How Do You Like Your Customs Slip?

[retroleds]

It's always a problem - what to put on the customs slip. Here in the U.S.A., we usually HAVE to put down for the value, the same amount as what we want to insure for. Yet buyers in some countries, particularly the U.K., are often hit with stunning customs fees. What should we put on the slip, and how does your country handle the declared value on customs slips? Some folks believe you should use small, odd numbers to throw off the customs agents from snooping.....
Thoughts gentlemen

[Fitron]

I've been lucky enough only to get caught by customs once. What happens is you don't get your parcel you gt a slip stating you have a parcel and there is a charge to pay , it works out at 17.5% of the watch value and ?4 handling charge. In my case they opened it and saw the ebay receipt and worked it out from that. The lady at the post office said that HM Customs & Excise have just woken up to the fact that we in the UK are now buying LOTS from abroad 'cos it's way cheaper ($1 = ?1 often ) and this means they don't get VAT (17.5%) which is our version of your state sales taxes.
As for avoiding it, I don't know. The compuchron that was caught did have the true value on the outside whilst all the others have had a lowish (under $50) on them even if though they were worth more but then I had no insurance if they were lost. I may have been lucky, 2 friends recently have their cooling fans whacked for ?20 VAT.
Perhaps you should enclose a letter saying happy birthday dear old friend and then they may well think it's a genuine gift. It's only going to get worse for us here I'm afraid. Of course if we wern't being ripped off in the first place we wouldn't have to buy from abroad........

[Majestyk]

Just my opinion, but I would PM little1up the replies to this question. :)

[rewolf]

Here in Germany, customs have the right to disregard what is declared on the label, and they like to make use of that right. In that case you don't receive your parcel but only a letter that asks you to come to the customs office and assist them in opening the parcel and finding out the actual value (show an invoice, printout of ebay auction, credit card bill, etc).
Luckily the customs office is only 2km from where I live (less lucky people have to drive 50km), and one of the officers is a quite nice girl

To determine duty fee, they need to know the exact type of item: watch, non-precious metal, electrically operated, opto-electronic display.
If you like bureaucracy, try the "Browse" button here
E.g. for a digital non-precious-metal watch, TARIC code is 9102120000 -> duty is 4.5%, min 0.30EUR, max 0.80EUR.

In addition, you always have to pay 16% (soon 19%) "Einfuhrumsatzsteuer" (nice word, isn't it = import turnover tax), not only on the item value, but also on the shipping fees!

These are the rules - I try not to get upset when I have to pay.

[retroleds]

Just my opinion, but I would PM little1up the replies to this question. :)

I'm hoping the officials have better things to do...all of our watch packages can't make up even 1/10 of 1% of the total out there.... other shippers of goods must have similar problems.

[fronzelneekburm]

In Germany they never regard that sheet of paper, i have gotten packages with over 1000$ value without paying taxes by just showing them a paypal print-out that said like 20$ total. They always require us to have an invoice or paypal printout.

I am Lucky where i live as they always accept every paypal bill and they dont check it (ever heard of "editing a saved website"?). At some other cities in Germany they have a web computer and require you to log-in and show them the actual paypal website (*cough* nomorefakeprintouts *cough*).

Basic rule: when the package is larger than a usual book or smells valuable then they invite you to open it in front of them and bring your invoice.

I bet other countries handle it another way.

[CompuChron2]

Hi,
Here in France , I never had to open any parcel in front of the custon , but once I've ordered 100 new watches and 100 sunglasses in the same parcel , they(the duty) thought it was too many for 1 man so I had to pay extra fee, but I paid to the postman in front of my door.

I don't know about watches but for cars , when they are more than 30 years old and you import them you don't have any VAT to pay , just the custom fees.
I would be very surprised to have to pay any taxes on an old watch...

[Seer Taak]

Customs charges seem a bit of hit and miss in the UK. For some reason, probably just bad luck I was getting hit with charges on almost everything I bought from the USA, and that ranged from <100$ items to over 500$. Since those bad days, I haven't seen a customs charge for over a year, so I guess it's random?

I now also look to buy more from European (EEC) sellers, which don't attract customs charges - i'm a Brit who sure can see the benefit of being in Europe - :) but with the good ?/$ exchange rate I do still buy from North America.

Either way, I want the true product value declared, because if it does get lost or damaged, i'd like a full refund please. If I declare a $200 item as being worth $10, and it gets lost, i'd feel a lot worse getting a 10$ refund, than I would if I had to pay a $30 customs fee.

[Planet-LED]

Any time I have sent a watch to the UK, I was required to put it's value on the outside of the box. I am looking at this from a view that no one else has mentioned thus far, but to me, if you write that the watch has a value of $600, and it is in a small package, you might as well stamp "steal me" in big red letters.

[retroleds]

I absolutely won't combine shipping outside the US - I've been burned on that....buyers says box was opened and something was missing. Nobody can prove anything, no insurance claim can be made. I like to think they wouldn't have the balls to take a solitary item....then again, government employees have been known to do worse.

I don't understand why people stick a copy of the ebay invoice in the box. A simple note saying "Thanks" would suffice... I'm guessing most people print out an invoice copy as soon as they pay? Glad this questions has led to some discussion - interesting stuff.

[Fitron]

Hmmm I think I'd want a $600 watch tracked and insured. Now here's a question for all , what is more likely to be opened in your personal experience? An ordinary parcel (that's me ) or tracked/courier. Is there a real difference in using the regular mail compared to the private companys? (from the customs viewpoint)

[retroleds]

It's my understanding that EMS and DHL both have a setup where an employee of their's gets to observe your packages insured over $1000 getting opened up and closed back up. Sort of like if you go on vacation to some countries you are much better off if you PAY a steward/courier/bagboy to take your luggage and the declaration slip thru customs. Myself, I am going for as close to an "official company" looking package(new boxs, clean labels).....I think packages sent from a company to an individual don't get scrutinized as much as individual-to-individual packages. Some people have sent me stuff in boxes and packaging that smells terribly of their "life"(smoke, food,etc) - probably gets the police dogs sniffing. :( 8) I'm an old hippy...I think about those kinds of things.

[CompuChron2]

Yes the worst the parcel looks like, the better chance it has to slip thru the custom....

[Seer Taak]

..... Some people have sent me stuff in boxes and packaging that smells terribly of their "life"(smoke, food,etc) - probably gets the police dogs sniffing. :( 8) I'm an old hippy...I think about those kinds of things.

Interesting point. I received a package once, where the contents really wreeked of smoke! Now I come from a dominantly smoking family, and have no huge anti smoking ideas, but I did wonder how much someone had to smoke for their packages to smell that strong?

[retroleds]

abacus: I'm an extremely light "occasional" smoker of sorts, but I have had some that were so strong, you'd think they had blown a few puffs into the box right before sealing it - sometimes it didn't smell like tobacco either . Smoke contains chemicals that cling tightly to plastic material....do your buyers a favor if shipping out of your country and use clean,fresh wrapping stuff. So they don't needlessly open it looking for contraband .

[azimuth_pl]

interesting subject :)
in Poland it depends on the value on the customs slip but they can also say that in their opinion the item is worth more based on some annual value guides. they might even ask an expert to judge the value and you will have to pay for that expertise.
it also depends on the mood of the clerk. two identical items forwarded thru two different customs offices had totally different taxes calculated (go figure?)

I always declare approx. 40$ value and try to make the box look as decent as possible. Haven't lost an item ever. On the outbound of course.
On inbound some did get stolen though. and sadly I must admit that most likely in the USofA.

For the first year of buying watches (some 5-6 years ago) I always had them sent registered post but these usually cost 10-15$ more on each parcel as registered doesn't go global priority flatrate.
from the very beginning I did ask the sellers to decrease the customs value BUT ONLY for safety reasons otherwise it would be equal to the "Steal me" label as Steve mentioned.
And even if a package would be insured full value and it would disappear it usually takes months if not a year to claim everything and get some money back. in international postage neither country wants to take the responsibility.

so in result I decided to have everything sent standard airmail and global priority for not more than 10$ postage per package and customs value max 50$.
even if I loose two or three watches per year that are worth 300$, I'm still above the line as I save 10 times more on cheaper postage (10$ savings each x 50 packages per year = 500$ - 300$ = +200$).

calculate this on your own and decide what is more profitable.

as for customs - if you really try and explain to the seller that a package with real value will get stolen, the seller will in most occasions decrease the value to your needs and not attach the real invoice.