posted on May 22, 2001 01:59:19 AM new
We do not usually accept international sales and we list our auctions accordingly as USA only. We had an item recently which someone in England REALLY wanted for his wife. He did the right thing and emailed us before bidding to make sure it would be O.K. We obliged as he really wanted the item badly. He ended being the high bidder on the item.
After some confusion about the cost to ship using Global Express, we filled out the customs form, posted positive comment and shipped the item. End of story, right? NOT!!
Yesterday evening we get an email which reads as follows (edited to conceal identities):
Dear xxxx and xxxxx, I hope you do not mind me coming back to you in the
hope of some advice? It seems the Item has reached my local parcel depot,
but can not be delivered to me due to it being checked by British customs and
they placing an import duty on it of nearly £15.00 sterling. I hope you'll
excuse my ignorance (this purchase/sale will be an easy one to remember !)
but should this happen in a case of purchasing a small item for personal use/
gift for my wife, I accept that you probably only know of USA practice but
you may also have experience of International import/export law?
Frustratedly
XXXXX
Does anyone know if there is anything we can do to assist? Should we have filled out the customs form differently? We have recently started accepting international so this could change our future actions too.
Hate to say it but looks like the buyer paid a very nice price for the piece, paid a small fortune to ship it via Global Express and is now getting screwed by the Customs folks.
Would appreciate any assistance you pros can provide.
posted on May 22, 2001 02:57:02 AM new
Hi, It looks to me that you have done all you could to oblige this buyer. It is not incumbent on you to know another country's customs laws.
As long as you filled out the required customs form that accompanied the item and correctly stated the value of the item, your side of the deal is done.
The onus for paying customs dues rests with the resident in the country receiving the item. It is obvious that your buyer has been somewhat naive and given this fact no consideration at all.
As a side note, almost all English people are well aware that almost everything they bring into the country from overseas is subject to duty.
Don't let your buyer place a guilt trip on you.
Bob, Downunder but never down.
posted on May 22, 2001 04:40:42 AM new
Harmonygrove,
As a UK buyer and seller I hope this experience won't put you off selling to the UK!! You have done everything right. You cannot be held responsible for this customer not knowing his own country's customs laws.
I would email your customer back and tell him that you were not aware of UK customs laws before, but subsequent enquiries have revealed that all items with a declared value of £18 Sterling or more are liable for customs duty and VAT. He should bear this in mind whenever he buys items from abroad as there are very few exceptions.
I have been caught myself a few times buying CDs from internet sites abroad, often it is prudent to ask a retailer to package separately and pay the extra shipping for 2 or 3 parcels as this way the package falls below the £18 threshold and it often works out cheaper in the end. Not something you could have done in this instance though.
You should point out (as nicely as possible of course!) that it was because of situations such as he describes that you do not usually sell outside of the USA but that you made an exception in his case, believing that he was aware of the laws of his own country pertaining to goods coming by mail from abroad. Say that you are very sorry but you cannot be responsible for the costs which he may be liable for as a result of foreign laws over which you have no knowledge or control.
The item may be 'very small' but it is the declared value that Customs are interested in. As for 'personal use' I am not aware that this exempts you from import duty. As I mentioned, I have paid import duty on CDs and in one instance even stamps bought from the US postal service!! The item may have been intended as a gift for his wife, but unless YOU gifted it to him, i.e. no money exchanged hands, then it is merchandise plain and simple.
British people are accustomed to paying higher prices for practically everything they buy and whilst some is due to bigger profit margins over here, in the case of foreign goods import duty and VAT are factored into the price as well. With the recent explosion of internet commerce in the UK many people new to the internet see cheaper US prices and think that the internet is a quick and easy way to save money on what they might pay in the shops. It isn't.
Suggest that your customer check out www.royalmail.co.uk for advice on import duty and VAT. Very often the charges seem outrageous, but once he sees it in black and white maybe he will calm down. I think he needs to bite the bullet on this one and put it down to (in)experience.
[ edited by fallen_madonna on May 22, 2001 04:43 AM ]
posted on May 22, 2001 06:06:38 AM new
Thanks All!
We heard again from the buyer who admitted he should have known about his own customs laws and said he was just going to have to pay the fee. To think I was actually thinking during my morning run of splitting the cost with him as a nice gesture...must have been "Runner's High"...thankfully I have a clearer head now LOL!!
Anyway, will definitely refer him to the website given above for future purchases.
We will also continue with international sales. We really only stopped a few years ago because it took so long to get payment. Of course, that was in the "old days" before Paypal, Billpoint, etc. etc.
