Hi Guys,
I have an ongoing issue with shipping a valuable book to the USA for consignment, and would appreciate some advice....
I was advised by a US bookdealer that my double remarqued and inscribed S/L edition of A Book of Horrors could be sold on consignment within his online store for $4,000 USD, but I would need to bear the cost of shipping the book to him for consignment, which I agreed to do....
As the book is valuable, I paid for it to be fully insured (at great cost) when posting internationally and had to declare its value on the customs declaration form....
However, the book is now held at a FedEx facility and they won't release it for delivery until the bookdealer completes a CBP 5106 form issued by US Customs and Border Protection, in order to verify his impoter ID and registration.
See images below...
Is this a common occurrence when shipping valuable books?
I have contacted FedEx who have confirmed that no customs duty is to be paid on this (books are exempt) and that they only need the importer's registration/identification number for clearance.
However, the bookdealer is refusing to complete the CBP 5106 form and stated the following in an email to me....
As the book is addressed to the bookdealer and is currently held at a FedEx facility within the US, it is impossible for me to retrieve.Tim,*
Please retrieve your package and send it again without the need to fill out any forms.
Thank you.
Is the bookdealer's refusal to complete the CBP 5106 reasonable?
Should I have waived the insurance and declared a lesser value on the customs form when posting the book and risked it being lost or damaged?
I have tried contacting the bookdealer, but he has so far ignored the email that I sent...
I now have a book stuck in delivery limbo and don't know the best course of action....
Any help or advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.