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Started By
Message
FED EX morning rant
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:07 am
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:07 am
FED EX rant:
Over the past months, my record shop has received multiple packages of used vinyl records from Europe. Used records are classified as "informational materials" by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and remain duty free.
100% of these packages delivered by USPS or DHL have arrived with no problem, no customs tax.
However, for 75% of the packages delivered by FED EX, I have a received a FED EX bill like this:
Total Invoice = $34
US Customs tax = $11
FED EX customs tax processing fee = $23
When following the steps from Fed Ex to have this corrected, this is their first response:
"If you wish to continue for Entry correction, this may be subject to a $190-$250 processing fee for correction US Customs & Border Protection if deemed customer caused. If deemed Fedex caused, no additional processing fees will be assessed"
What a scam. It highlights an aspect of these customs taxes people who don’t run small businesses don’t realize. The government tax sucks but it’s not even the big chunk. It’s FED EX charging double the actual tax to to process the tax!
Avoiding FED EX is now complicated by many European countries (of all places) privatizing international delivery. So, it can be very difficult to get shippers to research options that are not handed off to FED EX.
One more example of what sure seems like an intentional effort of politicians to help big corporations squeeze small businesses further and further.
Rant over.
Over the past months, my record shop has received multiple packages of used vinyl records from Europe. Used records are classified as "informational materials" by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and remain duty free.
100% of these packages delivered by USPS or DHL have arrived with no problem, no customs tax.
However, for 75% of the packages delivered by FED EX, I have a received a FED EX bill like this:
Total Invoice = $34
US Customs tax = $11
FED EX customs tax processing fee = $23
When following the steps from Fed Ex to have this corrected, this is their first response:
"If you wish to continue for Entry correction, this may be subject to a $190-$250 processing fee for correction US Customs & Border Protection if deemed customer caused. If deemed Fedex caused, no additional processing fees will be assessed"
What a scam. It highlights an aspect of these customs taxes people who don’t run small businesses don’t realize. The government tax sucks but it’s not even the big chunk. It’s FED EX charging double the actual tax to to process the tax!
Avoiding FED EX is now complicated by many European countries (of all places) privatizing international delivery. So, it can be very difficult to get shippers to research options that are not handed off to FED EX.
One more example of what sure seems like an intentional effort of politicians to help big corporations squeeze small businesses further and further.
Rant over.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:10 am to wm72
Sounds like having it corrected is free if it is their fault. What's the issue again?
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:14 am to wm72
quote:
FED EX charging double the actual tax to to process the tax!
I maybe understand this. Its probably time consuming to process. Not insane they don't want to eat that cost.
But yes, in general, frick fedex
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:21 am to Thib-a-doe Tiger
Fed Ex makes this "error" on 75% of the packages they process while USPS and DHL are making the error on NONE of the packages they process.
Wouldn't you assume that after contesting by sending the necessary paperwork that there's at least a 75% chance you're then contesting 20 bills of $350 instead of 20 bills of $30?
It's a time consuming pain in the arse to collect and fill out all the paperwork to contest these as well. Seems by design that people are going to give up and pay the Fed EX fee.
Why does the USPS and DHL get it right every single time while FED EX makes an "error" that allows them to charge a fee 75% of the time?
Wouldn't you assume that after contesting by sending the necessary paperwork that there's at least a 75% chance you're then contesting 20 bills of $350 instead of 20 bills of $30?
It's a time consuming pain in the arse to collect and fill out all the paperwork to contest these as well. Seems by design that people are going to give up and pay the Fed EX fee.
Why does the USPS and DHL get it right every single time while FED EX makes an "error" that allows them to charge a fee 75% of the time?
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 10:34 am
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:27 am to Turnblad85
quote:
FED EX charging double the actual tax to to process the tax!
I maybe understand this. Its probably time consuming to process. Not insane they don't want to eat that cost.
Did you even read the OP? The tax is not even supposed to be collected on the items he’s having shipped to him.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:27 am to wm72
What do you expect from a company whose CEO is this guy?
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 10:28 am
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:29 am to VolsOut4Harambe
DO NOT REDEEM!!!!
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:31 am to High C
quote:
Did you even read the OP?
Did you even read the statement I quoted?
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:33 am to Thib-a-doe Tiger
quote:
Sounds like having it corrected is free if it is their fault. What's the issue again?
Are you stupid? They aren’t even supposed to be charging for it.
Sure, they can eventually fix the problem when the customer jumps through hoops to correct it. But that is time consuming and shouldn’t have to happen in the first place. Just because something can be fixed doesn’t mean it isn’t a gigantic pain in the arse to have to get it fixed.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:43 am to Thib-a-doe Tiger
quote:
Sounds like having it corrected is free if it is their fault. What's the issue again?
So, if I just start accidentally charging 3/4 of my customers a 30% extra fee but refund the money as long as they go through a lengthy process of emailing, collecting receipts and photos and filling out of forms --all while threatening a 300% added charge if they miss any steps in this process-- there's no issue?
Great to know.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:52 am to wm72
quote:
ntentional effort of politicians to help big corporations squeeze small businesses further and further.
Yes, I remember in the Big Beautiful Bill, page 785, Section 12.1243.1 paragraph 5, where Congress instructed the Fedex Product Manager for International Shipping to intentionally write in a business requirement to charge duties incorrectly to inconvenience small businesses.
What the actual frick planet do people like you live on?
I just checked, and to ship a vinyl record from Sweden to the US via Fedex, that was manufactured in the UK, value $100. If classified as 8523.80.1000, the fees are $2.77. If you classify it as 8523.80.2000, the fees are $2.77 and the duties are 10% of the value ($10) for a total of $12.77. You said it only happens 75% of the time with Fedex. Maybe the idiot you're buying stuff from is clicking the wrong checkbox on Fedex.de. But noooo, it's the government.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 10:56 am to wm72
quote:
So, if I just start accidentally charging 3/4 of my customers a 30% extra fee but refund the money as long as they go through a lengthy process of emailing, collecting receipts and photos and filling out of forms --all while threatening a 300% added charge if they miss any steps in this process-- there's no issue?
Yeah, and they can choose not to do business with you. I’m not knighting for Fed Ex but these tariffs are a fricking mess, stuff happens.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:00 am to wm72
quote:
So, if I just start accidentally charging 3/4 of my customers a 30% extra fee but refund the money as long as they go through a lengthy process of emailing, collecting receipts and photos and filling out of forms --all while threatening a 300% added charge if they miss any steps in this process-- there's no issue?
Great to know.
Or, you could ask them why some are charged and some aren't. Who is arranging the shipping? Are they submitting them as DDP? If not, then FedEx isn't the one you have the problem with.
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:02 am to CocomoLSU
quote:
Are you stupid? They aren’t even supposed to be charging for it.
Sure, they can eventually fix the problem when the customer jumps through hoops to correct it. But that is time consuming and shouldn’t have to happen in the first place. Just because something can be fixed doesn’t mean it isn’t a gigantic pain in the arse to have to get it fixed.
Are you stupid? It's pretty obvious that whoever he is buying from that is shipping through FedEx, or he himself if he is arranging the shipping through them, is not marking the shipments DDP.
ETA: or that the waybill and ipmort paperwork is being improperly filled out. That's who OP should be looking at, not FedEx.
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 11:12 am
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:03 am to wm72
FedEx continues to suck in all ways. UPS is one of the only union work places that I prefer. They actually uphold a pretty high standard and they tend to do things right and with care
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:05 am to LemmyLives
quote:
I just checked, and to ship a vinyl record from Sweden to the US via Fedex, that was manufactured in the UK, value $100. If classified as 8523.80.1000, the fees are $2.77. If you classify it as 8523.80.2000, the fees are $2.77 and the duties are 10% of the value ($10) for a total of $12.77. You said it only happens 75% of the time with Fedex. Maybe the idiot you're buying stuff from is clicking the wrong checkbox on Fedex.de. But noooo, it's the government.
I've noticed that you're an expert at somehow googling incorrect information and then getting on a soapbox about something other people have a ton more experience with just to cling to some pre-existing bias you have.
Items classified as 8523.80.10 (the correct harmonization code) are duty free from the EU to the USA.
It's odd that your google results were different since I would invite any reader here to simply google "what is the customs code for used vinyl phonograph records" and get the number as well as the explanation for why they are duty free.
If you actually were doing this for a living, you would have researched or simply received the legal notice from Discogs etc etc where the exemption is laid out pretty clearly.
Which is -- of course -- why USPS, DHL or UPS Never charge customs fees on used records. Only Fed Ex consistently makes this error. . . for some reason.
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 11:17 am
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:06 am to Thib-a-doe Tiger
quote:
What's the issue again?
That it's happening at all.
quote:
Sounds like having it corrected is free if it is their fault.
Charging customers for non-existent things (and then charging them a fee for processing the non-existent thing) is usually called "a scam".
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:15 am to Thib-a-doe Tiger
quote:
Or, you could ask them why some are charged and some aren't. Who is arranging the shipping? Are they submitting them as DDP? If not, then FedEx isn't the one you have the problem with.
FED EX is the exactly one I have a problem with due to this:
A shipment of 50 used records marked with the exact same customs information shipped with USPS, DHL or UPS clears US customs free of duty taxes 100% of the time.
The exact same package with the exact same customs information being cleared through US customs by FED EX is getting taxed 75% of the time.
The problem is not the sender. I have all the customs forms and know they are all correct. They are no complicated at all. They all simply have the customs code and then brief written description like "50 used vinyl records"
The problem is something Fed Ex is doing differently than USPS, UPS or DHL in clearing the packages.
And, yes, my conspiracy theory is that it's so consistent that FED EX is not eager to address an issue they're making a lot of money from.
This post was edited on 10/14/26 at 11:22 am
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:23 am to wm72
quote:
The problem is something Fed Ex is doing differently than USPS, UPS or DHL in clearing the packages.
Yes, and they will refund you the money with no service charges. Again, a pain in the arse, but shite happens. They are handling millions upon millions of transactions a day with hundreds of codes, and the government throws shite on them at the 11th hour and just expects them to be able to make these changes instantly. That ain’t how shite works.
It sucks, but your quibble is with idiot politicians who have never had a real job and don’t understand there’s no fairy dust to just make these kinds of changes in an instance.
quote:
And, yes, my conspiracy theory is that it's so consistent that FED EX is not eager to address an issue they're making a lot of money from.
This is how class action law suits happen and I can promise you Fed Ex doesn’t want to tie themselves into one of those. This is a bigger pain in the arse for them than it is for you
Posted on 10/14/26 at 11:40 am to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
Yes, and they will refund you the money with no service charges. Again, a pain in the arse, but shite happens. They are handling millions upon millions of transactions a day with hundreds of codes, and the government throws shite on them at the 11th hour and just expects them to be able to make these changes instantly. That ain’t how shite works.
Yeah, that's really why I brought up the government at all. The whole shite storm is ultimately due to the tariffs and how much chaos there was/is with them.
However, I definitely think FED EX is making a profit on those processing charges.
But, yes, they are certainly spending a lot to.
If FED EX charges $23 to just process the paperwork on this $10 tax, how much is it costing the government which is doing even more paperwork and processing??
Which is why there were always much higher de minimis exceptions until recent changes.
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