The import duty is too high for me, do I get full refund if the package is return by DHL?

[sha-641208]

I livd in the US and I bought a $1180bag from Japan. Today I got text from DHL saying that I have to pay $254.27 duty fee or the package will be returned. I wasn't expected duty fee to be that high. If I click "Pay Import Charges now" while checking out it will only charge me around $90, but I didn't do it because I though the amount shouldn't vary that much. Now what happen if I tell DHL I don't accept the duty fee? Will I get full refund from ebay?( There are $35 shipping fee and $70 tax) Can I tell the seller that I am willing to place the order again and pay the $90 duty charge when checking out?

[pjcdn2005]

 If you had the option to pay duty ahead of time then your package must have been shipped through Ebay international shipping (EIS).  That means that a refused package would go back to eBay, not to the seller. The seller will never receive the bag back as ebay is the one responsible for refunding you when EIS is used.

However, when you refuse delivery which is basically what you are doing, you are no longer covered by the ebay money back guarantee so there is a good chance that if you send the bag back, you will not receive a refund.  I don't know for sure how ebay will handle that as EIS was used but if the seller would have sent it directly to you rather than through EIS, they would not have had to refund you in this situation.  

Although I don't understand why there is such a difference in duty, it is wrong in my opinion to refuse to pay the fees as it is up to the buyer to know what they will have to pay at their end.  I'm in Canada and used to buy quite often from the US and I learned my lesson a long time ago that import charges can be very expensive.  I suspect that DHL is charging you some extra brokerage fees as couriers often do.  You might want to ask them for a breakdown of the fees so that you have an idea of why it is costing so much more.

[simba6]

Your not covered if you refuse it. 

[kathiec]

No, there is no guarantee that you will be refunded if you refuse the package. As mentioned, the instant you refuse delivery you lose any protection through eBay. So you would be at the mercy of the seller. IF they receive the bag back (and that's a huge 'if') they MIGHT refund you minus the shipping costs and their eBay selling fees. There is little chance they would agree to jump through multiple hoops to sell you the bag again. 

My advice is bite the bullet, pay the import charges, and enjoy your bag. And in the future do all your research on import charges before you buy.

[steady2304]

@pjcdn2005 

I don't think the seller used the EIS program as the seller is from Japan. The buyer is in the USA. I am not sure if Japan has a similar program. 

@sha-641208 

If the buyer, you, refuses the delivery you will void your MBG with eBay and possibly not get any refund at all. I would think the package would be returned to the seller due to it's value, but if it was they would be under no obligation to refund you in full. They might refund you the cost of the bag minus the FVF fee's and the shipping cost, if you are lucky, but that would be their option.

You might as well pay the fee and receive your bag. It's an expensive lesson on knowing what Customs & Duty fees can be. In the USA I believe there is an $800.00 purchase limit before customs and duty taxes are levied.

[12345jamesstamps]

I would pay the duty fee.

It is stated in the item sold.

Refusing and you lose "$1180.+ '

Just consider it a lesson learned.

[pjcdn2005]

Darn, I totally missed that the seller was from Japan.  Thank you for pointing that out.

As there is no eBay  in Japan, I doubt that there is any type of international shipping program from there. I'm surprised that the buyer had the option to pay import charges then.

[yuzuha]

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@steady2304 wrote:

In the USA I believe there is an $800.00 purchase limit before customs and duty taxes are levied.

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Correct. Anything over $800 will be charged duty fees.

[714ricki]

Just pay the duties! If you refuse to pay the duties, then you will lose buyer protection & the seller would not be obligated to issue a refund to you......if its returned to the seller in Japan, then the seller might issue a refund for the item only....the shipping fee more than likely wouldn't be refunded.

Again, pay the duties & just remember that when you import anything there is a possibility of duties that the buyer is responsible to pay. 

😎

[mudshark61369]

@sha-641208,

The $254.27 fee is a special import fee imposed on Luxury Goods sent from Japan.  Unfortunately, the customs fees eBay calculates when you make a purchase, are only those for Standard customs fees paid on items costing more than the $800 duty free limit allowed for U.S. buyers, or approximately $90, in this case.

If you refuse to pay the fee, and the item is returned, it may not be sent back with tracking, by DHL, so you would not be able to file for a full refund of all costs through ebay, because there would be no proof of the return delivery. Even your credit card company might refuse to do a charge back if there is no proof of a return.  eBay's Money back Guarantee (MBG)  does not cover purchases when a buyer refuses delivery for any reason.

Your best bet would be to pay the fee, otherwise you may end up with nothing at all and a total loss of what you have paid so far. 

[pjcdn2005]

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@mudshark61369 wrote:

@sha-641208,

The $254.27 fee is a special import fee imposed on Luxury Goods sent from Japan.  Unfortunately, the customs fees eBay calculates when you make a purchase, are only those for Standard customs fees paid on items costing more than the $800 duty free limit allowed for U.S. buyers, or approximately $90, in this case.

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@mudshark61369 

AFAIK eBay has never charged import tax on a listing unless the item is going to be shipped by the US EIS program or the GSP in the UK. Since this item was shipped from Japan, neither  program would have been used. Is there some sort of new program that gives US buyers the option to prepay duty fees if applicable?  Or  is this something that rarely gets talked about?

[albertabrightalberta]

@sha-641208 

Here's the link to buyer protection as well as a screenshot of the section describing your loss of MBG for refusing to pay fees:

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy/ebay-money-back-guarantee-policy...

[wastingtime101]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

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AFAIK eBay has never charged import tax on a listing unless the item is going to be shipped by the US EIS program or the GSP in the UK. Since this item was shipped from Japan, neither  program would have been used. Is there some sort of new program that gives US buyers the option to prepay duty fees if applicable?  Or  is this something that rarely gets talked about?

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It's going through the Authenticity Guarantee program for handbags.

[pjcdn2005]

I didn't realize that import fees would be charged ahead of time in that situation. . I learned something new this weekend. Thanks.🙂