I recently made a purchase from a dealer who ships from the Philippines (although they are based in 'another country) who used DHL as the shipper. It was a mixed order of only 9 shells. I was very surprised to get a customs duty invoice ($25) that is almost 1/5 the value of the shells. What gives? I have never received such an invoice before. Is there a flat rate for shells sent from overseas or was this somehow based on the value of the shells? The later seems somehow unlikely based on the information on the bill. If I'm going to get hit with a $25 bill from the US government everytime I make an overseas order it is going to seriously restrict my non-US purchases. I noted someone previously posted a similar situation. 9 shells hardly makes me a shell dealer. Any thoughts? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs To leave this list, click on the following web link: http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1 Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and click leave the list. ----------------------------------------------------------------------