Scandalous, Extortionate Fedex Fees!

[Bearnagh]

Hi,

A Farang friend of mine suggested that I buy some herbal supplements from Swanson's in the USA, as they are virtually impossible to source in Thailand. I placed my order a couple of weeks ago and the total, including the shipping, came to $25.46 for the tablets and a staggering $24.46 to ship it by FedEx!. OK so Mr. FedEx did rather well out of that small purchase of three bottles of pills.

It gets worse... Yesterday I got an email from FedEx (Thailand) containing what seems to be some sort of delaration form about the contents of my package which has now apparently arrived in Thailand. I emailed them back asking what it was and what I should do, this being the first time I've ever encountered one of these.

I append here the (full) text of their reply:

What we need from you for clearance are

copy of your passport

Good description of each item

Please be notd that after we got the required information as above,

We will use 3-5 business days for clearance and there will be the clearance service charge

Thb1200 exclude the tax.

So I am now being asked to pay Mr. FedEx a further 1200 Baht ($36) as a "clearance fee" (for goods that have a value of only $25) on top of the ridiculous cost of shipping before I even pay import tax!!

What's the game here? Is this normal? Has anyone any experience of this? My Farang friend who recommended this method of buying the health supplements has never had this happen in the 6 years he's been buying from Swanson's.

Also - is it safe to email a scan of my passport? Why would they need that?

I hope someone can shed some light on this, which I am inclined to say, seems to be nothing short of an extortion racket.

Edited October 22, 2009 by Bearnagh

[sierra01]

Fedex related but not Thai I'm afraid!

I recently ordered a pair of Levi's from the US, fedex to the UK. Jeans $35 Fedex $22, still nearly £10 less than UK price though.

[namoo]

Normal. Fedex are just passing on the charge to you as your clearance agent. U could get your own clearance agent but to be honest you will not get it any cheaper.

Pay it or you will never get te items. In future use ISPs for low cost items. Although be aware that customs pay special attention to pills potions and powdersforobvuous reasons.

[spaceshipcrew]

That's why some call it FedUp !

Are you sure Amway does not sell this herbs ?

Otherwise, at 'Munkala' the Chinese Medical Clinic in Chiangmai if they don't have it they make it for you. I recommended this clinic to several people who suffer from something. Very recommendable !

[Bearnagh]

Thanks for that tip Spaceshipcrew... I will check at Munkala. I never thought of it at the time. Also - I didn't know there was an Amway shop in CM but my wife tells me that there is. Thank you!

Edited October 22, 2009 by Bearnagh

[spaceshipcrew]

Thanks for that tip Spaceshipcrew... I will check at Munkala. I never thought of it at the time. Also - I didn't know there was an Amway shop in CM but my wife tells me that there is. Thank you!

Bearnagh, a friend of me she does Amway, if you can't manage to find by yourself I could ask her. I see her in the afternoon because her dad has a restaurant near Borsang where I often go eat.

Last week I saw the catalog, they offer a whole lot of herbal supplements.

[Who, me ?]

where is the problem? It is quite a normal for a courier to pass the clearance charges to receiver. Now maybe it would have been wise to check this matter before!

[Bearnagh]

where is the problem? It is quite a normal for a courier to pass the clearance charges to receiver. Now maybe it would have been wise to check this matter before!

Really? How might I have done that?

Let's examine this process... My purchase and transaction was made with Swanson's on its website. I got an itemised breakdown of charges on the web-page before I committed the purchase and also a receipt by email later showing the same breakdown of the full price of that transaction. Unless I am advised at (or better before) the point of purchase that there may be additional charges by the courier (whom I have already paid handsomely you may note...) then how exactly do you suggest I could know that there would be 'hidden charges' applied later?

[webfact]

//Notice//

Forum rule

6) Not to post comments that could be reasonably construed as defamation or libel.

[spaceshipcrew]

where is the problem? It is quite a normal for a courier to pass the clearance charges to receiver. Now maybe it would have been wise to check this matter before!

Guess better contact Swanson's and explain the situation. FedUp is clearly the wrong thing for packages like this !

It better to send normally by mail, as it's just herbs guess no problem.

[Bearnagh]

Yes spaceshipcrew,

That's exactly what I'm going to do. I think they need to know that this third-party activity is damaging their potential repeat business, possibly in large measure. Thanks.

[TheGoodDoctor]

what do u mean you have to pay an extra 1200 baht and then pay import tax? the 1200 baht is the import tax. duh.

[TheGoodDoctor]

where is the problem? It is quite a normal for a courier to pass the clearance charges to receiver. Now maybe it would have been wise to check this matter before!

Really? How might I have done that?

Let's examine this process... My purchase and transaction was made with Swanson's on its website. I got an itemised breakdown of charges on the web-page before I committed the purchase and also a receipt by email later showing the same breakdown of the full price of that transaction. Unless I am advised at (or better before) the point of purchase that there may be additional charges by the courier (whom I have already paid handsomely you may note...) then how exactly do you suggest I could know that there would be 'hidden charges' applied later?

how should they know what the import regulations are for Thailand? that is your responsibility.

[bonobo]

where is the problem? It is quite a normal for a courier to pass the clearance charges to receiver. Now maybe it would have been wise to check this matter before!

Really? How might I have done that?

Let's examine this process... My purchase and transaction was made with Swanson's on its website. I got an itemised breakdown of charges on the web-page before I committed the purchase and also a receipt by email later showing the same breakdown of the full price of that transaction. Unless I am advised at (or better before) the point of purchase that there may be additional charges by the courier (whom I have already paid handsomely you may note...) then how exactly do you suggest I could know that there would be 'hidden charges' applied later?

There is no way you could have known.  Swanson's should have had this information available and posted on their website even if they are not the ones making the charge.

Amway is the world's largest seller of herbal supplements.  I am not an expert in that market, so I don't know if there are or are not qualitative issues with their products, but it seems to me that it would be worth a look.

[Bearnagh]

where is the problem? It is quite a normal for a courier to pass the clearance charges to receiver. Now maybe it would have been wise to check this matter before!

Really? How might I have done that?

Let's examine this process... My purchase and transaction was made with Swanson's on its website. I got an itemised breakdown of charges on the web-page before I committed the purchase and also a receipt by email later showing the same breakdown of the full price of that transaction. Unless I am advised at (or better before) the point of purchase that there may be additional charges by the courier (whom I have already paid handsomely you may note...) then how exactly do you suggest I could know that there would be 'hidden charges' applied later?

how should they know what the import regulations are for Thailand? that is your responsibility.

Well fine - perhaps that is the case - I don't know (yet) but the point that I am making is that this is effectively a hidden cost, unless it is flagged to the customer by someone and I feel in this case that Swanson's had a moral duty to inform me of its possibility. They are sending stuff all over the world in huge amounts. That is their role, function and sole source of revenue. Do you think they're unaware of import duties and additional prices imposed by third party handlers? I fail to believe that. They will have every detail to hand for all the countries they send to and also will know exactly how FedEx charge for their "services". If they don't know these things then they most certainly should. OK, perhaps they may not have the web technology to give exact predictions of additional charges to every customer at every destination, but a simple, clearly visible statement on the web-page alerting the prospective customer that there may be additional handling fees by FedEx would not be difficult to arrange. Is that too much to expect?

[Bearnagh]

what do u mean you have to pay an extra 1200 baht and then pay import tax? the 1200 baht is the import tax. duh.

Wrong! Read their reply in my original post. "Exclude" is the clue....

Edited October 22, 2009 by Bearnagh

[bkkjames]

where is the problem? It is quite a normal for a courier to pass the clearance charges to receiver. Now maybe it would have been wise to check this matter before!

Really? How might I have done that?

Let's examine this process... My purchase and transaction was made with Swanson's on its website. I got an itemised breakdown of charges on the web-page before I committed the purchase and also a receipt by email later showing the same breakdown of the full price of that transaction. Unless I am advised at (or better before) the point of purchase that there may be additional charges by the courier (whom I have already paid handsomely you may note...) then how exactly do you suggest I could know that there would be 'hidden charges' applied later?

how should they know what the import regulations are for Thailand? that is your responsibility.

Well fine - perhaps that is the case - I don't know (yet) but the point that I am making is that this is effectively a hidden cost, unless it is flagged to the customer by someone and I feel in this case that Swanson's had a moral duty to inform me of its possibility. They are sending stuff all over the world in huge amounts. That is their role, function and sole source of revenue. Do you think they're unaware of import duties and additional prices imposed by third party handlers? I fail to believe that. They will have every detail to hand for all the countries they send to and also will know exactly how FedEx charge for their "services". If they don't know these things then they most certainly should. OK, perhaps they may not have the web technology to give exact predictions of additional charges to every customer at every destination, but a simple, clearly visible statement on the web-page alerting the prospective customer that there may be additional handling fees by FedEx would not be difficult to arrange. Is that too much to expect?

Didn't you get the SMS from them about these charges? shouldn't have deleted it mate.

[Bearnagh]

Didn't you get the SMS from them about these charges? shouldn't have deleted it mate.

eh? No SMS from anybody. Who might have sent it?

[acht72]

We orders supplements from usa and they are sent by post from Singapore, we occasionally had to pay some duty but lately the ammount has increased considerably and we are wondering if the post office employees are just adding something for themselves as the ammount is only written on the package with no paperwork. We once had to go to the customs office to pay and collect our supplements and were informed that it was illegal to import food, when we told them that we were 20 years older than we actually are and looked so young because of our supplements they were very cooperative.

[Bearnagh]

... when we told them that we were 20 years older than we actually are and looked so young because of our supplements they were very cooperative.

I like your style!

[asia_pilot]

There always additional fees when ordering internationally. I don not think its the shippers job to check on them. Also, you complain about the shipping charges. Yes - you paid $25.99 - but you also got it within 2-3 days ( correct ). Additionally, try to send the same package by FedEx on your own, I am sure the shipping cost is 3 times that much, if not more. So the shipper applied even the discount to you.

Many stores offer different shipping options, I guess you have choosen FedEx because it was the fastest ?

Ordering stuff for a few bucks from overseas is never worth it due to the high international shipping cost. If you want to make it worth oder 10-20 times the amount. As far for the claearance fee. Feel free to save that and get it yourself through customs. It might takes some additional time and paperwork, but they do give you the option, or simply look for another brooker for the customs clearance.

Sorry but i dont see any fault from FedEx here.

[bkkjames]

Didn't you get the SMS from them about these charges? shouldn't have deleted it mate.

eh? No SMS from anybody. Who might have sent it?

maybe you thought it was spam and deleted it (JK)

[Bearnagh]

There always additional fees when ordering internationally. I don not think its the shippers job to check on them. Also, you complain about the shipping charges. Yes - you paid $25.99 - but you also got it within 2-3 days ( correct ). Additionally, try to send the same package by FedEx on your own, I am sure the shipping cost is 3 times that much, if not more. So the shipper applied even the discount to you.

Many stores offer different shipping options, I guess you have choosen FedEx because it was the fastest ?

Ordering stuff for a few bucks from overseas is never worth it due to the high international shipping cost. If you want to make it worth oder 10-20 times the amount. As far for the claearance fee. Feel free to save that and get it yourself through customs. It might takes some additional time and paperwork, but they do give you the option, or simply look for another brooker for the customs clearance.

Sorry but i dont see any fault from FedEx here.

• The goods did not arrive within 2-3 days as you suggest. The order was placed on 3rd October and the email from FedEx arrived yesterday, the 21st October, making it more like 3 weeks.
  
• I did not choose FedEx for any reason. I was not given any choice by Swanson's. They 'chose' FedEx and gave me no other options.
  

I still feel that a customer should be advised by someone - whoever that may be - when engaging a service, of ALL the costs that are likely to be imposed. It's a simple rule of thumb for any business transaction. The customer should not have any nasty surprises at all when making a purchase. It's a matter of common courtesy. Clearly a courtesy that niether of the two parties involved saw fit to offer.

[Bearnagh]

Didn't you get the SMS from them about these charges? shouldn't have deleted it mate.

eh? No SMS from anybody. Who might have sent it?

maybe you thought it was spam and deleted it (JK)

So.. now that you've raised the issue, would you like to answer the question?

[bonobo]

There always additional fees when ordering internationally. I don not think its the shippers job to check on them. Also, you complain about the shipping charges. Yes - you paid $25.99 - but you also got it within 2-3 days ( correct ). Additionally, try to send the same package by FedEx on your own, I am sure the shipping cost is 3 times that much, if not more. So the shipper applied even the discount to you.

Many stores offer different shipping options, I guess you have choosen FedEx because it was the fastest ?

Ordering stuff for a few bucks from overseas is never worth it due to the high international shipping cost. If you want to make it worth oder 10-20 times the amount. As far for the claearance fee. Feel free to save that and get it yourself through customs. It might takes some additional time and paperwork, but they do give you the option, or simply look for another brooker for the customs clearance.

Sorry but i dont see any fault from FedEx here.

I agree with you that FedEx is not at fault here, but Swanson's certainly is.  Retail shoppers should not be expected to know taxes, shipping, tariffs, nor any other fees when ordering goods.  They are not business buyers who should understand FOB, CIF, EXP, etc.  Retail shoppers go to a website, and all fees should be explained and delineated.  Swanson's ships to customers worldwide, I imagine, so they should have all the shipping fees available to them.  And in this case, they did not reveal to the OP, who is  obviously not an expert in shipping, as most customers are not, what those fees are.

The thread title might be misplaced as FedEx has nothing to do with making the order, but the sentiment of the OP is understandable. 

[asia_pilot]

• The goods did not arrive within 2-3 days as you suggest. The order was placed on 3rd October and the email from FedEx arrived yesterday, the 21st October, making it more like 3 weeks.

Check the tracking # and you see when it was shipped. How do you expect that Swansos knows every countries import laws ? You are the importer.

Are you now complaining about FedEx, Swansons or yourself because you did not make your homework before ? The clearance fee is just a big part of the total because of the peanuts you have ordered. If you would have had an order for example $3,000, it would just be 1% of it

And here from Swansons website:

Please be advised that Swanson Health Products is not responsible for taxes and/or duties or any brokerage and/or delivery fees applied to international shipments. Also, we kindly request that you contact your customs office to thoroughly inquire about import regulations before placing your order, as we will not be liable for packages refused or held for delivery.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/html/SHPshi...policies.html#1

As much for, they didnt tell you. Scandalous.....

Edited October 22, 2009 by asia_pilot

[Bearnagh]

Thank you Bonobo for this balanced and measured comment. It's good to encounter 'thinking' people on this forum as well as the wannabe stand-up comics. :-)

[Bearnagh]

• The goods did not arrive within 2-3 days as you suggest. The order was placed on 3rd October and the email from FedEx arrived yesterday, the 21st October, making it more like 3 weeks.

Check the tracking # and you see when it was shipped. How do you expect that Swansos knows every countries import laws ? You are the importer.

Are you now complaining about FedEx, Swansons or yourself because you did not make your homework before ? The clearance fee is just a big part of the total because of the peanuts you have ordered. If you would have had an order for example $3,000, it would just be 1% of it

And here from Swansons website:

Please be advised that Swanson Health Products is not responsible for taxes and/or duties or any brokerage and/or delivery fees applied to international shipments. Also, we kindly request that you contact your customs office to thoroughly inquire about import regulations before placing your order, as we will not be liable for packages refused or held for delivery.

http://www.swansonvitamins.com/html/SHPshi...policies.html#1

As much for, they didnt tell you. Scandalous.....

Aaah - vital pivotal information buried on a sub-page eh... The tyrrany of the small print. Thank you for this piece of useful research. However I maintain that this information should be brought to the customer's attention in a clear and overt way and not buried somewhere under T&Cs.

Anyway they've just lost a customer so I guess what goes around comes around as the saying goes....

Edited October 22, 2009 by Bearnagh

[asia_pilot]

Nope, but in the FAQ ( Help ) page, where it belongs to.

[citizen33]

Some are taking a perverse delight in sniping at the perfectly reasonable position taken in the OP. I've had quite a few small items (including, for example, items from eBay) delivered to Thailand by ordinary post without problems, but anything sent via the major carriers (FedEx, DHL etc) seems to attract inflated charges. We're are not talking of a major import/export business for goodness sake, just the odd domestic purchase, and some of the early posts seem completely wide of the mark.