a" Delivery Overseas Charge" when ordering International Shipping

[duskobradasevic]

I recently purchased a package from China. In the shipping details the shipper would pay for all Shipping + handling up to my local sea port.  The package arrived at my local sea port and there was the local fees plus a "Delivery Overseas Charge" additional to it with hardly any explanation as to why it was there.  I questioned the shipper and he claimed he had no idea what the charge was.  I phoned the customs broker agent and they said that they were instructed to claim this charge on behalf on the handling company which shipped the package from china.  

My local fees were

Dock Fee

Port Fee

Documentation + Handling

Customs Exam (if any)

Plus this Delivery overseas charge.

Has anyone had any experience with this and can shed some light as to what this fee is.

[momcqueen]

Was this shipped via freight? Who was the courier?

[femmefan1946]

Was it bulky? Like a piano?

EBay used to encourage sellers to add this boilerplate message to listings when shipping outside Canada.

Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

But that applies to customs brokerage, not freight charges which are supposed to be paid upfront to the seller who then handles them before shipping.

The reasoning would be that it is not up to the seller to know your country's taxation policies. 

However, it is up to the seller to know how much to charge the buyer for shipping since that is handled by the seller's sub-contractor. The seller then charges the buyer -- and no more than he advertised.