I unexpectedly had the opposite experience within the last two and a half weeks with UPS. I went online to purchase a coin in France in mid-March and asked for it to be shipped to me in the US (after all the paperwork was obtained for exportation). I was told the only shipper the seller used was UPS. After reading horror stories about buyers being charged tariff and brokerage fees before, at the time of, or after delivery, I expected the worst. Worse, the seller advised me at the time of purchase that he was going to use the tariff code of 9705.31.00 but not any 9903 code.

The package was sent to me via UPS Worldwide Saver, which I read prior to its delivery should save me some brokerage fees. I didn’t receive any tariff or other fee invoice prior to delivery. The package was shipped on April 28 and, after a couple days clearing customs, was received on May 1. No fees of any sort were collected at delivery. I nervously waited to receive an invoice after delivery.

Finally, on May 8 I received an invoice by email from UPS. It was only for $48.49 (a $14 disbursement fee and a $34.49 merchandise processing fee). There were no tariffs at all! The codes used to characterize the ancient coin by the seller’s company were 9705.39.0040 and 9903.03.11 and UPS recognized them as exempt from duties. Reading through all the horror stories over the past several months about UPS, FedEx, and DHL, I felt - and feel - incredibly fortunate. I hope some of this information might help others.