I’m trying to reach ParcelPro but in the meantime it’d be great if anyone here has experience of shipping multiple watches in one package. I’ve bought quite a lot of stuff from eBay in the US, and as these items would only ship to a US address I’ve sent them to a friend with a ParcelPro account. We planned on putting it all in one big box and sending it right now, but he’s just looked at the customs forms and he’s asking me this:

I looked at my parcel pro account and when shipping overseas you must fill out customs. This is what they said “ add up to five commodities to this shipment”. And usually one watch is shipped as a commodity. So the question is can we send only 5 watches per package. Or can we lump 5 watches per commodity? As long as the correct amount is assessed I don’t see a problem.

In the meantime I’m trying to call ParcelPro to confirm exactly what is meant by commodities, but does anyone here have experience of this ? I’ve got just over ten lots that were purchased off eBay, some with single watches and some with multiple watches. 80% of the total value is in three single watches and I’d at least like to try and send these ASAP as local tax is down from 19% to 16% until the 31st December, but it’d be easier to send everything. Has anyone here sent multiple watches before ? Any advice ?

 

Haven't sent multiple watches overseas but each watch should be tracked as a commodity. However, by ParcelPro's guidelines they should be described as timing instruments or something anonymous like that, so you could put "Timing Instrument" as the commodity, and 10 as the quantity.

 

Yes, I've done this many times. Note that a commodity is selected based on the characteristics of the watch, so a gold watch can't be the same commodity as a steel watch. An automatic movement can't be the same commodity as a quartz watch. So if you have different case materials, different types of movements, etc., these cannot be lumped together as one commodity. Also, if the values differ, I wouldn't lump them together as one commodity.

So while it's possible to use one commodity for more than one watch, they would have to be of the same physical characteristics (including country of origin) and value.

Also, you don't need to put in "timing instrument" (note that "precision instrument" is actually the term they use), because once you select the correct commodity from the drop down menu, it will automatically fill in the description for you, using terms that PP selects.

Cheers, Al

 

The customs forms allow a qty of each...but keep in mind insurance descriptions and customs descriptions are completely separate. For customs you need to use the correct code. You cant camouflage the description. Parcel Pros guidelines are on the Carrier side not the customs side. If you search "Fedex Customs Worksheet" you should find a post with helpful guidance on how to properly code the watch which will also help reduce duties...be warned if you just enter Timining Instrument you will pay a lot higher import duties.

 

That’s an extremely clear and useful reply @Archer .

There will be more than five types of commodity too (following your description), so it won’t be possible to send them all in one go. So we’ll send the five most valuable ones quickly, and follow up with the rest using regular FedEx shipping and insurance. Happy Christmas !

 

You can list multiple commodities on same package. Each with its own quantity
Its best from a duties standpoint to do the work

And break each down to the following codes (example- yours will vary). If I recall the duties on the movement is a fixed sum, not based on value...so put the bulk of the value there.

PART - MOVEMENT

HTS NUMBER: 9102294520

$ VALUE - xxx


CASE

# - 9102294510

$ value - xxx


STRAP

# - 9102294530

$ value - xxx


Total Value: xxx

 

I didn’t know this. Is this based on import into the US, or are there global guideline ? I’m bringing five complete watches into Germany from the US.

 

This is specific to US import...each country will have its own import guidelines and duties.
Ahh, I thought you were shipping to US...so ignore those codes and info. Germany will be different