Dad got a $327 bill from FedEx in the mail – he bought two $9 bolts online

AN 81-year-old dad received a $327 bill from FedEx in the mail after ordering and paying for two $9 bolts online.

The man had purchased the items to fix his daughter’s lawnmower, however is now facing a hefty unexpected charge.

His outraged child has taken to Reddit to express his disapproval and confusion over the matter.

He wrote: “I can’t imagine what the hell is going on with this.”

The son went on to explain that his elderly father needed two specific bolts to fix the lawnmower, so ordered them from the UK online.

After a long wait, they eventually arrived, however, a few weeks later he was faced with a $9.91 FedEx invoice, despite shipping being included.

The dad went on to pay this additional charge, but received another invoice for the bolts on Tuesday.

According to the son’s Reddit post, the 15 page invoice indicated a Past Due balance of $327.82.

He explained that two of the pages are hard copies of an email exchange between a woman at FedEx Logistics and the online vendor that the bolts were brought from.

The email correspondence sees FedEx ask the online vendor for “country of melt and pour for the products.”

This refers to the specific country where the raw steel was initially melted in a furnace and then cast into its first solid form.

The frustrated Reddit user then want on to hazard his guess for the unwanted bill.

He said: “My guess – for some reason the online vendor owes FedEx $327.82 and somehow my dad was billed for it.”

In an update, he shared that he had spoken to the delivery service who confirmed that the invoice was real.

He was then passed on an email to contact for further assistance.

He added: “I am doing whatever it takes to help my amazing dad out.”

The original Reddit post quickly gained a lot of traction on the site, amassing hundreds of comments.

Users chimed in on the conversation with one writing: “FedEx cannot force you to pay this nor will they take you to small claims court for it.

“It seems to be much more of a scam than anything else.”

Another added: “No way of enforcing this. Don’t let him pay or worry about this.”

Others also seemed to share similar experiences, with one user facing issues with a package coming from Germany.

While FedEx never asked for money, it was held in customs, while the user was repeatedly asked via phone calls and emails to provide the country of melt and pour.

After insisting that they didn’t have this information, the user eventually received their package and the calls stopped.

Another user faced similar issues but with UPS, as they received a $700 shipping bill for less than 2 lbs of items.

The Sun reported earlier this year that a mom faced a hefty unexpected bill after doing a $1,000 shopping haul.

The shopper was billed extra for her online orders to take into account the imported goods that are now more expensive.

All Krystal Wahnschaffe, 35, was looking for was a few new items for her wardrobe.

The Dallas, Texas native ordered the haul from the online website Damson Madder in April.

After ordering the items, which compiled of a couple of vacation outfits and some other bits, she was sent a tariff bill along with her order.

Krystal was left stunned as she was left with a $372 bill on top of the $919 she already paid.

The Sun has warned shoppers that packages will only start to become even pricier in the wake of a new law that will take effect on August 29.

As the removal of the de minimis exemption looms under the Trump administration’s new regulations, consumers can expect that orders they receive from abroad will cost a pretty penny more.

In the coming weeks, Americans will pay new fees on small packages being shipped internationally under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on July 30, 2025.

The order, titled “Suspending Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries,” will officially eliminate a de minimis loophole that permitted foreign goods valued at $800 or less to enter the US duty-free and with minimal customs oversight. 

The new regulations will impact incoming shipments from every country around the globe and take effect starting at 12:01 am eastern daylight time on August 29, 2025.