Buyer didn't pay import fees, now the item has been returned. Who is liable for shipping costs?

[robrickshaw]

Shipped a bike from Australia to the UK.

Buyer didn't pay import fees in time and the bike has been returned to me.

The cost to ship the bike there, then return postage cost, then the possible cost of shipping the bike back is a lot of money.

Who is liable for these costs? Ebay has paid me out the entire amount however, I have paid all these postage fees. I now don't even have enough money to send the bike again.

I'm looking for links to Ebay policies outlining who is liable as well as consumer laws which may be relevant in this situation.

[padi*0409]

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@robrickshaw wrote:

Shipped a bike from Australia to the UK.

Buyer didn't pay import fees in time and the bike has been returned to me.

The cost to ship the bike there, then return postage cost, then the possible cost of shipping the bike back is a lot of money.

Who is liable for these costs? Ebay has paid me out the entire amount however, I have paid all these postage fees. I now don't even have enough money to send the bike again.

I'm looking for links to Ebay policies outlining who is liable as well as consumer laws which may be relevant in this situation.

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Why on earth would you want to send the item back to the UK again when the buyer has already refused to pay the customs costs ????

Just refund the buyer what they paid LESS the shipping both ways.

[jellybirddesigns]

Buyer paid for the postage fees, surely?

So you're not out of pocket.

Just refund less shipping.

Ebay now takes all Customs/VAT fees upfront at time of purchase, so the buyer doesn't have anything else to pay, in which case I'm wondering what else the buyer was liable for.

[imastawka]

Informing overseas buyers about import charges

When you sell to buyers outside Australia or New Zealand, import charges – including taxes and customs fees – may apply for the country you're sending the item to. These charges are determined by the country you're sending the item to, and are usually based on the item's price, postage weight, dimensions and country of origin.

Some countries and jurisdictions require eBay to collect import tax from the buyer when they pay for their order. Consignments where eBay does not collect taxes may require buyers to pay additional import fees (e.g. VAT and duties) as part of clearing their parcel through customs, or when they receive their order.

Taxes and import charges | eBay

[imastawka]

On orders over £135 imported to the UK, eBay will not collect VAT but the recipient may need to pay VAT as part of clearing the parcel through customs.

Paying tax on eBay purchases | eBay

[papermoon.lady]

I think it is the same with items over $1,000 imported to Australia? 

Edit: that bike was very expensive, well over 135 pounds...

[janeababe]

I once had an item sent back to me from the UK. 
There were no extra charges to me, and the returned item was delivered to me at my address here in Australia.  

Your buyer would have already pd for postage costs to the UK, so technically speaking, you are not yet, out of pocket. 

Is the buyer aware that it has now been returned to you? 

Have you refunded the buyer the item costs yet? 

[robrickshaw]

Buyer is aware. The postage cost around $600 however, I only charged the buyer $150 as a discount. The bike bike cost $2500. I have already been charged another $600 return postage by the courier company. If I refund the buyer the value of the bike I am $1050 out of pocket for postage alone (which I'm borrowing). However, could I just refund him the value of the bike minus all these costs? (including Ebay selling fee, import duties & taxes to get the bike back through customs, initial postage cost minus $150, return postage cost.)

Side note, the buyer did pay customs taxes and duties however, they paid them too late (nearly 3 weeks.) So they still want the bike.

[*sons_and_daughters*]

Refund them the cost after any fees, charges, postage, duties etc. If they paid a total of say $3,000 and the cost of having this sent back to you, including ebay fees and whatnot is $2,000, then you refund them $1,000. It's not your fault they took 3 weeks to make their mind up. You are not to be out of pocket one single cent for this. Any out of pockets are worn by the buyer. If they wanted it that badly, they wouldn't have taken 3 weeks to decide whether to pay the taxes or not.

[davewil1964]

How did they pay fees on an item already on its way back to you?

As everybody has said, refund less ALL your costs, including eBay fees.

Don't sell international items that aren't particularly rare and cost $600 to post.

Bikes are not exclusive to Australia. Ask yourself why a buyer in the UK would buy one from the other side of the world, with concomitant time and import tax costs, when they could almost certainly buy one in the UK quicker and for no more. Possibly, even these days, Europe.