Blind Print Exchange 38 (BPX38) – status & updates

[piu58]

Sent: 9/12: piu58, Buzz-01, Don Heisz, mfohl, spijker, halfaman, Pioneer, ced, gijsbert
Recvd: 5/12: spijker. gijsbert, mfohl, Don Heisz, mfohl

 

[halfaman]

Thanks for the beautiful print!

And thanks for your kinds words, Don. So glad you like it

 

[piu58]

Yesterday I got a beautiful print from Pioneer. It is a photograph of an dead tree in a scenic landscape. It was taken with a 8x10 view camera on direct positive paper. It is the first time I saw this material. What a great quality! Thank you very much.
My wife enjoyed it too.


Sent: 9/12: piu58, Buzz-01, Don Heisz, mfohl, spijker, halfaman, Pioneer, ced, gijsbert
Recvd: 6/12: spijker. gijsbert, mfohl, Don Heisz, mfohl, piu58

 

[tezzasmall]

Now covid free, I was allowed out yesterday, Thursday 20/01/22, to finally send my offering.

Terry S

 

[piu58]

Sent: 10/12: piu58, Buzz-01, Don Heisz, mfohl, spijker, halfaman, Pioneer, ced, gijsbert, tezzasmall
Recvd: 6/12: spijker. gijsbert, mfohl, Don Heisz, mfohl, piu58

 

[ced]

Uwe this a mail from Menno Spijker along with my response:
The envelope with the prints that I sent to you for the BPX38 was returned to me. A sticker said that the VAT/duty notice had expired. You mentioned that the EU now adds import duty/tax on gifts that arrive by mail. However, from what I read on the website of the Belgian Post
https://www.bpost.be/nl/faq/moet-ik-invoerkosten-betalen-op-een-geschenk-van-buiten-de-eu
https://www.bpost.be/fr/faq/dois-je...pour-un-cadeau-provenant-dun-pays-hors-de-lue
it looks to me that gifts of less than 45 Euro are not taxed. In this case, it's is a gift and the declared value of the photos + postage is CAD$ 22.71 which is approx. 16.00 Euro. I've attached a scan of the customs declaration label on the envelope.
What did the notice that you received say? Is there a way that this can be avoided for future BPX rounds?
Best regards, Menno Spijker

First of all Menno my apologies for this inconvenience & unnecessary expense to you. I am sorry too for missing out on what were probably fine prints you sent to me!
We received notice that we had a parcel waiting for us to be collected & that it would be required to pay €30 for importation tax.
We refused this & declined the post as we had no idea where or why somebody was sending us mail that required such an extortion. I am so sorry this has fallen on your kindness.
Uwe while on here I am also puzzled why my exchange participation which was sent 30th December still has not reached it's destination to me this not a good sign!

 

[spijker]

Cedric, don't worry about it. I would have done the same and refused the package. It's bizarre that they came up with the €30 import tax. It seems that the Postal/Customs person that handled this either missed the ticked gift/cadeau box on the label or wasn't familiar with the rules. I'll make you a smaller print that I can send by regular letter mail instead of a small package. Then I won't have to fill out a customs form and that should avoid the import tax issue. I'll let you know when the new print is in the mail.

Menno

 

[Buzz-01]

Menno, that seems to be the issue, if I understand correctly anything that's not regular letter mail gets charged with taxes, gift or no gift doesn't matter anymore.
New legislation since July 1st 2021.

So I think anything shipped to Europe could best be done via regular letter mail and without cn21 form on it, so that it will be treated as a regular letter.

Again, this is how I understand it, if I'm wrong then please correct me!

 

[cramej]

Forgot to update this a while ago. I received two nice, moody prints from Terry @tezzasmall - an industrial crane by the sea and a garden gnome. I like the vignetting from the Vivitar Ultra Wide 'n Slim! Kinda makes me want to put one of my Minolta AF2 wide adapters on and go out for a spell.

Thanks!

I should have mine packaged up and sent out this week.

John

 

[spijker]

Menno, that seems to be the issue, if I understand correctly anything that's not regular letter mail gets charged with taxes, gift or no gift doesn't matter anymore.
New legislation since July 1st 2021.
So I think anything shipped to Europe could best be done via regular letter mail and without cn21 form on it, so that it will be treated as a regular letter.
Again, this is how I understand it, if I'm wrong then please correct me!

@Buzz; here is the issue explained on the Dutch PostNL website:
https://www.postnl.nl/ontvangen/pakket-ontvangen/pakket-uit-het-buitenland/?searchResult=position5
https://www.postnl.nl/en/customer-s...stoms-clearance-costs/?searchResult=position5
It seems pretty clear that import duty or VAT does not apply to gifts under €45 (item + postage). This is an EU thing so it should apply to Belgium as well. But yeah, plain letter mail is more robust against sleepy, grumpy etc postal/customs people. Maybe the person was irritated that the label was in English & French but not Flemish.

Menno

 

[Buzz-01]

You're totally right, the website clearly states that gifts up to €45 should still be delivered free of charge.
Must have been some grumpy customs employee indeed!

 

[ced]

My wife got a parcel (b'day present) from family in UK that went through the same issue as the mail from Menno also quite embarrassing to say the least.
We don't even have a post office here anymore either the stuff is handled through newsagent or gas station etc. Sign of of the times & lots of grumpy postal folks. Snail mail indeed.

 

[mfohl]

I send many things to my friends in Europe, especially to friends in Dresden. Mostly they are photographs, including mounted photo calendars, which I make myself in the darkroom. Since they are mounted, they have to go as parcels, and I have to fill out the customs form. In the place for value, I always write "NCV - no commercial value". And that is a true statement. What I send is not film or equipment or something commercially made. It is a personal gift to another person.

 

[piu58]

I is always a good idea sending a letter instead of a parcel. I always do so. The largest letter I may use is C4. This is an envelope for B4 which is an envelope for A4. I hope you understand . The letter may have a weight up to 500g.

In such an envelope you have place for a 24x30 cm² print which is a decent format which could hang in an exhibition.

I tried to understand what USPS bills. It seems that the maximum for a normal letter 11-1/2 inches x 6-1/8 inches x 1/4 inch thick. In "continental" measures: 29 cm x 15.5 cm x 0.6 cm. You may send a decent photograph with that.

Beside this, there are Large Envelopes (Flats), which may have 15 inches x 12 inches x 3/4 of an inch. That means 38 cm x 30 cm x 1.9 cm. Quit large. If you don't use too heavy cardboard for protecting the print, you should get a letter not heavier than 6..8 oz (around 200 g). Postage for that is blow 10$ which I find adequate for sending a print.
USPS says: Pieces that are rigid, nonrectangular, or not uniformly thick pay package prices. That means again Not too heavy cardboard and hoping the best.

For short: I recommend sending letter and use a print size what fits.

I found my information mostly here: https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c341 .

 

[tezzasmall]

...it looks to me that gifts of less than 45 Euro are not taxed. In this case, it's is a gift and the declared value of the photos + postage is CAD$ 22.71 which is approx. 16.00 Euro.
Best regards, Menno Spijker

From what basic information that I have been told by my local Post Office person, here in the UK, was that anything being A4 and above has to have a customs sticker on it now and extra postage / duty may be payable by the recipient, if it is not paid by the sender. I used to send out 10" x 8" prints for most Print Exchanges, which needed a slightly larger cardboard envelope. I like to recycle where possible and reuse ones that I have received during these exchanges or ones sent from Amazon. The majority of them, having just checked are about 25cm x 35cm, a bit bigger than a 10" x 8" print (A4 size?) and therefore might be classified as a packet rather than a large letter, for being only a mm or two bigger than the previous pricing size for postage. This could then need extra postage or duty paying, depending upon as said, which post person at other end handles it. As an example, there have been a number of large letters to me recently, including prints from PE's from various countries, that have arrived with a sticker stating that extra postage is due. Luckily for me, my postie doesn't bother requesting any money, for he too sees that they are on the exact borderline of size and price.

Now, but not for this reason, I have been sending out smaller prints in exchanges, often sending two prints instead of one and there has been no problem at all, although I also double check the weight of this smaller package.

So, check the size AND weight of your packaging, as it might be worth going down a size both in envelope and print to avoid this over zealous behaviour by some post people.

Terry S

 

[tezzasmall]

Uwe while on here I am also puzzled why my exchange participation which was sent 30th December still has not reached it's destination to me this not a good sign!

@ced. Apologies, but I have had a picture, rolled and delivered in a tube, just a few days ago, but there was no letter enclosed and I could not work out the signature of the person that sent it and I reused the tube before thinking about looking at the stamps. Could this have been from you? It seems to have taken a long time if so, but post has been severely delayed of late, with many local postal workers off sick with Covid. Even local post takes about a week at times and international post, usually received in about 5 to 7 days, can take a month or more!

If your print is a beautiful sepia Bichromate Print (with a blue one on the reverse), then it has been received with many thanks. If not from you, does anyone else recognise this print?

Terry S

 

[ced]

Terry indeed & I rest at last happy that it had arrived. See my PM with the letter that should have been included.

 

[Luis-F-S]

When does the next round start?

 

[piu58]

Sent: 10/12: piu58, Buzz-01, Don Heisz, mfohl, spijker, halfaman, Pioneer, ced, gijsbert, tezzasmall
Recvd: 8(+1 resent)/12: spijker. gijsbert, mfohl, Don Heisz, mfohl, piu58, cramej, tezzasmall

Dear Luis, the next round starts March 1st, as usual with a 4 week sigh up period, followed by a 3 month period of printing and sending.

 

[tezzasmall]

Terry indeed & I rest at last happy that it had arrived. See my PM with the letter that should have been included.

@ced. Many thanks once more for such a beautiful gum print, and the PM of the unsent letter.

The print must have taken some time to produce, what with the various layers required. I have never seen one in the hand before, only in books and on screen and like most processes, it is much better to see it in front of you.

I would actually like to frame it and put it into my darkroom for inspiration, if I can find a vacant wall to put it on!

All the best,

Terry S

 

[cramej]

I sent my print out today.

 

[ced]

Terry pleased you've taken to it, enjoy!

 

[piu58]

Sent: 11/12: piu58, Buzz-01, Don Heisz, mfohl, spijker, halfaman, Pioneer, ced, gijsbert, tezzasmall, cramej
Recvd: 8(+1 resent)/12: spijker. gijsbert, mfohl, Don Heisz, mfohl, piu58, cramej, tezzasmall

All but one sent.

 

[Buzz-01]

I sent my print out today.

Hi John,

Got an e-mail from our Dutch postal service, stating that I need to pay VAT as well, like Cedric.
At least, I think it comes from you according to the invoice they sent me, the envelope will be delivered after payment. Tracking number is LZ997xxx375US, they charge me €0.19 VAT plus €4.00 handling fee.
Fortunately it's not the insane amount that Cedric was going to be charged, so I've just paid it and let them deliver the print to me.
PostNL allows me to object against this VAT charge after payment so I'll do that and see where it takes me.
Best case they refund, worst case PostNL will have unjustly made some money but at least I'll still get your print delivered.

I'll let you know when it arrives!

BR
Sebastiaan.
(I've explicitly included some details in this post so I can point PostNL to here in my objection letter, so they can verify my story )

On a general notice, I think it might be smart for anyone sending their prints from outside the EU to the EU, to send it as normal letter post.
Maybe something to add to the start post of the next round of BPX?

 

[cramej]

@Buzz-01
That's strange... and frustrating! I even "valued" it at $1.00 to try to avoid that but maybe that was a mistake. The EU gets their VAT on everything they can, I guess!