Does anyone have any knowledge or experience purchasing designer luxury handbag from Hong Kong? I would've never considered it but I found a bag I desire which is very hard to find (this is only one I could find at all online) and shop swears everything is authentic and get they've been in business for 15 years, winning a "no fake" award annually. They say they offer refund if it proves to not be authentic and I realize I could always dispute charge on my credit card too in that case. Here's start in wondering:
- How/where can I get bag authenticated on my own?
- Will I be responsible for paying any additional customs/duties, etc? Been trying to research and coming up blank. Store tried to assist but also has no details.
TIA for any assistance any of you can offer.
In my experience, customs fees from Hong Kong coming into the USA are a much higher percentage compared to items coming from Japan/Europe/UK and other places where we have more favorable trade agreements. When I purchase items from international sellers, the highest customs fees I have paid have been from China, Hong Kong and Dubai (just my experience, there are certainly more countries that could be on the list). There’s no way to give an exact number, because it can vary by many percentage points just by something as small as the type of leather, whether it has pockets, whether it has metal snaps etc. You can try to get your best guess by downloading the US customs schedule file, but be aware that it will just give you an idea, you need to be prepared to pay up to 25%, so I wouldn’t risk it. I would only buy from a place that makes you prepay customs fees (like vestiaire collective or eBay global), because that’s the only way to know exactly how much it will be before you purchase. If you can buy from Japan/Europe/UK, you will pay ~8-10% customs fees in most cases, so much more manageable.