Buyer doesn’t pay / doesn’t want to pay customs fees. What happens?
Good morning, before posting I searched quite a bit but I haven’t found the answer that fully satisfies me.
I made a sale by sending the parcel to the user in the UK. The parcel is provided with all the documentation (including the value), it passed the checks and now the courier cannot deliver the item because the user does not want to pay the import customs fees.
This is the wording:Your parcel is being held in our delivery depot awaiting payment of customs charges. The addressee is being sent a letter outlining the charges and how to pay.
If the user does not pay, what will happen to the item? And if the parcel were to come back to me due to non-payment, should I refund the item minus the shipping cost?
Thanks to anyone who can help me.
7 comments
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoGood morning streetartandchess
If you sold an item worth less than 150 euros / pounds the buyer has already paid eBay what was due.
In this case, the code provided by eBay with the word PAID should have been placed on the package.
If the buyer, having already paid what was due, ended up paying taxes again, I can't say for sure what the outcome will be.
Generally, in the event of disputes, eBay UK is more "strong" than eBay IT, so the outcomes could vary.
For sure, if the buyer does not want to pay what is due, the package goes back to you and you will get your item back.
But the buyer will probably open a claim and COULD be refunded as NOT.
If you need further help, you can post more details here and keep us updated on the developments of the matter.
Kind regards.
puppi_ga
OP3 years agoThanks for your reply,
the item costs exactly €400, so it’s above the stated threshold of €150 and no duties have already been paid. The listed price + shipping was paid.
My doubt is that if the buyer doesn’t have to pay customs and the package gets sent back, am I required to issue a refund through Ebay?
actar80
·3 years agoFor international shipments and especially outside the EU, I have no experience, so wait for the replies from other users.
My personal advice is to contact eBay by phone and point out the situation; basically try to get ahead of it, otherwise if you leave everything to automated procedures handled by algorithms, rest assured that you’ve lost the claim as soon as it’s opened.
Go to the help and contact section > Selling and find the option to have an agent call you at the number you registered in your account. Maybe first wait for some other advice from the community.
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoIn this case you have a good chance of winning the dispute.
Wait AT LEAST until the buyer opens a dispute for item not received, then contact an operator right away via chat or by phone and explain what happened.
That way the case won't be handled by the algorithm but by a real operator.
IN THEORY, if things go as they should, the buyer, by refusing to pay the import taxes, puts themselves in the unpleasant position of losing both the item and the money.
In practice there's no certainty, because the dispute doesn't end with ebay (if they rule in your favor) but could continue through paypal or the credit card provider.
Anyway, try to find a way to talk with the buyer and make them see reason ...... because otherwise the situation gets complicated for both of you.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience.
Kind regards.
puppi_ga
OP3 years agoThanks a lot for the support, I’ll keep updating the situation, maybe the post can help someone in the future.
Unfortunately the buyer isn't responding to any of the messages I sent him on Ebay, I'm tempted to write to the phone number but I wouldn't want to cross the privacy line (I don't know if I can legally do it).
I called Ebay, explained the situation, and they told me there's no written rule and there's a specific "body" that deals with this kind of dispute. What will count is the carrier's feedback, so the wording that will be entered when it is returned to the sender.
I'll be waiting....
morgana10
·3 years agoNo, you can't publish sensitive data (neither here nor elsewhere) and the phone number is one of them, as are first and last name, address or anything else directly connected to the person.
Let us know how it turns out.
Regards
onlyjody
·3 years agoI’m adding to this post with a related question: I’m not sure whether the VAT collection rule applies in all countries in the world or whether the amounts vary from country to country. Does eBay inform the seller when they need to mark the code for VAT already paid?