# Anyone have LUCKY LABEL ship to USA?



## kezira (Jan 13, 2007)

Hello All,
I just got a quote from L.L. and the bottom of their email said: 

* Please note:_We will not be responsible for any customs charge relating to the importation of this product. You should be aware of the tax, duty or fees that you may be subject to for your country._

Has anyone been subjected to that in the USA? If so, how much was it for about 1200 labels? If it's an outrageous fee, it doesn't seem like it's worth it...

Much thanks.


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

I understand that most US states have an import waiver of up to $200. If the cost is above that, then you'll pay whatever the tax rate for textiles is, plus a possible brokerage fee (of a few bucks).


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## Jasonda (Aug 16, 2006)

Kezira,

Try this site:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection - Import

Click on "FAQ".

Search for "Textiles" (I think that's what it would be classified under, but I could be wrong).

Hope that helps.


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## dbcom (Jan 17, 2007)

I did some research, as I'm also looking into Lucky Label. Here's what I've found. Alas, it's probably best to just contact the CPB and ask for directions.

*For woven labels, there's a 7.9% duty* for normal trade relations (NTR), which Thailand (LL's location) qualifies for as a member of the WTO, since the U.S. extends NTR to all WTO countries. Thank goodness, otherwise it would have been roughly 70%. Here's the 2007 PDF document of duties. The category code for woven labels is 5807.10.05.

http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/tata/hts/bychapter/0701c58.pdf

Here's more from the CPB.gov site:

Please be aware that CBP makes the final determination about an item's classification, not you. If it is critical for you to know the exact rate of duty on an item you want to send to the U.S., please call your local port and ask to speak to an import specialist. Otherwise, keep in mind that textiles tend to have the highest rates of duty, and that approximately 65% of the items in the HTS have a zero rate of duty.

Sometimes sending textiles can be a little tricky because they are subject to more regulations than other kinds of consumer goods. For example, COMMERCIAL QUANTITY IMPORTS OF TEXTILES whose value is more than $250 may be subject to quota restrictions. Formal CBP entries must be filed for all made-to-order suits from Hong Kong, no matter what the value, unless they accompany the traveler. Before sending textiles, whether whole cloth or apparel, to the United States from abroad, you should contact your local CBP port (which can be found in your local phone book under U.S. government listings) or the CBP attache in an American embassy abroad about whether your textile package will be subject to import restrictions. (This is particularly true if the textiles are intended for sale as opposed to for your personal use or as a gift.)


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## kezira (Jan 13, 2007)

Thanks for the reply. I actually ended up buying them in February and was slapped $42 in duty by UPS for $240 worth of labels. Still not sure if it was worth it…



dbcom said:


> I did some research, as I'm also looking into Lucky Label. Here's what I've found. Alas, it's probably best to just contact the CPB and ask for directions.
> 
> *For woven labels, there's a 7.9% duty* for normal trade relations (NTR), which Thailand (LL's location) qualifies for as a member of the WTO, since the U.S. extends NTR to all WTO countries. Thank goodness, otherwise it would have been roughly 70%. Here's the 2007 PDF document of duties. The category code for woven labels is 5807.10.05.
> 
> ...


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

Blimey!

Thankfully Oz customs are much more friendly!


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## dbcom (Jan 17, 2007)

Kezira, what did you think of the quality?

it sounds like the duty was automatically imposed by UPS rather than you having to contact CBP? Did you need to contact anyone else or file your own forms?

$282 for 1200 labels is actually significantly cheaper than most companies in the U.S....I'd say you saved at least $100 if not more in the end.


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## kezira (Jan 13, 2007)

The quality of the product is fine and their turnaround time is competitive (I think it was faster than some of the domestic companies w/ shipping time included). And yes, you're right, it was a better deal for such a small run. 
The part that bothered me was that I never really knew what the final price was going to be, despite trying to research it. So when UPS delivered it and demanded more money, it was not a nice feeling.



dbcom said:


> Kezira, what did you think of the quality?
> 
> it sounds like the duty was automatically imposed by UPS rather than you having to contact CBP? Did you need to contact anyone else or file your own forms?
> 
> $282 for 1200 labels is actually significantly cheaper than most companies in the U.S....I'd say you saved at least $100 if not more in the end.


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## dbcom (Jan 17, 2007)

Ok, it sounds like UPS acted as your broker in taking care of the duty, hence the larger than expected fees. I think it may have been worth the hassle of doing it yourself, but UPS is definitely making money off it. 

Also, I think the breakdowns are something like $1-200, $200-$1200, $1200-...when determining the broker fee.


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## kezira (Jan 13, 2007)

I didn't know how the whole "duty" thing worked so just took a chance. Learned something new.




dbcom said:


> Ok, it sounds like UPS acted as your broker in taking care of the duty, hence the larger than expected fees. I think it may have been worth the hassle of doing it yourself, but UPS is definitely making money off it.
> 
> Also, I think the breakdowns are something like $1-200, $200-$1200, $1200-...when determining the broker fee.


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## clayvos (Mar 2, 2007)

I've used them twice. Once I got the labels shipped express by UPS and was hit with a $20+ duty. It took them about a week to get here. The second time the labels were shipped via "regular" mail. It took them about 3 weeks to get here. I have not received any notice to pay a duty yet. If/when it comes, I expect it to be about $20 again.

In both cases, Lucky Label was much cheaper than all other companies I contacted, even with the duty and shipping costs. The quality of their work is high. They are also VERY responsive to emails. I bothered them a lot on the first order. Overall, I would rate them a 9.5 out of 10.

I hope this info helps.


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## dbcom (Jan 17, 2007)

clayvos, did you have any issues specifying pantone colors as well as the type of label (hanging, end-folds, etc...)? 

$20 sounds much more reasonable...strange discrepancy though.


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

Lucky Label are my favorite labelling company by far: their quality is top notch, but their prices are bottom dollar.

When it comes to duties....that of course is entirely the hands of your local government and customs. Many couriers take advantage of this hazy area, and slap on their own "brokerage" fees. Obviously LL can't influence that. It's up to the buyer to hunt down the cheapest method of transport.



> clayvos, did you have any issues specifying pantone colors as well as the type of label (hanging, end-folds, etc...)?


They are very happy to go back and forth with designs (and will post (small cost) or email high definition samples of prototype labels for free
as you refine your idea. Thay will try and match your colours using standard thread, but will thread-dye to specific colours if you wish (that obviously costs more, but their standard range is very very extensive). They can produce any sort of label that's possile to make.


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## clayvos (Mar 2, 2007)

dbcom,

As monkeylantern states, LL will make any type of label you desire. Just contact them through their website, and you'll hear from them within 12 hours. 

Specifying colors wasn't a huge issue for me. My first set of labels were black, white, and grey. For my second set, their stock red and white were sufficient. However, I don't doubt they would be willing to work with you in getting your order right.


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## dbcom (Jan 17, 2007)

I've been in contact back and forth with LL and it appears that their prices drop drastically when you order a lot more, like 6000. While that may appear to be a huge quantity for most, the rep actually said that you can combine different designs and they'll price the total number of labels. 

Here's a recent quote:

1 design (1200pcs) $210+$30S/H
5 designs (6000pcs) $600+$60S/H

Not sure about what UPS will do with the duty though...


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## swissarmour (Apr 29, 2007)

oh wow... if youre getting an import dutie for 10 dollars over the limit, why not just ask lucky to maybe offer less for a 199$ price i mean basically ur within the limit but for those extra 10 dollars 20$ more..


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## monkeylantern (Oct 16, 2005)

swissarmour said:


> oh wow... if youre getting an import dutie for 10 dollars over the limit, why not just ask lucky to maybe offer less for a 199$ price i mean basically ur within the limit but for those extra 10 dollars 20$ more..



US import restrictions are hardly Lucky label's fault! What about buyers from Iceland, or the UK, or Norway? They all have different import duty levels.


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## Trackmasta (Dec 16, 2006)

I just received a shipment from them the other day and I did not have to pay a tax


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## Chani (Jun 18, 2007)

I don't know if they've just started doing this or not, but on our invoice that they sent in our package they said they charged $0.10/label for a total of $120. Yes, our order cost more than that, but the thing is, UPS starts charging their "Broker" fees at $200 (I used to order from Canada all the time and as long as I stayed under $200 I wasn't chaged a fee from UPS. Once the shipper combines two orders in one for a total of almost $400, and I was slapped with a $35 fee.  )

Anyway, that being said, we just received our first custom label order ever, and we went with Lucky Label. I need to say, I'm VERY impressed with them! I was dealing with Sumana at Lucky Label, and he/she was VERY friendly, and more than willing to work with me to make sure we were getting what we wanted.

They ALWAYS had samples made within two days and emailed us high-rez pics of them.

When we finally had our order finalized last week (I think it was Wednesday), we placed our order adn Sumana told me that the labels would be shipped on Saturday. Friday morning I woke up to an email that said they'd shipped our order already!  I got an email saying that it would be about 4 business days until I received it.

Today there was a knock on our door. I wasn't expecting anything, so I asked the UPS driver who it was from. Lucky Label!!! Now, they shipped on Friday, and this was MONDAY!!! From THAILAND!!!

The quality of these labels is excellent! They're four colors, and the details are VERY fine!

As a matter of fact, I believe we've decided to have labels made for OUR company now (this order was for labels with our customer's logo on them).

We're VERY happy.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

I received my order from Lucky Label today and they are gorgeous, much, much better than the scanned images implied.
Paid on July 12th. $240 with regular airmail.
Order shipped on July 14th.
Order received on July 22nd.

Unfortunately they didn't include any instructions as to time and temperature, waiting to hear back about that.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

wormil said:


> I received my order from Lucky Label today and they are gorgeous, much, much better than the scanned images implied.
> Paid on July 12th. $240 with regular airmail.
> Order shipped on July 14th.
> Order received on July 22nd.
> ...


I thought Lucky Label created sew in labels? Do they also create heat press labels?

Can you post some pictures of the labels they created for you?


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## jaycen29 (May 16, 2008)

Rodney said:


> I thought Lucky Label created sew in labels? Do they also create heat press labels?
> 
> Can you post some pictures of the labels they created for you?


Rodney I think he was joking about how detailed their emails were...saying they didn't note the time and temperature at the time his labels were shipped...


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

jaycen29 said:


> Rodney I think he was joking about how detailed their emails were...saying they didn't note the time and temperature at the time his labels were shipped...


It didn't sound like he was commenting about their emails. To me it sounded like he was looking for application instructions for the labels. Some labels can be made to be applied with a heat press


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

Rodney said:


> I thought Lucky Label created sew in labels? Do they also create heat press labels?
> 
> Can you post some pictures of the labels they created for you?


Yes, these are damask heat seal labels. They look like regular damask labels except they have a glue backing.

I pressed one at 325 for 9 seconds and it seems fine. I did a second label at 350 for 9 seconds and it seems fine. I'll wait and see what they say before doing any more. The actual labels look much better than the scanned samples.


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## Comin'OutSwingin (Oct 28, 2005)

I didn't know that they did those types of labels.

Thanks for the info!


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## aoshi1 (Jul 10, 2008)

With LL, can you have sizes printed on the tags? I mean, I know they can do custom images, but I am wanting to know if they can mix and match the 1200 with say 600 saying xl, and the rest saying L? Just wondering. 

*edit* I did send them an email regarding this, and am awaiting the reply.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

aoshi1 said:


> With LL, can you have sizes printed on the tags? I mean, I know they can do custom images, but I am wanting to know if they can mix and match the 1200 with say 600 saying xl, and the rest saying L? Just wondering.
> 
> *edit* I did send them an email regarding this, and am awaiting the reply.


They told me that their minimum order was 1200 per design. But you could order one label with both XL & L separated by space then cut them in half once you get them.

Since they are halfway around the world, you probably won't get a reply until about 3 or 4 AM EST.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

If anyone has guidance on applying heat press labels I would be appreciative. Maybe I was the guinnea pig for Lucky because they have no idea how to apply the labels. They did ask that I let them know if I find a time and temp that works. So far both my samples held up through one washing so I guess I did okay. I saw mention in another post of pressing them for 60 seconds which is about 51 seconds longer than I pressed my samples. Help?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

wormil said:


> If anyone has guidance on applying heat press labels I would be appreciative. Maybe I was the guinnea pig for Lucky because they have no idea how to apply the labels. They did ask that I let them know if I find a time and temp that works. So far both my samples held up through one washing so I guess I did okay. I saw mention in another post of pressing them for 60 seconds which is about 51 seconds longer than I pressed my samples. Help?


You may need to start a new topic about your question about heat pressed labels, because someone may have the answer, but not be reading this thread that is about lucky label shipping to the USA. Not everyone reads every thread


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

Actually someone pm'd me that they do theirs at 360 for ten seconds, pretty close to my guess, so it looks like I'm good.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

wormil said:


> Actually someone pm'd me that they do theirs at 360 for ten seconds, pretty close to my guess, so it looks like I'm good.


Great, I'm glad you got the answer you were looking for  Thanks for sharing it here so others can benefit.


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## aoshi1 (Jul 10, 2008)

wormil said:


> They told me that their minimum order was 1200 per design. But you could order one label with both XL & L separated by space then cut them in half once you get them.
> 
> Since they are halfway around the world, you probably won't get a reply until about 3 or 4 AM EST.


Right on, thank you for the heads up. Seems these guys are the go-to guys for tags, everyone has such nice things to say about them.


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## Parkwood (Jan 14, 2008)

I would like to give a little plug to a company named Ancko. I met them at Long Beach and placed an order for small heat-set, sleeve labels. They sampled and although the labels looked great, they couldn't get the size narrow enough to meet my specs. They were very apologetic and immediately returned my deposit check. Their price was a lot less than what I eventually paid. They had quoted $350 for 5,000 Damask heat set labels, 2 color threads.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

Parkwood said:


> I would like to give a little plug to a company named Ancko.


Ask them to turn off that horrible music that booms on their website.  Personal pet peeve of mine.

Is 5000 their minimum?


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## Parkwood (Jan 14, 2008)

I don't know their minimums. 

As for the music, I've never been to their website.


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## markw18 (May 8, 2008)

I havent myself tried LL but yall can check out laven.com, they do labels as well and are located in the US. fairly reasonable prices


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

markw18 said:


> I havent myself tried LL but yall can check out laven.com, they do labels as well and are located in the US. fairly reasonable prices


 Their website says Ontario.

They say no minimums so I'll definitely check them out.


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

markw18 said:


> I havent myself tried LL but yall can check out laven.com, they do labels as well and are located in the US. fairly reasonable prices


Laven is located in Canada, not the US.


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## trh (Feb 11, 2009)

aoshi1 said:


> With LL, can you have sizes printed on the tags? I mean, I know they can do custom images, but I am wanting to know if they can mix and match the 1200 with say 600 saying xl, and the rest saying L? Just wondering.
> 
> *edit* I did send them an email regarding this, and am awaiting the reply.


I am also considering using LL because of all I've heard from this site. They wrote me back when I asked them this same question and they said they will charge $10 per size you divide it into. I am trying to get my labels made for M, L, XL, and 2XL... so that would be an additional $40. For 1200 labels (total), that's not bad.


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## DEPICTIVE (Mar 15, 2009)

I have to say that Lucky Label is extremely professional and easy to deal with.

Anyways, Lucky Label shipped our labels one day and about three days later, it was at our front door.


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## Austin300 (May 24, 2009)

Somebody with one of these LL heat press labels
should test them by seeing if they will adhere over
the Hanes Beefy T transfered label.


That would be an interesting way to relable those
pesky heat pressed Hanes label.


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## wormil (Jan 7, 2008)

I have shirts several years old with LL and they are going strong. I've pressed them over hems, on shirt tails and on sleeves. Haven't tried them over shirt tags nor would I want to, mine are thick enough that I suspect it would chafe my skin. I always wanted to try one on ribbed cotten but I don't wear that style.


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