Sold Gear to EU the buyer cant pay VAT wants refund? Update

  • Thread starter Thread starter EXPcustom
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EXPcustom

EXPcustom

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This just happened to me and the buyer says he cant afford the customs fees and wants a refund. Gear is in the EU right now, I am in the US. :doh:

I told the buyer in advance I cant declare the item as a gift because its over 2000 dollars in value and he is responsible for customs fees.

What do I do and yes I sold the gear through Ebay?
 
You have no responsibility once it leaves you as long as it was as described, the buyer is unreasonable.
 
EXPcustom":1hmqt23e said:
This just happened to me and the buyer says he cant afford the customs fees and wants a refund. Gear is in the EU right now, I am in the US. :doh:

I told the buyer in advance I cant declare the item as a gift because its over 2000 dollars in value and he is responsible for customs fees.

What do I do and yes I sold the gear through Ebay?
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SCAMWOW :scared: As long as you have proof of shipment you are fine.
 
tehuk":3iwbarnr said:
What happens if he refuses to accept delivery?
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Thats kind of what I am worried about then getting hit with a double bill for shipping both ways. :doh:
 
i'm from europe too and i can say you're in right. if you stated you couldn't declare less than the real value the buyer HAS to pay custom taxes.

if this guy seems firm you should state that you will refund the value of the guitar minus the shipping back costs, in case you don't want to receive negative feedback ;)

if not just keep the money and he should resolve the question by himself.

when i buy anything from outside the EU i allways ask what is the politics of the seller abiut declared value...i will NOT EVER EVER declare abything as a gift...but declare it some % less can save you big money (everything on my own risk)

hope you will solve this

S. M. :thumbsup:
 
It's his baby - he knew there were customs fees when he bid. This, and the ever present Indonesian scams are why I no longer sell outside of the USA.
 
Had this happen to me once. The buyer got the invoice from customs and refused delivery. In the end I got shafted.
 
The thing that really fries me is when he sent the money through Paypal/Ebay it said to declare the item as a gift.

I sent a message stating I wont do that and if this is a problem I will refund him his money before I ship. He said "no, go ahead and ship it" :doh:

Now he says they want 700 Euros and there is no way he is paying that and he wants a refund, he also says I should have sent it USPS. :cry:

I dont send things USPS because the insurance limit is 675 dollars and the size restrictions also prevent Euro shipping on certain larger items. :doh: :doh:

I am trying to look a few steps ahead and am very worried about negative feedback, I offered to cover HALF his fees, Yes HALF as in 350 EUROS so I dont have to deal with the headache of finding another buyer etc...
 
Call PayPal and talk to them. I could be wrong, but if you can't prove it was delivered he gets his money back game over. If tracking shows he refused it that might be a different story. Either way call PayPal and talk to someone to get the facts straight from the horses mouth.
Jerry
 
He's a moron. Do not refund until the return delivery is settled.
He can't refuse delivery, only paying customs and VAT.
You need to ask paypal's opinion on that.
As far as I know if items are not cleared in 30 days, are shipped back.
The whole thing is FUBAR here at least in my country (EU), due customs and VAT is calculated from the summarized value, Item value+shipping costs. But the buyer needs to be aware of that.
An alternative could have been to declare the package DDP, meaning you pay the customs charges in advance what he paid upfront to you. That way you can avoid shipping fee charged with customs duties and VAT, but you can't get around customs duties and VAT on the rest unless it's value below 200eur.
 
i knew shipping worldwide was complicated but i didnt know there were this many fee's involved. its good to know some of these recommendations but it fucking sucks you have to be caught in the middle of it with a product and a douche.

ive always just shipped usa/canada, so i cant add anything. but i do want to appreciate the comments being made to help out here
 
I wouldn't refund a dime until the gear is back in your hands, then go from there. He fucked up not you. It sounds kinda like a scam. :dunno:
 
glpg80":24z5x6s2 said:
i knew shipping worldwide was complicated but i didnt know there were this many fee's involved. its good to know some of these recommendations but it fucking sucks you have to be caught in the middle of it with a product and a douche.

ive always just shipped usa/canada, so i cant add anything. but i do want to appreciate the comments being made to help out here
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It`s not complicated, the buyer here is obviously not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
I`m guessing a 17 year old moron who got so horny for a new guitar that he didn`t bother to check the customs regulations in his country.


In Norway, you have to add 25% VAT to the whole amount (shipping included)

1000$ + 200$ (shipping) <convert> (app.)6600NOK * 1,25% = 8250NOK out of the account altogether.
 
same here in germany: 19% VAT plus 3.5% customs-tax for any kind of musical instruments.

Good luck !!
 
So when do the pitchforks and torches come out for the tax revolt Europe? ;)
 
Nigel Tufnel":fa3glprq said:
So when do the pitchforks and torches come out for the tax revolt Europe? ;)
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No health insurance needed here, it sort of evens it out :D

edit: I realize that could sound like a pompous ass.
In Norway, there are benefits with some of the taxes. I guess there`s always the choice between plague and cholera.
 
I'm not sure if this goes for transactions between Europe and the VS also but if I buy a product from another European country I have to pay VAT at the Dutch border (in fact the shipper does the paperwork and in turn collects the money from me before handing over the package).
Then, I can ask for a reimbursement of the VAT that was paid in the originating country. This, however is such a PITA that most don't even try.

Giga
 
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