posted on August 20, 2003 10:34:07 PM new
Ok
This is one of my best ones! I sell an item to a lady in Canada. I check on the little green paper, and put the value of $30.00 on it(which is the correct values). She has the nerve to write me when the package arrives and yell at me cause they would not deliver it to her house and that they wanted $7.?? for duty tax. She wanted an explaination from my as to why they did not bring it to her house like they do all of her other mail. DUHHH like the post man in her area is my dad or something and I should know!! She also has the nerve to tell me that she thinks that I am a cheat because I did not explain in my auction listing that she would have to pay duty tax. HEEELLLLOOOO!!! How long have you lived there and do you not know anything about the mail system in the country you live? It is not my job to explain to everyone who lives in another country what their postal regulations and rules are!! She said the reason Canadians buy from Ebay sellers is because that way they can "scam the postal system" and not have to pay duty because the Americans always lie on the green paper and say it is a gift and not place any value on it. She also had the nerve to tell me that she was NOT CLAIMING THE PACKAGE at the post office. That she was letting it be returned to me as "unclaimed", and that I was supposed to fill out the green form, check "gift" and not put a value on it and then (of course out of my pocket at a loss) resend it to her. Yeah right!! That is really great, and I fell off of the turnip truck yesterday (The Canadian Turnip Truck). What happens if the package somehow gets opened and they see in invoice in there. Then what lady, my butt is in a sling to saves yours a couple of bucks.???? NOT! Well, you know exactly where I told her she could place her package. I indeed did get the package back and guess what. Here is where it is staying. She already left me negative feedback so what the H_LL am I losing anyway. Just wanted to vent about this idiot woman. Needless to say, she is now on my blocked bidder list. I must say that 99% of my international bidders are great, but this one really pi_ _ ed me off!! Ok, now that I have vented, I will close....
posted on August 20, 2003 11:48:08 PM new
When I send a package to Canada I NEVER mark gift. Lie on customs forms and you might find yourself in jail. I don't know if that is true or not but I for one am not going to find out. Maybe someone from Canada who is on this board could give us a heads up about the customs in their country. Why o why do they want us to lie on those papers? How much duty do they have to pay? Just a few simple answers would help us to understand how they feel.
posted on August 20, 2003 11:58:55 PM new
That is exactly what I told her. I send an invoice with all of my items. If for some reason they open it or it gets torn open and they see that it was indeed a purchase and not a gift, My Butt Is In A Big Sling. She so much as told me that Ebayer buyers from Canada expect to be sent this as a "gift" and that they do it all of the time for her. Well, I am with you. No sale is worth going to jail.. She can buy from someone else who is willing to lie on the little green duty paper, and then sign their name and leave their US address too. Thanks so much for letting me know that someone else out there is doing it the "legal" way, and that I am not the only one who does not want to go to jail. Now I see why so many sellers do not sell to Canada. I am almost to that point now after this little escapade'. I have many Canadians though that are regular, wonderful customers, and I don't want them to have to pay for the ignorance of one bidder. I agree, could some Canadians give their input into this and how they work their sales or purchases regarding "the little green duty paper", and what their feelings and experiences with this are. Hoping to hear from many "international people". Thanks again....Karen
posted on August 21, 2003 12:06:33 AM new
This topic comes up all the time. Bidders from other countries should be made aware of the taxes due and they should be ready to pay them if they bid. They should not whine to the seller. Would they whine to Amazon or a big company?
You wouldn't believe how many bidders from the UK and other countries have asked me to falsify the Customs slips. But have you ever seen kiara come whining here to complain about them? NO.
Same as almost every deadbeat I have ever encountered has been from the USA. Have you ever seen kiara come here whining about them? NO.
Canada is the next biggest country to the USA on ebay. So yes, if you have a problem with a bidder from another country it will most likely be with a Canuck.
Remember the last thread here a week or so ago about this same topic and then how some little pissants came and added a bunch of crap? There! I got to use the word PISSANT twice in a couple of weeks. LOL
posted on August 21, 2003 12:21:50 AM new
All of my auctions have the following blurb for the past 18mos -- seems to work:
"Many countries impose various taxes, levies, fees, duties, graft, juju, grease, etc., on imports! You, the BUYER, are responsible for knowledge of & PAYMENT FOR any such fees or penalties imposed on your purchase by your country! I have NO knowledge of, NOR any responsibility for any such fees that may or may not be imposed on your purchase by your country! All customs forms are completed accurately & honestly with declaration of the WINNING BID PRICE under the designation "MERCHANDISE"
***NO EXCEPTIONS***
posted on August 21, 2003 02:50:33 AM new
after a couple of bad experiences, and after 9/11, I stopped selling internationally. when asked if I will sell to a foreign bidder, I say yes but tell them at that point "shipping costs will be higher and customs form will be completed with actual invoice price" if they still bid, fine.
posted on August 21, 2003 05:08:56 AM new
I have had this problem before, along with a separate problem of an item being held up in customs for 2 weeks and the buyer blaming me, and then the one 2 weeks ago where the buyer hid the fact she was in Canada until payment arrived in Canadian Dollars.
In 3 years selling I have sold 12 items to Canadians and had problems with 6 of them although never had a problem selling to UK or anywhere else.
After my last issue 2 weeks ago I decided I had to take the advice of one of the replies in my thread and change my auctions to sell only to the USA.
So in my experience exactly half of Canadian bidders expect you to solve problems that their Country is imposing on them, if you are experiencing the same I can only suggest you refuse to sell to Canada.
posted on August 21, 2003 09:40:20 AM new
FloridaShark, how did she hide she was in Canada?
Someone asked you that on your last thread. They said: "hid the fact that she was in Canada " As a seller how can that be? All you had to do was look at their winner ID data.
You can click on their feedback and it will show the country they are registered from.
When I ship to the US, at times my customers get upset when US Customs hold the packages. It's not my fault and most customers have been very understanding. Since I buy on ebay also I can see where many sellers lack true professionalism when it comes to business.
Many people here over the years have stated that they have few problems selling internationally and others have many problems.
Many choose to judge a whole country by one bad experience or maybe a couple.
So it is up to the seller to decide to limit his auctions to USA only because he is unable to deal with the frustrations or hassle or his auctions draw the bad people.
I have seen clearly why some will only sell within their own country and have admitted I would do the same if I was them.
posted on August 21, 2003 10:43:24 AM new
Kiara, as stated in my thread my buyer hid the fact she was in Canada by asking me the total in US$ then ignoring 2 requests for a shipping address. I did not suspect she was not in the US so I did not have a reason to start searching for clues, she had asked for the total in US$.
Kiara, to get back to the point of this thread you state that when you ship to the US there are sometimes custom problems but most of your customers are understanding. That is very true but the difference between shipping to the US and shipping to Canada is that too many Canadians are not so understanding and expect Americans to lie on customs forms and then get unreasonable if we will not do it.
I also do not think many people judge a country on one bad experience or maybe a couple. I had 6 bad experiences out of only 12 sales and that is more than enough for me, I have also read many posts on here in the past where many many people have had problems with this subject and now sell only in the USA.
Imaxstitcher, I feel much better limiting my auctions to the USA and knowing that I will not get these hassles again, if that is right for you or not can only be your decision.
[ edited by FloridaShark on Aug 21, 2003 11:07 AM ]
posted on August 21, 2003 11:10:25 AM new
I'm in Canada and there's no excuse for people here not to know what taxes and duty charges might be charged.
GST is supposed to be charged on every single package that comes in from the U.S. Most Canadians don't realize this, so if they get packages with no charges, they're lucky.
I've bought items for under $5.00 and was still charged $9.50 for duty/taxes, but I've also bought high end items and was charged nothing.
It's too bad, but you have to babysit some buyers. I guess you'll have to state clearly that taxes and duty are the responsibility of the buyer and refusal of a package due to added taxes and/or duty will result in forfeiture. If they don't understand THAT, then at least you've done the best you can do from your end.
posted on August 21, 2003 11:44:27 AM new
I understand what you're saying, FloridaShark. Most Canadians do ask for the amount in US funds and I am a seller that is strict about getting an address to ship to as I like to have my packages and invoices done up in advance. That is the seller's responsibility.
I have mentioned that I have a foot in each country. So do many of my friends and family and some carry dual citizenship and can register out of Canada or the US if they wish and buy or sell out of either country.
So of course they also see both sides of the issue. One of my friends has had only one problem with Canadians in 5 yrs of selling.
I still think the biggest roadblock is that some US sellers refuse to understand that Canada may very well be the country that will be buying the most items if they sell internationally, so odds are that they may have more problems with Canada.
posted on August 21, 2003 12:00:24 PM new
Someone once posted here that the seller should never write the amount out without the cents -- example $30.00 should be $30 as the customs people often do not see the period and flag the item as a high value item. After reading that post I never put the cents on a customs form again. I use to write 'gift' but now write 'merchandise' as I really don't care if I get any international bidders at all.
-------------- sig file ----------- He who angers you controls you
posted on August 21, 2003 12:28:36 PM new
Most of my headaches have come from Canada. Now I make sure it is posted all over the place that we do not make item as "Gift".
posted on August 21, 2003 06:10:18 PM new
Ok, so I have come up with this paragraph that I am strongly considering putting my all of my auctions from now on. What do you all think? I know it might be a bit wordy, but at least it gets the point across, and there is nothing left to wonder about. Here goes:
ALL INTERNATIONAL READERS PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BIDDING ON MY AUCTIONS....Due to many international bidders not knowing the postal rules and regulation in their specific countries, I am offering you this information. International taxes and duty charges are the sole responsibility of the international buyer. Actual invoice amount will be listed on Customs Declaration. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO MARK THE DUTY SLIP AS A “GIFT” OR MARK DOWN A FALSE DOLLAR AMOUNT. I WILL NOT DO IT!! ABSOLUTELY NO ACCEPTIONS DO DON'T EVEN ASK!! All customs forms will be completed accurately and honestly with declaration of “Winning Bid Price(s)" under the category of “Merchandise”. If you do not want to deal with someone who is honest and fair to all customers as well as their countries, please do not bid on my items. Refusal and return of a package due to taxes and/or duty fees according to your countries postal regulations will result in forfeiture of your item. If it comes back to me as "refused" it is again my merchandise and it will be immediately relisted. It will not be resent to you. Absolutely no refunds for any monies paid for or toward that item(s) will be issued to the bidder. If you still have any questions about your international bidding, please feel free to write me BEFORE YOU BID!! ONCE YOU PLACE YOUR BID, THE RULES TAKE EFFECT!!
posted on August 21, 2003 06:30:34 PM new
Regarding custom forms...I list the following blurb in my TOS on the auction listing page. *INTERNATIONAL BUYERS..PLEASE NOTE...We DO NOT falsify customs documents/forms, so please do NOT ask us to do so.
[ edited by ciao346 on Aug 21, 2003 06:52 PM ]
posted on August 21, 2003 06:45:05 PM new
to wrightsracing.\
Nope. You surely won't. That is something that other countries charge. The US does not charge that. To be honest with you, I don't even know why or what it is used for. But they charge it for packages that come into their countries. I don't know what the formula is that is used to determine how much is charged but it is based on the value of the item. It is only charged on things that are merchandise. It is not charged on items that are shipped that are "gifts" to the recipient. Don't feel stupid or dumb for asking. That is exactly how we all learn.
posted on August 21, 2003 06:53:27 PM new
Imaxstitcher, I think your proposed paragraph is a little long, if you have too much in your "terms of sale" it will put people off or even worse they will not read it.
I would suggest the following shortened version, of course what you do is your perogative -
ALL INTERNATIONAL READERS PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE BIDDING ON MY AUCTIONS....Due to many international bidders not knowing the postal rules and regulation in their specific countries, I am offering you this information. International taxes and duty charges are the sole responsibility of the international buyer. Actual invoice amount will be listed on Customs Declaration. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO MARK THE DUTY SLIP AS A “GIFT” OR MARK DOWN A FALSE DOLLAR AMOUNT. I WILL NOT DO IT!
All customs forms will be completed accurately and honestly with declaration of “Winning Bid Price(s)" under the category of “Merchandise”. If you do not want to deal with someone who is honest and fair to all customers as well as their countries, please do not bid on my items. Refusal of a package due to taxes and/or duty fees according to your countries postal regulations will result in forfeiture of your item.
If you still have any questions about your international bidding, please feel free to write me BEFORE YOU BID!! ONCE YOU PLACE YOUR BID, THE RULES TAKE EFFECT!!
posted on August 21, 2003 06:54:00 PM new
imaxstitcher, you are on the right track but I think it is way too much to expect a bidder to read. Especially a Canuck/Canadian.... lol
Maybe try to get your TOS almost as short as Tom's?
Heed twelvepole's advice when he said Paragraphs are your friend...
ACCEPTIONS? I don't think that is a word and perhaps you really mean exceptions?
wrightsracing, I can't remember anything that I've shipped to the US where the bidder was required to pay duty. Very few of my packages are held up at Customs but some of my friends' packages to the US are.
Hopefully I am always nice to you, wrightsracing and I hope life is getting better for you.
BTW, I have been charged on items marked as a gift even when they have been sent by a relative. When it comes to duties and taxes it's hard to understand why some things are done.
posted on August 21, 2003 07:09:24 PM new
Thank you both for your quick answers and for you both being nice.
Some people on this board can get mean and nasty with dumb questions or help needing advice.I didn't say all but you always have to have a few bad apples in the basket, like selling to any country, there will be a few bad apples in all country's.
No one is perfect, at least not me
[ edited by wrightsracing on Aug 21, 2003 07:10 PM ]
posted on August 21, 2003 07:09:48 PM new
Hi Flordia Shark,
Thanks so much for shortening my letter! I get going and don't know when to shut up! Your version is perfect, and if you don't mind, I will definately use it. I get typing and my mind and fingers get flying and before you know it I have a book. Something I have to work on.....lol. Thanks so much....Karen
posted on August 21, 2003 07:25:22 PM new
I think that in this particular case since you're obviously dealing with a true loon(y) the best way to handle it would have been to write to the Canuck the following:,"There are laws that we all live under in each country. In this case it is your responsibility to understand your own country's custom's laws. Asking me to lie on a customs form is a felony. Should you decide to do anything other than what you legally should do, which is to accept the package and pay your country's duty, then I intend on forwarding a copy of your e-mail along with your name and address to the Canadian Customs Authorities. Eh!"
posted on August 21, 2003 08:56:08 PM new
Of all my international sales, I would estimate that 20% goes to Canada. But yet, 100% of the problems I ever have with international business, is from Canadian buyers. Wake up Canada.
[ edited by wrightsracing on Aug 21, 2003 07:10 PM ]