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Hidden tariff fee
I ordered a pair of sunglasses for $290.37. The seller is listed as being in Miami, with a shipping charge of $5.02. (I'm in the United States also.) A week later, I got a bill from DHL for an import duty of $57.34, because they are actually being shipped from Panama. I went ahead and paid it, because I bought them so I feel I should honor it, but something feels very deceptive here. It feels like either:
a) the seller should be honest that these are actually coming from another country and there will be a significant tariff,
or
b) Ebay should be required to list this info.
Is there a way to know this information in advance? Are we really expected to ask every seller on Ebay every time we buy something if it's coming from another country? And what if the seller says it's not, but then a bill like this comes? Should we not pay the bill, then inform the seller that we are refusing it because of the tariff? Then it becomes a complicated snarl with Ebay getting involved, having to mediate a buyer/seller dispute.
It seems like there needs to be more transparency here.
jamesinsocal
OP11 months agoI talked to Ebay support and they won't refund the tariff. They said to file a complaint about the seller. So, I guess the answer is yes, you would have to literally ask every seller if their product will actually be coming from another country. However, if the seller hasn't disclosed this in their listing, then I suspect I won't get a straight answer, since the seller is always being deceptive. So what happens if you do get that import duty bill? Do you start a dispute with the seller? This makes me sad because Ebay has always been useful, but it's not worth using anymore, unless the seller is local and I can pick up the item in person.