Buyer requests DHL using shipping account - declares value on $3000 order as only $40

[swindustry79]

Hello,

I've struggled with having buyers(one in particular, but have had multiple), request to use their dhl shipping account.  I didn't understand why until today, when I looked closer at the actual dhl waybill that the buyer provided. 

He's marking the declared value as $40 on a $3000 order. This has to be illegal and I'm worried that I've become complicit in this guy's dealings now. 

What do I do?

[asset_liquidators]

There is NO WAY I would let someone ship on their DHL account and list a fraudulent dollar amount on the waybill.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

If you were not the exporter of record (which was probably the case using the DHL account) and did not prepare the customs declaration, you have probably broken no law.

I learned years ago that using the buyer's shipping account is an undue complication to a sale, whether it is on Ebay or anywhere else.

My answer when asked if a firm NO. No business is better than bad business.

I avoid any unnecessary complications to my sales, the bite me in the hiney often enough I learned a lesson.

[marnotom!]

Generally speaking, sellers shouldn’t entertain offers from buyers to use what buyers claim to be their own shipping accounts as the account may not be their own and once the actual account holder discovers the unauthorized transaction, practice is that the shipping company will bill you for the shipment.

Hindsight being 20-20, I’d probably leave things alone.  If this malfeasance is discovered, it’s going to be totally on the buyer as the importer is responsible for the accuracy of customs-related information.  To try to intervene at this point could set you up for some nasty repercussions from the buyer if they’re feeling vindictive.  In fact, you may face some fraudulent or questionable claims of damage, etc.  regardless, and you’ll have a pretty much impossible task fighting them.  The way the customs form was filled out may be your only defence.

What country is the shipment bound for?  Did the buyer opt for signature on delivery?

[swindustry79]

Hi 

It is bound for China. The buyer did opt for signature on delivery. 

I should have mentioned that this buyer has bought from me multiple times in the past. When he initially requested the dhl account I contacted ebay and they indicated there was no issue with doing this. Though both ebay and I did not notice at the time that the buyer was changing the declaration value.

So from the responses it seems that since I was not the one that changed the value, I should be safe? Do I need to report this to anyone? I don't really mind since it's technically not my country that is having it's laws circumvented but I don't like to be associated with this type of stuff if I can help it. 

I think I will just leave it as is, and refuse dhl account shipments in the future. 

[swindustry79]

I forgot to say, thanks for the quick reply and advice. I appreciate your time. 

[simba6]

It could also be seized by customs.  

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I should have mentioned that this buyer has bought from me multiple times in the past. When he initially requested the dhl account I contacted ebay and they indicated there was no issue with doing this.

Which is null, void, meaningless and no defense should Ebay have to process a warranty claim or deal with any other form of complaint about the transaction.

That answer is an opinion, provided by an individual customer support agent and not binding on Ebay. It is offered without any guarantee of accuracy, just as the posts on this forum are.

[kensgiftshop]

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@swindustry79 wrote:

Hi 

It is bound for China. The buyer did opt for signature on delivery. 

I should have mentioned that this buyer has bought from me multiple times in the past. When he initially requested the dhl account I contacted ebay and they indicated there was no issue with doing this. Though both ebay and I did not notice at the time that the buyer was changing the declaration value.

So from the responses it seems that since I was not the one that changed the value, I should be safe? Do I need to report this to anyone? I don't really mind since it's technically not my country that is having it's laws circumvented but I don't like to be associated with this type of stuff if I can help it. 

I think I will just leave it as is, and refuse dhl account shipments in the future. 

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No, you wouldn't be safe.

You're the one shipping the item and you're the one to make sure the customs paperwork is correct.

[marnotom!]

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@kensgiftshop wroteNo, you wouldn't be safe.

You're the one shipping the item and you're the one to make sure the customs paperwork is correct.

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I have to disagree.

In our early days of eBaying, my wife once bought me an antique pocket watch from a US seller.  She got a very good deal on it, and the seller noted the transaction value as the declared value on the customs documentation.

The Canada Border Services agent who handled the package didn’t believe the declared value and instead based the import charges on what they considered market value for the watch.  Canada Border Services didn’t try to go after the seller for “misdeclaring” the watch.  The responsibility for paying import charges and providing proof of what was paid for the watch was all ours.

Also consider that in the days of the International Trading discussion boards on this site, nobody was ever able to come up with an example of a seller who faced repercussions for declaring the value of a casual or personal import as anything other than the transaction value or indicating that the item was a “gift” (which makes less difference than you might think, anyway).

Besides, in the case of the sale that this thread is about, the buyer handled the customs documentation and it would be their name and signature associated with it, not the seller’s.

I do agree that the buyer’s past purchases are not necessarily an indication of their intentions for this particular purchase, however.  What has me concerned is that in the event of loss or damage, DHL will take the declared value of the item to be the insured value.

[714ricki]

Since the buyer used their own DHL Airbill, DHL account, & Commercial Invoice, you're not the exporter of record & you wouldn't have any issues. That export & import responsibility would fall on the buyer.