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customs paperwork and tariffs for Vanguard order to US

H

Horace

Joined
Aug 5, 2026
Messages
11
Points
8

Vanguard shipped an order to me today and UPS sent me a scary note about how they'd been trying to contact me and I needed to provide information asap or the shipment might be thrown away. I clicked their link, and was taken to a customs form. The first section was a disclaimer where I could say that the shipment was not subject to any special customs rules. I chose that. Hopefully that works.

Now I'm wondering if I'll be on the hook for a 10% tariff upon delivery. Anybody have recent experience with this?

I got a shipment from Artesania Latina a couple months ago, from Fed Ex, and I had no such paperwork or issues. The vanguard shipment is much more expensive, not sure if that has anything to do with it.
 
Horace said:
Vanguard shipped an order to me today and UPS sent me a scary note about how they'd been trying to contact me and I needed to provide information asap or the shipment might be thrown away.
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Above sounds like you are being scammed. Be careful clicking on links and providing your personal information. ASAP urgency only after a few hours after the order is very suspicious. Also the threats sound very much not like reputable company as UPS.
 
It's legit. This part of their operations is new, because the laws are new, and I think the urgent message is a bug. They probably have a mild version which should be sent first.
 
I had a kit come from them a couple months back and got the same scary messages. I believe Vanguard gets the email as well and has to upload forms for customs. Expect to get an email from UPS to pay for the tariff, or have to pay it at the door. That seems to be the norm with most of the US customers getting orders from Vanguard lately, I had to pay nearly $250 for the tariff.
 
admiralackbar86 said:
I had a kit come from them a couple months back and got the same scary messages. I believe Vanguard gets the email as well and has to upload forms for customs. Expect to get an email from UPS to pay for the tariff, or have to pay it at the door. That seems to be the norm with most of the US customers getting orders from Vanguard lately, I had to pay nearly $250 for the tariff.
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I think there's a way for the company to pay it for the customer, but it's a choice and not one Vanguard makes. I think Artesania Latina pays it. So does Occre.
 
Been a flurry of activity today. Got a call from a random number in Michigan (I'm in TX) which happened to be a UPS employee. She wanted my social security number for the customs stuff. I had already called and paid the amount, which was more than 10% of the cost, for whatever reason. After I called and paid proactively, UPS sent me an email asking me to pay. But the email asked me for a lower amount than I was quoted when I called. So I called again, and they tell me I'll get a small refund eventually.

I wanted the package held at a local UPS store, so I could pick it up, but that option is unavailable for shipments that tariffs apply to. Because reasons.

Can't imagine ordering from Vanguard again till this tariff stuff gets straightened out. The laws are new and UPS's systems aren't set up for it. They're scrambling to figure everything out along with their customers. There may be smoother processes when the vendor pays.
 
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Stop it! Let the package go back, look for a US-retailer for your stuff and hope to get a refund. I'm sorry to say so, but you Americans have voted for that mess.
 
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Pepite 1/60 said:
Stop it! Let the package go back, look for a US-retailer for your stuff and hope to get a refund. I'm sorry to say so, but you Americans have voted for that mess.
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Vanguard does retail in America, but the American retailers don't carry any of the custom configurations. I'm sure companies overseas are still happy to take my money. Artesania Latina and OcCre go out of their way to make it easy for Americans. Financial incentives tend to render politics moot. But internet randos have no financial incentive to keep their politics to themselves, so here we have it.
 
paul ron said:
so paying a customs charges with a wallmart gift card is ok? ROTF
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Another unpleasant response. If you're implying that any of this was a scam, you're wrong. It's all legit. I made my own calls to UPS plenty of times to confirm everything. I'm sure anybody in America ordering from Vanguard will appreciate this thread.
 
paul ron said:
its a joke... lighten up!
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There's some confusion in this thread about whether it's legit, and I want to be clear that it is, and that this is what anybody else who orders from them can expect. I didn't really know how to fill out the customs form, but apparently, I guessed right.
 
ah its an old scam like the king of africa has a million bucks for you if you deposit it in your bank... just give him your ss# n a password.

my son got an email from the irs saying he owed a$1000. he could settle it online with a gift pay via pay pal or send a wallmart itunes gift card. he knows better, but its now the family joke.

you didnt see the ROTF
 
paul ron said:
ah its an old scam like the king of africa has a million bucks for you if you deposit it in your bank... just give him your ss# n a password.

my son got an email from the irs saying he owed a$1000. he could settle it online with a gift pay via pay pal or send a wallmart itunes gift card. he knows better, but its now the family joke.

you didnt see the ROTF
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I saw it, but how is it obvious that it's not just laughing at someone who got scammed? Anyway no hard feelings. Sorry I took it the wrong way.
 
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