Import tax issues

[Guest]

[ArwenEvenstar]

My 2 cases have been held up in customs and due to unforseen circumstances sent back to the sender. This means now (I really was left wih no other choice but to send back) that I have to get them re-sent and re-imburse shipping costs back to me making sure that the declaration value is lower than what was originally stated. What bother...rather a sticky wicket one might say.   

[Sharon]

Good luck.  I have noticed more and more Ebayers / retailers are refusing to put lower values or list the item as 'gift'.  Fingers crossed they won't be too long 

Uh Sharon, what was you address again?    Congratulations on your pull!

Just for information I have hired the Hippogriffs that were guarding your SS cards before    Bet you wish you hadn't trained them so well now 

[EmmasOneandOnly]

Just for information I have hired the Hippogriffs that were guarding your SS cards before    Bet you wish you hadn't trained them so well now 

Sharon, Hippogriffs get distracted quiet easily. I suggest Troll Patrol. They are great to have around, you just have to get use to the smell

[Sharon]

Troll Patrol

  OMG that could be a real security firm.  Quick someone has to start a company called Troll Patrol 

[Nienna]

Good luck.  I have noticed more and more Ebayers / retailers are refusing to put lower values or list the item as 'gift'.  Fingers crossed they won't be too long 

I think you'll find that many of them have been 'told' to complete these wretched forms correctly by the postal offices local to them.
If they're operating as a business then they can lose their licenses and be fined if they don't complete them properly too, so I do understand why some refuse to 'help' in this way.
The other thing I've noticed is some sellers will ask you to pay them using Bidpay rather than Paypal and will happily put whatever you want on the forms if you're prepared to pay them using this method, rather than stating the exact amounts (especially on the more expensive cards) which they are required to do to be properly protected under the terms and conditions set down by Paypal.
I wouldn't advise completing your transactions in this manner unless it's with somebody you've dealt with on a number of occasions and your happy to do it this way - it's a hell of a risk!

Troll Patrol indeed!!!

[LikORish-Spider]

Good luck.  I have noticed more and more Ebayers / retailers are refusing to put lower values or list the item as 'gift'.  Fingers crossed they won't be too long 

I think you'll find that many of them have been 'told' to complete these wretched forms correctly by the postal offices local to them.
If they're operating as a business then they can lose their licenses and be fined if they don't complete them properly too, so I do understand why some refuse to 'help' in this way.
The other thing I've noticed is some sellers will ask you to pay them using Bidpay rather than Paypal and will happily put whatever you want on the forms if you're prepared to pay them using this method, rather than stating the exact amounts (especially on the more expensive cards) which they are required to do to be properly protected under the terms and conditions set down by Paypal.
I wouldn't advise completing your transactions in this manner unless it's with somebody you've dealt with on a number of occasions and your happy to do it this way - it's a hell of a risk!

Troll Patrol indeed!!!

You are so correct, Jules.
Let's set up a sceanario. So-and-so buys a case of X cards and actually pays, for example $590.00, but wants the customs declaration to say $250.00. Great. You want insurance for $590.00. The postal clerk says, "Oh no, you only declared $250.00 as the value." Ok, so the postal clerk is half-asleep and it "sneaks by". The customs officer in country sees the declared value and the insurance value are grossly different...Hummm he/she thinks ______________. FILL IN THE BLANKS. 
Second Scenario, the sender changes the insured value to match the declared value and sure enough the package gets lost. Time to claim the insurance. You get $250.00. Now for the interesting part. The buyer and the seller get into a whizzing contest about who owes who what and ___________. FILL IN THE BLANK.

Bottom line...HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.

[Bryanjs14]

I just had that happen to me.
A buyer in I believe the UK bought a case from me and received it and had to pay around $70 in fees andf for some reason was under the impression that I would lower the value of the item and e-mailed me cursing me out and asking me to refund him the amount he had to pay for the customs..I am kind of scared now that he will file a claim with Paypal and there will be nothing stopping him from getting ALL of his money back

[kbmum]

I know that PayPal generally sides with the buyer in disputes, but you shouldn't be held accountable for customs fees.  Other sellers put a caveat in their auctions that they will declare the correct value on customs forms and any fees are the buyer's responsibility.  You may need to do this in your auctions from now on.

[matthea]

You can't be held responsible for customs charges. I'm in Canada and it's expected that I'll have to cough up extra cash when the item comes. Sometimes I luck out and I don't have to pay (those are good days   )
Anyone purchasing anything from outside their home country is importing, and with it comes crappy customs fees.
You did everything right, the buyer doesn't have a leg to stand on unless your auction states that you cover all import fees, duties, taxes, and tariffs, IMHO

[Tower]

I know that PayPal generally sides with the buyer in disputes, but you shouldn't be held accountable for customs fees.  Other sellers put a caveat in their auctions that they will declare the correct value on customs forms and any fees are the buyer's responsibility.  You may need to do this in your auctions from now on.

To be honest, that would mean, i wouldn't buy from him from now on. I don't think, it's a good idea.

[kbmum]

It isn't right to expect a seller to lie on the customs form.  According to the US Postal Service:

1) The sender's failure to complete the form properly can delay delivery of the item or inconvenience the sender and addressee. Moreover, a false, misleading, or incomplete declaration can result in the seizure or return of the item and/or in criminal or civil penalties. The Postal Service assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of information that the sender enters on PS Form 2976.

2) The sender may declare that the contents have no value. However, declaring that the contents have no value does not exempt an item from customs examination or charges in the destination country

[Tower]

I wouldn't expect it, but i would ask. It's so much money, the customs here. 

[Roz]

It's most important though that if we do pay EU taxes when something arrives over here that we haven't also paid US taxes. If you sell something outside your country then it's not taxable by law. So basically - everyone buy from New Hampshire

Ciiiiindyy???

[Tower]

Good move, the discussion is much better here.

[blackcat20]

We seem to be pretty luck here is Aus; Ive never had to pay for anything imported...

[ferdinand_the_yak]

Me neither, and I have imported some pretty pricey things

[Trey]

Me three...never had to pay any taxes on my parcels 

[blackcat20]

me too... even the potter cases weve got in together have come in tax free as far as i know...

[Roz]

We seem to be pretty luck here is Aus; Ive never had to pay for anything imported...

I think you do have an importing tax policy - but I believe it's over about 250 or 300 dollar items. I know a guy who skates and bought his skates from inline warehouse.com (nice guys BTW) and got import taxed on them

[kbmum]

It's most important though that if we do pay EU taxes when something arrives over here that we haven't also paid US taxes. If you sell something outside your country then it's not taxable by law. So basically - everyone buy from New Hampshire

Ciiiiindyy???

I don't know of any seller who charges state sales tax on an international shipment.  In fact, I don't think I've paid taxes on any of the boxes I've bought from a dealer who does not live in the same state as me.  If I purchased a box from a local store or via eBay from a store/seller in my state, then a sales tax is supposed to be added to the purchase price (there are exemptions on items that are taxable, but trading cards do not fall into those categories).

I'm not an accountant, but the tax laws are generally like this:  A seller is obligated to charge state sales tax on purchases made by buyers who live in the same state.  Stores have to do this, but many eBay sellers ignore it.

And you're right, Roz.  New Hampshire does not have a state sales tax.   A lot of people in New England will go to New Hampshire to buy pricey items just to save on the sales tax.  I've done it myself!   The down side is that people in New Hampshire pay high property taxes, so the state gets its money one way or another.