Releasing Higher-value FedEx Package without Customs Broker?

[RecumbentRider]

Has anyone had success "liberating" a package from customs sent via FedEx/DHL/etc. that is over the $1,000 door-to-door delivery limit without using a customs broker? I'm including some relevant threads below for anyone else in a similar situation. I've already sent the package (so messages of "don't do it!" are unhelpful), and just trying to understand if a customs broker is my only option or folks have seen flexibility at Ezeiza. I'll be happy to send an update with my experience afterward.

Where to go for package being held by customs

Hello, I have a package being sent from the US to CABA, but am being told it is held up at customs. It was shipped with FedEx, but now they're saying I need a "customs broker". To my understanding, the issue is I probably need to go pay an import tax/legal bribe. It's a work expense, so I'm...

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Stuck At Customs....

Some help please.... I didn't know this at the time of posting, however I've ordered a Laptop Screen Extender for my computer. I'm being told by DHL I need to obtain a customers broker to import this. Seems utterly ridiculous, however my Spanish is near non-existent at the moment and I don't...

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Receiving a Package/Parcel from Home

Hi Everyone, I know in the past receiving packages in Argentina was tricky. My mother wants to travel to Argentina because I am about to have a baby in September 2021. However, with all the airport restrictions and closures, I don't know if my mother will be here before the baby comes. She...

baexpats.org

Thanks!

 

[Summer]

FedEx/DHL is the customs broker. You should contact them. Go into a branch office so you don’t get sent on a wild goose chase over the phone.

 

[Caribbean Cool]

and FYI..... I have used grabr.io/en/ four times....flawless. Maybe next time use them.

 

[steveinbsas]

Do you have a DNI?

If not, you can insist that it be returned to.the sender because it is undeliverable.

 

[obiwanderkenobi]

UPS has the best tool I've seen for reviewing country-specific shipping regulations, including commodity specific requirements and customs clearance information. Obviously the process of actually taking possession of your package will vary slightly if you're using FedEx or DHL instead, but I've always used the UPS tool as a good starting point to learn what customs obstacles I'm likely to encounter for a given package.

https://www.ups.com/ga/CountryRegs?loc=en_AR
or
https://www.ups.com/ga/CountryRegs?loc=en_US
or
Google "UPS import export regulations"

Once there, select the origin and destination country and check which topic(s) you want to read up on. The origin country shouldn't alter anything other than the export-specific topics. For the sake of this example, I'm going to use the U.S. as the origin country, Argentina as the destination, and check the box for "clearance information":



The result will be a list of what steps you're required to take to receive your package, and unfortunately Argentina being Argentina and all, it is a bit lengthy. Here's an excerpt that would seem to apply to your particular situation (if it were a UPS package):

Formal Entries:
Restricted items, (please check the commodities specific stipulations), shipments with a value of US$1,000.00 or greater or weighing more than 50 kg (110 Lbs) will require a formal clearance (Formal Entry) with a Third Party Customs Broker.

On the day of arrival UPS will send an email notification (only if e-mail address is available. If not, the contact will be by phone) in order to notify to the consignee the formal entrys requirement for the shipment. The consignee must pick-up the paperwork from our UPS counter at the following address: Pte. Luis Saenz Peña 1351, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Monday to Friday from 9 am to 7 pm.

For P/P & F/C shipments - all import charges must be paid by the receiver. After the arrival & classification of the shipment, UPS will move the packages to the Formal Import Customs Warehouse, separates the packages by consignees, and assign an Air Waybill (AWB) with a customs "tracking" number. Only the consignee and/or authorized persons (Customs Brokers) can clear these shipments.

The only port of import in Argentina is Buenos Aires, therefore:

For shipments to Buenos Aires, on the day before of arrival, the consignee must pick-up the paperwork from our UPS counter at the following address: Pte. Luis Saenz Peña 1351, Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Monday to Friday from 9 am to 7 pm and will receive a copy of the AWB and necessary paperwork to process the formal entry. The system will be updated with a proof of delivery (POD) stating DN and the receiver's name. The consignee must pay US$62.00 + VAT and plus ARS $250 for handling in order to receive the shipment's paperwork (consignee will also have to pay the freight charges to receive paperwork if the billing option is F/C).

If the merchandise requires a Formal Entry and the consignee is in another location other than Buenos Aires, UPS will contact him/her to notify of the arrival of the shipment so the consignee can process the formal entry with a Third Party Broker in Buenos Aires. UPS will provide a Bond Transit of the merchandise from Buenos Aires Customs to Customs at the consignee's location but only if the consignee has a UPS account. In this particular case, there will be additional charges:

• Ezeiza Airport Warehouse Fees
• Customs Guard Fee
• Handling Fee
• Other transit charges (the freight charges from Buenos Aires Airport to the customs location outside of Buenos Aires is included in the original freight cost).

The consignee must make arrangements within 10 business days of arrival. After this time, customs bond transits cannot be processed. Please note that not all cities in Argentina have a local customs processing facility. After arrival and classification, UPS moves the packages to the Formal Import Customs Warehouse, separates the packages by consignees, and assigns an Air Waybill (AWB) with a Customs Tracking Number. The system will be updated with a DN SCS BROKER that serves as a Proof of Delivery (POD) only for consignee who selected UPS as the customs broker.

Again, you'd have to contact FedEx or DHL to find out their specific requirements, but I'd imagine it would be very similar to that of UPS. If it were me, I'd reach out to the carrier as soon as possible to get an overview of what processes (and fees) to expect once the package arrives in country.

 

[RecumbentRider]

As an update, after working with a customs broker I was able to release the package within a little more than a week after the initial payment. I ended up working with this company based entirely on an internet search, and they were very professional: responsive to messages, clear and accurate cost estimation, and great communication of expectations for the process. As many have noted elsewhere it was expensive - the taxes were about 75% of the value of the package, with another 55% on top of that for the various customs broker fees. They broke those fees down in the cost estimate, which I at least appreciated knowing even if the numbers were higher than I initially expected (I was expecting the high taxes, not the need for the broker).

Some responses to other posts:

FedEx/DHL is the customs broker. You should contact them. Go into a branch office so you don’t get sent on a wild goose chase over the phone.

This appears to not be the case when the value of the package is over $1,000 USD, so a broker was needed based on my communications with FedEx.

and FYI..... I have used grabr.io/en/ four times....flawless. Maybe next time use them.

This may work for many people, so a good suggestion. My shipment was quite unusual (a specific bicycle, which you can see in my profile photo), and may not have been possible using this service.

Do you have a DNI?

I do not, and I'll note that the customs broker was able to release the package without me having one.

UPS has the best tool I've seen for reviewing country-specific shipping regulations, including commodity specific requirements and customs clearance information. Obviously the process of actually taking possession of your package will vary slightly if you're using FedEx or DHL instead, but I've always used the UPS tool as a good starting point to learn what customs obstacles I'm likely to encounter for a given package.

Thanks for this resource - a great suggestion to confirm my suspicion that a customs broker was needed in this circumstance.

 

[Caribbean Cool]

and FYI..... I have used grabr.io/en/ four times....flawless. Maybe next time use them.

6 TIMES