When UPS charged me a $684 tariff on $355 of vintage computer parts

I had this happen with FedEx. They released the package and delivered it without me paying. I submitted a dispute, which they say could take up to 6 months to process. I hate having this hang over my head, as I don’t want anything going to collections, but figured if I paid it I would have a harder time getting my money back.

Mine was for a watch I got serviced. My own watch that I shipped out being returned to me… not a new import. If I end up having to pay what FedEx is saying I owe, it would have been cheaper for me to buy a new watch than to get it serviced, which is very upsetting. The whole process has been a horrible experience from the very start and I regret the entire thing. I should have just risked getting it serviced locally… or not done it at all.

There's something called a "carnet" for that case.[1] When something is leaving the country temporarily but coming back, there's a way to register that. This comes up a lot if you're doing trade shows or performances.

[1] https://www.cbp.gov/trade/programs-administration/entry-summ...