German users: importing pens from Japan?

[Dominink]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section, please move if it is, thank you!

 

Are there any German users here who have ordered pens from Japan?

I am thinking about ordering a Pilot pen on German eBay, but by a Japanese seller. It is so much cheaper than here, but of course taxes and customs ("Zollgebühren") have to be added (the seller says it is not included in price).

 

Do you know how much I have to add for custom, taxes, Einfuhrsteuer, shipping company handling fees? I could not find "Füllfederhalter" (fountain pen) on the German customs catalog.

The pen will be about 230-240 EUR with free shipping from Japan.

I want to figure out if it is cheaper after all with all those extra costs (and the hassle driving to the customs office, filling out all these forms etc.)

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences!

 

[Mercian]

1 hour ago, Dominink said:

I could not find "Füllfederhalter" (fountain pen) on the German customs catalog

 

The item/commodity codes used for Customs purposes are the same across the whole world.

If the German Customs agency's website lets you search by 'commodity code', the code for 'Fountain Pen' is '9608 3000 00'.
In my experience, most countries are only interested in the first eight digits of those ten, so you may not need to include the final two zeroes.

 

I wish you 'good hunting'

 

Edit to add:

The vendor in Japan will complete a Customs form, and that form will be attached to the item before it is shipped.

DHL may contact you to ask you for the relevant Duties/VAT, but I don't think that you will need to go to a Customs office yourself, or fill out any forms.

 

For more information, I am tagging @Bo Bo Olson, because he has just imported some inks to Germany from the UK (i.e. outside of the EU), and has experienced 'fun' with them getting through German Customs.
He will be able to tell you more than I can about how German Customs/postal couriers go about collecting any payable Duties or VAT.

[Dominink]

@Mercian thank you very much for your reply!

With your number, I could find it at a European customs page (https://www.zolltarifnummern.de/2024/96083000)

Now from there on I will research if I find a catalog with % numbers of fees, markups etc.

 

And thank you for forwarding my issue to an experienced user in Germany, this will be very helpful I am sure.

 

The "fun" with the German customs is exactly what I want to rather avoid. Years ago in a small company we ordered stuff from China via aliexpress and had endless mail conversations and filling out forms with the customs.

I would rather pay 100 EUR markup to get it from an European re-seller than to go through this nerve- and time-consuming hassle again.

 

I should add that I do not own (and not want to) a credit card. So buying it from amazon JP is unfortunately not a viable option, since a credit card is needed (they do not accept PayPal).

 

[Dominink]

Just a quick update:

I managed to finde the pen with a Spanish online shop, it was only 20 € more than ordering directly in Japan, but contrary to ordering in Japan I now don't have to pay any VAT/Customs/import taxes and markups! (since Spain and Germany are both in the EU, there are no import or custom fees)

So overall it is even cheaper since ordering in Japan would have meant paying an additional 50-90 (?) € on top with all the fees involved.

 

So I avoided the whole hassle with customs and filling out forms and visiting the customs office and so on.

I don't think it will arrive sooner than had I ordered in japan, though. Since I have heard horror stories about Spanish postal services being so slow and (hopefully not) losing parcels on the way ... wish me luck! 😀

[Mercian]

5 hours ago, Dominink said:

I don't think it will arrive sooner than had I ordered in japan, though. Since I have heard horror stories about Spanish postal services being so slow and (hopefully not) losing parcels on the way ... wish me luck! 😀

 

I hope the shipping/delivery goes smoothly for you!

🤞

 

And of course I am now hoping that you will share your thoughts about - & post a photo of - your pen when it does get to you

[Bo Bo Olson]

On 10/26/2024 at 2:58 PM, Dominink said:

I managed to find the pen with a Spanish online shop, it was only 20 € more

Had you ordered from japan, it could have been hung up in German customs for a month...then you get charged a storage fee over the mailing...and or to pay the driver to deliver, because he had to take cash, or your credit card to pay for it.

Mercian, sure knows his stuff.