Non-Traditional Mini Parts Suppliers, Tariffs, and Surprises.

[BruceK]

Since tariffs (and courier companies) can add unwanted excitement and additional cost when ordering Mini parts from our familiar UK suppliers like MiniSpares and MiniSport, I've been looking at alternative sources. Of course we can't count on MiniMania or Seven anymore. 

Earlier this month I purchased Mini parts from WildChild and Moss, both based in the US, to avoid drama and bogus charges from a shipping company like UPS not knowing what they're doing regarding import fees with an international shipment. Using a US based company is a lot smoother and both of them delivered the orders promptly.

But, Moss doesn't carry every Mini part, and WildChild seems to be pretty low on inventory right now.

As I'm currently working on refurbishing my Mini's fuel tank, I decided I might as well put in a brand new sender unit. WildChild was out of stock, and Moss wanted over $105 for that part.

Then I found a Mini fuel tank sender unit for $50 at Engel Imports located in kalamazoo, Michigan. They specialize in Jaguar parts but their website said they had the Mini part I wanted available, so I ordered it yesterday.

Today I got an unusual email from them  (See below) where they explained they are actually part of a German parts company and the fuel sender unit I ordered from Michigan would be shipped from Germany (!), but I shouldn't have any problems with having to pay any tariffs or import fees. Hmmm.

So I guess I'll see if UPS actually agrees to that when delivery day comes.

[MiniDave]

I've done business with Engel and had forgeten about them - their prices are pretty reasonable too. I've also heard of Limora tho I haven't bought anything from them. This will be interesting to see what happens.

I tried to get Clancy's master cylinder from Wild Child (Nate is easy to deal with too) but he was out of stock.

[BruceK]

My package from Engel is still in Germany according to the UPS tracking, but it is scheduled to be delivered in four days, this coming Monday.  I'm going to give the guy who wrote me the email a call tomorrow to make sure together we understand that I will not be giving any money to UPS – should they request it – to secure the delivery. I'm still pissed off from the last stunt UPS pulled in September for my delivery from Belgium.

I have received a copy of the order invoice that was generated in Germany by the parent company and it does not have any HS codes on it to classify the items as auto parts, so I am unsure of how customs duties and fees will be addressed and paid on the vendor side.

[Scargo]

I looked to order a steering rack from Wild Child but instead of doing it online, I had a question so I called their phone line. It went to voicemail over a week ago, I left a message requesting a return call and to date I've not heard back. In the meantime, I ordered one from Mini Spares and received it within five days. Tariff equated to 27.5%.

Did you try BPNW ?

[94touring]

I looked to order a steering rack from Wild Child but instead of doing it online, I had a question so I called their phone line. It went to voicemail over a week ago, I left a message requesting a return call and to date I've not heard back. In the meantime, I ordered one from Mini Spares and received it within five days. Tariff equated to 27.5%.

Did you try BPNW ?

What amount of that was DHL adding $17 to the bill for the admin fee and what was the tarrif amount? 

[MiniDave]

I didn't know BPNW carried any Mini parts, I know Don uses them for Sprite/Midget and GT6 parts.

I've used Steveston in Canada for some accessory type stuff and it was cheaper to go to them than Japan or England at the time, but that was before the tariff things went crazy.....I have no idea what the tariff is for Canada right now.

Howard, I'm surprised you didn't get anyone at Wild Child, I called the other day and Nate answered right away.

[BruceK]

So I called Engel Imports today to learn more about the car parts delivery process from Germany that I've been promised does not involve me having to pay separate customs duties or tariffs charges.

Basically the bottom line is Engel is covering all the import fees themselves rather than pass them on directly to the customer. So from the customer's viewpoint it's the same as having an order fulfilled by a vendor completely within the US.

Obviously, "there's no free lunch" and somebody ultimately has to pay these charges, but for me personally not having to deal with UPS or DHL or whatever carrier collecting customs fees/tariffs is sure going to make things easier. And Engel's price on the fuel sender I ordered was only half the price of one from Moss, so they don't seem to be treating tariffs as an additional profit center like UPS does with their bogus $12 customs broker charge.

My package is expected to be delivered in three days and if anything changes, I will update things here. 

In the meantime, you may want to check out this company as a potential source for Mini parts:  engelimports.com

[MiniDave]

Just scrolling around the website for Mini parts, some things seem really expensive, some seem really reasonable....overall probably only a bit more than Spares time you factor in exchange rate.

[MPlayle]

My turn to join this thread. 

I am giving British Parts Northwest a try.

I needed to order some rear brake parts (rear brake shoes and cylinders).  I used to be able to get them through the local parts stores using a 1973 MG Midget as a cross reference, but none of the stores are carrying them anymore.

BPNW had them listed as in stock and at prices comparable to Mini Spares or Mini Sport (factoring in the exchange rate).  Shipping will be about $19 via UPS ground.

I will report on how well the order process turns out.

[Scargo]

Dan,

In answer to your question, on an invoice amount of $160.07 including shipping:

Regulatory Charges $1.34
Import Export Duties $25.45
Duty Tax Processing $17.00

TOTAL = $43.79 (27.4%)

[94touring]

They're still over charging then on the actual import portion. 

[MiniDave]

On Clancy's $155 master cylinder, they charged $48 just in duty, plus the $17 and $1.34. When I questioned them about it they said they'd send me an email explaining the charge as I thought it was excessive. After a week I did get an email saying they were still reviewing the case and I would hear from them shortly. Another week went by and they sent an email saying they were refunding  - but they didn't say how much.

I still haven't seen anything of a refund, and it's been another week.

From DHL....

Dear Valued Customer,

Due to the current delays, we are issuing a courtesy adjustment/credit for the invoice currently in dispute. This action is being taken solely as a gesture of goodwill and does not serve as an admission of error by DHL.

At this time, no action is required on your part.  As the invoice has been paid in full, we will issue a refund back to the Credit Card that was used to pay the invoice.

We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your continued partnership with DHL.

Kind regards,

Query Handling Team

[94touring]

You'd think it would be easy for them since they're in the import export business to know what % goes with which HS  codes.  I mean...they're charging us $17 to know what to charge us!  And I somehow got by not being charged a dime on my big panel order.

[94touring]

Going by what Blaked posted in his thread about panels he ordered, looks like 15% was what he got hit with on the tarrif line also.  They include shipping cost too. 

[BruceK]

Dave, DHL not responding promptly to you does not surprise me. It's been two full months since I filed a dispute with UPS on the unexplained "government fees" they charged me. And not a peep from them. And when I originally filed the dispute, they cautioned me not to contact them again and just be patient.  That didn't fill me with confidence so I took a different approach. 

I got a completely different result by creating a dispute on the UPS charge with my Visa card. I was preparing detailed documentation to help explain to Visa why the UPS import fee calculation was incorrect, but Visa didn't even want to see it. They just credited me (within 2 days) the roughly $80 amount I told them I was overcharged and they said the matter is closed.

Dan, you make a very valid point about these shipping companies charging us money in some sort of "expert" capacity to know what to charge us but failing miserably.  Honestly, it all seems like they're just using smoke and mirrors around import fees as an excuse to profiteer.

[94touring]

Yeah it's a money grab. We already pay for their services and now we're paying them a 2nd time for worse/inconsistent service.  And I guess the google answer of 10% isn't exactly correct because 15 seems to be what's being applied the most.

[94touring]

This is right off DHLs website. I cut out the portion on car parts from the UK. It's supposed to be 10%. 

 

Also there's this...

https://chimicles.com/ups-dhl-import-fee-overcharge-class-action-investigation/

[94touring]

An option for tires from Japan.  Import fees and shipping included. They have different sizes and compounds.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325193676386?itmmeta=01KA7A3Q7Q67RQ5N01B22XWSFV&hash=item4bb70db662:g:PpUAAOSwAiRihEuI


https://www.ebay.com/itm/325485370517?epid=21065166421&itmmeta=01KA7A3Q7Q2KQM7CW6R1X4TSSB&hash=item4bc8709c95:g:Mm8AAOSwbKxlU0AI

[MiniDave]

A PC hobbyist says he was hit with a $684 tariff bill on a $355 shipment of retro computing parts, in what appears to be a growing pattern tied to changes in federal import rules. The case, described in a blog post published November 15 by the writer behind OldVCR, involved a vintage parts order from Germany. UPS, the courier, later reduced the charge after the recipient disputed the tariff classification.

The point of the article are to make sure the seller puts the correct HS designation on their invoice, because getting a refund later is difficult and time consuming, if possible at all. This article was in a computer forum, but the same applies to our parts, especially if there's a variety of things you're getting. I don't know how to do this with say, Mini Spares or one of the other Mini parts suppliers, I guess an email immediately after you place the order? I mean, it's not their fault that our rules have gotten all wacky.

Article

And I haven't seen a dime of the refund DHL said they were supposed to be sending me - over a week ago - I don't think Bruce has seen his either.......As it's been 9 days since DHL sent me an email telling me they were refunding me the tariffs on the master cylinder I bought I sent them a follow up email today, I'll see if they reply.

[BruceK]

Update: My Mini fuel sender unit which I purchased from Engel Imports (in Michigan) last week just arrived at my door from Germany via UPS and it was exactly as promised: no tariff/customs fees were due upon delivery. So it really was just like it was shipped to me from Michigan.

Kudos to Engel for doing it right. When I spoke to them last week they explained that they get a single monthly customs invoice from UPS for all of the shipments that month that were imported,  instead of involving the customer to pay tariffs/fees on each shipment. And then Engel just pays that one consolidated invoice. I'm sure that cuts down on UPS profiteering by charging things like a separate brokerage fee on each individual shipment.

All companies should do it this way. You see a price for an item, decide whether to purchase it, and then you figure out the shipping charge. And that's all you pay. No surprises. It would really cut down on uncertainty, frustration, and blatant tariff/custom fee overcharges. And it sure makes for a satisfying customer experience too.

[BruceK]

Dave, have you considered disputing the DHL charge with your credit card company?  I'm very happy I did that to resolve my problem with UPS. I was told there is a 60 day window from the date of the charge to file a credit card dispute. So, that 60 day time limit may expire well before these courier companies internally address, or act upon a complaint. And then it's a unilateral decision on their part.

Should I ever hear back from UPS on the dispute I  filed with them in September, I'll have to let them know the matter has already been taken care of by a partial refund on my Visa card. But honestly, I don't think I'm going to hear back from them on it.

[94touring]

The link to those tires includes shipping and tarrifs it says too. 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=transporter_jp_goods&store_name=tapjapanusshop&_oac=1&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l49496

[BruceK]

The link to those tires includes shipping and tarrifs it says too. 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ssn=transporter_jp_goods&store_name=tapjapanusshop&_oac=1&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l49496

Great, if true. Always a little touchier to deal with a foreign eBay seller rather than a traditional established business website. Especially with a language barrier.  Still, the deal could easily be everything it purports to be. Who's gonna break the ice?

[94touring]

I just go by the seller rating, longevity, and number of sales.   If I needed tires right now I'd buy a set.  I tend to buy everything online anymore and even buy off ebay from the local VW shop...why drive and waste my time when I get free shipping to my door 2 days later.

[mascher]

In "See full description" in the tires from Japan link it says:

"International Buyers Please Note:
Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying.
Customs fees are normally charged by the shipping company or collected when you pick the item up. These fees are not additional shipping charges."

Does it say the opposite elsewhere?

The tires don't appear to have DOT markings. Fine for track days but I wouldn't run them on the street (insurance). Others may disagree.