You do pay a premium for DHL shipping, as with any international courier service, but part of what you are paying for is the customs clearance service to be undertaken on your behalf to ensure you pay the correct rate of GST/VAT/sales tax and any duty if applicable
We are seeing some scare-mongering posts online about what a headache and lottery it can be importing goods privately, usually by local country espresso equipment resellers quite happy to struggle with it themselves thank you very much
If you have to clear goods through customs yourself this would be true
With DHL, or indeed any courier service, they clear the goods on your behalf ensuring you pay the correct amount of tax and duty on the landed value of the goods
The landed value of the goods represents the sum of the cost of the goods, plus the freight, plus the insurance
If the GST/VAT/Sales tax and any duty you may be charged does not add up then you should get in contact with us and DHL(UK) will get in touch with your local DHL office to resolve any issue
It really is very simple. The goods will arrive in your country 2 to 3 working days after we ship them
DHL in your country will calculate the GST/VAT/sales tax and any duty liability (if applicable – often it isn’t) and then contact you for payment of the charges
The goods will then be released for onward delivery to you
Sometimes the goods will be pulled aside for customs inspection (sampling basis) to ensure the package does not contain prohibited material. This is a low probability event, but can arise from time to time, and might add a few days delay
I trust this puts some perspective on things