that the amount also included the actual import tax, i.e. your 21% VAT, payable on the PCB value plus the shipping cost?
That tax you will have to pay in any case; your only choice is whether you pre-pay it via JLCPCB or post-pay it via the shipping company. The EU has become much more pedantic about actually collecting that money...
What you can avoid is paying the handling fee to FedEx or other shipping companies. If you choose a shipping method that is listed as "DDP", i.e. delivered duty paid, you pre-pay the VAT to JLCPCB and pay not additional fee, or a very small one. Last time I ordered something, JLCPCB offered "DHL Express DDP" (fast and expensive) and Europacket (a bit slower, much cheaper). That was to Germany, and a few months ago. Do you still get those options? -
In Latvia they cannot force an individual paying them any fees, there is relatively easy process to do the clearance yourself and pay the tax only. And even as a company you can reject their brokerage service and use other broker or do it yourself, although some couriers charge "document processing fee for that".
As individual you should use IOSS or DDP options that should not result in any fees. -
Had this happen recently to Germany too.
Fedex & UPS are known for charging these brokerage fees. It has nothing to do with customs or VAT, merely a massive fee for them filling the paperwork on your behalf, even when none is required. They were doing this long before these new EU VAT rules went into force already and even when the sender supplied all the paperwork already. It is free money for them, so of course they charge it - and after the fact when you can't refuse the delivery anymore. I recall Fedex used to collect this on delivery years ago, now they send you an invoice 2-3 weeks later instead.
OTOH, JLCPCB & esp. LCSC are being a pain the ... too when it comes to shipping because it is not clear which options are going through IOSS and which are not. They used to have it clearly indicated but not anymore for whatever reason. -
OTOH, JLCPCB & esp. LCSC are being a pain the ... too when it comes to shipping because it is not clear which options are going through IOSS and which are not. They used to have it clearly indicated but not anymore for whatever reason.
I checked it today and it clearly indicated what's IOSS or DDP and was like that for a few years IIRC -
OTOH, JLCPCB & esp. LCSC are being a pain the ... too when it comes to shipping because it is not clear which options are going through IOSS and which are not. They used to have it clearly indicated but not anymore for whatever reason.
I checked it today and it clearly indicated what's IOSS or DDP and was like that for a few years IIRC
Was it? I recall only seeing the names of the shipping companies, like DHL, Fedex or "Global Standard Direct Line" (or what the name was) but not which one uses IOSS and which one does not. Maybe they have it country-specific?
Ah correction - JLCPCB does indeed have the info. LCSC does not:
Actually, I believe they don't offer that at all, given that it says: "Duty, customs, and taxes are buyer's responsibility". It used to be possible, same as it used to be possible to combine JLCPCB & LCSC order shipping. They stopped doing that for some customs-related reasons some time ago and now it seems LCSC isn't taking part in the IOSS system at all anymore, despite both being the same company.
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Just tried with German address and it still clearly shows what is what.
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Ah correction - JLCPCB does indeed have the info. LCSC does not:
IME with LCSC if I select "Global Direct Standard Line" it just arrives to nearby parcel machine, no VAT charged at any point (LCSC does not collect IOSS VAT either)
. With Fedex I need to do the customs clearance. Haven't tried registered mail for many years. I avoid DHL because these bastards charge "document processing fee" when I refuse to use their brokerage when ordering as a business.
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[...] after receiving the order they sent me an invoice for customs services for about 48€. The shipment was to Spain.
Was that 48€ really only for FedEx's services (putting your package through customs)? That would be a painfully high fee. But I assume that the amount also included the actual import tax, i.e. your 21% VAT, payable on the PCB value plus the shipping cost?
PCB Boards = 4€
Shipping = 16€
Taxes and fees = 0€
FedEx customs management fee = 40 + VAT = 48.40€ -
At this point I'm starting to think this is all country specific since I remember them collecting taxes during payment, but then I think its a UK requirement for goods <£135 I always try to avoid FEDEX when ordering from other countries, they never fail to send an invoice a couple of weeks later.
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I'm glad I'm cheap and not in a hurry. I've been getting 5 boards for USD2 and Global Direct Standard Line USD1.5. Arrives within 2 weeks anyway. How can the couriers make any money that way? But I'm not complaining.
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I think the reason its cheaper to send a parcel from china to somewhere in the US than for a seller in the US to send the same parcel to the same destination in the US is something agreed upon by the countries that are members of the UPU, changes are always being made and it explains the huge increases we saw in the costs of delivery from Ali express a few years pre-covid. The countries appear to agree to take responsibility for funding the cost of delivery in the arrival destination country, a terminal fee is applied and collected at some point in the year. A seller in china is paying their fee based in their currency. If we made it prohibitively expensive they would not trade and we would lose the revenue from even that small amount, which in volume is considerable.
sources https://postandparcel.info/75782/news/upu-member-countries-adopt-new-terminal-dues-system/
"...This has been a source of vexation for online sellers in countries like the US, because Chinese e-retailers pay less than they do to send packages to US shoppers." -
At this point I'm starting to think this is all country specific since I remember them collecting taxes during payment, but then I think its a UK requirement for goods <£135 I always try to avoid FEDEX when ordering from other countries, they never fail to send an invoice a couple of weeks later.
I find that system ridiculous. Yes it allows getting an item somewhat faster, however doing it without prior authorization and charging later is nuts. You could literally screw up someone by sending a bunch of parcels of junk declared with high value. The only entity in Latvia that ever automatically did the clearance on their own was post owned by government, and still process itself was free and you paid first before receiving the item. Now you need to do it online yourself or authorize them doing it for a small fee. -
(I was pulling my hair, failing to google any useful info about the shipping to Czechia. So I though I'd share what I found out, sorry for necro posting.)
TL;DR: there was no additional cost on delivery, with no bureaucracy needed on my part, whatsoever. I shipped $4 worth of boards from JLC with the cheapest "Global Standard Direct Line" to Czech Republic.
As @wraper posted, JLCPCB lists the "Standard Direct Line" shipping option in the "IOSS" section. This is the mode where you pay VAT (21% for CZ) during checkout and the company (JLCPCB) then pays the collected VAT back to the destination country. (in bulk, on monthly basis)
Import tax to EU isn't supposed to be paid for goods under €150 (this limit does NOT include the shipping cost), but you need to pay the VAT for all goods (VAT always DOES include the shipping cost). In the IOSS mode, this works well between the companies and the state.
But! Then you have to prove to the Customs that VAT has already been paid, and sometimes a fee for this process. Somebody needs to pair the package with the VAT payment (
) and the carriers might charge you for this. The Czech Post currently charges 0 CZK for Customs clearance, if you are using the IOSS mode, but often you don't know in advance who the last-mile carrier will be, Czech Post or a private company. Their methods differ. Luckily, anyone knowing {tracking number, IOSS number, goods description} can fill in the data.- For example, for ebay stuff, the IOSS number is publicly known, and you are supposed to submit a Customs declaration to the Czech Post (I tried this successfully for SpeedPak and "Free" shipping options) or on the eCep portal (haven't tried yet) manually yourself, to prove the VAT has been paid, to avoid paying the VAT yet again.
You get the tracking number (once/if they give you one that has a compatible format), the IOSS code and fill in addresses, value and HS codes (type of goods) yourself. If this works, they charge you 0 CZK for paperwork, and do not charge any additional VAT. This has worked for me 3x already. - For JLCPCB, the IOSS number is not provided (I tried asking) to individual customers. I think they fill in the customs declaration data for you! This is probably why I didn't need to do anything at all, just wait.
My package first arrived to Hungary (this matters, because the Customs check is done in the first EU country on arrival), then was forwarded to Czechia and the last-mile carrier (Czech Post). - For example, for ebay stuff, the IOSS number is publicly known, and you are supposed to submit a Customs declaration to the Czech Post (I tried this successfully for SpeedPak and "Free" shipping options) or on the eCep portal (haven't tried yet) manually yourself, to prove the VAT has been paid, to avoid paying the VAT yet again.
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(I was pulling my hair, failing to google any useful info about the shipping to Czechia. So I though I'd share what I found out, sorry for necro posting.)
What really needs to happen is the EU administration cracking down on shipping companies with these outrageous fees.
TL;DR: there was no additional cost on delivery, with no bureaucracy needed on my part, whatsoever. I shipped $4 worth of boards from JLC with the cheapest "Global Standard Direct Line" to Czech Republic.
As @wraper posted, JLCPCB lists the "Standard Direct Line" shipping option in the "IOSS" section. This is the mode where you pay VAT (21% for CZ) during checkout and the company (JLCPCB) then pays the collected VAT back to the destination country. (in bulk, on monthly basis)
Import tax to EU isn't supposed to be paid for goods under €150 (this limit does NOT include the shipping cost), but you need to pay the VAT for all goods (VAT always DOES include the shipping cost). In the IOSS mode, this works well between the companies and the state.
But! Then you have to prove to the Customs that VAT has already been paid, and sometimes a fee for this process. Somebody needs to pair the package with the VAT payment ( ) and the carriers might charge you for this. The Czech Post currently charges 0 CZK for Customs clearance, if you are using the IOSS mode, but often you don't know in advance who the last-mile carrier will be, Czech Post or a private company. Their methods differ. Luckily, anyone knowing {tracking number, IOSS number, goods description} can fill in the data.- For example, for ebay stuff, the IOSS number is publicly known, and you are supposed to submit a Customs declaration to the Czech Post (I tried this successfully for SpeedPak and "Free" shipping options) or on the eCep portal (haven't tried yet) manually yourself, to prove the VAT has been paid, to avoid paying the VAT yet again.
You get the tracking number (once/if they give you one that has a compatible format), the IOSS code and fill in addresses, value and HS codes (type of goods) yourself. If this works, they charge you 0 CZK for paperwork, and do not charge any additional VAT. This has worked for me 3x already. - For JLCPCB, the IOSS number is not provided (I tried asking) to individual customers. I think they fill in the customs declaration data for you! This is probably why I didn't need to do anything at all, just wait.
My package first arrived to Hungary (this matters, because the Customs check is done in the first EU country on arrival), then was forwarded to Czechia and the last-mile carrier (Czech Post).
DHL or Fedex has zero work involved in paperwork. It's all handled by a machine automatically, and they basically just keep your package hostage until you pay. Or in case of fedex, they deliver the package, and then send you an invoice, and sue you if you don't pay. How come JLC can handle tax payments for free, and it costs them 40 EUR? 40 EUR for a payment system to automatically handle a 1 EUR tax?
Also, VAT on shipping. Can someone explain to me, where is the "value added" in shipping something? How is shipping something related to your home country? - For example, for ebay stuff, the IOSS number is publicly known, and you are supposed to submit a Customs declaration to the Czech Post (I tried this successfully for SpeedPak and "Free" shipping options) or on the eCep portal (haven't tried yet) manually yourself, to prove the VAT has been paid, to avoid paying the VAT yet again.
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What really needs to happen is the EU administration cracking down on shipping companies with these outrageous fees.
DHL or Fedex has zero work involved in paperwork. It's all handled by a machine automatically, and they basically just keep your package hostage until you pay. Or in case of fedex, they deliver the package, and then send you an invoice, and sue you if you don't pay. How come JLC can handle tax payments for free, and it costs them 40 EUR? 40 EUR for a payment system to automatically handle a 1 EUR tax?
Oh it gets even better when you find out that DHL delivery and DHL doing the customs clearance are not the same company/legal entity. -
I ship quite a few packages from the US to EU and UK. Most of the in-country delivery services are done via contract groups. They collect customs/VAT/... as required by the individual countries and add a "service fee". The service fee is often set per package and not by value of package. The least expensive deal is always from the local postal system - not only for shipping cost but also for service fees. A fair number of them don't bother with VAT.
I also receive a lot of international packages and, until now, have not had to pay customs fees below $800 (iirc). Our new idiot president (not being political here, they all are idiots) wants to slap a 30% tariff on all imports. He somehow thinks he can fund the government that way. I have no idea what's going to happen to my little business.