Shipping USPS.com and shipping outside the US problem

The US Customs and Border Control (Customs) has been cracking down on imports and exports for... reasons. *waves vaguely at Russia*

The issue I am about to present can be avoided purely by NOT using USPS.com to purchase postage for international shipping. Seriously. Use ANYONE other than USPS to buy international postage.

Background: When you ship outside the US, each item in the package must be identified using a Tariff Schedule number, which provides a number designation for the "stuff." The Harmonized Tariff Schedule is here. It's not difficult - just annoying. You have to figure out what category your "stuff" in the box falls under, weigh each individual item, and then assign a value to each item. This goes in a schedule on a Customs form in the Packing List section. If you are shipping stuff valued at greater than $25,500, you may also need an Export Control Classification Number (ECCN)/Export Administration Regulation (EAR) number, but dude - you're a business. Go get some legal advice - not a post on a dolly forum.

The problem: the packing list - specifically, USPS's website when filling out the packing list. USPS.com says that you do NOT need to list the Tariff Schedule number with your item UNLESS you are a commercial shipper. I am not a commercial shipper. I am not in the business of shipping stuff internationally. I just like to trade dollies, and I'm cool with shipping stuff overseas. If I put in the Tariff Schedule number, that means I want my stuff to be treated like a commercial shipment. No, thank you.

My last two attempted shipments, which cost me nearly $180, were both rejected and returned to me by Customs for failure to list a Tariff Schedule number on my packing list. Because both packages made it all the way to Customs, USPS says I am not entitled to a refund. We'll be keeping that $180, thank you!

I have called USPS several times. They apparently have the same claims/refund process as me. (They also have the automated menu system from hell, but that's another story...)

I tried to explain this to a USPS international shipping claims officer, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I don't think the woman has ever been on the USPS website. She also had zero idea what a Tariff Schedule was, much less an ECCN/EAR99. This also means - do NOT go to a USPS location. They are even less likely to know what you are talking about. If they get the packing list description wrong, and Customs returns it - you're not going to get a refund, either.

This is a new issue. I have been shipping to Ireland, the UK, and Australia for a couple years now, and this is the first time this has happened to me. Please learn from my $180 lesson.

 

Oh, I am rage incarnate right now. Wooo. I thought the DMV was bad...

I apologize - let me clarify. USPS, the shipping service, is fine. Just don't purchase postage on the USPS website. Use Parcel Monkey or Pirate Ship. USPS still (usually) offers the best rates for international shipping. But their Click-n-Ship service sucks.

Oh, and don't pay for Priority International Express. You're just throwing away money. There is no "Express" about it, and there's no guarantee of delivery. You're just donating more money to USPS for a whole lot of nothing.

Also - their international refund claims process is totally awful.

 

Update: I shipped dolls to Australia, and this time, I included the HTS codes. These most recent shipments appear to have passed through customs. I pray to the dolly deities that they are not returned to me...

For BJDs, I selected Toys; Dolls; including parts and accessories thereof; Other (i.e., not for Children under 3 years or age, or children 3 to 12 years of age): HTS Code 9503.00.00.90 (page 3, top). Note - if you click the link, you will be prompted to download a PDF from the US International Trade Commission website. <- This link will take you to all of the schedules, no download.

I also shipped some playline dolls (Rainbow High) using HTS Code 9503.00.00.90, and according to page 2 of Chapter 95 of the HTS, the included outfits should also fall under the same category because the outfits are "put up together for retail sale..." (page 2, Note 4). The link is the same as first paragraph and will prompt you to download a PDF.

For "unmounted" (not installed) doll eyes, I used: Glass and Glassware; Other; Glass eyes, except prosthetic articles: HTS Code 7018.90.10.00 (page 24, will prompt you to download a PDF) because that's what the notes on page 1, 1(ij), of Chapter 95 of the HTS Code told me they were.

Finally: electronics (such as phones or tablets) can be shipped by surface transportation only. Outside the continental US, that means by boat, or the most painfully slow way to send something. I will not be shipping anything electronic internationally. Ever.

 

Second update: I shipped via the website Parcel Monkey. They also do NOT require HTS numbers on the packing list, which they call a "pro forma invoice."
Sigh. I don't know how to get the information out, but if you are shipping outside the US, or outside your country generally, you NEED a tariff schedule number in your package.