Ebay seller Brand_Jfa

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#46
AllyBallyB said:
I'm afraid that with customs and handling charges very often the amount to pay is NOT as little as $ 30. If you sell and declare a used Chanel bag at $1500, who receives the bag in certain countries pays an extra 20-30% of the price of bag.
European countries for extra-EU imports will pay import taxes ( depending on the object) on the shipping, Insurance and cost of the bag. Then there will VAT, ( even if used ) at about 17-21% depending on country - ( Italy is at 21% for now) on the full price of bag and very often on shipping whilst they're at it. Plus there is a handling fee for customs which can be from 30-50 $ and varies.
So for a $1500 bag declared I will pay at least an extra 350$ which is about 25% of the original price. At work I have sometimes had to pay nearer 30% of initial value.
Would many of you buy something used that looks a good price if you have to add on 25% of its value? Sometimes it just is no longer viable.
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Well it is your choice whether or not to buy something. It is my choice, whether or not to lie on a customs form. You clearly know how much you could expect to pay and presumably you factor this in before you bid.

Worst case scenario. If it gets stolen, I lose the bag, plus I can only claim the declared value. But the buyer will want all their money back.

If I got caught "under declaring", in Japan the legal system is "guilty until proven innocent". So I could get a criminal record, or perhaps lose residency rights and have to leave the country. Should I do that, just to save someone I do not know, from paying tax that their government as decided to charge? No.

My husband had a bag stolen within the Royal Mail System in the UK. He had to reimburse the buyer, even though a clear audit trail showed Royal Mail were at fault. I had a package mysteriously get stolen in Denmark - that was a Chanel Suit. So I don't take any chances. Chanel items show up beautifully on x-ray scanners - I have watched my handbag's CCs, going through the scanner at airports.

I believe that some of the eBay platforms include a link on what the tax might be.

Bu I am not BRAND_JFA, whom this thread is about, who are, by the way, excellent sellers. I don't know how they manage their posting.
 
#47
AllyBallyB said:
I'm afraid that with customs and handling charges very often the amount to pay is NOT as little as $ 30. If you sell and declare a used Chanel bag at $1500, who receives the bag in certain countries pays an extra 20-30% of the price of bag.
European countries for extra-EU imports will pay import taxes ( depending on the object) on the shipping, Insurance and cost of the bag. Then there will VAT, ( even if used ) at about 17-21% depending on country - ( Italy is at 21% for now) on the full price of bag and very often on shipping whilst they're at it. Plus there is a handling fee for customs which can be from 30-50 $ and varies.
So for a $1500 bag declared I will pay at least an extra 350$ which is about 25% of the original price. At work I have sometimes had to pay nearer 30% of initial value.
Would many of you buy something used that looks a good price if you have to add on 25% of its value? Sometimes it just is no longer viable.
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While not as high as European VAT, even buyers in some states of the U.S. have to pay taxes of ~11% on every ebay purchase (and other online purchases) sent to the state. So, for your example of the $1500 bag, being shipped even within the same state (or sent to the state from a neighboring one), the cost can be an extra $300. If they are sent from another country, custom fees are added on top of this, so the rate can easily surpass that of the EU. Taxes are unfortunately a part of living.

"If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet." George Harrison, 1965

"Things as certain as death and taxes, can be more firmly believed." Daniel Defoe, 1726

"'In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Benjamin Franklin, 1789
 
#48
My currenct experience is not with Brand_jfa, but I believe someone was also asking about jfatokyo in this thread.

I bought a bag from jfatokyo a couple of weeks ago. They shipped promptly and with a tracking number. I got the letter from customs a couple of days ago, and I believe they did devalue the bag as the fee is about £110 less than what I expected to pay.
I'll be picking the bag up in a couple of hours so I'll update here with whether it does or doesn't match its description.
 
#49
shinymagpie said:
Well it is your choice whether or not to buy something. It is my choice, whether or not to lie on a customs form. You clearly know how much you could expect to pay and presumably you factor this in before you bid.

Worst case scenario. If it gets stolen, I lose the bag, plus I can only claim the declared value. But the buyer will want all their money back.

If I got caught "under declaring", in Japan the legal system is "guilty until proven innocent". So I could get a criminal record, or perhaps lose residency rights and have to leave the country. Should I do that, just to save someone I do not know, from paying tax that their government as decided to charge? No.

My husband had a bag stolen within the Royal Mail System in the UK. He had to reimburse the buyer, even though a clear audit trail showed Royal Mail were at fault. I had a package mysteriously get stolen in Denmark - that was a Chanel Suit. So I don't take any chances. Chanel items show up beautifully on x-ray scanners - I have watched my handbag's CCs, going through the scanner at airports.

I believe that some of the eBay platforms include a link on what the tax might be.

Bu I am not BRAND_JFA, whom this thread is about, who are, by the way, excellent sellers. I don't know how they manage their posting.
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No-one here is disputing people's decisions as sellers, my boss respects that and makes decisions consequently.
I'm just pointing out a fact ie that it is not an extra 30$ only for taxes etc. As I have worked in vintage I know how much to expect to pay for imports but many people don't and are caught unawares first time especially if they read the wrong information somewhere. And 30$ is the wrong info and may lead people to make the wrong decision. Hope point is understood by everyone.
 
#50
Dunlin said:
My currenct experience is not with Brand_jfa, but I believe someone was also asking about jfatokyo in this thread.

I bought a bag from jfatokyo a couple of weeks ago. They shipped promptly and with a tracking number. I got the letter from customs a couple of days ago, and I believe they did devalue the bag as the fee is about £110 less than what I expected to pay.
I'll be picking the bag up in a couple of hours so I'll update here with whether it does or doesn't match its description.
Click to expand...

Hi, I was the person asking about jfatokyo. I decided to buy from this seller and I received my bag last week..I had to pay customs charges which i had expected and factored into the total cost even though the seller devalued the bag by £400 less on the shipping invoice..not that I asked them to..

The bag is better than I expected..I posted pics on Chanel site...and it is authentic. It was wrapped in tissue paper and bubble wrap and came quickly..all in all Ive been very happy with the whole purchase and will buy from this seller again...
 
#51
AllyBallyB said:
No-one here is disputing people's decisions as sellers, my boss respects that and makes decisions consequently.
I'm just pointing out a fact ie that it is not an extra 30$ only for taxes etc. As I have worked in vintage I know how much to expect to pay for imports but many people don't and are caught unawares first time especially if they read the wrong information somewhere. And 30$ is the wrong info and may lead people to make the wrong decision. Hope point is understood by everyone.
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Understood and good point. Actually, the percentage varies for most countries, depending on their taxation scale etc. 21% is moderate, some countries are significantly higher and many have widely varying cutoffs at which import duties or VAT or a combination of these cut in. Because every situation is different, a few years ago I started a thread on customs duties with data from a range of countries. Many purseformers kindly put some of their time into providing details and links for their country or region. You might care to check it and revise the data, if you have new relevant information to share about your particular country or trading zone.
 
#53
Hey all!

I'm looking at some vintage chanel chains, any experience with this seller in regard to jewelry? They do show quite a bit of pictures, but things always look different in person. Thanks in advance!
 
#54
AllyBallyB said:
I haven't bought from JFA yet but have considered it. The bags are definitely very used but if the right bag comes along at the right price, I'll just consider that it has to be taken for a spa treatment. It will still cost less than many other bags out there. The Chanel bags I have seen are all authentic so far...bt you do have to check their description and ALL the photos.
I don't know where they store the bags but certain areas of Japan are very humid so mould can be a problem and I suspect that as they are handling huge amounts of bags the bags are in some warehouse...
FYI a lot of vintage bags bought at Paris sales also tend to be smelly.
BTW apart from airing the bag and giving it a good clean try the following eco-friendly tip which works really well for smelly shoes and boots: Dried thyme leaves wrapped in a small cloth or just as are ( remember to clean out well after) and leave in the bag for a few days to weeks. Thyme is a natural bactericide and disinfectant.
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No, not always, i've had two items that were barely used and i would describe them as immaculate.
Their goods vary in condition but they always describe them accurately and never under-estimate the wear, if anything the reverse is true.
 
#55
lanvin said:
hi, what was it like with customs since I'm in the UK too, were the fees high? The seller lists delivery as free, was it free for you?
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I didn't need to pay any duty on my items from there and yes, the postage was free and very very fast, i'm waiting for another items to come from Japan and it's taking ages.

The highest duty i've paid was on items coming from America, and the postage was also slow.
These things wouldn't put me off though, i'd buy from them all again tomorrow :p
 
#58
I just brought a Prada tote from this seller, and just received it this morning. The bag is in better shape than it was described. It definitely had a little musty odor, but I hung it outside for a bit and now its fine :smile1::smile1: Also it got to me in Ohio in about 4 days!
 
#60
Even though their English written skills vary, they always answer emails and do their best I think. I have bought one bag from them and it was actually nicer than described. They include many pics so easy to see flaws etc. Fast shipping too.
 
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