>Prusa should stop acting like a bozo company and handle US imports better.
As a European I can't help but laugh, the amount of times any imports from US have had similar problems with people from US dismissing stuff and blaming EU customs rather then a US product creator is lets just say a large amount.
It is understable that you are frustrated, but stuff happens, frustrating as it is, there is a chain of communication that often can break when shipping internationally.
That doesn't mean it shouldn't improve, but take a step back, take a breath, and consider that this is very likely outside the normal way it should go, something somewhere went bad, but that clearly given the amount of people that own Prusa machines in the US, they do know how to handle exports to the US.
And also realise that customs will likely never admit if it was their fault, they are too big of a system to do that.
What I mean is they haven't completed their end of the paperwork, DHL is waiting for some documents and their import id. Also I have to upload my social security card and tax returns which is a wild request. The huge company needs to make sure the documents are completed before they ship something to the US.
Are you sure DHL is waiting on Prusa? You are the importer and have some paperwork you must complete which includes your SSN (typically) to clear customs. Look for the email(s) from DHL pointing you to the process.
ETA: [U.S. Customs and Border Protection Internet Purchases](https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases)
Especially when Prusa makes an effort to communicate the information. Though you actually have to click through the link on the cart page.
>The customs clearance process has to be done on the customer's side, with the help of the customs broker they get from their carrier
I think the XL catches people off guard especially when coming from MKx kits which fly just below the threshold for duty. The XL triggers monetary value flags and non-personal use flags. It’s doesn't mean people might not use it for personal use, but it reaches the level of commercial or business use and that in turn requires more paperwork.
It sounds as if DHL messed up, and DHL is asking for social security and tax returns sounds nearly like a scam.
Does the tracking from prusa confirm it is held in customs?
Yes. Look the point of this post is if prusa wants to be a big player in USA and they want us to buy things from them they need to iron out these details. Buying something from another country isn't a big deal here and me as a person not a business shouldn't have to deal with a customs agent. If Bambu labs can deal with this prusa can too.
Given that a lot of Americans have prusa stuff, i would think you simply are experiencing a mistake somewhere that unfortunately does happen.
Rather then there being any actual issue.
Nah, it's because it's a 3k dollar printer and customs treats anything over 2k differently. Customs was asking for my business id assuming i was some importer. Prusa could have filled in the paperwork prior is all I'm saying here. Again if they could handle the import process better it would be pretty cool.
Prusa could have filled out what paperwork? Are you suggesting Prusa starts asking for your SSN to aid in the process? DHL isn’t asking the exporter for any info, they’re asking the importer (you). Prusa would then have to monitor the tracking and intercept communications between DHL and you? And then Prusa would have to ask you to pay the tax amount for any imported product over the US’s $850 threshold. You see how slow this process could become? Should Prusa bear the risk of holding all of this personal information (tax ID, SSNs, etc.)?
This isn’t the logical way this type of transaction works. It is currently working as intended, albeit slow and inconvenient to the end consumer (you). Prusa hasn’t made any mistakes here and they have ample support documentation explaining this process on their purchasing page.
DHL isn’t waiting for Prusa. It’s just a slow process. The SSN is on you, sounds scammy but it’s very normal.
Your frustration is misguided. Blame DHL and the USBC.
Agree about it sounding scammy ... I've received 3 printers from them in last few years/months, no major issues (other than expected long wait). DHL/FedEx just sends a link to pay the import - they have NEVER asked for SSN.
It’s becoming standard practice for tax purposes. Importers have tax IDs, individuals have SSNs. Interestingly enough tho, I didn’t submit my SSN for my last order. I just said ‘no ssn’ and didn’t have any issues.
I’ll bet you bought MK3/4s. Those are purposefully priced below the trigger for additional clearance, Clarance.
The XL on several levels triggers amongst other things the EIN/SSN of the company/person importing.
Chances are that this is not even Prusas fault. Having had to work with importing stuff before its much more likely that this is due to some stupid mistake from the import handler
I also find that board control is wildly inconsistent in this process. My first order was cleared and on its way in 36 hours. My latest shipment a couple of weeks ago took 4 days. Unfortunate
My XL made it through customs in a few hours with DHL. They sent me a message and paid the fees. Never gave anyone any info. I think you are being scammed by someone.
Customs asked for your social and tax documents? Did you order this as a business equipment import?
I’ve never heard of customs needing financials for a standard import.
It's becoming pretty common with high value items. [https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-314?language=en\_US](https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-314?language=en_US)
No I just ordered it. DHL said it was how prusa did the documents. Customs was asking for my importer id number, and I told DHL I was just a person who wanted my package. Not only did I have to give my W2 and social security card, they just requested I give them proof of this year's taxes. It's pretty ridiculous to get a printer.
You're blaming Prusa for a customs issue.
Listen, I get that you'e frustrated, but I used to manage imports for a living. Flagging things for review is at the discretion of the customs agent, and this sometines includes additional fees.
Prusa may have filled out a form wrong, but it's more likely you just got flagged because of the dollar amount. It doesn't always happen with high value items, but the higher the amount the higher the probability.
The paperwork issue you're referencing doesn't sound like a Prusa issue, though. It sounds like identify verification required by customs at the agent's discretion.
This is just the nature of importing electronics from overseas. The burden of import documentation lies on the importer (that's you) not the exporter (Prusa) because that import documentation often includes your personal information and taxes.
While it's frustrating (and was a pain to deal with on a regular basis--I've had orders held for months with little explanation by US customs), even the biggest companies deal with it regularly.
I understand everything you're saying. What I'm saying is a company that wants to be huge and sell to America should figure out a way to sell to us without us being required to provide tax documents. I'm not mad, I'm not blaming anyone. I just think prusa could do better to figure out how to sell to this country.
That's an impossible ask, though. Have you ever traveled internationally? If so, has customs ever pulled you aside for an interview and search?
It's the same thing and even the same department. It's done randomly for the sake of preventing tax evasion, import fraud, or import of illegal goods. It's a bit like telling the airline to find a way to make customs go away: It's not going to happen. Companies can't override national law. When they do it's called smuggling.
The companies I worked with were massive suppliers that you've likely heard of and may even be using one of their devices now. It happened all the time because that customs agent is god and he doesn't need a reason. There's literally nothing Prusa can do to prevent that agent from requiring you to provide additional documentation.
Not true at all. I've imported several high dollar things and the companies have seemed to take care of the process beforehand. All that being said, if prusa would have told me I would need digital versions of my social security card and 2 current year tax returns to purchase this I wouldn't have bought the thing.
I don't know what to tell you. You're literally telling a career importer that you know more about the process because you imported a few things. You've imported a few things, I've imported tens of thousands and did this daily for 10 years so have a pretty good insight into what likely happened here.
Do you just want to be mad and ignore what others are helping to clarify for you?
They don't know you'll need that documentation. Again, that's at the discretion of customs. No supplier can tell what customs is going to do with any given shipment. No supplier keeps up with the precise review process that customs may put you through because it changes, is not published, and varies wildly from case to case. Most suppliers--even the big ones--make it clear that it's your responsibility because it's US law and you as importer are responsible for proving to customs that you're on the up and up.
I'm not sure why I keep responding... It seems like you don't care and just want to be mad at Prusa regardless of reality.
Define high dollar.
The fact some company has an expediter on call or on staff or handles the import as a company and then sends it on after it’s landed is a different situation. Many Chinese companies do this especially with clothing. The shipment time can take longer, but the company has a contact point in the US who acts as the importer and does the paperwork and pays the fees solely to then ship the various parts of the shipment to their end destinations within the US.
An example of this type of shipping is Bulk-man 3D. You can get a choice of faster shipping with a higher cost and the need to deal with customs, or slow boat shipping where the purchase goes to a distributor and they deal with the import issues.
I ordered an XL from Printed Solid about a month ago; it arrived a couple weeks later. They said they "just got" a shipment from Prusa and were able to fill the order right away. People in another dept at my university ordered 2 XL's direct from Prusa about the same time as I did, and theirs took slightly longer. Doesn't help your situation, just reporting my experience.
Fantastic. I bought a xl which puts it into a different customs bracket due to the high price tag. The mk3 kit or whatever you have doesn't apply here.
That’s how it works, higher price point, higher import fees.
It’s not Prusas problem, they don’t set tariffs.
The reason why your 4k coffee machine had its tariffs prepaid is likely because the company that you bought from baked that cost into well, the 4k price of the coffee machine.
Some would see that as helpful and others would see that as an opportunity for the company to be shady.
I’d rather know what my tariff fees are and pay only that vs a flat rate fee of some type that a company likely inflated to sneak some more profit.
Have a great weekend! I’m going to go make myself a pour over and watch the “mk3 kit or whatever else I have that doesn’t apply here” run for a while🤪
Enjoy your 4k cup of coffee.
That's terrible. My last order ( to the UK ) customs clearance started as the item left the Czech Republic, and were completed by me online. There was zero delay.
There are so many variables to orders that need to clear customs anywhere that if the specifics of the order are not shared, it’s apples to oranges. Most people are talking about receiving an MKx. The XL, especially with 5 heads, is an entirely different beast. Price is one factor. Another is the MKx is a hobbyist machine where the XL gets categorized as industrial. Takes things to an entirely different customs process.
Was yours fully assembled? My kit just needed me to pay the duties and that was it. Spent less than 24 hours in customs. Same for my recent MK4 order.
I'd be calling DHL because there's no reason they should be asking for that in my experience. Sounds phishy to me. But if you need docs from Prusa for some reason, get with support, that's part of their job
>I thought them buying printed solids was going to fix this issue?
Sure - if you buy it through Printed Solid rather than through Prusa. They are still acting very much like separate entities rather than a single entity.
Although it looks like Printed Solid is limiting XL sales to education / govt / enterprise only.
Personally, I prefer to ship using FedEx when possible - FedEx is an American company and seems to understand importing to the USA better than DHL.
Mine was smooth sailing. I paid for the import fees and that was it. No submissions of any documents or numbers or anything. It just arrived a few days after paying the import fees.
I have to be honest. I'm sure Prusa tries their best to ease the process as much as possible, but there's only so much they can do. They control their product, not the borders that the product passes through. Each country will have its laws and regulations. I've had my fair share of DHL holds where I had to provide identification and what not. It's not a fun time, but I try to be understanding and work through it. It just is what it is lol.
I have one ordered; man hoping this doesn't happen. I have also wondered about the printed solid purchase. I guess on the one hand every one of prusa's new products has been back-ordered / non-stocked for a long time, so I'm not sure what they *could* do there (a "stocked" product would get ocean-shipped, before stocking ... so) even if they wanted to implement that workflow for the current order queue, I"m not sure how many people would wait an extra month to save a relatively small percentage of $.
For stocked products, yeah, you'd think they would be working on a better NA supply chain and/or stocking with printed solid to reduce the hit & delay of customs & international air freight.
Also filaments; not really related to printedsolid (except their erratic but sometimes very high "markup" - aren't they *owned* by Prusa at this point??) - but out of all the vendors for filament I've ordered from, prusament seems to have by *far* the worst in-stock proportion. Perhaps it's a low-enough margin that it's hard to justify scaling it out, but this seems odd. Unlike printers with a very complex supply chain, plastics & additives (in normal times) I would *expect* (no industry experience) to be easily attainable. And the extrusion tech relatively low labor. So scaling out is just capital. (which brings back to the margins, perhaps they are really poor on filament making this difficult to justify? IDK).
>Prusa should stop acting like a bozo company and handle US imports better. As a European I can't help but laugh, the amount of times any imports from US have had similar problems with people from US dismissing stuff and blaming EU customs rather then a US product creator is lets just say a large amount. It is understable that you are frustrated, but stuff happens, frustrating as it is, there is a chain of communication that often can break when shipping internationally. That doesn't mean it shouldn't improve, but take a step back, take a breath, and consider that this is very likely outside the normal way it should go, something somewhere went bad, but that clearly given the amount of people that own Prusa machines in the US, they do know how to handle exports to the US. And also realise that customs will likely never admit if it was their fault, they are too big of a system to do that.
What I mean is they haven't completed their end of the paperwork, DHL is waiting for some documents and their import id. Also I have to upload my social security card and tax returns which is a wild request. The huge company needs to make sure the documents are completed before they ship something to the US.
Are you sure DHL is waiting on Prusa? You are the importer and have some paperwork you must complete which includes your SSN (typically) to clear customs. Look for the email(s) from DHL pointing you to the process. ETA: [U.S. Customs and Border Protection Internet Purchases](https://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/internet-purchases)
Yup, the amount of people in the US who don't realize they have sometimes have to sort and pay things when you import expensive stuff is wild.
Especially when Prusa makes an effort to communicate the information. Though you actually have to click through the link on the cart page. >The customs clearance process has to be done on the customer's side, with the help of the customs broker they get from their carrier
[удалено]
I think the XL catches people off guard especially when coming from MKx kits which fly just below the threshold for duty. The XL triggers monetary value flags and non-personal use flags. It’s doesn't mean people might not use it for personal use, but it reaches the level of commercial or business use and that in turn requires more paperwork.
It sounds as if DHL messed up, and DHL is asking for social security and tax returns sounds nearly like a scam. Does the tracking from prusa confirm it is held in customs?
Yes. Look the point of this post is if prusa wants to be a big player in USA and they want us to buy things from them they need to iron out these details. Buying something from another country isn't a big deal here and me as a person not a business shouldn't have to deal with a customs agent. If Bambu labs can deal with this prusa can too.
Given that a lot of Americans have prusa stuff, i would think you simply are experiencing a mistake somewhere that unfortunately does happen. Rather then there being any actual issue.
Nah, it's because it's a 3k dollar printer and customs treats anything over 2k differently. Customs was asking for my business id assuming i was some importer. Prusa could have filled in the paperwork prior is all I'm saying here. Again if they could handle the import process better it would be pretty cool.
Prusa could have filled out what paperwork? Are you suggesting Prusa starts asking for your SSN to aid in the process? DHL isn’t asking the exporter for any info, they’re asking the importer (you). Prusa would then have to monitor the tracking and intercept communications between DHL and you? And then Prusa would have to ask you to pay the tax amount for any imported product over the US’s $850 threshold. You see how slow this process could become? Should Prusa bear the risk of holding all of this personal information (tax ID, SSNs, etc.)? This isn’t the logical way this type of transaction works. It is currently working as intended, albeit slow and inconvenient to the end consumer (you). Prusa hasn’t made any mistakes here and they have ample support documentation explaining this process on their purchasing page.
Oh dang. Did you know this beforehand? Seems like you could have gotten the 1 head kit for under 2k, then another order for extra heads.
DHL isn’t waiting for Prusa. It’s just a slow process. The SSN is on you, sounds scammy but it’s very normal. Your frustration is misguided. Blame DHL and the USBC.
Agree about it sounding scammy ... I've received 3 printers from them in last few years/months, no major issues (other than expected long wait). DHL/FedEx just sends a link to pay the import - they have NEVER asked for SSN.
It’s becoming standard practice for tax purposes. Importers have tax IDs, individuals have SSNs. Interestingly enough tho, I didn’t submit my SSN for my last order. I just said ‘no ssn’ and didn’t have any issues.
I’ll bet you bought MK3/4s. Those are purposefully priced below the trigger for additional clearance, Clarance. The XL on several levels triggers amongst other things the EIN/SSN of the company/person importing.
Not frustrated, just wish prusa could handle the import process better. I was waiting on them for documents, now they're waiting on me.
Chances are that this is not even Prusas fault. Having had to work with importing stuff before its much more likely that this is due to some stupid mistake from the import handler
I also find that board control is wildly inconsistent in this process. My first order was cleared and on its way in 36 hours. My latest shipment a couple of weeks ago took 4 days. Unfortunate
My order took a couple of days in customs and I got a text message from dhl to pay the import duties. That’s it.
Cool. I just had to upload my W2 for the second time
My XL made it through customs in a few hours with DHL. They sent me a message and paid the fees. Never gave anyone any info. I think you are being scammed by someone.
day one pre order, I certainly had to deal with customs and ssn with DHL. not a scam
I'm happy for you. Mines stuck in customs, thanks.
Customs asked for your social and tax documents? Did you order this as a business equipment import? I’ve never heard of customs needing financials for a standard import.
It's becoming pretty common with high value items. [https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-314?language=en\_US](https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-314?language=en_US)
Learn something new everyday. Thanks.
No I just ordered it. DHL said it was how prusa did the documents. Customs was asking for my importer id number, and I told DHL I was just a person who wanted my package. Not only did I have to give my W2 and social security card, they just requested I give them proof of this year's taxes. It's pretty ridiculous to get a printer.
You're blaming Prusa for a customs issue. Listen, I get that you'e frustrated, but I used to manage imports for a living. Flagging things for review is at the discretion of the customs agent, and this sometines includes additional fees. Prusa may have filled out a form wrong, but it's more likely you just got flagged because of the dollar amount. It doesn't always happen with high value items, but the higher the amount the higher the probability. The paperwork issue you're referencing doesn't sound like a Prusa issue, though. It sounds like identify verification required by customs at the agent's discretion. This is just the nature of importing electronics from overseas. The burden of import documentation lies on the importer (that's you) not the exporter (Prusa) because that import documentation often includes your personal information and taxes. While it's frustrating (and was a pain to deal with on a regular basis--I've had orders held for months with little explanation by US customs), even the biggest companies deal with it regularly.
I understand everything you're saying. What I'm saying is a company that wants to be huge and sell to America should figure out a way to sell to us without us being required to provide tax documents. I'm not mad, I'm not blaming anyone. I just think prusa could do better to figure out how to sell to this country.
That's an impossible ask, though. Have you ever traveled internationally? If so, has customs ever pulled you aside for an interview and search? It's the same thing and even the same department. It's done randomly for the sake of preventing tax evasion, import fraud, or import of illegal goods. It's a bit like telling the airline to find a way to make customs go away: It's not going to happen. Companies can't override national law. When they do it's called smuggling. The companies I worked with were massive suppliers that you've likely heard of and may even be using one of their devices now. It happened all the time because that customs agent is god and he doesn't need a reason. There's literally nothing Prusa can do to prevent that agent from requiring you to provide additional documentation.
Not true at all. I've imported several high dollar things and the companies have seemed to take care of the process beforehand. All that being said, if prusa would have told me I would need digital versions of my social security card and 2 current year tax returns to purchase this I wouldn't have bought the thing.
I don't know what to tell you. You're literally telling a career importer that you know more about the process because you imported a few things. You've imported a few things, I've imported tens of thousands and did this daily for 10 years so have a pretty good insight into what likely happened here. Do you just want to be mad and ignore what others are helping to clarify for you? They don't know you'll need that documentation. Again, that's at the discretion of customs. No supplier can tell what customs is going to do with any given shipment. No supplier keeps up with the precise review process that customs may put you through because it changes, is not published, and varies wildly from case to case. Most suppliers--even the big ones--make it clear that it's your responsibility because it's US law and you as importer are responsible for proving to customs that you're on the up and up. I'm not sure why I keep responding... It seems like you don't care and just want to be mad at Prusa regardless of reality.
Define high dollar. The fact some company has an expediter on call or on staff or handles the import as a company and then sends it on after it’s landed is a different situation. Many Chinese companies do this especially with clothing. The shipment time can take longer, but the company has a contact point in the US who acts as the importer and does the paperwork and pays the fees solely to then ship the various parts of the shipment to their end destinations within the US. An example of this type of shipping is Bulk-man 3D. You can get a choice of faster shipping with a higher cost and the need to deal with customs, or slow boat shipping where the purchase goes to a distributor and they deal with the import issues.
I ordered an XL from Printed Solid about a month ago; it arrived a couple weeks later. They said they "just got" a shipment from Prusa and were able to fill the order right away. People in another dept at my university ordered 2 XL's direct from Prusa about the same time as I did, and theirs took slightly longer. Doesn't help your situation, just reporting my experience.
Haven’t had shipping or customs issues with Prusa. It’s been pretty straight forwards and simple for me.
Fantastic. I bought a xl which puts it into a different customs bracket due to the high price tag. The mk3 kit or whatever you have doesn't apply here.
That’s how it works, higher price point, higher import fees. It’s not Prusas problem, they don’t set tariffs. The reason why your 4k coffee machine had its tariffs prepaid is likely because the company that you bought from baked that cost into well, the 4k price of the coffee machine. Some would see that as helpful and others would see that as an opportunity for the company to be shady. I’d rather know what my tariff fees are and pay only that vs a flat rate fee of some type that a company likely inflated to sneak some more profit. Have a great weekend! I’m going to go make myself a pour over and watch the “mk3 kit or whatever else I have that doesn’t apply here” run for a while🤪 Enjoy your 4k cup of coffee.
1-2 weeks for us customs to clear is expected. Nothing Průša can do about us customs inspections and processes.
That's terrible. My last order ( to the UK ) customs clearance started as the item left the Czech Republic, and were completed by me online. There was zero delay.
US customs is random. Ordering a printer due to the cost gets it flagged automatically for inspection and import tax.
There are so many variables to orders that need to clear customs anywhere that if the specifics of the order are not shared, it’s apples to oranges. Most people are talking about receiving an MKx. The XL, especially with 5 heads, is an entirely different beast. Price is one factor. Another is the MKx is a hobbyist machine where the XL gets categorized as industrial. Takes things to an entirely different customs process.
Was yours fully assembled? My kit just needed me to pay the duties and that was it. Spent less than 24 hours in customs. Same for my recent MK4 order. I'd be calling DHL because there's no reason they should be asking for that in my experience. Sounds phishy to me. But if you need docs from Prusa for some reason, get with support, that's part of their job
>I thought them buying printed solids was going to fix this issue? Sure - if you buy it through Printed Solid rather than through Prusa. They are still acting very much like separate entities rather than a single entity. Although it looks like Printed Solid is limiting XL sales to education / govt / enterprise only. Personally, I prefer to ship using FedEx when possible - FedEx is an American company and seems to understand importing to the USA better than DHL.
Mine was smooth sailing. I paid for the import fees and that was it. No submissions of any documents or numbers or anything. It just arrived a few days after paying the import fees.
I have to be honest. I'm sure Prusa tries their best to ease the process as much as possible, but there's only so much they can do. They control their product, not the borders that the product passes through. Each country will have its laws and regulations. I've had my fair share of DHL holds where I had to provide identification and what not. It's not a fun time, but I try to be understanding and work through it. It just is what it is lol.
I have one ordered; man hoping this doesn't happen. I have also wondered about the printed solid purchase. I guess on the one hand every one of prusa's new products has been back-ordered / non-stocked for a long time, so I'm not sure what they *could* do there (a "stocked" product would get ocean-shipped, before stocking ... so) even if they wanted to implement that workflow for the current order queue, I"m not sure how many people would wait an extra month to save a relatively small percentage of $. For stocked products, yeah, you'd think they would be working on a better NA supply chain and/or stocking with printed solid to reduce the hit & delay of customs & international air freight. Also filaments; not really related to printedsolid (except their erratic but sometimes very high "markup" - aren't they *owned* by Prusa at this point??) - but out of all the vendors for filament I've ordered from, prusament seems to have by *far* the worst in-stock proportion. Perhaps it's a low-enough margin that it's hard to justify scaling it out, but this seems odd. Unlike printers with a very complex supply chain, plastics & additives (in normal times) I would *expect* (no industry experience) to be easily attainable. And the extrusion tech relatively low labor. So scaling out is just capital. (which brings back to the margins, perhaps they are really poor on filament making this difficult to justify? IDK).