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Returned Damaged Item, Received Refund, Now FedEx Wants Duties - Who Pays
Summary: mycoolsteel is seeking advice on dealing with a $200 customs duties bill from FedEx after returning a damaged purchase from an overseas eBay seller, from whom they received a full refund. They argue they shouldn’t be responsible for import charges since they returned the item. eastlaneave suggests contacting FedEx with proof of the return to potentially waive the duties.
I’m hoping someone here has dealt with a similar situation and can offer some advice.
I purchased a set of wheels from an overseas seller on eBay. Unfortunately, they arrived damaged, so I returned them. The seller has already refunded both the purchase price and the original shipping cost.
Now, however, FedEx has sent me a bill for about $200 in customs duties and import fees. Since I no longer have the wheels and the transaction has been fully refunded, I don’t think I should be responsible for paying import charges on an item I ultimately did not keep.
I’ve contacted the seller twice asking for assistance, but I haven’t received a response.
Has anyone been through this before? Is there a way to have FedEx waive these charges, or is there a process to get the duties refunded since the goods were returned? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
eastlaneave
Mentor1 week ago@mycoolsteel
I think there is a possibility that the duties won't be owed. Contact FedEx with proof of the return
mycoolsteel
OP1 week agoThanks for the reply. I’ve tried reaching out to them multiple times and provided all the proof of damage and the full return proof. However, they claim that the taxes are still owed because customs handled the packages.
During my call with FedEx today, the representative informed me that I can rebill the custom taxes owed from the receiver (me) to the shipper. It seems unusual that this is possible, but I’ve sent the request and will wait for their response.
There should be something in place when this happens. Ideally buying off eBay internationally, the buyer would pay for the customs and taxes through the eBay platform and not after the fact. I understand that comes with its own complications but then eBay would have a say.