Duty fee from EpicTV

Christian Heschwrote:

Kevin, forgive my cluttering the thread but… only $15 was actual tariff charge and $17 was dhl processing fee? If so, sounds like the shippers are making out quite well… (insert annoyed face here)

DHL aren't the shipper, that was Banana Fingers, DHL are the courier. 

DHL have the expense on the outgoing side of operating the export registration system, this is/used to be levied seperately depending on the country of destination and was €1,50 in the old days. They then have to put the entire value of the landed cargos tax due up front then claim it back, either from the customer or the tax authorities if the freight is rejected. The handling fee into the UK is around £14 and has been for years. Compared with using a customs agent it's cheap, like real cheap. Don't like it then remove the tariffs.

Allen Sandersonwrote:

Even before the de minimis ending private shippers would bend you over with their processing fees. When I have had pkgs sent I ask that the national post be used. It takes longer but no processing fees.

Those days are long gone.

Jim Tittwrote:

The $69 is the correct figure, the price paid + shipping +50% (it's an aluminum derived product) 

strange logic in these tariffs because the aluminum stock is only worth a few dollars.
If the trumpeters could think straight, it seems more logical that the 50% would be applied to simple metal parts, not items that are 95% complicated processing.

Commodity aluminum is about $2500 per ton ~ $1.20 per pound.
6061 is very roughly $3-4 per pound

Of course the trumpers can't even agree on how to destroy America.   politico.com/news/magazine/…

tom donnellywrote:

strange logic in these tariffs because the aluminum stock is only worth a few dollars.
If the trumpeters could think straight, it seems more logical that the 50% would be applied to simple metal parts, not items that are 95% complicated processing.

Commodity aluminum is about $2500 per ton ~ $1.20 per pound.
6061 is very roughly $3-4 per pound

Of course the trumpers can't even agree on how to destroy America.   politico.com/news/magazine/…

Yes and no, the original Trump tariffs in 2018 were to protect US steel (and aluminum) production in the USA. This led to US producers raising their prices and US manufacturing facing increased material costs so output fell. To get the USA manufacturing "great" again the simpletons answer was obviously add derivative products to the tariff and raise it (the earlier attempts had no effect). Since the increased tariffs US metal production has decreased, price increased on the US market and manufacturing decreased.

For non-US manufacturers there are a couple of major hassles (which means expense which the end customer has to pay), first you have to value the metal costs seperately from the other parts, the plastic bits in say a Grigri have a different tariff than the metal parts. Additionally US Customs require the country of pour and cast (where the metals were originally made) to be listed seperately or they receive a penalty tariff of 200%, whether or not this is being enforced I don't know but fthe order was in force at the end of June. If you are making something horribly complicated like a aircraft this is a nightmare as it must also be for US Customs.

The solution for many non-US manufacturers is simply abandon the US market and expand elsewhere until the US is wealthy enough to pay!

In Tucson, my import duty was $33.77 for the same product from Epictv

Brad Johnsonwrote:

Ha not a troll. I didn’t realize the minimums ended.

Oh well $200 ohmega here we come! 

Just can reject the shipment and get a refund.

(You may wish to contact the seller to verify that they will be responsible to refund the shipping fees and return shipping fees).

FYI the tariffs (including de minimus) are being challenged in court but will remain in effect until the court makes its ruling. 

 the https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgj7jxkq58o

Trump had justified the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president the power to act against "unusual and extraordinary threats," for ex. you getting a decent price on a piece of climbing hardware for your recreational pursuits.

This will all work itself out when we start manufacturing our own Ohmegas here in the US. /s

Nick Sheldonwrote:

I just got hit with a $170 duty fee after estimating it to be $60 before ordering... I reached out to try to understand why it was more than I anticipated.

That is really weird. My husband ordered Ohmega from Epic TV 3 days ago. Received it yesterday (So basically in 2 days). The tariff on it was $16. The "processing fee" for the said tariff was $17. So a total of $33. But WTF is this processing fee shit? 

There was no estimate of the tariff anywhere during the ordering process, but we also ballpark-figured it would be in the $50-60 range.

The label said originating in France, but there's no way it got shipped that quickly from France, he didn't get a fast shipping option, or anything... it seems like it was already pre-shipped to US, and then shipped from somewhere here?

It is crazy that there is so much variation, but probably not surprising, given the chaos.

Lena chitawrote:

The label said originating in France, but there's no way it got shipped that quickly from France, he didn't get a fast shipping option, or anything... it seems like it was already pre-shipped to US, and then shipped from somewhere here?

That's about their average shipping time from France to the US. Processing fee is the fee to deal with the cf that is US customs paperwork.

Grant Tobinwrote:

That's about their average shipping time from France to the US. Processing fee is the fee to deal with the cf that is US customs paperwork.

Just to be clear, I understand what “processing fee” is. It does seem crazy that the processing fee is even higher than the tariff, in case of small items, though it is understandable.

And nobody talks about it when talking about tariffs. But in a sense, the total tax on me, the end buyer of a small thing I can’t buy in the US, is actually double the already-ridiculous tariff situation. 

I like how it's a German guy who actually has some understanding of how tariffs are being applied and actually impacting the US economy/manufacturing.  Go figure.

I'm not actually German, I just live there (I'm British) and I run a business which exports to the USA amongst others so try to keep abreast of the situation.

Lena chitawrote:

That is really weird. My husband ordered Ohmega from Epic TV 3 days ago. Received it yesterday (So basically in 2 days). The tariff on it was $16. The "processing fee" for the said tariff was $17. So a total of $33. But WTF is this processing fee shit? 

There was no estimate of the tariff anywhere during the ordering process, but we also ballpark-figured it would be in the $50-60 range.

The label said originating in France, but there's no way it got shipped that quickly from France, he didn't get a fast shipping option, or anything... it seems like it was already pre-shipped to US, and then shipped from somewhere here?

It is crazy that there is so much variation, but probably not surprising, given the chaos.

The processing fee is what the shipper is charging for handling the tariff. That is the shipper is charging for collecting the tariff and paying it to the Department of Treasury. DHL, FedEx, UPS, all charge a processing fee. The USPS does not.

Typically there is no estimate of the tariff anywhere during the ordering process because the business is selling internationally and as such would have to be able to access the tariff rates for each and every country it ships to. It is incumbent on the buyer to understand their country's tariffs. In the past that was reasonably straight forward but not any more.

Also it is quite possible for one person to pays a tariff of X whereas another pays Y for the exact same product. All depends on how it was labeled and who is doing the assessment. 

Did someone just simply didnt pay the fee? Is Epictv charging for the return cost or what?

Typically there is no estimate of the tariff anywhere during the ordering process because the business is selling internationally and as such would have to be able to access the tariff rates for each and every country it ships to. It is incumbent on the buyer to understand their country's tariffs.

There are software solutions that will provide buyers estimated landed costing with the latest tariff schedules included. This service costs big bucks. The one's i know are not intended for retail consumers, more for the wholesale importers and big box retailers who can (and must) afford it.

Cosmic Hotdogwrote:

This is what happens when you think government spending is a good thing. I guarantee you Lutnick is directing the tariffs specifically to just keep up with this and keep the global banking cartels happy. That's what he's there for. If you watch them they tip their hand occasionally revealing that paying this extortion is really what the tariffs are about.

The main cause of the USA federal debt is tax cuts for the rich over the last 24 years.

tom donnellywrote:

The main cause of the USA federal debt is tax cuts for the rich over the last 24 years.

According to the latest data from Forbes' 2025 ranking of America's 400 richest people (released in September 2025), the combined net worth of the top 400 U.S. billionaires stands at a record $6.6 trillion. This figure represents the vast majority of billionaire wealth in the U.S., as it's extremely concentrated among the ultra-wealthy (e.g., the top 10 alone account for over $2 trillion). Including the remaining ~500 U.S. billionaires (bringing the total to around 900) would add roughly $0.7–1 trillion more, for a grand total of about $7.3–7.6 trillion.

The national debt is currently $37 trillion. 

We could wipe out all the billionaires (confiscate all their property, grease them against a wall) and still be $30T in debt after that. So, who are you going after then? Obviously the millionaires. Let's call them Kulaks. By then Wall Street has collapsed, businesses shuttering left and right. 

But hey, we'd finally have equity, right?

X Foliatorwrote:

The national debt is currently $37 trillion. 

We could wipe out all the billionaires (confiscate all their property, grease them against a wall) and still be $30T in debt after that. So, who are you going after then? Obviously the millionaires. Let's call them Kulaks. By then Wall Street has collapsed, businesses shuttering left and right. 

But hey, we'd finally have equity, right?

That's kinda an odd argument. Most people wouldn't expect the debt to get paid off immediately, as with most large debt. You accomplish that by bringing in more money than you spend and seeing how we've cut taxes for the rich and for big corporations forever now while spending more and more the equation just ain't working.
I guess they'll keep trying to make normal people pay for it with tax increases on labor and tariffs.

side note, anyone know if the minimum is gone for bringing in goods under 800$ on your person too? I was planning to buy some stuff while in the uk next month and now I'm wondering if I'll get the shakedown at customs.

Bill Fisherwrote:

side note, anyone know if the minimum is gone for bringing in goods under 800$ on your person too? I was planning to buy some stuff while in the uk next month and now I'm wondering if I'll get the shakedown at customs.

The personal de minimis is alive and well. I just brought back a suit case of Belgium beer it was well over the limits I declared it all and was waived through as the duty would have only been a few dollars.