Hello everyone! Maybe this would be best on the Ludkins thread, but it is more a general question about customs as opposed to a specific question to/about Ludkins.
I am currently living in Japan and have a package of 250 cards ready to send over to the US for grading. However, I cannot ship the package without a value on the customs form. I’d prefer not to list a fake number as the cards are decently valuable. But I also don’t want Ludkins or myself to have to either foot the bill or turn down accepting the package.
I notice there is a “temporary” box I can tic on my customs form. I did a little research, but it didn’t yield me much that I was able to understand fully. I feel there is a lot of information I’m still lacking. I was hoping maybe someone who does PSA orders regularly from Japan would be able to provide some insight that is easier to digest than a jargon-full website and a person who sadly didn’t have all the answers for me when I called the DHL customer support here.
I know as much as that:
I need 2 copies of an invoice and I possess that form.
I need a “waybill” and that I can fill out when I ship the package.
when the package is finally ready to be returned to me in Japan, after grading, Ludkins would have to either use DHL and have kept some form from my initial package as reference. Or, they can use a different shipping method and contact DHL to obtain the waybill for some reason.
I’m not sure if there is a time stipulation, however. And that is worrying due to PSA being, well… we all know.
If there are other ways that are easier, please let me know. Also, I’m not sure if international from countries other than Japan is the same or not. Maybe the destination is all that matters🤷♂️
Thank you I’m advance for answering this frustrating question.
Would it not be easier to submit to the Japanese office? I have absolutely zero experience with this office nor have I heard or read anything about anyone who did. But it might be worth looking into. This is their site: www.psacard.co.jp/
Yes I am using a middleman@thymeee,@geg89. I don’t have the time to make the submission form myself. Thanks though for the suggestion. It’s definitely something to keep in mind for the future.
I would for sure look into it, it sounds easier to go from home in Japan → PSA Japan → home in Japan, than to go home in Japan → middlemen in USA → PSA USA → middlemen → home in Japan. It will involve less risk in shipping, might or might not have quicker turnarounds (absolutely no idea) and I now remember that I have read something about PSA Japan in the giant grading thread which is this: www.elitefourum.com/t/the-giant-professional-grading-thread/30930/823
The prices seem to be different, I dont know if it is that significant with the value of the cards you are submitting. But I would definitely look into it, for now or for future submission if you have got more time on your hands.
@pkmnflyingmaster , I don’t really know to be honest. I just don’t want to take the chance that either Ludkins or myself get slapped with a nice 2000$ bill to pay for customs. I can’t seem to really get straight answers about how the process would work sadly. The guy at the shipping depot here in Japan didn’t know how to make his Japanese simple enough for me, and the woman I called didn’t have the answer. But the gist I got is that the receiver would either pay the customs fees, or send the package back to me. I might be completely mistaken, but that is what I guess I’m trying to figure out. If I can be guaranteed that no one will be hit with a massive bill, then I have no issues declaring full price and checking permanent on the customs form.
@thymeee , yeah I’ll check it out one of these days. For this order I’m definitely just going through Ludkins, though. If I can figure this thing out, I’ll never have a problem again and will be significantly more prepared the next time these questions come around. Thanks again!
Anytime ive shipped to ludkins i have just put $20 value. Its always a lie, but its always worked. I feel like packages declared with full value will raise too many eyebrows of potential thieves, and yes it could always be an issue with customs. I have sent well over 100k worth of cards to ludkins and never had an issue, mind you if the packages went missing it wouldve been upsetting. In the event of a package going missing however it may not be as simple as you getting the exact amount you declare the items at, the postage provider might feel like its worthless or worth less, i know of many horror stories.
You may want to try a courier like UPS, DHL, or Fedex, i dont have any experience with them for sending in cards other than when i sent 5 cards direct to PSA via Fedex recently, and depsite it being worth 5000 i declared it at $20, because i just feel like its much safer with a low value.
Super helpful! Thanks! Yeah, at this point, that’s what I’m figuring I have to do. Just under declare the hell out of it. The rest is very convoluted and frustrating. Not really too important anymore I feels but I am going with DHL.