Once again, import fees for USA buyers of Japanese equipment post August 29, 2025

Kodachromeguy · Sunday at 1:44 PM

Sorry folks, this business of fees is baffling.

Question 1. The tariff for items from Japan (assuming Japanese manufacture) is supposed to be 15 percent. For those of you in USA who bought equipment after August 29, 2025, what additional fees did FedEx, DHL, etc. add to the tariff? Was it a fixed processing fee or a percentage? I started to use FedEx's calculator, but it asked questions for which I did not have the information.

Question 2. If you bought German equipment from a Japanese seller, was there a different tariff?

Thanks all.

Chuck1 · Sunday at 4:48 PM

Regarding the end of the de minimus exemption ($80-200 fee to clear customs) only applies to postal shipments, but most countries postal systems have stopped shipping to the US.
This fee doesn't apply to couriers like dhl...
So I think you would be on the hook for the tariff and shipping which should be an up front cost.
Then again I don't know for sure.
Hopefully someone will set me straight

George Mann · Sunday at 11:16 PM

Third party shippers charge brokerage fees. Postal services don't.

mshchem · Sunday at 11:26 PM

I bought a used Cosina Voigtlander lens from MAP camera. It was under $400, can't remember the exact price. Not sure how it worked but it came as before nothing different than before, FedEX delivery.

I am sure that on more expensive items you need to do your homework. It's total chaos right now.

The biggest dealers will have people who know what is going on.

Kodachromeguy · Sunday at 11:28 PM

George Mann said:
Third party shippers charge brokerage fees. Postal services don't.

What are those brokerage fees? I'm trying to learn some numbers.
$100 lens, what fee?
$1000 lens, what fee?
$2000 lens, what fee?

George Mann · Sunday at 11:32 PM

Kodachromeguy said:
What are those brokerage fees? I'm trying to learn some numbers.
$100 lens, what fee?
$1000 lens, what fee?
$2000 lens, what fee?

Whatever they feel like charging you.

MattKing · Sunday at 11:44 PM

George Mann said:
Third party shippers charge brokerage fees. Postal services don't.

Normally Canada Post does charge a handling fee, for many non-business small shipments imported into Canada. The fee charged is usually quite reasonable. For a significant number of relatively small such shipments, it is common for items to arrive at our homes without any taxes or duties having been levied, in which case we don't get charged the handling fee.
If we had a de minimis regulation like the USA used to have, I expect we would have rarely seen evidence of the handling fee.
So don't be surprised if a USPS handling fee gets put in place.

djdister · Sunday at 11:48 PM

Here's a crazy example. I ordered a $30.00 shutter release adapter from Finland (I'm in the US). In addition to paying for the doodad, I received a bill from UPS for another $19.50 -- $4.50 as a 15% tariff, and a flat $15.00 brokerage fee.

Alan Edward Klein · Monday at 12:12 AM

djdister said:
Here's a crazy example. I ordered a $30.00 shutter release adapter from Finland (I'm in the US). In addition to paying for the doodad, I received a bill from UPS for another $19.50 -- $4.50 as a 15% tariff, and a flat $15.00 brokerage fee.

Did they charge the Maryland Sales Tax of 6%?

mshchem · Monday at 12:18 AM

I ordered a pair of genuine sheepskin moccasins from The Brown Bear in Canada, they charged me a flat $20 USD share the burden fee. I thought very reasonable on $90 moccasins. Special old geezer with neuropathy moccasins, I don't know what I'd do without. No one here makes the same.

wiltw · Monday at 1:39 AM

One person's experience, as noted on Photrio...
15% duty assessed on pre-tax purchase price, PLUS it cost additional processing fees by the shipping company to pay the duty

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/800-de-minimus-us-import-duty-exemption-cancelled.215058/post-2928349

djdister · Monday at 8:40 AM

Alan Edward Klein said:
Did they charge the Maryland Sales Tax of 6%?

Yeah, the $30.00 included shipping and state sales tax. That's how cheap the doodad was.

BrianShaw · Monday at 10:01 AM

mshchem said:
I ordered a pair of genuine sheepskin moccasins from The Brown Bear in Canada, they charged me a flat $20 USD share the burden fee. I thought very reasonable on $90 moccasins. Special old geezer with neuropathy moccasins, I don't know what I'd do without. No one here makes the same.

LL Bean has similar, for $80. Very comfortable (even without neuropathy).

Alan Edward Klein · Monday at 10:22 AM

djdister said:
Yeah, the $30.00 included shipping and state sales tax. That's how cheap the doodad was.

The minimum processing fee is a real problem on very cheap items. It;s such a large part of the overall cost. But that's not much different from minimum shipping charges on very cheap items. The $4.5 tariff becomes inconsequential.

Alan Edward Klein · Monday at 10:28 AM

mshchem said:
I ordered a pair of genuine sheepskin moccasins from The Brown Bear in Canada, they charged me a flat $20 USD share the burden fee. I thought very reasonable on $90 moccasins. Special old geezer with neuropathy moccasins, I don't know what I'd do without. No one here makes the same.

They pick up shipping costs if the total is over $100. Also they eat half the tariff as many companies would choose to do.

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djdister · Monday at 11:07 AM

Alan Edward Klein said:
The minimum processing fee is a real problem on very cheap items. It;s such a large part of the overall cost. But that's not much different from minimum shipping charges on very cheap items. The $4.5 tariff becomes inconsequential.

Of course when I made the purchase, there was no estimate or indication of the tariff or brokerage fees, that all happened a week or so after delivery. If my total purchase would have been more, the flat $15.00 brokerage fee would not have seemed so disproportionate, but then my 15% tariff tax would have gone up too.

loccdor · Monday at 2:07 PM

From September 11th, 2025.

DHL sent me a duty bill on my 2nd package of camera and lens from Japan to USA. This bill came 2 days after it arrived to my door.

Original charge from eBay:

Item: $189.99
Shipping: $38.99
Tax: $18.32
Order Total: $247.30

Duties:

Regulatory Charges (L1): $1.31 (flat fee)
Import Export Duties (L2): $28.50 (this is 15% of $189.99)
Duty Tax Processing (L3): $17.00 (service charge by DHL)
Duty Total: $46.81

Grand Total: $294.11

Effective additional payment from tariffs for this purchase: 16% added to original order total (or 25% of only original item subtotal [46.81/190])

From September 12th, 2025.

FedEx package of cameras and lens. This arrived to me via text and I had to pay before delivery.

Item: $399.99
Shipping: $35.00
Tax: $34.80
Order total: $469.79

Customs Duty: $60.00 (15% of $399.99)
Disbursement Fee: $4.50

Customs total: $64.50

Effective customs rate as % of original item: 64.50 / 399.99 = 16% (compare with 25% for DHL package)

Other package of 4 135-36 films that came from Spain: About 2 weeks have passed and no tariff.

Conclusion: Expect 15% as the base rate, in addition to rate of Harmonized Tariff Schedule (usually 0%), try to go with FedEx instead of DHL if it's an option, in order to lower fees.

Kodachromeguy · Monday at 2:35 PM

loccdor said:
From September 11th, 2025.

DHL sent me a duty bill on my 2nd package of camera and lens from Japan to USA. This bill came 2 days after it arrived to my door.

Original charge from eBay:

Item: $189.99
Shipping: $38.99
Tax: $18.32
Order Total: $247.30

Duties:

Regulatory Charges (L1): $1.31 (flat fee)
Import Export Duties (L2): $28.50 (this is 15% of $189.99)
Duty Tax Processing (L3): $17.00 (service charge by DHL)
Duty Total: $46.81

Grand Total: $294.11

Effective additional payment from tariffs for this purchase: 16% added to original order total (or 25% of only original item subtotal [46.81/190])

From September 12th, 2025.

FedEx package of cameras and lens. This arrived to me via text and I had to pay before delivery.

Item: $399.99
Shipping: $35.00
Tax: $34.80
Order total: $469.79

Customs Duty: $60.00 (15% of $399.99)
Disbursement Fee: $4.50

Customs total: $64.50

Effective customs rate as % of original item: 64.50 / 399.99 = 16% (compare with 25% for DHL package)

Other package of 4 135-36 films that came from Spain: About 2 weeks have passed and no tariff.

Conclusion: Expect 15% as the base rate, in addition to rate of Harmonized Tariff Schedule (usually 0%), try to go with FedEx instead of DHL if it's an option, in order to lower fees.

THANK YOU!! This is real data. I will pass on any Japanese purchases for a few months and see how this all shakes out. (And if I never buy any more camera equipment, life will progress just fine.... )

loccdor · Monday at 2:39 PM

You're welcome. Now, about my fee...

Horatio · Monday at 5:52 PM

loccdor said:
You're welcome. Now, about my fee...

Ha hah!

Alan Edward Klein · Monday at 6:07 PM

djdister said:
Of course when I made the purchase, there was no estimate or indication of the tariff or brokerage fees, that all happened a week or so after delivery. If my total purchase would have been more, the flat $15.00 brokerage fee would not have seemed so disproportionate, but then my 15% tariff tax would have gone up too.

So would your 6% sales tax.

dscottjorgenson · 2025-10-01T00:44:50-0400

All I know is: to direct-import Fujifilm Velvia 50 (120 format 5-pack) from Japan to the USA, using amazon.com, the price went up a whopping $45-ish the very next day after the tariffs went into effect. Amazon.com does not show the break-down for this in the price; its all bundled in one price, but definitely related to the tariffs as it went into effect the very next day.

To direct-import the same using amazon.co.jp instead of amazon.com, the price went up by about $30-ish starting several days after the tariffs went into effect. On amazon.co.jp they are transparent and show this broken-out as an "import charge", and explain it is an estimated price for the tariffs plus tariff-related fees.

The resulting final price, between these two online retailers, ends up about the same, as amazon.co.jp charges extra for shipping/handling and amazon.com doesn't (ie, includes it in the bundled price, I suppose). Drum roll please: the final price is now around $200 or more, for a 5-pack box of 120 Velvia 50, obtained in this manner.

Japanese domestic prices for this film have been exorbitant since the pandemic - I don't understand how that film can retail in Japan for almost 50-100% more than it retails here - except that American retailers (almost) never have it in stock, while Japanese retailers have stock pretty consistently. So, for a few years now, that's been a big starting problem for this direct-import solution for obtaining Velvia in America. Now, adding the tariffs, its become completely unaffordable. Terrible.

Alan Edward Klein · 2025-10-01T07:22:27-0400

dscottjorgenson said:
...

Japanese domestic prices for this film have been exorbitant since the pandemic - I don't understand how that film can retail in Japan for almost 50-100% more than it retails here - except that American retailers (almost) never have it in stock, while Japanese retailers have stock pretty consistently. So, for a few years now, that's been a big starting problem for this direct-import solution for obtaining Velvia in America. Now, adding the tariffs, its become completely unaffordable. Terrible.

Reminds me of the joke:

So the photo bug goes to the film store to buy a roll of Ektachrome 100 and asks "How much is it?"

The dealer responds, “Well, it’s $15 a roll but we’re all out right now. It’s back ordered.”

So the photo bug leaves the store and goes to another store down the block.

“How much is a roll of Ektachrome and do you have any?”

The second dealer responds, “Oh, it’s $20 a roll and we have loads.”

“$20?” complains the photo bug raising his voice. “The other dealer only charges $15 a roll.”

“Well,” says the second dealer. “When we’re out of Ektachrome, we only charge $10 a roll.

pentaxuser · 2025-10-01T10:13:16-0400

On BBC news today, one of the headlines was "U.S. Government shut down". Might that effect the execution of tariff collection and if so, what will happen to imported goods such as items purchased from non U.S. sellers?

Just a thought

pentaxuser

Alan Edward Klein · 2025-10-01T10:23:45-0400

pentaxuser said:
On BBC news today, one of the headlines was "U.S. Government shut down". Might that effect the execution of tariff collection and if so, what will happen to imported goods such as items purchased from non U.S. sellers?

Just a thought

pentaxuser

I fortunately got my IRS tax refund check three days ago for a revised filing, that I quickly deposited. Now they can shut down, hopefully forever.

PS: The US Post Office is still operating.

Once again, import fees for USA buyers of Japanese equipment post August 29, 2025

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