[tie-a-ribbon]

i bought an item from overseas and have to pay customs on it. i went to collect it today and the person told me that i have to provide the eBay invoice to prove how much i paid and stuff. this is the first time i've had to do this, normally i just show id and that's it, so i didn't have it with me. i have to go back this week with the proof.

problem is, the seller marked down the value for me so i didn't get too screwed with customs fees. so now i don't know what to do, should i edit the eBay invoice to the amount that is declared on the package or just take it in with the full amount and pay it. but then would the seller get any bother for not declaring the full amount? i'm kinda broke at the moment so don't want to pay that much unless i absolutely have to, if i did edit the amount on the invoice is there any way they would know?

[b3stbuy]

no the seller wont be bothered for anything...
they probably asked you because they thought the item is misdeclared that is why they are asking for proof of the amount you paid for the item.

well if you can find a way to edit the invoice then do so at your own risk...heheh we all do what we can

i suggest asking your customs center to ask how they compute for the customs fee..if it is not that exorbitant then it would be better to just pay for it rather than risk faking an invoice

[Miss Sooky]

I'd proceed with extreme caution if I were you, but then I am someone who has a job that depends on being super squeaky clean and am terrified by inadvertently messing that up! Seriously, I don't know where you are, but unfortunately I believe it is an offence for the seller to underdeclare in many jurisdictions so there are potential implications for the seller too depending on the law and how rigorously it is enforced. And I would be very wary of altering anything to show to an official revenue organisation - once again there are often complex laws and penalties available to them to use against those who seek to mislead them. I am sorry not to be the bearer of better news and as I say, I am someone who is anxious about misleading authorities for personal and professional reasons, so do feel free to ignore me and seek other opinions.

[tie-a-ribbon]

Originally Posted by Miss Sooky

I'd proceed with extreme caution if I were you, but then I am someone who has a job that depends on being super squeaky clean and am terrified by inadvertently messing that up! Seriously, I don't know where you are, but unfortunately I believe it is an offence for the seller to underdeclare in many jurisdictions so there are potential implications for the seller too depending on the law and how rigorously it is enforced. And I would be very wary of altering anything to show to an official revenue organisation - once again there are often complex laws and penalties available to them to use against those who seek to mislead them. I am sorry not to be the bearer of better news and as I say, I am someone who is anxious about misleading authorities for personal and professional reasons, so do feel free to ignore me and seek other opinions.

that's what i'm worried about, i don't really want to edit the invoice but i don't want to get the seller into trouble. what happens if i just don't collect it, do they return it to the seller? i'm thinking it might just be less risky to let them send it back, warn the seller it's coming and pay for shipping again but make sure the actual amount is declared this time.

i'm in germany by the way. normally i am located in england where things are not so strict but i'm not entirely sure how they operate here.

[b3stbuy]

err if you are going to send it back to the seller and have it shipped again to you...wont the amount be almost equivalent to the customs fee they will charge you?

[tie-a-ribbon]

Originally Posted by b3stbuy

err if you are going to send it back to the seller and have it shipped again to you...wont the amount be almost equivalent to the customs fee they will charge you?

probably but i'm scared about either changing the amount or getting the seller in trouble for underdeclaring... i'm not sure how things like that are treated here.

[b3stbuy]

why not call and ask them? im sure they would give the info

while i was at the PO...the woman beside me had a mis declared item..she was fined...thats all i know :)

[maria28]

i've never encountered this problem (i'm not a big fan of underdeclaring cause it means the item is not insured), but i was just thinking....

was the item declared as "gift"? if it's declared as gift, you can probably say you don't have any receipt?

[tie-a-ribbon]

Originally Posted by maria28

i've never encountered this problem (i'm not a big fan of underdeclaring cause it means the item is not insured), but i was just thinking....

was the item declared as "gift"? if it's declared as gift, you can probably say you don't have any receipt?

i think it was, but here you have to pay for gifts as well. but i asked a friend what would happen if i had no receipt and he said that they go online and find an approximate price for the item, (which would be more than i paid cos i got quite a good deal). it would mean me paying more customs but at this point, i don't care, i just want my item. the only thing i'm worried about is would the seller get into trouble when they find that the value was under declared?

[Kittie LaRoche]

Hey Sweetie, don't worry about it, it will be fine

I'm in Germany as well and the guys over at customs already know me

Just print out the eBay item page and the matching Paypal invoice and that's all. They don't really care about that the seller under-declared the item as long as you have the papers showing what you paid. I never ever had any problems with that.

How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking? Was it a bag?

[Kittie LaRoche]

Originally Posted by tie-a-ribbon

i think it was, but here you have to pay for gifts as well. but i asked a friend what would happen if i had no receipt and he said that they go online and find an approximate price for the item, (which would be more than i paid cos i got quite a good deal). it would mean me paying more customs but at this point, i don't care, i just want my item. the only thing i'm worried about is would the seller get into trouble when they find that the value was under declared?

and for your information: this can not happen here in Germany as it's illegal for them to go online and check out eBay/shopping sites/etc to find out the price I chatted with one of my local customs officers the last time I was down there and he told me that. they aren't even connected to the internet anymore in their office (poor guys )

[cutieupdate18]

Originally Posted by Kittie LaRoche

and for your information: this can not happen here in Germany as it's illegal for them to go online and check out eBay/shopping sites/etc to find out the price I chatted with one of my local customs officers the last time I was down there and he told me that. they aren't even connected to the internet anymore in their office (poor guys )

Wow, that's really strange. Why can't they use the internet?

[tie-a-ribbon]

Originally Posted by Kittie LaRoche

Hey Sweetie, don't worry about it, it will be fine

I'm in Germany as well and the guys over at customs already know me

Just print out the eBay item page and the matching Paypal invoice and that's all. They don't really care about that the seller under-declared the item as long as you have the papers showing what you paid. I never ever had any problems with that.

How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking? Was it a bag?

it was a pair of $400 shoes. i don't mind paying customs for that at all, i was just worried i was going to get the seller into trouble. thank you soooo much, i was so worried about it!