What happens if I refuse a DHL shipment addressed to me ?

Factual Questions
1

I asked my dad to send me a wireless router from London, UK to Bombay, India. It was just lying around the house there, and I needed it here.

He shipped it through DHL. It was less than 0.5kgs. They charged him a whopping 90 pounds. Almost the price of the router itself. If I had known it was so expensive to ship it, I would have looked for alternatives, but he sent it anyway.

The package has now arrived in my city. I spoke to DHL here and they said it was being processed for customs clearance. I asked them what they expect the duty on such an item to be, they said they could not offer an estimate, as that is decided by customs officials. I couldn’t get the information from any other source either.

DHL said that the way it’s done is that DHL pays whatever duty customs charges, and then recovers it from the Receiver.

The router is a used piece, has the bill included, and has been sent as a personal use item. However, since it’s an electronic item, I expect the duty to be high.

What if I refuse to pay the duty and decline the shipment ? DHL’s website mentions that in such a case they return it to the sender. But they are unclear on the specifics. Will my dad be charged the duty if I decline the shipment ? Will he be charged even more for having it returned unaccepted ?

How does it work ?

2

DHL should be able to answer your question about any return shipping charges.

The customs/duty fees will have to be paid by your dad, regardless of the fact that you never took delivery.

3

I took delivery. Had to pay about 40 pounds as duty. I asked the delivery guy what happens if I decline to pay. He said it’s routed back to the sender and charged to him. I then asked what if the sender refuses to accept the charges. He said in that case the item is destroyed. The DHL website also mentions something about auctioning such items.