posted on November 14, 2001 06:58:34 AM new
I sold an auctoin last night and woke up to this request.
Can you please indicate on item "gift" so that I dont get charged for duties at border. Can you also please provide a tracking number, (how long does shipping usually take?)
I have never had anyone ask me to lie before, not sure what I should do.
posted on November 14, 2001 07:40:55 AM new
if this is going to canada,goods under 10 has no customs duty.
tracking overseas package is hard without paying usps big bucks,UPS you can ,but it costs more.
just tell your customer if she is willing to pay for tracking,you can do it.
you can ship item in global priority small ebnevlope for under five dollars,not trackable but faster than regular airmail.
posted on November 14, 2001 09:27:43 AM new
it is not possible for customs to examine every package,commercial packages have a higher chance of being examined than consumer packages.
whether you declare as gift or not,sometimes make no difference if they feel this is subject to customs duty.
for example,italian customs duty on antiques is 20%,several years ago an italian heard there is antiques to be had on ebay and bidded over 12,000 worth of antiques in just a few days.
wired money to varous sellers and waited for his antiques.
all sellers dutifully declared these items as antiques and the exact amount he paid,he paid 20 % and picked up his antiques.
to his chagrine,none is antiques,just repros and old junks.
some of the later shipments,he never bother to claim it and they were returned back to the seller.
a very expensive lesson for someone who thinks he can get antiques on ebay.
back to your case,it is better to just declare what he paid for and said it is merchandise and let him fend for himself.
you can never please everyone all the time
[ edited by wowwow85 on Nov 14, 2001 09:30 AM ]
posted on November 14, 2001 06:55:23 PM new
Seems like a GOOD reason to ME! I too have just dumped international sales. Just got plain sick & tired of folks (mainly from 'u-know-where') insisting that I lie on that form!
I've yet to get a definitive answer as to whether or not false info on that form could return to bite the seller in the buttkus!
Also, worn-out from all the emails like: "Can't you please take my un-recoverable personal "cheque" from the First Royal Bank of Moosedroppings?"
posted on November 14, 2001 07:17:04 PM new
tomwiii, sorry, but it is a lame excuse.
Can't you, ahem, simply say NO when an International buyer asks you to do this, or would you rather just assume that everyone outside your borders is dishonest?
You might be surprised to learn that most of us won't even bother to ask because we are fine, upstanding, law-abiding citizens who love to pay the government graft.
At least other "US Only" sellers can come up with more legitimate reasons to restrict their sales to their own country. If you're attitude is you won't sell to anyone who lives in a country where someone might try to pull a fast one on you (or their government), I suggest your market is going to soon shrink to your immediate family (maybe, if you can trust them).
PS - yes, it can bite you in the butt ... after all, it is you who is knowingly making the false customs declaration. Under these conditions, your buyer would have a biteless butt to enjoy while you rot in jail
posted on November 14, 2001 07:23:16 PM new
by now international buyers know how to bid and how to pay and expect shipping to be higher.they could be our best customers,outbidding us bidders so they can have the item.
i love some of these overseas customers,expecially they are from affluent countries with strong currency (western europe) and say country where they expect everything to be expensive like japan.
posted on November 14, 2001 07:38:10 PM new
I don't get it. I've never had a Canadian ask me to lie on a custom form or accept a check from Moosedropping Bank. I ship north of the border problem free at least once a week, I adore my Canadian bidders.
posted on November 14, 2001 08:24:18 PM new
It's not worth all the whinning and crap to deal with buyers from outside the borders of the Good Old USA. Of course, now that there are very few bidders anywhere it is a good move if you don't mind the hassles. Didn't eBay create an eBay-Canada, eBay-Germany, etc., etc . Can't the buyers use their own darn eBay versions?
posted on November 14, 2001 09:23:10 PM new
if you list an item and said you will ship internationally,your item will be included in intl search.
thats how overseas buyer finds your item without coming to ebay usa.
someone complained not enough listing in ebay canada and he likes to sell to us customers from canada-big diamond rings is what he sells.
there are certain items which are abundant and local folks dont want but if they list them in some other country,they will make a fortune.
posted on November 15, 2001 10:11:13 AM new
jimtaxi ...
Of course, now that there are very few bidders anywhere it is a good move if you don't mind the hassles
What, exactly, are these "hassles"? I purchase, on average, 4 to 6 items weekly from different US sellers and they have never complained or mentioned any of these so-called "hassles" to me. If it's a "hassle" for you to have to take an additional 10 seconds out of your busy day to fill out a customs sticker, then I guess you're better off not dealing with non-US residents.
Didn't eBay create an eBay-Canada, eBay-Germany, etc., etc . Can't the buyers use their own darn eBay versions?
You obviously have no idea what these "darn versions" are. Rather than trying to explain this to you, why don't you go to www.ebay.ca (or whatever their addy is), have a look around, then come back and tell us what is really different between the sites.
posted on November 15, 2001 11:07:18 AM new
I just had the same thing happen to be. A bidder from Canada just won a auction they want me to say that it's value is $10.00 and want me to put it down as a gift. He said it would save him a LOT of money. How much of a % do they have to pay at customs if I didn't do as he ask. Is makeing a $35.00 profit worth for me getting in trouble? I don't think so! It can't be saveing them that much money.
posted on November 15, 2001 11:15:32 AM new
canadian customs are either overworked or getting mellow with age,more packages are going thru with no customs duty assessed.
canadian consumers have to pay value added tax in canada,it may be cheaper to buy in cyberspace and pay shipping,provided they dont have to pay customs or not much customs.
i dont think canadian customs will be fooled to believe all these GIFTS coming into canada.
if they open it and look at it,they will go ahead and tax it ,you can argue with them by filing report
posted on November 15, 2001 11:29:45 AM new
Do business with as many people as you possibly can and always tell the truth. Policies to live by...
Thank your Canadian customer for their bid and tell them that you always properly represent the products you are shipping on any and all shipping documents. Tell them that this has been your policy for many years and has always worked to the benefit of yourself and your customers.
Even if your buyer is unhappy with your response, they should see that it is because you run and honest and straight forward business. Simply put, anyone that wants you to compromise either of these attributes isn't worth doing business with in the long run. Falsifying customs documents, however trivial and harmless it may seem, is a punishable offense.
posted on November 15, 2001 11:52:27 AM newWhatever works for you, go for it
I agree 100% with this ... just don't try to justify your reluctance to deal internationally by using some idiot lame excuses. I know some sellers are not allowed to sell certain items outside the USA due to distribution agreements with their suppliers. This, in my mind, is a valid reason. Others, for one reason or another, are not able to take their packages to the post office for international mailing ... another valid reason.
How much of a % do they have to pay at customs
First of all, whether it's marked as a gift or not doesn't really make any difference if the item is valued above a certain amount. It used to be around $15.00 US - anything over that, gift or not, we had to pay graft on the full amount. Lately, it seems, Canada Customs has reduced the allowable to zero (I had to pay graft on a $7.00 US item last week).
All Canadians have to pay a 7% Federal sales Tax (GST) on everything. In Manitoba, where I am, I have to pay another 7% Provincial Tax (some provinces are more, some are less). Both of these taxes are calculated on the converted amount and today, $1.00 US = One Gazillion Canadian dollars.
To top it off, Canada Customs charges us another $5.00 to pay them for collecting the taxes!
It's no wonder some Canadians want you to make false declarations.
The Canadians who understand how the system really works won't ask you to declare the item as a gift, but rather will ask you to indicate a value below what they actually paid. In addition to breaking the law when you do that, you are also telling the carrier that if the item goes missing, it's only worth what you declared. So much for insurance!
Best advice? If a Canadian (or anyone) asks you to falsify a customs form, don't do it. If they insist, tell them to take a hike and report them to eBay or whatever venue you are dealing with.
There are far more honest Canadian buyers who are willing to pay whatever it takes to get what they want. Eventually you will find them and you will make some very nice sales, especially if many of your countrymen have a hangup about selling outside your borders ... less competition for you!
posted on November 15, 2001 03:00:02 PM new
rb said,
Others, for one reason or another, are not able to take their packages to the post office for international mailing ... another valid reason.
----------------------------------------
WHY?????
posted on November 16, 2001 06:49:02 PM new
I post the following in my TOS:
"ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS:
Items will be insured for the full value of your winning bid and will be declared full value for Customs. Items will be accurately described on all Customs documents."
I understand that each country has a different set of criteria for taxing items and that the duty rate can be quite high on certain items. However, as an importer, I will not risk my business or my personal status by falsifying Customs documents. If a potential international buyer requires falsification of papers to complete the sale, I prefer they not bid on my auction as I will not do so. I realize some may think of this as a harsh stance, however, I do travel internationally quite extensively and will not risk being blacklisted either here or elsewhere. I also know from experience that dealing honestly with Customs is a smart policy and will continue to do so. If this policy leads to the loss of potential sales, so be it. Better that than the loss or disruption of my business.
[ edited by bkkofaz on Nov 16, 2001 06:50 PM ]
