Please Help! Deal gone horribly wrong!

[scrapyddm]

Sorry to hear what happened!

I would call her/email her and say listen, you didn't tell me that I might have to pay customs? You should informed your customers of that before they purchase your items. If that is the case I might as well got band new ones. Tell her you want to return them and you want your money back. If she doesn't I would post about her and state she is not honest and buyer beware.

I would contact her first and see what she says, she might take the return no problem, if the shoes are nice I am sure another buyer will want them.

The seller on ebay is really not responsible for duties on the item that Canada charges. Although it is a good idea for the seller to mention something about "not being responsible" for duty.... it is not their fault for the money that Canada charges us! My advise would be to pay the charges and next time do a little research on the item you are buying

[tjthemanto]

Two weeks ago I purchased a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes via ebay for $320 (A really good deal! orginal price is over $600) from the UK. They were used and it was evident on the soles where the red paint has worn off. Today the mail man came from Canada Post and I was so excited then he told me how much I owed in customs.....$249.63! WHOAH. The mail man was nice enough to stay so I could actaully have a look at the fees written on the package and I saw that Customs had declared the value of the shoes as $750! Even if they were new it would not have been that much but clearly they were used they could have been worthless for all they know.

I need help I have no idea what to do I love those shoes but I'm not paying almost the price of new Christian Louboutins to have a pair of used ones. This time the thrifty saver failed me I never would have thought customs would charge me this much. I call Canada Post the lady said theres nothing I can do but talk to the seller but what if she doesn't take returns? Are there not any other options for me? The shoes were totally mis evaluated for twice the price.

When you order something , generally you have to pay the following 3 :

1. Duty - 18 % ..

2. Taxes - GST/PST/HST depending on the province. In your case its 13 % HST since its ON.

3. Custom Brokerage fees charged by Canada Post , Ups , Fed Ex , DHL etc. CP usually charges only $ 8.50 ( could be higher depending on the item ) but the courier companies charge a lot could be $ 50 + in some cases.

So basically they have charged you 18 % + 13 % = 31 % on $ 750 + brokerage fees instead of 31 % on $ 320 + brokerage fees. But I guess they don't care that you paid $ 320 and are evaluating them at $ 750 brand new instead. They probably didn't see that they are used , you should argue that.

If the boots were made in USA or Mexico you wouldn't have to pay the 18 % duty under NAFTA but you would still pay the 13 % HST and custom brokerage fees.

I got an Ipad 2 for free , actually I had to redeem some miles for it ..but it was a foreign airlines so the shipment came from Dubai. I still had to pay taxes and brokerage fees on it even thought it was for free after the air miles redemption

[tjthemanto]

What did the seller mark as the value for shoes?

When I have been overcharged because customs has assigned a different value I have paid the customs and then filed a dispute.
The paper work is attched to the package. Print off the ebay page showing what you actually paid.
I've always had my money back within a month. Never had one denied. But I can understand you not wanted to do this with
that much money owed.
What currancy was the auction in?
If you paid $320 Canadian & then your custom charges should be around $47.
I've never tried to figure out how them come up with these funfilled amounts.

Even if she paid $ 320 it sgoing to be more than $ 47 as she will pay 18 % duty ( about $ 57 ), 13 % HST ( about $ 42 ) and custom brokerage fees which are different from the duty and tax you pay.

Canada Post and couriers like UPS , Fed Ex etc use brokers who help clear the products at the border, hence the brokerage fees.

its a wild wilD west when it comes to these custom brokerage fees it could be as less as $ 8.50 for Canada Post and could be as high as 50 bucks + depending on the courier.

So I think she should or will end up paying 31% on 320 + brokerage fees if everything goes right.

[ado121]

i work for customs. you should have to only pay duty and taxes and fees on the total you paid. it should have been properly declared on the outside of the package with an ebay invoice inside the package. if this wasnt done, then customs has to appraise the item, they best they can. you are allowed to apply for a partial refund. the information is on the back of your custom import receipt. you need to send in an ebay invoice with a picture of the shoes to prove that they are the same ones you bought. you will get a refund. it wont be entirely what you paid, it will only be partial. good luck.

[TrixyLuxx]

Listing an item as a gift when it is not is actually illegal, and you can get in a whole lot of trouble for it

Not to be rude but... really... come on.

[TrixyLuxx]

honestly though, what you should do is contact the seller, let canada post return the shoes to the shipper, and get the seller to ship them back to you with a price under 100$ so you don't have to pay the charges.. Thats what I would do.

If i ordered something from China that totalled 250$ I would only be paying 20$ for customs.

[nightlite]

One of things my sister and i used to do was request that the package be labeled as a gift on the form when the seller sends out the package, so custom fees aren't charged. But we haven been on ebay for a while so i dont know if sellers are still willing to do that or custom fees have changed.

+ 1
This is what we do with ebay sellers outside of Canada. Always request that they write Gift. It avoids the whole customs issue.

[momgoneawol]

If you have them in your possession and you paid with paypal you can file a claim for your money back as long as the item is significantly not as described by seller. If seller stated these were BRAND NEW and NEVER WORN and they show wear you have a good claim for your money back. Go to paypal and follow the claim process.

Unfortunatley the customs fees are on all items when you buy from outside the country, just be glad they did not send them FEDEX or UPS the fees would have been MUCH higher.

Did you check the seller's feedback for any past problems. I know sometime nothing will show up and then BAM they screw a whole bunch of people, but what was their feedback.

I've sold on ebay for over 12 years and things have changed alot, in the buyers favour so definately file a paypal claim and do it right away.

[operabob]

Show customs your ebay receipt.

[Gazpache]

Not to be rude but... really... come on.

Very much true. Border services considers it to be fraud. If you're caught (which I do admit the chances are unlikely) they can charge you.

[silvialee]

Thank everyone as you have so been so helpful, I have made my plan of action to fight this thing. First I think the seller was silly enough not to fill it a customs form for the package leaving customs to evaluate the value themselves so I'm going to see if those are any grounds to open a paypal dispute as it is mandatory to full the form for customs. Second I'm going to take the package back today, its waiting sure me at the past office but I'm going to appeal it. The seller has yet to get back to me I think she's pulling a vanishing act on me. Ill keep you all posted!

[silvialee]

I've done some research and it is mandatory for a the sender to fill out a customs form in the UK when shipping out of the European Union so basically if the appeal doesn't work or I am still overcharged are these any grounds to open a paypal dispute for since it was the sender's responsibility to claim the value and condition of the package?

[DianneS]

I have bought many items from eBay over the years. (I am lucky enough to live close the border and I have it shipped to a mailbox there.) I have seen many eBay sellers post words to the effect "Please do not ask me to mark your purchase a gift. It is mail fraud and I will not expose myself to being charged and fined in order to save you money on duty." There is no risk to the purchaser....the seller is completely liable, so I can absolutely understand why some don't want to go there.

[silvialee]

okay guys so here's an update.... I just found out that my canada post office has not sent the package to customs. I typed the tracking number online and they gave me a final warning to pick it up! last day is tomorrow so hopefully it is still there because the seller has not answered any of my emails. I don't even know if those people at the post office know what to do with a package marked to go back to duties since this location seems to be semi-privately owned, if that makes sense, it seems like its a family thing and they also sell lotto on the side. What should I do guys, just pay the $250 and send the forms to customs for a refund or put my trust that tomorrow I'll be able to talk to the postal people and have them send it to customs again... I can't believe I went there to check off the box and they just threw it on the side!

[Poirot]

okay guys so here's an update.... I just found out that my canada post office has not sent the package to customs. I typed the tracking number online and they gave me a final warning to pick it up! last day is tomorrow so hopefully it is still there because the seller has not answered any of my emails. I don't even know if those people at the post office know what to do with a package marked to go back to duties since this location seems to be semi-privately owned, if that makes sense, it seems like its a family thing and they also sell lotto on the side. What should I do guys, just pay the $250 and send the forms to customs for a refund or put my trust that tomorrow I'll be able to talk to the postal people and have them send it to customs again... I can't believe I went there to check off the box and they just threw it on the side!

I think you should send them back because you said they weren't as described.