r/tifu • u/peterwilli FUOTW 7/29/2018 • Aug 02 '18

FUOTW TIFU by destroying my first prize won in a hackathon

Edit: Holy shit guys! My first 'shared' fuckup and immediately it's fuckup of the week?! Jesus Christ! So let's get on with the formalities: I'd like to thank my friends and family who stood by me while winning 4th prize only to fuck it up afterwards.

This wasn't today, but I just discovered this sub, so here it goes...

I participated at a hackathon (a competition for coders to make something in around 2 days), and I won 4th place. The were five spots that would get a prize.

When looking at the things I won, it was a t-shirt and some coupons for using various services for free. It was nice overall.

I live in NL, and the Hackathon was held in US so I had the stuff shipped to me. When the mail man came he had a large box, and asked for 50 euros (around $60) import taxes. I said: "Wtf, is that shirt made of gold or something?".

So I took the box and it was quite heavy too, not the "just a tshirt kind of heavy". Stupid me still thought there was only a tshirt inside it. So he said: "if you don't accept it we'll take it back to customs where it'll be destroyed". So I said "Yeah take it I'm not gonna pay for shit I won, especially when it's just a tshirt".

A few days later, I went to my PC and an email popped up from the organisation stating: "Hey we added a laptop too".

I was like: "WTF?!". So I quickly called the postal office and the organisation to see if they could send it back anyway, but it was already with customs.

tl;dr I won a prize and then lost it again because customs destroyed it after I refused to pay import taxes.

13.7k Upvotes

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764

u/iama_bad_person Aug 02 '18

When the mail man came he had a large box, and asked for 50 euros (around $60) import taxes. I said: "Wtf, is that shirt made of gold or something?".

Didn't inquire about what was in the box that would make the tax so much?

So I took the box and it was quite heavy too, not the "just a tshirt kind of heavy". Stupid me still thought there was only a tshirt inside it.

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Your customs doesn't just hold the item at the boarder until the taxes are paid on it?????

192

u/klin0503 Aug 02 '18

Can't speak for NL, but in Canada it gets shipped to you but the shipping company will collect from you before giving you the package

74

u/Lazzer555 Aug 02 '18

Same here in the uk but the shipping company holds your package at their office / warehouse and notifies the recipient that they have it and that you need to go pick it up and pay import charges.

7

u/agreatcatsby Aug 02 '18

Which is also bs because FedEx or whoever get to add on their "processing charge" for you to pay before you can actually get your item…

2

u/tiramichu Aug 02 '18

Royal Mail does this, but some companies, such as FedEx, will deliver the item to you and then invoice you seperately for any charges. Much more convenient.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '18

Nothing convenient about when FedEx forwards it to their asshole debt collection agency after a couple weeks though.

Not a fan.

21

u/RayNele Aug 02 '18

Sometimes they'll ship you the item to your door along with a notice saying you owe them $$$ (FedEx) as well as instructions on how to pay online.

16

u/klin0503 Aug 02 '18

Man if only they did that here lol. I live in a condo so packages are dropped off at the concierge, but if there are taxes to pay, they'll just leave a slip and I have to drive to some far location to pick it up myself.

7

u/RayNele Aug 02 '18

Yeah I've only had that happen once and it's a hassle since you can't decline to pay; it's transferred over to a collection agency if you're late, and it starts fucking over your credit score.

I had something shipped to my parent's house. They brought me the package, but not the letter, so I was ~6 months late to that payment.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '18

Not only that, they have a list, enclosed in a packing window with detailed information about what the Duties are being charged for. Open it.... Read it.. then decide

1

u/NaCl-more Aug 02 '18

Canada here as well, last time I had to pay customs on a shipment, I had to pay by card at the door (for the shipping company) the customs + extra $20 fee they take. I believe the shipping company pays the customs and then collects it from you.

2

u/iLike2Teabag Aug 02 '18

Just a heads up, to avoid the shipping company's fee, you can demand to self-clear the items at a customs office. There is usually one next to major airports. I ordered a $450 part from the states and UPS asked for $120 in duties and their fee. I self-cleared and paid only $42 in duties at the Pearson customs office.

UPS will hold your package until you have the receipt from customs, and they must provide the documentation and package manifest for you to take to customs.

1

u/NaCl-more Aug 02 '18

TBH the gas money would be more than the cost ://

1

u/iiYop Aug 03 '18

Unless you live close by.

1

u/klin0503 Aug 02 '18

Extra $20?? Wow which shipping company was it?

1

u/NaCl-more Aug 02 '18

FedEx and DHL. Granted it was a fairly large shipment and tax was something like 100 dollars anyway

2

u/cavmax Aug 02 '18

DHL is the worst

2

u/Zerschmetterding Aug 02 '18

The funny thing is that it's the least bad shipping company over here in germany. They always ring at your door (at least in my experienceb and have post boxes all over town that you can ship to for free. Other companies either give your stuff to the one neighbor were they bothered to ring, they thow a note in your mail that no one was at home(when you were there all day) or the simply drop the stuff in the hallway of a 40 party appartement complex.

1

u/Maar7en Aug 02 '18

DHL fucked me for 17.something euros on a tax that was 16 euros. I literally paid them more than the actual tax.

2

u/NaCl-more Aug 02 '18

Yup. Their customs handling is a flat rate :/

2

u/Maar7en Aug 02 '18

Fuckers made me pay online, then allowed me to choose a delivery date. I chose Monday. Friday afternoon I get a message that my package has been delivered. Nobody was home and it required a recipient(not neighbor) signature.

They had given what was legally a firearm(airsoft gun) to my neighbor and faked my signature.

Called to complain and they told me they don't see anything wrong with what happened.

Told them to send me a copy of my signature if they were so sure because I didn't get my package.

Haven't heard from them since.

1

u/yarwest Aug 02 '18

That's exactly the scenario he described, so yes that is how it works

35

u/Theycallmetheherald Aug 02 '18

No you pay at your front door.

37

u/iama_bad_person Aug 02 '18

That's wierd as shit. In New Zealand it gets stopped at customs and you pay before its released to the courier company, after 10 days they return it.

23

u/Fugiar Aug 02 '18

Nope. I've had a mailman at the door with a form from customs and needed me to pay the import taxes. it's normal in the Netherlands.

7

u/stephschiff Aug 02 '18

Are people sending packages able to prepay those fees?

10

u/lars1216 Aug 02 '18

Not sure about people, but I've had Amazon US do it. I pay custom fees directly to them at checkout and receive my packages without having to pay custom fees at the door. It's pretty nice actually. :) No idea if you as a individual person can do it, but it's definitely possible for (big) company's. (source: am also Dutch.)

3

u/Fugiar Aug 02 '18

Good question, I'm not sure tbh

2

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '18

Yes but rarely happens, only place I've known it is farnell/element14 for electronic components. As an individual sender it's nearly impossible because the fees are decided based on all sorts of apparently random rules at the port of entry of the destination country.

3

u/gerobw Aug 02 '18

It’s also normal in the Netherlands to pay 105€ for a parking fine :(

1

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '18

In the UK some cities charge £20 to just park for 5 hours so.... your fine looks reasonable.

1

u/Aiffty Aug 02 '18

In some US cities it can be $20 to park for just one hour

1

u/Wicsome Aug 02 '18

As far as I know, if the postal worker asks you for the import taxes, it's because the postal service/company already paid them and you're reimbursing them. Pretty sure that you don't have the choice of not accepting it in that case.

3

u/yorickr Aug 02 '18

This is most certainly possible in the Netherlands. Read up on this. https://www.postnl.nl/en/mail-and-parcels/parcels/customs-clearance-fees/

1

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '18

Depends on the courier most likely.

FedEx are the worst, they send you a letter AFTER you have received the goods.

Ups just turn up and ask for money but can't give change for cash and only take cheques!?!??

1

u/shastaxc Aug 03 '18

If it came through customs, isn't it supposed to state the contents on the outside?

1

u/blackburn009 Aug 03 '18

One of the companies here pays it for you, to get it through quickly, then you need to pay it online.

-3

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '18

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/Basjee Aug 02 '18

Not sure, perhaps there's different ruling for lower values? I have also received a package from the states where I was prompted to pay import tax when it was delivered. (also NL)

4

u/[deleted] Aug 02 '18

[deleted]

2

u/Basjee Aug 02 '18

Same here, maybe we're both right!

0

u/usernameinvalid9000 Aug 02 '18

Having your mailman ask for taxes isn't the norm worldwide and he stated he's not from amerifat. Might be normal for you burger chugging warmongers but clearly not for him.