considering chinese purchase, shipping to seaport??

[JTH]

Hello,

I'm getting very close to the purchase of a CNC router (JCut or SaleCNC). They both want to ship to the nearest seaport, Portland, OR. If I choose to proceed do I need coordniate with a customs broker? Who at the seaport will recieve the router? What import fees/taxes/charges can I expect?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

John

[SkipW]

Hi John,

Are you close enough to Portland to pick it up yourself or do you want to have it delivered?

I just got my small router from Quick CNC and I had to pay $131.00 right off the bat for handling, a clean truck fee, port security fee, pier pass charge and examine cargo fee.

Then there was $140.00 customs duty, a $70.00 Bond Premium, a $125.00 Customs Entry Fee, a Messenger Service Fee of $30.00, a Misc Charge of $70.00 (this was probably a nice dinner that I bought for the forwarder), a Prep / Transfer Documents Fee of $45.00, and last but not least a Warehouse / Storage fee of $20.00.

I also had to provide the forwarder with a notarized Power of Attorney so they could sign for my cargo.

Then there is this:
"The ISF regulation (10 + 2) went into effect January 26, 2009. Your import cargo must be reported to Customs prior to loading overseas. Importers (you) are responsible for proper filing. If you have not made arrangements with anyone to file your ISF, make sure this is being done on your behalf. Failure to comply with the regulations can result in per shipment penalty."

The easiest way to do an import, IMO, is to let the shippers forwarder handle everything. Let them submit the ISF paperwork, let them arrange customs clearance, and let them handle the arrangements to get it shipped to your door.

Hope that helps.
Skip