Imagine if a Customs Officer regularly read this forum.
Hops Stuck At Customs From Northern Brewer
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Imagine if a Customs Officer regularly read this forum.
phoenixdigital
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punkin
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Sorry, that's just not right.
I'm not trying to start a shitfight, i really am trying to understand.
I have a price list from a few months ago, it's still current. There's one posted in the elerslie thread in retail.
http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&id=50988
These prices are for .5 or 1 kilo
obviously being 2 and a quarter odd pounds in a kilo, you get a bit more when you buy local (100 gms or so in a kilo)
Chinook Hop Pellets .5 not available
Amarillo Hop Pellets .5 not available
German Magnum Hop Pellets .5 = $20
Czech Saaz Hop Pellets .5 = $26.50
US Fuggle Hop Pellets (uk) 1kg = $41.00
Centennial Hop Pellets .5 = 21.50
Cascade Hop Pellets 1kg = $57.50
That's $166.50 plus GST ($183.10) and you are missing 1kg of hops that they don't sell. You are also getting 450 gms (1 pound) for free by buying by the half kilo rather than the pound. So you're one pound short (and two varieties i acknowledge)
I've also found that MHB gave me prices very similar when i asked him for wholesale prices on kilo (850g in his case) hops. So your two varieties (or the whole order) could have come from him.
I just plain don't believe there is a price advantage to buying from the states and the figures prove it.
As for freshness i can't say as i've never bought from there 9this is why i ask these q's) but i can say i've never been dissapointed with Elerslies hops in my long and distinguished six month allgrain career. <_<
My last order from them was for three kilos of hops and i didn't get charged any freight at all. Maybe that was an oversight? I don't know but on other orders i've been charged $15.
Clearly you didn't gather prices from the Aussie wholesaler
Refer above please.
phoenixdigital
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Nothing to apologise for. If I can get them cheaper locally I definitely will. I was basing it off the only prices I could find at the time in Australia.
punkin
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Elerslies prices are in the link in my above post. They may not always be cheaper for each variety, and i wish they had amarillo as i'm out, but overall i can't see the benefit pricewise in buying from the states (or i would buy there for sure).
That's why i keep asking the question.
That's why i keep asking the question.
What year are the hops in question? That's the key for me. If they have 2011 varieties I will give them a go for sure.
I would be asking your freight forwarder why they sent your hops without the proper paperwork.
Its their job to organize it. If not, why did they receive the goods knowing it was going to Australia?
What did you pay them for?
Did you have to send over a box for them to put the hops in?
Tell them to get off their arse and fix it because you want your hops. They know where they came from.
Its their job to organize it. If not, why did they receive the goods knowing it was going to Australia?
What did you pay them for?
Did you have to send over a box for them to put the hops in?
Tell them to get off their arse and fix it because you want your hops. They know where they came from.
punkin
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You'd have to ask them mate.
I saw a post from one of the american suppliers here yesterday (nickohops) saying they won't be releasing any of their 2011 varieties until they first sell their 2009 and then there 2010 vintages, so the situation is comparable.
benno1973
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Hey punkin,
I've bought both from Ellerslie and Hopsdirect, and both are excellent products, packed well and comparable in freshness.
When I ordered from Ellerslie, I ordered in kilo bags and received slightly over 1kg (like around 15-20g over in each bag). When I ordered pounds from hopsdirect, I actually received 500g in each bag (not that I expected or even knew that before ordering).
When I bought pounds of the domestic hop pellets from hopsdirect recently, they were priced between US$8 and $US16 per pound of pellets. Some of these were 2011 harvest, fresh off the bines. Postage was $45 for 5lb of hops, so essentially it was around $110 for new season Amarillo, Centennial, etc to my door. That's around $44/kilo and the decision was based on the fact that they were the new season hops, which ultimately sold out pretty quickly. Remember also that this includes delivery, which was surprisingly quick (around 1 week).
Last time I bought from Ellerslie, I ordered 4.5kg (nearly twice as much) and the freight was $40. While this made the hops average out to around $42/kilo, the order included POR and some of the other cheaper varieties. Additionally, they weren't necessarily current season hops. The package was dispatched on a Thursday and delivered by the courier company on the following Tuesday.
So it's a bit horses for courses. I recently bought from hopsdirect because the hops were fresher (straight off the bine) despite the slightly extra travel time (a couple of days). Also remember that if I were to buy from Ellerslie, the hops have already had to travel internationally anyway at some point (unless I'm ordering POR), so the travel time is less of an issue.
Your figures don't really prove that it's cheaper to buy locally, as they exclude the two most expensive items on the order (Chinook and Amarillo) and negate postage. Assuming Ellerslie postage is around $50, your figures show the total bill being $233 and there's still nearly a kilo of Amarillo/Chinook missing from the order! I think in this case, the advantage is to ordering from the states. It's not always the case, but the figures indicate that it works out for these varieties.
I've bought both from Ellerslie and Hopsdirect, and both are excellent products, packed well and comparable in freshness.
When I ordered from Ellerslie, I ordered in kilo bags and received slightly over 1kg (like around 15-20g over in each bag). When I ordered pounds from hopsdirect, I actually received 500g in each bag (not that I expected or even knew that before ordering).
When I bought pounds of the domestic hop pellets from hopsdirect recently, they were priced between US$8 and $US16 per pound of pellets. Some of these were 2011 harvest, fresh off the bines. Postage was $45 for 5lb of hops, so essentially it was around $110 for new season Amarillo, Centennial, etc to my door. That's around $44/kilo and the decision was based on the fact that they were the new season hops, which ultimately sold out pretty quickly. Remember also that this includes delivery, which was surprisingly quick (around 1 week).
Last time I bought from Ellerslie, I ordered 4.5kg (nearly twice as much) and the freight was $40. While this made the hops average out to around $42/kilo, the order included POR and some of the other cheaper varieties. Additionally, they weren't necessarily current season hops. The package was dispatched on a Thursday and delivered by the courier company on the following Tuesday.
So it's a bit horses for courses. I recently bought from hopsdirect because the hops were fresher (straight off the bine) despite the slightly extra travel time (a couple of days). Also remember that if I were to buy from Ellerslie, the hops have already had to travel internationally anyway at some point (unless I'm ordering POR), so the travel time is less of an issue.
Your figures don't really prove that it's cheaper to buy locally, as they exclude the two most expensive items on the order (Chinook and Amarillo) and negate postage. Assuming Ellerslie postage is around $50, your figures show the total bill being $233 and there's still nearly a kilo of Amarillo/Chinook missing from the order! I think in this case, the advantage is to ordering from the states. It's not always the case, but the figures indicate that it works out for these varieties.
punkin
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Sure mate, i get the little differences. As i said, my last order was freight free, but i've never been charged over $20 by Elerlslie, let alone $50. Also need to take into account currency fees from the banks when using other currencies.
As i said, just trying to understand, as the prices (even in your example) are so close.
I often buy stuff from the states, i imported my last sounder for the boat and saved about 4 grand, so it's not like i'm against it. Just that the savings have to be large for me to go to the risk and trouble.
As i said, just trying to understand, as the prices (even in your example) are so close.
I often buy stuff from the states, i imported my last sounder for the boat and saved about 4 grand, so it's not like i'm against it. Just that the savings have to be large for me to go to the risk and trouble.
benno1973
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Yep, freight free would make a big difference to the example. I just looked back through my emails and it seems that I questioned the cost of the freight last time, and they said that freight to WA was prohibitive, so maybe it's just the fact that I'm in WA that they charged me $40. They used TNT couriers, which ended up being slower than AusPost.
If you're still wondering why people buy hops from the US, then I chose hopsdirect last time due to price (for me was cheaper), freshness and varieties available. But my purchasing decisions aren't always about price - I'll seek out a hop I like (i.e. Amarillo) and if Ellerslie don't supply it, I'll buy from elsewhere.
As far as the 'risk and trouble', hopsdirect is pretty used to sending to Aus and it certainly wasn't any more trouble than dealing with Ellerslie.
If you're still wondering why people buy hops from the US, then I chose hopsdirect last time due to price (for me was cheaper), freshness and varieties available. But my purchasing decisions aren't always about price - I'll seek out a hop I like (i.e. Amarillo) and if Ellerslie don't supply it, I'll buy from elsewhere.
As far as the 'risk and trouble', hopsdirect is pretty used to sending to Aus and it certainly wasn't any more trouble than dealing with Ellerslie.
bookworm1707
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If you are worried about heat they are probably in TNT's warehouse so ask them to put them in the fridge. Most bond stores have one.
If a customs officer read my earlier comments in know they will not be interested, even the broker will look at it and probably spot it is a copy and think why bother argueing. At least that has been my experience working with them.
If a customs officer read my earlier comments in know they will not be interested, even the broker will look at it and probably spot it is a copy and think why bother argueing. At least that has been my experience working with them.
Josh
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I was waiting for you to pop up Josh, where have you been? Checking hop imports? :lol:Imagine...h34r:
phoenixdigital
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update...
Northern brewer said they dont have a document like this (response below)
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We don't have any declarations paperwork or anything like that around here since we don't do international shipping, unfortunately. The packages do say Hop Union LLC on them which is who packages them for us. They are definitely located in the US so I hope if you point that out to them, that will make it fairly obvious what's going on with the hops. I hope that helps some.
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Does anyone have an example of what this "Manufcaturer Declaration" looks like? I will send that example to Hop Union for them to fill out.
I am scared for my hops now.
Northern brewer said they dont have a document like this (response below)
----------------
We don't have any declarations paperwork or anything like that around here since we don't do international shipping, unfortunately. The packages do say Hop Union LLC on them which is who packages them for us. They are definitely located in the US so I hope if you point that out to them, that will make it fairly obvious what's going on with the hops. I hope that helps some.
---------------
Does anyone have an example of what this "Manufcaturer Declaration" looks like? I will send that example to Hop Union for them to fill out.
I am scared for my hops now.
tavas
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Ouch. Take that, Josh.
Josh
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Hi Guys,
Just got an email from Shipitto.com saying that customs where holding my hops and wont release unless I provide more information.
Shipito is a freight forwarder which I have used in the past to import hops from northernbrewer.com
There were two emails the first being
--------------
Hello,
TNT has contacted us because they are requiring additional information.
The email states, "Con No : xxxxx/ REF: xxxxx-O - We need the
manufactures declaration. The shipment is under quarantine and will
require a formal customs clearance entry in Australia. " Please
provide us with a certificate of origin. Thank you.
--------------
The second
-------------
TNT has send a second emial with some clarification as to what is
needed.
"If your shipper or receiver do have an inquiry as to what is needed on
the manufactures declaration, I do have those details below:
This declaration must detail the following information.
MUST BE ON A COMPANY LETTERHEAD
MUST BE IN ENGLISH
MUST STATE CONSIGNMENT NUMBER
FULL CONTENT/COMMODITY
BIO/ANIMAL/PLANT/SYNTHETIC
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
END USE OF PRODUCT
MUST BE SIGNED AND DATED
Please ensure the consignor provides this information in detail, the
more
information provided on the declaration, the easier for Quarantine to
clear. "
-------------
We did order a lot of hops
Has anyone had this happen?
They seem to indicate they want northern brewer to send it which I doubt they will.
Do you guys think that we could send it through to customs?
Pain in the ass as I would hate for our $250+ of hops to get denied
Is it possible to have it inspected by DAFF Biosecurity or whatever they're calling themselves these days? I'd be calling them and explaining what the goods are and pointing them to the ICON database.
:icon_offtopic:
This is the biggest issue with importing through an air cargo freight forwarder. Air cargo is largely screened electronically using the documentation provided by the shipper. If there are any discrepencies such as the OP then the goods can be held up awaiting added paperwork. If your shipper was the seller, then they would more than likely have included the declaration as required. But because NB thought they were sending the hops to the USA there was no requirement for them to include anything.
The best bet is to ship using USPS or if you're in a hurry, EMS. Using these methods, there is no paper trail that Quarantine can use to hold up your goods. With EMS, your parcel is x-rayed pretty much on the day it arrives in Australia and if Quarantine want to pull it up, they will just examine it, rather than request more paperwork. Hops pellets are seen quite often in the mail centre and most Quarantine Officers know they are fine. And if they don't know that, they will simply look it up in ICON and release during the examination anyway.
There is no problem with the amount of hops - just that they require a formal declaration of what you are importing. This is normally only required where the value exceeds $A1,000.
Here is an example used by Wyeast - as you can see there is nothing special, just a factual description of the product.
Have you tried talking to the local TNT office ?
If all else fails you could get a local customs agent to sort it out for you.
HTH,
Dave
View attachment IMG_0001.pdf
