Thanks, that sounds very workable.
Just to make sure nobody gets nervous:
As you said, the tax id thing is about speeding up the collection of VAT.
Whatever company you use for shipping, the packages will reach customers eventually.
The only thing that varies is how VAT gets paid.
Thanks for putting in all the work for us!
Hi, some barely related speculation on the tax ID requirement: in some countries, e.g., in Russia before 2020, the import tax is only imposed on goods if their value exceeds certain monthly limit per person (independently from number of shipments), so the customs office collects tax IDs to associate incoming shipments with a certain individual. Given that the current EU import regulations impose the tax on every shipment, the tax ID collection makes little sense for me, but maybe DHL are just being cautious and conservative with their requirements.
And some more related info: I’ve recently got a shipment delivered from the US to Germany with FedEx and everything was very smooth. FedEx actually carried out the customs clearance themselves and posted me a bill a few weeks after the delivery took place (although the bill included not only the import tax, but also a service fee:) ). So I do not expect troubles with FedEx, especially if the shipments have a credible invoice/goods description.
I just filled out the dhl form for germany and I just had to put in the item description and price and upload the invoice, so easy peasy.
However, I had to use my skills of deduction to figure out that it was the devterm, because I had no shipping notification from you guys. (There would be another package coming from hongkong, but that would not require this procedure and most likely hasn’t been shipped yet, and they did send a shipping notification last time.)
Are you sure the devterm is sent bij DHL? @AlexDuan said here they’re sending them bij Fedex. I received a Fedex tracking number from Clockworkpi. According to the Fedex shipping status page the shipment has not been received from the supplier yet so it is not yet on its way.
I’m actually not 100% sure but it was the most likely explanation.
I’ll see tomorrow, since the package is scheduled to arrive then.
If it is the other item, it was a honest mistake on my part. (And the item value is very close…)
@edwin My Fedex tracking shows the exact same status.
From experience here where I live, VAT number is if you are a business and normally you don’t have one. Instead what DHL(And others) always asks me to provide is my personal document ID.
I mailed clockwork about the shipment status. They replied the shipments are in customs and should show up in a few days. I have never experienced such a long delay between labeling and sending a shipment though.
So, did you receive a devterm yesterday?
The tricky thing is, we had to ship the packages from Dongguan, China, to Hong Kong, and there’s a customs between these locations. Still, they have to get through another customs, the customs of Hong kong. So it has been longer than your former expriences. We are planning to change the depart location to Shenzhen, that may save us a lot time.
You guys certainly have to deal with some complicated bureaucracy issues. Design and manufacturing seem to be the easy parts.
Nah, I mixed it up… I asked the other exporter for the tracking ID and it was the wrong one. I received the other item today.
Dealing with bureaucracy is the worst😭
VAT exemption number yes, but the tax id is a different thing. The term is mostly from the US Tax system, but it is basically your tax id number from your country of residence:
Though I’m surprised DHL ask for that number, they have the right from what I know, but it may be due to the confusion the new tax system is creating (that started 1 Jan in the UK and 1 June in the EU)
Yes, I was just saying from personal experience in Spain. I was asked many times to provide my personal ID by DHL.
So in any case you are asked for VAT ID and could be just a template message you got. But I would suggest contacting with the carrier itself, they will provide you the most accurate information.
It is on its way! Interestingly Fedex first stop after Hong Kong airport is the Fedex center in Guangzhuo, back in China
What??? Then why did them ship all the packages to HK?? I’ll talk to them. Thanks for the information.
I just had a phone call with our shipping partner. Turned out there’s some sort of traffic jam of cargo flights in HK. So FedEx shipped them to the nearest airport where the packages can get on an airplane without delay.
Hi,
my DevTerm arrived yesterday in Germany. Thanks for switching to FedEx, it was delivered without any problems. I didn’t have to give any Tax ID or pay any taxes at all.
Sorry for the inconveniences caused by this. You mentioned that you had additional costs using FedEx - please tell me how much and how I can send you a donation, and I’ll gladly give it back.
Thanks!
No worries. The extra cost is on us. Free shipping means free shipping. Have a happy journey with your DevTerm 