DHL parcels nightmare

auxiant


Joined: 16/07/2009
Posts: 47

Message Posted:
16/10/2009 20:48

Hello



I am writing for your advice on something which seems to have become a nightmare:



I had some books/CDs shipped via DHL here. I paid a premium price for delivery... and only to fid out that the goods are at Ercan waiting for customs.



I enquired repeatedly with DHL across UK, Turkey and NC... I am told that the only way to get them is to go to Nicosia find the DHL office, pay for customs duty, then go to Ercan find customs and collect myself the package.



I mean... I find it hard to believe this is currier service.



Is this normal? Using a currier other than DHL would make a difference?



How do they manage locally? I mean how do the shops import their goods.. this cannot be it!



Many many thanks



Auxiant

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
16/10/2009 21:11

Was your 'contract' door to door? If so, DHL are in breach of contract and therefore ask for all monies in the transportation costs and value of the goods back to your account of payment.



Richard

Teresa


Joined: 21/11/2007
Posts: 1018

Message Posted:
16/10/2009 21:12

As hard as this is to believe it is correct, When i have dresses delivered from Turkey i pay the cargo we then get a call saying we have to go to customs in Lefkosa to pay the duty and collect the parcel.

We have been lucky a few times and the parcels have come straight through but mostly we have a battle with customs clearance.

andrew4232



Joined: 04/07/2009
Posts: 1543

Message Posted:
16/10/2009 21:15

DHL are courier company they cannot be responable for any taxes due by customs in overseas countries you should have checked to see if there service would pay for this tax and then charge you the tax on delivery, just think if they had paid this tax and then you said no am not paying there out of pocket !!!

nostradamus


Joined: 15/04/2008
Posts: 557

Message Posted:
17/10/2009 00:05

I have been frequently to clear packages at Ercan and DHL are always there doing the same thing. Tell them to get their idle selves down there and do what they've been paid to do if this is door to door. You will have to pay the duty when they deliver the damn thing - this is exactly what happens in UK and other countries. My experience with both DHL and TNT here is that they are overpriced and not very reliable. Neither of them will deliver to the door unless pressed. Fed-Ex also once lost a consignment of mine by letting it go into customs at Istanbul - I never did get it and their insurance wouldn't pay because it 'wasn't lost'. Cost to me $2500! All of this is why I just arrange my own shipping and go to Ercan and do the nonsense there myself. Note: all of these companies are merely franchises.

Sideways



Joined: 21/01/2009
Posts: 529

Message Posted:
17/10/2009 09:03

I've had car parts sent from U.S.A. by parcel post. Took 7 days to get to Girne post office, where I collected them from and paid 1TL customs duty.

malsancak


Joined: 23/08/2009
Posts: 2874

Message Posted:
17/10/2009 09:10

I hate to say it, but I use the DHL office in south Nicosia. But this is for parcels less than 20kg and, for parcels I send from there, as I get reimbursed by the company I work for, I don't panic when the bill is around 200 Euros. I could almost deliver them by hand at that price!

Mal

smithy


Joined: 17/07/2008
Posts: 5301

Message Posted:
17/10/2009 09:14

This doesnt help, as I will have a large box with Cristmas presents for the grandchildren to send to Thailand if they dont come over here, not sure how to send them, I dont want them to have to pay a large bill at the other end.

Any suggestion how I can get them sent/safely

Sheila

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
17/10/2009 10:09

Anything coming through by post or private courier may be subject to customs duty. If it comes by post, all you have to do is go along to the relevant post office between the specified hours and the attending customs officer will do the necessarry paperwork. If it comes by DHL or similar and it get held up at the customs, you have the choice of clearing it from customs yourself in person (by the help of an agent) or you can ask DHL etc. to clear the customs for you and you must pay them the customs duty plus some cost for their efforts. The choice is yours.

Sheila, if you send any packet to Thailand, I am sure it will be a similar proceedure as I described above. It is not possible to pay customs duty in advance. You may have a good chance of getting through Scots free if you put your gifts into a tatty old box which looks rather poor.

ismet

http://www.elkocyprus.com

smithy


Joined: 17/07/2008
Posts: 5301

Message Posted:
17/10/2009 10:15

Thanks Ismet

I am worried sick as to how I would get these gift sent, some of them cost quite a bit, so I want a safe way of shipping etc as i dearly thought they would be coming here, but theres a chance they now wont.

auxiant


Joined: 16/07/2009
Posts: 47

Message Posted:
20/10/2009 19:26

thank you all for sharing your experience.



I wonder what is the threshold of the value allowed before duty tax is applied. Does anyone know?



one last advice from your experience:



customs tax does not apply to goods shipped from mainland Turkey, correct?



many thanks again

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 01:48

so, maybe some people understand now why goods are more expensive in relation to south. This is the TRNC excuse, here is the proof!

I had a cargo stuck in Istanbul, it was with FedEx, they just refused to send it on.. It was paid full delivery to TRNC, the internet tracking no showed it was delivered to me in Girne, in the meantime I got a fax from FedEx agents in Istanbul asking me to pay Duty and touchdown cost for istanbul airport. Also as the package was there for 5 days another parking fee. I could not believe, phones US FedEx explained, they said the cargo was delivered to me! I said no! its in istanbul.. many talks, nothig. so I could decide, pay, dont pay or pay an lawyear.. I did the first one, payed them aprox 500 Euros to get the stuff to Ercan to pay customs and all other again.. So, even "motherlands" are ripping us (Reg. TRNC Companies) off here! A friend of mine, Balck & Decker Agent had the same problem, but he decided to let the 40kg o-rings in TR customs SHAME!

nostradamus


Joined: 15/04/2008
Posts: 557

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 07:57

My problem was the same as Henrik's. Fedex are the pits and would never use them again. They allow stuff to go into customs at Istanbul when it should go on to the Ercan flight. As far as I can tell, this is down to their stupidity. When they did this to me, they told me to get an agent in Turkey to clear it or go to Istanbul myself. Either way, I would have had to pay unnecessary duty in Turkey plus a lot of additional expenses. i did speak to an agent in Turkey who wanted a lot of money to the clearance and also wanted me to go to Mersin to get a Turkish tax number and get a notaire to sign a form giving the agent permission to act for me. Unbelievable! I have TNT but they have managed to get my stuff to Larnaca twice instead of Ercan. It then took 6 weeks to get it here. They did tell me that they wouldn't charge me any extra for this!?!

Hippo


Joined: 02/02/2007
Posts: 2070

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 08:02

UPS is the best in turkey they bypass Istanbul customs and goes direct to the regional office. i don't know how they compare here in the North. Personally i would have it shipped in via the South.

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 09:34

Unfortunately the packages by private couriers can get stuck at the customs in Turkey. The trouble is that anything for TRNC has to be addressed to "Mersin 10, Turkey" i.e they are lumped together with packages for mainland Turkey. Then the problems begin.

I suggest the following two alternatives:

1. GEt the packages sent by "Speedpost" or EMS (Express Mail Service" which is the official postal service. Thge packet will be delivered to the nearest post office and you collect it from there. If it is subject to customs duty, the customs man in attendance will do all the paperwork and you get the packet after the payment of the duty. No more fuss about it. The drawback is the "thieving fingers" at Istanbul Post Office.



2. Get the packet sent to the dark side by private courier. Two recent examples: a) My son had a packet sent to him from America to the post office box of his friend in south Nicosia. He was asked for an address and he gave the name of the street where the POB was.

elko2



Joined: 24/07/2007
Posts: 4400

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 09:38

After some phone calls, he agreed to pay the customs duty and he collected the packet from DHL office near the border.

b) I had a packet from China. I sent an e.mail to TNT Nicosia in the south and asked if I could give their address. No problem. After three days I was notified that the packet arrived in their Nicosia Office. I took a taxi and collected it from their Office in south Nicosia. On this particular occasion there was no customs charge. The package was in an old tatty carbon box which gave the appearence of no value. Good tactic.

ismet

http://www.elkocyprus.com

jazzaktai


Joined: 14/04/2009
Posts: 136

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 09:39

dhl uk to nicosia 20kg package £80 taxi lapta to dhl south side 60 lira 3 days no hassle deliverd to my door by taxi heaven

Teresa


Joined: 21/11/2007
Posts: 1018

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 10:03

Auxiant yes duty is charged on parcels from Mainland Turkey, We have played around with different cargo companies and was told by somone n customs that if the cargo costs are under 50tl then there is a better chance of customs letting it through

auxiant


Joined: 16/07/2009
Posts: 47

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 12:04

so... if you find a supplier in mainland Turkey, you pay their VAT plus you pay a second time customs (which is another VAT I understand) to get it here?



This is hard to believe...

auxiant


Joined: 16/07/2009
Posts: 47

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 12:08

or.. can the supplier in Turkey not apply VAT as the good is directed to TRNC, so you only pay once?

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 13:48

ha ha elko, do you think we are doing it the first time?? ofcourse it was adressed Girne / Mersin 10 Turkey.. this was one of 100s of shipments we got.. 4 times we had orders in Larnaca.. But they ehipped them back via Athens to istanbul and then Mersin and Famagusta or Ercan.. oh god, did this many times.. these were only the badest experiences.. 80-90% of the shipments go the way they should go.. To TRNC

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 10:36

Can't you have DHL address your delivery as

Mr. Smith

c/o DHL

Ercan Airport



or similar?



No mention of Mersin-10 or Turkey or Cyprus.



That way the DHL agent who ships it out has the package sent to the nearest airport with a connection (indirect) to Ercan. DHL at Ercan should then clear it and deliver it to Mr. Smith and collect any extra import duties from him.

auxiant


Joined: 16/07/2009
Posts: 47

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 11:28

sorry to ask again, but cannot find a way to get this info, if you had a similar experience:



If you buy goods in mainland Turkey and have them shipped here, OK I understand you have to pay customs duties in TRNC.



However, is there a way to avoid paying twice the sale tax in Turkey and the tax here?



Where can I find out what are the arrangement in this case?



Many thanks again.

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 12:49

the TC company needs to have an export license, (which only few have - if they are not much in expoert - licences cost money.. ) So, if he has an export licence, he may sell you the goods without TURKISH VAT. Then, when they come here, you need to pay TRNC VAT and whatever other costs.

You may find this out when you call the TR company from which you want to buy the goods from, and ask if he can issue invoices without VAT. Thats it

auxiant


Joined: 16/07/2009
Posts: 47

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 13:58

thanks Henrik,



really very much appreciated.



Auxiant

henrik



Joined: 01/10/2009
Posts: 314

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 15:29

no prob auxiant,

@ Vaughan: when you give items to DHL it can be possible that the dont (want) to find ECN as it is not an international port. dont know if it arrives only with ECN.. would be more luck than anything else.. give it a try and post it here



The problem may be that the company you are working with may not accept this adress to sent to. Kibsolar has an postal adress in Girne and a shippment adress, which is as basic and clear as possible to aviod confussion and possible excuses of shippers regarding wrong shippment. Our shippment adress includes our customs clearance agents name and phone, our phone number and the TRNC port name via Mersin 10 TR.. .

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 15:39

Some years ago we had a shipment from Australia to ECN c/o DHL and it was up to the shipper (DHL) in Sydney to decide how he was going to get it there.