OMG, the $hit I have gone through with U.S. Customs and UPS to get these wheels delivered is making me lose my hair. Communication with them is at or near zero, with them just sending me an email saying I owe duties on these, but they do not provide any information on how to pay it. They claim they have left me a voice message, but after days of phone calls they admitted they do not have my phone number or email...so how did they leave me this message???
UPS has been marginally better. They would not release the packages until $41.66 in fees are paid. Note that I already paid $500 for shipping. but get this, they provide no way in their email or website for me to pay this fee.
Multiple phone calls and days later, I found a phone number through which UPS will accept these fees, and was just able to pay this last $41.66. Now they claim they will release the shipments and deliver them to me...but they don't know exactly when.
I suspect U.S. Customs will send me a bill. Years ago my wife bought a Ferrari wallet for my birthday from Italy for $400 (it was an online purchase on Ferrari's website). About a month after I received the wallet the U.S. Customs sent me a duty fee of $187 to be paid to them for the wallet. Based on that ridiculous experience, I am scared to think how much extortion money they are going to get out of me for these wheels. Sometimes I feel the MAFIA runs our government.
Sorry, I am having a bad day over this and I am venting...
Hopefully the wheels will arrive undamaged and will look great on the car.