I want to order a Fender Japan Jazz Bass from Japan. I wonder if I will have to pay a big tariff. I ordered a bass from Japan in 2022 and didn’t pay any import tax, but the times have changed.
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Anyone recently ordered a bass from Japan?
- Thread starter Chrisk-K
- Start date
I would hesitate to import one myself at this point. Too much of a gamble IMO. Things have changed quickly and I seriously doubt the system has fully caught up. Feels like a time when you could easily get dinged with the incorrect charges with little recourse to get them corrected (since the system to correct them is likely overloaded).
No I have not tried it recently. I have seen a number of complaints on other forums around the same issue. Some complained about the correct fees being applied (they were just annoyed because they were unexpected). A large number of others were expecting a fee, but were billed a significantly higher fee than the correct one.
Admittedly these were forum posts and not first hand experience. However, I am confident that the system is not operating as it should due to the large new volume in the space (due to items that previously would have been imported duty free under old rules).
You can Google to confirm, but I believe it should be 15% + any broker fees.
No I have not tried it recently. I have seen a number of complaints on other forums around the same issue. Some complained about the correct fees being applied (they were just annoyed because they were unexpected). A large number of others were expecting a fee, but were billed a significantly higher fee than the correct one.
Admittedly these were forum posts and not first hand experience. However, I am confident that the system is not operating as it should due to the large new volume in the space (due to items that previously would have been imported duty free under old rules).
You can Google to confirm, but I believe it should be 15% + any broker fees.
I just did BUT I got in before the $800 exemption was removed. It was over $800 but EMS as a shipment method was famous for somehow getting around customs and additional fees. Honestly I was very unsure how it would go and with the postal service there is no way of knowing if you owe until it shows up at your door and there is a charge. DHL, Fedex, etc are a guarantee that you will owe something. Now that we are past the last cutoff I would not personally take a chance again. I got lucky
As a US resident I would Invalid Link Removed right now. Many national postal services and some commercial shippers are suspending parcel deliveries to the US until it provides clarification on what they're supposed to be doing. This includes Japan and some branches of DHL: "Japan warned of potential delays or returned parcels because of the changes, with authorities vowing to share more information when available."
The de minimus exemption ends August 29.
Yep. An FSR traditional 70s precision. About $1200. Off an Ebay "broker" seller. Came in 3 days seamlessly. No extra charges with FedEx.
What bass are you looking for? I LOVE this bass but actually need to sell it ASAP.
What bass are you looking for? I LOVE this bass but actually need to sell it ASAP.
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A buddy of mine got a Harley Benton from Thomann just recently and got slapped with $150 Tariff tax which is almost as much as the bass! Granted it was shipped from Germany, but anything from Japan may be in the same boat.
I bought a Dingwall recently from Canada that delivered to a pickup location by Fed-Ex. When I entered to pick it up they said I owed $703.89 which I disputed. The store in Canada said that FedEx failed to apply the USMCA form that was submitted.p and that I owed very little or nothing.
I called FedEx and spoke to their imports dept. They said the firm had been applied and the amount due was &87.
I went back to the pickup location and it wasn’t changed in their end. I called the local FedEx distribution center and the lady said to wait there until the driver arrived and he would straighten it out.
He arrived, signed the package back into his possession, then had me sign as receiving it and charged me nothing. Since FedEx doesn’t have my home address I’m wondering if I’ll ever get a bill.
I called FedEx and spoke to their imports dept. They said the firm had been applied and the amount due was &87.
I went back to the pickup location and it wasn’t changed in their end. I called the local FedEx distribution center and the lady said to wait there until the driver arrived and he would straighten it out.
He arrived, signed the package back into his possession, then had me sign as receiving it and charged me nothing. Since FedEx doesn’t have my home address I’m wondering if I’ll ever get a bill.
I received a cab from Barefaced last week via FexEx and wasn't sure if I'd get charged the 10 or 15% tariff because it shipped from the UK. The cab did cost more than the de minimus exemption, but when I signed for it, the nice FedEx driver didn't bring up any extra charge. I'm not sure if I got lucky or what.
It would be interesting to see the experiences you all keep having regarding the actual mechanics of what you're being charged and how you're finding out what the additional charges are. I ordered a bass from Europe that will arrive later this year, so I'm curious to see how it goes. I kinda don't know at all what to expect.
It would be interesting to see the experiences you all keep having regarding the actual mechanics of what you're being charged and how you're finding out what the additional charges are. I ordered a bass from Europe that will arrive later this year, so I'm curious to see how it goes. I kinda don't know at all what to expect.
I recently purchased a Maruszczyk bass through the 'verb from a company in the UK. I expected to get dinged for 15%, but it's so hard to find reliable info on the matter. I was pleased that there were no added fees. YMMV
^The wild variation in experience listed above is exactly why I would not do it at this point. Unless of course it is priced well enough to be worth the gamble.
To summarize the above we have examples of...
- Expected a fee, was not one
- Expected a fee, fee charged was higher than expected
- Fee charged was higher than expected and incorrectly corrected after challenging the original fee (to the buyer's advantage in this case, which is nice, but I am sure not always the case)
To summarize the above we have examples of...
- Expected a fee, was not one
- Expected a fee, fee charged was higher than expected
- Fee charged was higher than expected and incorrectly corrected after challenging the original fee (to the buyer's advantage in this case, which is nice, but I am sure not always the case)
The tariffs introduced in 2025 are sometimes interpreted as being in addition to tariffs that existed before 2025, rather than superseding them. So, for example, if the 2025 tariff rate for the UK is 10%, that's in addition to the previous 15%.
This is part of why shippers are beginning to refuse to deliver parcels to the US (see my post upthread) -- they need definitive rules and aren't getting them, which puts them at risk.
I recently purchased a bass off of eBay that was from Japan. I received a bill from FedEx for custom fees about a week after it arrived. It was a Warwick with a twisted neck. After much back-and-forth with the seller, I returned it for a full refund. I paid no shipping either way. Most important thing to remember is what Roger Sadowsky told me….”never buy a bass that you can’t return“. The seller tried to keep $400 in shipping fees, but eBay had my back and refunded me the shortage on the refund. I’m going to avoid International purchases for a little while.
Before this tariff poopie, I had similar experience when buying axes with rosewood fingerboards ...
I got kinda used to it, am now considering investing in ivory ...
Actually, I now buy nothing foreign, including nothing from certain states ...
And if I invest in anything it'll be zlotys, just because they have a cool name.
I got kinda used to it, am now considering investing in ivory ...
Actually, I now buy nothing foreign, including nothing from certain states ...
And if I invest in anything it'll be zlotys, just because they have a cool name.
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I wanted a Fender Japan Jazz Bass in Modena Red! I’d pay the 15% tariff, but it appears that nowadays foreign parcels may get stuck for a long time at the customs. I will wait until the situation improves (will it ever?).
When I got my Gibson Les Paul standard bass from ishibashi before all the news hysteria a few years ago I ended up having to pay around $300 to FedEx since they don't use EMS anymore .
Tariffs are applied using “Rules of Origin”. The Harley Benton may have been shipped from Germany, but if it was made in China, it would get the tariff for China when imported to the US.
Wow. I guess I really did get my order in just in time
I ordered a Warwick from Japan late last month and it arrived on-shore just before Aug 1st. No additional tariff fees but I was sweating it.
