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buying vinyl from abroad

I am trying to buy an album from Europe via ebay. It comes with a warning sign before checkout:

Due to US customs policies, the buyer of this item will need to pay import fees to the shipping carrier prior to delivery. 

Has anyone been through this, what is the process? Does customs sit on the merchandise for days, weeks? I know other countries tend to charge ridiculous amounts and hold the item hostage for months potentially.

parkergetdean
kennyc
2,837 posts
 

Although it’s generally considered good to get maximum bang for your buck, I’d rule out any packages from Iran 😉

oberoniaomnia
344 posts
 

As far as I understand, records/CDs/tapes are tax/duty/tariff exempt. Have received dozens of records from abroad, no invoices. I have also received other merch from abroad and gotten some bills from shipper. No problem. For small amounts you pay after receiving, for bigger ticket items you have to pay before getting the item delivered.

parkergetdean OP
1,032 posts
 

thanks @oberoniaomnia !

I am missing @thecarpathian 

I am not touching the Iran joke with a tweezer nor a 100 foot pole.

jagodby128
11 posts
 

I think the carrier will contact you to collect any additional taxes. That has been my experience. I have purchased a number of items from the UK and have not experienced any long delays. As a guess I’d say the items arrived within 14 days. 

mdbajan70
2 posts
 

Most often it will depend on the value of the item.  I bought items from Japan with that statement, but due to the value of the item, I did not have to pay duty.  On the other hand, I bought from Canada and the item was over $5K, so I had to pay the customs duty.  

Good luck.

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