Recently, the US Administration has altered the Tariff rules.
For us, making traditional archery items in the Netherlands, it feels as if the rules are being rewritten every day.
We ship to the US every day. 99% of all shipments reach our US-based customers in just a couple of days after the collection here in the Netherlands, without any hassle or problems.
But you can't roll 6 every time.
Sometimes the default setting in the USA is: Treat everything as if it is Aluminum, and charge tariffs (That is, import duty, a tax charged to you, the receiver, not to us, the sender)
When the custom guy on duty sees the Longbow as a longbow, around 9% duties plus some separate fees are charged. making the total around 15% of the invoice total.
As we deduct our Dutch sales tax for you, done automatically according to your IP Address; location, the US price is still lower than the Dutch price.
If the customs guy has a bad day, is overly zealous, or just daft, no one knows up front in what category he will put your shipment, and taxes can be as high as 200%.
We will object to UPS/FEDEX/EMS/ etc, and so will you.
The Tariff system has not been our choice, nor does it serve any purpose, apart from taxing you, the end user. It does not warrant a refund or a cancellation of your order after we have shipped your order.
We pay the shipping costs according to your order, or in case of free shipping, we pay for the shipping. This does not include any taxes, tariffs, or import duties.Ā
In case you need help, let us know. In case you need a declaration stating your wooden Longbow is indeed made from wood, download the picture.