Shipments outside the EU and customs form
Hello, first of all I am NOT a professional seller but just a private individual who 2\3 times a year manages to sell some used item on ebay.
I sold a model to a buyer in South Africa. I read that for shipments outside the EU you have to fill out a form (I hope they will help me at the post office) for customs...BUT reading these instructions
Guide to filling it out
Shipments containing goods destined for non-EU countries must be accompanied by the CN 23 customs declaration (for parcels, this declaration is integrated into the Waybill except for Poste Delivery International Express and Poste Deliverybox International Express). Download the CN 23 form.The CN23 form is available free of charge at all authorized post offices, must accompany each individual shipment and must be filled out correctly, completely and legibly, with all information relating to the sender (name, address), the recipient (name, address), the contents (weight, description and/or the customs code defined as «Taric») and the value (greater than zero). The complete list of Taric codes is available on the website of the Customs and Monopolies Agency.
Furthermore, for all shipments containing goods destined for non-EU countries - depending on the purpose of the shipment and the type/value of the contents - the following must also be attached to the shipment:
- commercial invoice in the case of goods intended for sale
- Free Export Declaration if the contents have a value greater than 1,000 euro
- Washington Declaration self-certification in case of leather items or items containing wild plants of non-protected species
For more information on the documentation to attach to the shipment, go to the pages dedicated to the individual products:
- International Postamail
- International Postapriority
- International Registered Mail
- International Insured Mail
Parcels
- Poste Delivery International Standard
- Poste Delivery Globe
- Poste Delivery Europe
- Poste Delivery International Express
So it turns out I should do an invoice??? But if I'm a private individual I can't issue an invoice....
I read that a colleague of mine online had a package returned from Spain because he hadn't filled out this customs form
Can you help me?
thanks
10 comments
luciocabrio
OP3 years agoI sent it to South Africa following your advice, everything seems ok... except that... the item, at least according to the tracking, has still not reached the recipient. At least it got to South Africa and from what I can see it’s bouncing from one office to another, I hope they deliver it soon.
The buyer has never contacted me. It’s been 2 months since I shipped it. International registered mail
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoGood evening luciocabrio
As for the invoice, if you are a private individual you need to attach the order number, where there is a summary of what the buyer has paid.
Go to: orders --> all orders --> order details --> order number
Print it out and attach it together with the duly completed CN-23.
Kind regards.
luciocabrio
OP3 years agoThanks. Do I need to indicate that the item is used somewhere? So I need to send the “proof” of how much the buyer paid, right? I wouldn’t want them to make the buyer pay customs and then have them get mad at me and leave me negative feedback. (It’s a used model, paid €49, I don’t know if there are any amount limits)
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoThere’s no need to declare if the item is used.
If the buyer has already paid customs, the customs charges line should appear in the order details.
If nothing appears, it means they haven’t paid anything.
If needed, you can point it out on a sheet or underline/highlight the line regarding the paid charges, adding a note that they have already been paid in advance and collected by eBay.
Regarding the question in the other post, yes, there are the "order details".
Kind regards.
luciocabrio
OP3 years agoHello, no, there’s nothing indicated about customs, nor did it let me enter anything related to the latter.
So how could eBay collect it in advance?
Sorry for all the questions, but this seems a bit complicated to me as a system (and the last times I made international shipments there weren’t all these requirements)
So, to recap, I print the order details, fill out customs form 23 at the post office, and I’m good to go?
heavenwelkin
·3 years agoYes, if no code and no item relating to the payment of customs duties paid by the buyer appear in the order details, that’s fine.
Print the order details together with the duly completed customs declaration (CN-23) and present it at the post office at the time of shipment.
Kind regards.
luciocabrio
OP3 years agothanks a lot, but then who decides whether the charges have to be paid before or after? or if they have to be paid at all? I wouldn't want to have omitted something and I wouldn't want the buyer to get mad at me if they end up having to pay the duties. I read that some people also put the word gift, without attaching order details or amounts.
for the CN23 declaration, do you know if they don't have forms at the post office? that way I can get help filling it out if needed
deejaynick
·3 years agoPremising that when you decide to sell abroad (outside the EU) you should know the basic rules of export and the related charges.
As they have already told you at length, I’ll recap what you need to include with the parcel:
- Pro forma invoice with a detailed description of the contents, the cost of the item and the shipping cost. If VAT has already been collected, the amount and eBay’s IOSS code must also be shown (since eBay acted as the tax substitute on your behalf).
- Alternatively, as they rightly told you, a copy of the transaction (eBay order) showing the same details.
- A photocopy of an ID document and tax code.
- Only if you send it with Poste, you can replace the pro forma invoice with form CN23, but it is strongly recommended to also attach a copy of the order because this form does not allow any VAT separation.
- To avoid wasting time with the operator, look up and note the TARIC code of the item you are exporting and tell them when they ask for it.
You can find the CN23 form here:
https://www.poste.it/CN-23.pdf
sika700
·3 years agoCustoms duties cannot in any case be paid BEFORE shipping, because they are entirely the responsibility of the recipient and the country of delivery, where rules different from ours apply.
In Italy we cannot subscribe to the GSP service otherwise offered by those who buy from the United Kingdom or the United States, where these costs are calculated in advance.
If you put the word "Gift" you must satisfy other strict conditions.
So, if you have concerns or anything else... one piece of friendly advice... forget it and stick to the domestic market, which already has plenty of delivery problems...
Kind regards.
luciocabrio
OP3 years agoExcuse me, where do I find orders etc?
I went to sales and there at the end there's order details (of the sold item) I don't know if that works the same