The bills are sudden and jarring: $1,400 for a computer part from Germany, $620 for an aluminum case from Sweden and $1,041 for handbags from Spain.<\/p>\n
Some U.S. shoppers say they are being hit with surprise charges from international shipping carriers as the exemption on import duties for items under $800 expires as a part of President Donald Trump\u2019s tariff push. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s leading to some frustration and confusion as shoppers and shippers both try to navigate a new reality for anybody ordering goods from abroad.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s maximum chaos,\u201d said Nick Baker, co-lead of the trade and customs practice at Kroll, a firm that advises freight carriers. <\/p>\n
Thomas Andrews, who runs a business in upstate New York restoring vintage computers from the 1980s and 1990s, said he was shocked to receive a tariff bill from DHL for approximately $1,400 on a part worth $750. He said he assumed there must have been a mistake. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s extortion,\u201d Andrews said. <\/p>\n
Late Friday, a representative for DHL told Andrews that the initial charge was indeed incorrect: The tariff bill should have only been for about $110. But it was too late: Andrews had already refused shipment to avoid paying the charge. Soon after learning about the corrected charge, he realized DHL had already begun sending the item back to Germany.<\/p>\n
The final annoyance, Andrews said: He\u2019s being charged for the return shipping \u2014 about $50.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 29, for the first time in nearly a century, small-dollar items coming into the U.S. \u2014 also called de minimis goods \u2014 began facing import duties. That means even small, personal orders now face the sizable tariffs placed on U.S. trading partners. While a recent ruling<\/a> by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found many of Trump\u2019s duties unconstitutional, they remain in effect while Trump appeals the case to the Supreme Court. <\/p>\n To comply with the new de minimis rules, a wave of countries have halted shipments to the U.S.<\/a> That\u2019s caused postal traffic into the U.S. to decline by some 80%<\/a>, according to a United Nations agency. <\/p>\n But many orders are still flowing. And since the new de minimis rule began taking effect, social media platforms have been filled with accounts of U.S. customers receiving shock bills from major shippers like DHL, FedEx and UPS, having received no notice about the charges from the foreign merchant they\u2019d ordered from.<\/p>\n The shippers, in turn, are being inundated with messages from customers disputing the charges, along with return-to-sender requests as the customers refuse shipments to avoid having to pay the bills. <\/p>\n A representative for DHL said the firm \u201cis committed to supporting customers through the recent tariff changes and ensuring their shipments are managed efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe encourage customers to take note of the shipping policies of the brands they shop with and to also remember that tariffs are payable to the U.S. government,\u201d it said. <\/p>\n