Buyer upset about import fees. Advice please?

[cool-chaos]

Buyer question: "Hello there, I recently purchased a purple Tee from your company at the value of $24. As well as a shipment fee of $21.
When the item arrived in my town I was informed I had to pay an extra import charge of $16 as the international charge hadn’t been paid for which should of been included in the already high postage expense. As you can imagine. I’m not happy about this. I’ve been a eBay member since 2012 and I’ve never had to pay import fees for a mere t-shirt worth $24. Let alone 3/4 of that at $15. For an item in the $40-50 range I would have no qualms about such a thing. But I was rather displeased for having to pay such a high fee in comparison to a low value item. I mean it’s literally just a T-shirt. Please can you get back to me at your earliest convenience to resolve this matter?  Thank you."

Can someone advise on what to tell this customer, please? Thanks in advance! Jewel  🙂   

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

Tell them import dues are their responsibility as they're levied by their customs.

[hyperrush]

There's a custom form if the seller especifies is a gift, the custom won't charge.

[cool-chaos]

But it wasn't a gift. Wouldn't that be lying? I have always just written 'Merchandise'.

[hyperrush]

Well it's a seller business, i think costumer doesn't meam to complain about it.

[myangelandmyprincess]

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@cool-chaos wrote:

But it wasn't a gift. Wouldn't that be lying? I have always just written 'Merchandise'.

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Yes it would be.  You're doing it correct by selecting merchandise. 

[goodluckselling]

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@cool-chaos wrote:

But it wasn't a gift. Wouldn't that be lying? I have always just written 'Merchandise'.

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Yes it would be a lie and it would open you up to fraud liability.

New Internet buyers do not seem to understand customs fees.  Experienced buyer know this fee is due when they take possession of shipments.

All you can do is tell them they do not have to accept this package and eventually this package will get returned to you and that you will contact them when you get it back.  They can also follow the tracking details.

If you want google the buyers country custom duty tax responsibility and send them that link.

Good Luck Selling!

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

Did the tshirt go to Australia by chance? They've recently added a 10% GST to anything incoming from overseas (quite apart from the custom duties which aren't usually levied on anything under $1,000)

[buyselljack2016]

Some countries might require that an invoice be provided during customs collections. In that instance someone would have to show that the item was purchase by a third party, and sent as a gift as items coming as eBay purchase may throw up a red flag as to it being a "gift".

[kensgiftshop]

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@cool-chaos wrote:

Can someone advise on what to tell this customer, please? Thanks in advance! Jewel  🙂   

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Tell your buyer that you have nothing to do with what their country charges for import fee's.

If they want to complain to someone, they need to complain to their government.

[cool-chaos]

It went to the UK. But, thank you for the info on Australia. Thanks EVERYONE you've all been helpful, and helped me feel confident in what I did was right. Happy Weekend! Jewel

[fashionsandbeauty4u]

eBay suggests the following statement be added to your listings that you are shipping yourself globally (versus using eBay's Global Shipping Program):

"

"International buyers – please note: Import duties, taxes, and charges aren't included in the item price or postage cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.

"Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying."

This statement comes directly from the eBay site under "selling internationally". Hope that helps!

[emerald40]

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@cool-chaos wrote:

But it wasn't a gift. Wouldn't that be lying? I have always just written 'Merchandise'.

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It is illegal to lie on a custom form and your package can be seized.

[emerald40]

a

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@goodluckselling wrote:

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@cool-chaos wrote:

But it wasn't a gift. Wouldn't that be lying? I have always just written 'Merchandise'.

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Yes it would be a lie and it would open you up to fraud liability.

New Internet buyers do not seem to understand customs fees.  Experienced buyer know this fee is due when they take possession of shipments.

All you can do is tell them they do not have to accept this package and eventually this package will get returned to you and that you will contact them when you get it back.  They can also follow the tracking details.

If you want google the buyers country custom duty tax responsibility and send them that link.

Good Luck Selling!

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Just to add there is a scam where seller refunds buyer and then buyer rushes to customs to pay for it.

Do not refund until you know the package is actually being returned to you.

And it is hard to believe that a person who shops on the Internet from a foreign country does not know about customs fees.

[lintbrush*]

Dear buyer,

While I understand you're unhappy about the duty & VAT fees, those fees are imposed by your gov't and not something I can control.   If you've paid them up front for previous purchases, those listings were part of the Global Shipping program and go to a US location first and then are handled by a third party who collects and remits the fees to your gov't, and they handle the international leg too.  It may have ultimately cost more.

I ship international direct and do not offer that service and customs/VAT are the responsibility of the buyer.   I know the shipping may hve seemed high, but the actual shipping price alone for 255 gr to .9 kg US to UK is $23.00 based on USPS published prices.

As the item was over 15gpb, I assume they were charged a 20% VAT and then the Royal Mail fee of 8 GBP for having to collect that VAT.  Had it been a GSP listing, it would've cost more.