SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A local family found themselves unexpectedly charged after receiving an international package from FedEx.
Doug Kaer expressed his surprise when he received a letter from FedEx demanding payment.
“I’m going … what the dickens is this?” Kaer said.
The notice required Kaer to pay a fee of $32.69 after his wife received an international package containing three birthday cards from a friend. The shipping cost was $15.
Kaer initially thought the notice was a scam and ignored it.
“On top of just what they paid to get it down to us, I thought it was a scam, and so I ignored it,” he said.
In January, Kaer’s wife received the package, not expecting any additional charges.
“I knew that we were facing tariffs. That’s a given. I would expect that to be on things that we’re buying and bringing in from overseas, not a gift card, not something like that,” Kaer said.
The breakdown of the charges included a merchandise processing fee of $2.69, a customs duty tax of $5.25, a clearance entry fee of $9.75 and a courier service fee of $15.
“Don’t you love that? $15? What the heck is that? That part feels like the real scam,” Kaer said.
The merchandise processing fee is imposed by United States Customs and Border Protection on imports entering the U.S. The customs duty tax is also paid to the government when packages are sent across international borders.
The additional charges came directly from FedEx.
“I’m more angry about the fees from FedEx,” Kaer said.
According to a fact sheet, packages coming to the U.S. from Canada with a value of $9.75 will have a clearance fee ranging from $0 to $200. However, if a package with a $0 value is sent to Canada from the U.S., it will have a clearance fee ranging from $0 to $40.
