customs and duties, pls help!

guccilove

guccilove

@rachlovesfm
O.G.
Jul 23, 2007
1,270
82
#1
hello....
i just have a really quick question about customs and duties.
im planning to purchase a bbag for $825.00 on ebay, and the bag is coming from Italy. the price is really good for the bag, (already authenticated here) but im concerned about the customs and duties that i have to pay for when i receive the item. does anybody have any idea? if they charge me like $300 or something (or more!) for it, i will definitely reconsider buying this item. :crybaby: i'd probably just buy it here. pls help! thanks!
 
#4
Maybe ask the seller if she will consider lower the value and sending it as a gift? I don't know about custom charges. The only thing I purchased overseas was from Diabro and they're very willing to lower the value. Wouldn't hurt to ask :smile:. I agree it won't be worth it if you're stuck paying too much for custom fees. hopefully someone who has more experience will chime in.
 
#5
thanks BabyK! yes i will definitely try that. but the thing is tho, the price is already low, $825.00 for a Work, i guess the seller is already considering those custom charges that's why he/she priced it that low....maybe....but yeah i'll ask anyway, afterall, i have nothing to lose. thank you again!
 
#7
tooshies...i feel stupid for asking this but does 'under declare' mean to state the value of the bag as around $100.00, but still pay him/her $825.00? i'll definitely ask the seller to do this and to state it as 'used tote bag'.....thank you so much!!!!!!
 
#8
Don't be silly!!! Don't feel stupid!

Whether you get hit by custom charges or not is quite random, hit-or-miss situation. You might get lucky and won't be charged any fees, but more likely than not, you will if you fully declare the value of the bag.

What I normally do is to ask the seller to declare it under $100 when the cost of the bag is actually over $1K, so that I won't get charged with high custom charges. I feel quite safe using EMS or Fedex using this method as I can track the status of the package every day:yes:
 
#9
Typically customs is about 10% of purchase price, and then a few other fees for like currency conversion (thru pp) or brokerage fees if it is shipped by say Fed Ex. I havent had any experience with something coming via USPS though but I would assume customs, if you are hit with them, are the same at about 10%.

ETA: thats on a new item, i think it's different if it is a used item.
 
#10
Guccilove, just take a couple of things in consideration: the seller might not want to under-declare the value of the bag; first of all, it is illegal, and some sellers stick to this rule (at least when I have the same problem in the opposite direction, when purchasing from the US); second, if the value is under-declared, the seller is not covered in case of loss of the parcel. You could work out an agreement (i.e. YOU will not ask the full price back if you make her under-declare the value and the parcel goes lost)...
But if I remember correctly, don't you have in the States a US$ 1.000 allowance before encurring in import duties? I might be wrong, but I remember this was discussed somewhere before...
 
#11
Ask the seller to mark it as GIFT - bag. I think seller can still insure for the full value of the bag and you won't need to pay for custom.

Fraublucher is right. You also get a $1,000 allowance before UPS/FEDEX charge you custom.
 
#13
tooshies....i went ahead and asked the seller to under-declare the item. hopefully he agrees....i've never bid on anything this high before that's why i'm trying to be extra careful. i guess i can pick the mode of transport of the item? if that's the case, ill be picking FEDEX. thank you sooooo much for your help (and patience hehe), i truly appreciate it!

thanks nawth21! at least now im aware of how much the whole thing is might cost me.....10% isnt that bad......
 
#14
fraubutcher ..... i just realized that he wont want to under declare a bag because it said it on his policies. oh well.....and about the $1000, i think that's great because the item im purchasing does not even exceed that.....
thanks.:smile:

brtracy thanks for confirming this..............:smile:
 
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