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The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

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Wilmark
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Cautionary Tale

Postby Wilmark » April 13th, 2023, 10:08 am

I had this skybox experience that have made me think twice about using a skybox. I realized that we are placing a lot of trust in these sometimes fly by night operators not only with our goods we bought online but also something that can be far more sinister.

I had this seriously learning experience dealing with with a Skybox Operator in Trinidad (Called B & H Tropicals, located in Central) who operated an account with Xpress Freight in Miami/Doral FL.

Summary
Xpress Freight or their employees, placed false UPS labels on 8 packages weighing ~100 lbs using UPS packaging (that was originally addressed to themselves and originated from 3M) and placed unknown content and Freight forwarded to me in Trinidad, for their agents to collect hefty weight and customs charges, holding legitimate and valuable packages as ransom until the fees are paid. You can see the Fake label elsewhere in this communication. All 8 labels have the same issue: My name is inserted on the second line that does not appear in the original label and the ZIP code is different. I have lost US$700 worth of goods being held by Xpress Freight’s agents who informs me that they will charge an additional US$30/day in fees. Note: In late March the Skybox agent notified me that there were packages coming from 3M via Email. I immediately responded and told him that these were not mine, I wont be accepting it (or charges) and he needs to investigate the mix up. He didnt answer his phone again until the packages arrived in Trinidad and he was ready to collect (almost $4000TT in charges), and he will not deliver packages i actually ordered until i clear the entire set of fees.

So, im not getting back my US$700 worth of goods they shipped and brought to Trinidad for me, which includes a new phone for my daughter about to write CAPE and badly needs a new phone. Xpress Freight utilized packaging with genuine labeling and UPS tracking to make the package appear legitimate. I was told by a UPS customer rep that the shipment associated with the given tracking (see below) does not include my name anywhere on any of the paperwork.

Label Analysis.png

The Fake Label (see Image)
1. Fake 2nd Label Outline
2. Fake label has different Zip
3. Fake Label has my name (and isnt on the original label (5)
4. Original Shipper (3M)
5. Original Ship to (Xpress Freight)
6. Fake label has UPS tracking copied.

The Serious Ramifications
While this might like a business dispute, think about the possible ramifications - people operating without your knowledge can import illegal contraband that carry serious legal penalties on your name, pass it thru customs, and if they get caught they can claim that they were merely bringing something I ordered. Chilling!

I think its game over for small time Skybox operators for me.

Chimera
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby Chimera » April 13th, 2023, 10:38 am

stick to the bigger companies

all of them does have issues but less issues with the bigger companies and they try to solve it faster

adnj
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Re: Cautionary Tale

Postby adnj » April 13th, 2023, 11:54 am

Wilmark wrote:
I had this skybox experience that have made me think twice about using a skybox. I realized that we are placing a lot of trust in these sometimes fly by night operators not only with our goods we bought online but also something that can be far more sinister.

I had this seriously learning experience dealing with with a Skybox Operator in Trinidad (Called B & H Tropicals, located in Central) who operated an account with Xpress Freight in Miami/Doral FL.

Summary
Xpress Freight or their employees, placed false UPS labels on 8 packages weighing ~100 lbs using UPS packaging (that was originally addressed to themselves and originated from 3M) and placed unknown content and Freight forwarded to me in Trinidad, for their agents to collect hefty weight and customs charges, holding legitimate and valuable packages as ransom until the fees are paid. You can see the Fake label elsewhere in this communication. All 8 labels have the same issue: My name is inserted on the second line that does not appear in the original label and the ZIP code is different. I have lost US$700 worth of goods being held by Xpress Freight’s agents who informs me that they will charge an additional US$30/day in fees. Note: In late March the Skybox agent notified me that there were packages coming from 3M via Email. I immediately responded and told him that these were not mine, I wont be accepting it (or charges) and he needs to investigate the mix up. He didnt answer his phone again until the packages arrived in Trinidad and he was ready to collect (almost $4000TT in charges), and he will not deliver packages i actually ordered until i clear the entire set of fees.

So, im not getting back my US$700 worth of goods they shipped and brought to Trinidad for me, which includes a new phone for my daughter about to write CAPE and badly needs a new phone. Xpress Freight utilized packaging with genuine labeling and UPS tracking to make the package appear legitimate. I was told by a UPS customer rep that the shipment associated with the given tracking (see below) does not include my name anywhere on any of the paperwork.

Label Analysis.png
The Fake Label (see Image)
1. Fake 2nd Label Outline
2. Fake label has different Zip
3. Fake Label has my name (and isnt on the original label (5)
4. Original Shipper (3M)
5. Original Ship to (Xpress Freight)
6. Fake label has UPS tracking copied.

The Serious Ramifications
While this might like a business dispute, think about the possible ramifications - people operating without your knowledge can import illegal contraband that carry serious legal penalties on your name, pass it thru customs, and if they get caught they can claim that they were merely bringing something I ordered. Chilling!

I think its game over for small time Skybox operators for me.


The ZIP code for Doral, FL is 33191.

The sales-tax-free ZIP code for freight forwarders within Doral, FL and Miami FL is 33126.

The ZIP code was not fake.

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paid_influencer
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby paid_influencer » April 13th, 2023, 5:38 pm

yea take it to consumer affairs. they can't withhold your property. and they can't charge you for a service you didn't agree to beforehand. i agree tho the zip code probably real not fake. tracking numbers normally don't show the name if it did who name was on it whose

ngl the whole skybox industry needs better regulation. customs included. packages clearing under people name without their knowledge/consent is serious thing. who made the declaration what did they declare it as what was the value did they have an invoice. Fixing this particular issue might be as simple as requiring the customers to prealert or otherwise click to ship (with invoice provided) on the website. It not hard. But to fix it there needs to be the political will to force regulation.

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hustla_ambition101
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby hustla_ambition101 » April 13th, 2023, 8:41 pm

Trying to save a couple bucks in shipping costs with those fly by night companies usually costs more in the long run. Stick to reputable companies and pay d damn duties and shipping

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Kronik
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby Kronik » April 14th, 2023, 9:01 pm

This is why I stick with aeropost, they not on the cheapest end, but it has the pros of being a big reputable company

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christopherwilliams2
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby christopherwilliams2 » April 15th, 2023, 9:16 am

Kronik wrote:This is why I stick with aeropost, they not on the cheapest end, but it has the pros of being a big reputable company


AEROPPOST or RPM...talk done.

ruskie
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby ruskie » April 15th, 2023, 1:24 pm

A guy, it is aledg3d, ketch them doing fake manifests and shipping invoices in his name. It looked like they were trying to speed up processing by consolidating shipping of multiple people. In this way, they were also overcharging people vat that was not being paid. The guy got hold of the invoices by other means after months of requesting his official paperwork. He called the company to let them know, that according to the paperwork he got, they owed him about 300,000. The consolidator was taken by surprise and wanted to know how the guy got copies of the paperwork that was in his name. The guy had another big shipment coming that he would have been invoiced about 80,000. The cargo consolidator did it for free, and told the guy never to come by him again.

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paid_influencer
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby paid_influencer » April 15th, 2023, 3:17 pm

ruskie wrote:A guy, it is aledg3d, ketch them doing fake manifests and shipping invoices in his name. It looked like they were trying to speed up processing by consolidating shipping of multiple people. In this way, they were also overcharging people vat that was not being paid. The guy got hold of the invoices by other means after months of requesting his official paperwork. He called the company to let them know, that according to the paperwork he got, they owed him about 300,000. The consolidator was taken by surprise and wanted to know how the guy got copies of the paperwork that was in his name. The guy had another big shipment coming that he would have been invoiced about 80,000. The cargo consolidator did it for free, and told the guy never to come by him again.


big value shipments require using a customs broker why would the paperwork not be in his name

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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby Chimera » April 15th, 2023, 5:19 pm

Yea anything over 3k usd needs commercial clearance

ruskie
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby ruskie » April 18th, 2023, 7:12 pm

paid_influencer wrote:
ruskie wrote:A guy, it is aledg3d, ketch them doing fake manifests and shipping invoices in his name. It looked like they were trying to speed up processing by consolidating shipping of multiple people. In this way, they were also overcharging people vat that was not being paid. The guy got hold of the invoices by other means after months of requesting his official paperwork. He called the company to let them know, that according to the paperwork he got, they owed him about 300,000. The consolidator was taken by surprise and wanted to know how the guy got copies of the paperwork that was in his name. The guy had another big shipment coming that he would have been invoiced about 80,000. The cargo consolidator did it for free, and told the guy never to come by him again.


big value shipments require using a customs broker why would the paperwork not be in his name
The shipments were not his. Only in his name. So it seems the consolidator may have had two sets of paperwork.

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supercharged turbo
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby supercharged turbo » April 24th, 2023, 12:10 pm

Duane 3NE 2NR wrote:
supercharged turbo wrote:I buy car parts from Japan and have it shipped through TTPost if I don't need it in a hurry.It usually takes a week after it arrives in Trinidad for me to get a letter stating the charges and where to go and collect.This has always been the procedure years now.Recently I shipped a pair of cars keys to replace my old broken housings and this has been the longest the package has remained in customs.

Is there some significant delay currently in customs other than the regular go slow delay or are my items classified as some kinda stolen car parts where they think I shipping in the keys afterwards?Should I wait to collect a letter to go in and clear my item,consider it lost or give it some time and wait?I visited TTpost today and they were of zero help.Any suggestions?

You got through with this?
Usually TTPOST takes a while but pulls through.
I went to the Chaguanas TTPOST location where I usually pick up my packages.I spoke to the guy behind the counter and his response was "we don't know when customs go release it" and to call TTPOST Piarco.I had called that number several times before but no one ever answered and I decided to call them back again right there in the carpark.Finally got through to someone on the 3rd attempt and they checked the tracking number and saw the same thing I was seeing.The lady took my info and said she would get back to me later or more than likely tomorrow.I wasn't expecting a call back.

To my surprise when I checked it back later that same day,the package miraculously cleared customs and was waiting for TTPOST to ship it out that same day.What was even more surprising is the lady in Piarco actually called back the next day to inform me of such.

If I had shipped this or a similar package with DHL,FedEx or UPS,this would have never occured and the package would have arrived on time.

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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby Chimera » April 24th, 2023, 12:39 pm

Yes and that's the service you pay for with those companies.

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MaxPower
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby MaxPower » April 24th, 2023, 12:43 pm

Really feeling sorry for you Trinis to be spending your hard earned money and to be treated like a piece of garbage.

Hope everything works out for those inconvenienced.

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supercharged turbo
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby supercharged turbo » April 24th, 2023, 2:03 pm

Phone Surgeon wrote:Yes and that's the service you pay for with those companies.
Urgent or not..I feel next time,I"ll stick to those other companies.I ain't able with this runaround thing.

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INDAVID WORKSHOP
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby INDAVID WORKSHOP » April 24th, 2023, 2:59 pm

Good day all,

Anyone used DESERTCART service yet.

I tried it and it works very reliable item cost a little more than other skybox service, the transport locally is via DHL very timely and dependable.

Empress G
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Re: Cautionary Tale

Postby Empress G » May 3rd, 2023, 4:46 am

adnj wrote:
The sales-tax-free ZIP code for freight forwarders within Doral, FL and Miami FL is 33126.

The ZIP code was not fake.


Is that tax free address still valid? According to Amazon - ***Effective December 1, 2022, the state of Florida no longer assigns a 0% tax rate to freight forwarders and sales tax may apply. Refunds are not issued in the absence of documentation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer ... =202074690

adnj
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Re: Cautionary Tale

Postby adnj » May 3rd, 2023, 7:00 am

Empress G wrote:
adnj wrote:
The sales-tax-free ZIP code for freight forwarders within Doral, FL and Miami FL is 33126.

The ZIP code was not fake.


Is that tax free address still valid? According to Amazon - ***Effective December 1, 2022, the state of Florida no longer assigns a 0% tax rate to freight forwarders and sales tax may apply. Refunds are not issued in the absence of documentation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer ... =202074690


No longer tax-free to my knowledge.

Empress G
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Re: Cautionary Tale

Postby Empress G » May 3rd, 2023, 10:31 am

OK thanks very much.

adnj wrote:
Empress G wrote:
adnj wrote:
The sales-tax-free ZIP code for freight forwarders within Doral, FL and Miami FL is 33126.

The ZIP code was not fake.


Is that tax free address still valid? According to Amazon - ***Effective December 1, 2022, the state of Florida no longer assigns a 0% tax rate to freight forwarders and sales tax may apply. Refunds are not issued in the absence of documentation.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer ... =202074690


No longer tax-free to my knowledge.

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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby *KRONIK* » May 5th, 2023, 3:51 pm

Fellaz

UK skybox options?

(Beside ezone)

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nemisis
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby nemisis » May 10th, 2023, 10:05 am

Anyone has packages taking long like during the pandemic to clear? Have a few that reach since the 2nd March and the only update is Delayed In Customs

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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby 2NR Smurf » May 10th, 2023, 3:16 pm

nemisis wrote:Anyone has packages taking long like during the pandemic to clear? Have a few that reach since the 2nd March and the only update is Delayed In Customs
Was told by an aeropost driver that customs is opening every single thing. 2nd March is ridiculous though. I had two come in on 29th April. Got one last week Friday. Other still delayed in customs.

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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby *KRONIK* » May 10th, 2023, 8:37 pm

Allyuh
How the websauce wulking these days?

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nemisis
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby nemisis » May 11th, 2023, 12:02 am

2NR Smurf wrote:
nemisis wrote:Anyone has packages taking long like during the pandemic to clear? Have a few that reach since the 2nd March and the only update is Delayed In Customs
Was told by an aeropost driver that customs is opening every single thing. 2nd March is ridiculous though. I had two come in on 29th April. Got one last week Friday. Other still delayed in customs.


I feel like I have to give them stuff another week yes. Real snail thing with shipments.

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Captain Awesome
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby Captain Awesome » May 11th, 2023, 2:23 am

Websource works really well lately. All my packages clear the same night they land and are available for pickup the next day. This was the case up to last week. I have a package coming in tonight so I'll see if the same thing happens.

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MaxPower
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby MaxPower » May 11th, 2023, 4:14 am

Both WS and Aeropost works well usually.

Stay away from the race car driver and his courier services.

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renegade_wolf
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby renegade_wolf » May 11th, 2023, 9:34 am

nemisis wrote:
2NR Smurf wrote:
nemisis wrote:Anyone has packages taking long like during the pandemic to clear? Have a few that reach since the 2nd March and the only update is Delayed In Customs
Was told by an aeropost driver that customs is opening every single thing. 2nd March is ridiculous though. I had two come in on 29th April. Got one last week Friday. Other still delayed in customs.


I feel like I have to give them stuff another week yes. Real snail thing with shipments.
Seems like customs opening everything for true. Collected 2 packages. The shipping envelope was opened and the plastic security seal/sticker on the box was cut look like they wanted to verify the item inside as is a Chinese brand electronic part.

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dogg
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby dogg » May 20th, 2023, 8:00 pm

well, customs def acting up again. Basic inconsequential items taking long long to clear. Operators have to go back and forth to get stuff out.

Who benefiting from that?

Not the govt, not customs. Just Another example of indoctrinated obstructionism.

Time to move to Maxpower's Guyana could be nigh.

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paid_influencer
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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby paid_influencer » May 20th, 2023, 8:38 pm

dogg wrote:well, customs def acting up again. Basic inconsequential items taking long long to clear. Operators have to go back and forth to get stuff out.

Who benefiting from that?

Not the govt, not customs. Just Another example of indoctrinated obstructionism.

Time to move to Maxpower's Guyana could be nigh.


guyana better? everything I read saying guyana institutionally worse than trinidad. everything is clique and inside corruption and you as an outsider going to get run through the wringer for even cut-and-dry legal procedures. it have no concept of certainty of process or meritocracy or any aspirational dotishness like that.

back to the local situation -remember is not long ago that customs bonded everything (EVERYTHING) and ppl hadda get customs broker to clear. even a $20 usb cable -- customs broker needed with formal entry, you hadda pay rent charges, a setta unnecessary expensive bullchit. and the beauty of it: there was no discussion about it after, no newspaper articles, no accountability, just take it so. customs is a law unto themselves and nobody on the island cares.

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Re: The Official Skybox Thread: Take 2

Postby Chimera » May 20th, 2023, 9:15 pm

Customs never bonded everything. They bonded much more than usual but never everything

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