Ordering received from Germany, DHL wants me to sign Importer Customs Document

[Jazzer]

I received an order from Estervals (Germany). The shipping was very fast.
Unfortunately, DHL has contacted me and told me that I to have to fill and return a form to them
call Import Customs Power of Attorney, which claims that I received the package and that I am the importer
and will agree to pay any import fees and and who know what else.

Has anyone encountered this ? If so, did you fill out the form and return to DHL. The woman I spoke to
told me I would be $25 import fee.

The option is to have them pick up the package and return to the sender.

Well, I'll never do this again!
Thanks for any help or experience.

 

[Niblick]

I'm no expert and have never ordered any tobacco from abroad. To me it sounds as if the form from estervals or the one dhl is looking at may have been filled out incorrectly in such a way as listing you as not the final consumer/user but as a company that is going to resell it?

Call estervals and ask for help with what is going on. Surely you are not the only one this has happened to. Your only option may be send it back, they then fill the form out correcly and reship it to you at their expense.
I have filled out overseas custom forms incorrectly, paid for mailing it, gotten package back stating form filled out incorrectly/incomplete. Filled form back out correct and had to pay again to reship package. Hope this helps and good luck trying to get your tobacco.

 

[Jazzer]

Thanks for your message.
I already have the package, DHL delivered it a week ago. But as you suggest, it seems that something went wrong with the paperwork.
Or, as explained by the DHL, person, I am purchasing tobacco tins, which means I may have to pay a tax on these. That happened many years ago
when I had some cigars shipped to me. The DHL person said this happens frequently with alcohol shipments as well.
I may just keep the pipe and put the tins back in the package, return to sender. An expensive lesson to learn.

 

[Niblick]

From what I've read is that estervals was having trouble getting packages to the U.S. by usps and fedex and quit shipping to the U.S. altogether because of this. What the problem may have been was getting the packages through customs without the end user having to pay the extra import taxes. When they switched to dhl packages started arriving again to the end user without being opened and inspected because of different labeling dhl uses.

Yours may have been inspected because of the pipe purchased with the tobacco changing the labeling and it threw a flag up to have it inspected. I have not read of anybody going through what you are after the switched to dhl.

 

[Scallywag]

This happened to me as well, if its only $25, Id pay it and consider yourself lucky. Mine was much higher. OR since you already have the tins, and never plan on ordering again, just ignore DHL. They wont hound you forever over $25. But definitely dont send the tins back, Estervals wont refund you youre full amount. So youll be out more than $25 anyhow.

 

[Scallywag]

This happened to me as well, if its only $25, Id pay it and consider yourself lucky. Mine was much higher. OR since you already have the tins, and never plan on ordering again, just ignore DHL. They wont hound you forever over $25. But definitely dont send the tins back, Estervals wont refund you youre full amount. So youll be out more than $25 anyhow.

 

[Jazzer]

Thanks for your response.

Initially they threatened to charge me $31 per day for holding the package in their facility. I tried to explain to their international account rep. that
they can't charge me $31 for holding the package, because they already delivered it to me.
They were not supposed to release the package, which is not my problem. But they are making it my problem.

I certainly am NOT filling out a US Custom Form declaring that I am a tobacco importer using my SSN as a business tax id number. They are insane for asking me to do that. I am not a business.
But, even if I did fill out the form and submit it to them, that would satisfy the paper work release (Customs release). But, they said, after that I will then receive a letter from the FDA telling me how much tax I owe on the tobacco I have I "imported". Returning it, she tells me, ends this situation immediately.

So, I resealed the package and told them to pick it up and return. I am only returning the tobacco tins.
Yes, I agree that Esterval will not refund much for the tins, but the alternative is far worse.
You can order a pipe with no hassles. Not tobacco, apparently

Anyway, I post this just as information to any one would may be interested.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Thanks for sharing. I've wanted to order some HU, not that it will happen anytime soon, but this is good information.

 

[Corncobcon]

Kind of sounds like a scam to me. I would ignore them if you already have the package.

 

[Scallywag]

Kind of sounds like a scam to me. I would ignore them if you already have the package.

I would too, being out the shipping cost and whatever else Estervals decides to keep for restocking fees will be a pretty penny.

 

[DoverPipes]

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has much bigger fish to fry.
DHL screwed up and they are trying to cover their screw up.
The Duty and "Internal Revenue Tax" (IRT) on pipe tobacco is pretty low.
Pipe Tobacco IRT is currently: $2.83 a pound and $0.18 an ounce.
Most Officers won't bother to write up a "Duty Ticket" on a couple of individual tins that are for "personal consumption". Not worth the effort.
CBP has to deal with shipments that contain stuff like Fentanyl.
A couple of tins of pipe tobacco wouldn't raise an eyebrow.
DHL is the "bad guy" here IMHO.

PS FDA doesn't collect any taxes. They can only issue penalties for prohibited contraband.
Even then, they really can't collect unless they can actually serve the Shipper with the violation.