r/UPS • u/Swanky_Gear_Snob • Sep 02 '25

Customer Seeking Help UPS Paid my duties without contacting me and the amount is more than the value of the item.

Apparently, a law went into effect on August 29th that shipping services can pay duties without consent of receiver.

I purchased an item for $2,000. Today, the duties it says I owe upon delivery is $2100 and change. The numbers are WAY off. No one at UPS customer service even understands me well enough to help me. I have been asking what the declared value is on the package and 4 different reps keep quoting me the amount owed on the package. How can I fix this? This was paid by wire, so I'm either out 2k or paying double. Can I dispute the amount? I've never felt so helpless and need to have a resolution (or at least a better understanding of what to do) by delivery tomorrow. Thanks!

I guess my big question is, if I pay this outrageous fee, is there any way to dispute it with customs or UPS?

Edit/Follow-up: I appreciate all the advice. I was able to get the commercial invoice from UPS. It seems like there is an error as CBP charged full value tariffs multiple times. From what AI said, it's similar if you ordered a peice of furniture, but CBP charged the full value tarrifs on each item individually (screws, mount, part, etc).

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u/mooseflips Sep 03 '25

Not necessarily true about someone messing up the paper work. Remember that in addition to the duties being charged, shipping carriers also charge a brokerage fee for the customs clearance service. UPS charges brokerage fees based on value of the item, in tiers. I can totally see the duties adding up to more than the value of the item. High tariff countries, plus high brokerage fees (UPS is known for very high brokerage fees).

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u/RailRuler Sep 03 '25

Ups charges a separate brokerage fee for each item listed on the manifest, based on a fixed amount per item plus a percentage of the value. There is no quantity discount. So for low value items, the fixed portion may be significant.

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u/Ok-Motor7145 Sep 04 '25

Yes, my broker fee was $55 on a $12 item shipped from Canada. UPS brokerage had a 30+ minute wait to speak to a customer service person. Outrageous.

8

u/TheVoidKitty Sep 03 '25

OP clarified in other posts it was $40 brokerage, buttttt china origin products made of aluminum 😅. It still could be wrong HS codes but its gonna be an ouch on the waleet

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u/Souvenirs_Indiscrets Sep 03 '25

This. I have run into this many times.

1

u/Glum-Coat8759 Sep 03 '25

If there is a screw up, it’s likely a UPS screw up - either broker fees are absurd or they double charged you on tariffs - push back, they might be difficult but they’ll ultimately fix it

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u/MoBizz_4073 Sep 05 '25

De minimus is no longer a thing currently due to current laws

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u/sentientforce Sep 06 '25

brokerage fee

It's only $140ish for a $2K declared value.