Buyer shat off over import tax - what do you do?

[transport-posters]

Firstly, I've not heard the term "shat off" used since the 1980s, so I'm glad I got to use it again.

I sold some car prints to someone in the UK and they had to pay a big import tax fee, and are now very annoyed.  They want me to reim\burse them for the fee.

I've sold hundreds of prints to people all over the world over the past 3.5 years or so, with the bulk going to the US and the UK, and this is the first person to ever raise this issue.

What would you do in this situation, and also to stop this from happening in the future?  I read somewhere a couple of years ago that eBay looks down on buyers who try to cheat the export/import tax system and cancels/blacklists sellers who do it.

[curraone]

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/pay/international-shipping-rules.html#who

[kopenhagen5]

It is up to each buyer to know or research imports of their own country.

Not for sellers to know import regs on all countries around the globe. (You are not responsible for those fees)

You could have in each listing something saying along the lines of "Buyers are responsible for import tax or duties if applicable"

(You could send the buyer the link curraone has provided)

[mbselections00]

---

@transport-posters wrote:

Firstly, I've not heard the term "shat off" used since the 1980s, so I'm glad I got to use it again.

I sold some car prints to someone in the UK and they had to pay a big import tax fee, and are now very annoyed.  They want me to reim\burse them for the fee.

I've sold hundreds of prints to people all over the world over the past 3.5 years or so, with the bulk going to the US and the UK, and this is the first person to ever raise this issue.

What would you do in this situation, and also to stop this from happening in the future?  I read somewhere a couple of years ago that eBay looks down on buyers who try to cheat the export/import tax system and cancels/blacklists sellers who do it.

---

Hi, I found myself in similar circumstances just recently.  Have sold quite a few items to UK & US & never had a problem.  Generally I post Registered International, so around $25.  Which for a single charm is quite expensive, although still often cheaper than the price they would be paying if they bought within their own country and I can send several charms for the same postage price.

Anyway, I had a Buyer msg about 2 weeks ago to say she hadn't received her parcel, so to cut a long story short because I posted about it elsewhere so don't want to bore anyone, I sent Tracking details etc, but next thing she came at me with guns blazing that she had received a Customs/Duty Payable notice for 14pds & sent me a photo, the notice was dated 12/12/2014 - lol, silly lady.

So I referred her to eBay Policy & haven't heard a peep since.  And I received the parcel back yesterday.  I have been trying to decide if I should draw attention to the matter again and refund her just the price of the charm - I wouldn't refund postage because I have clearly outlaid that money - but I do feel I should reimburse her for the charm, but she lied in the first place really - she was clearly well aware shall we say of the where-about of the parcel, true, she hadn't received it though because she refused to pay the Duty.  I'm inclined to let sleeping dogs lie - but that seems dishonest to me - but the reality is - I don't want to do the right thing and cop a Defect.  Damned if you do - damned if you don't !!

I am now seriously considering not selling overseas at all now - it's not worth the hassle & possible Defects anymore 😞

[ausbargainbasement]

Spot on, make sure you have that buyers are responsible for any import duties on your listings, mind you does not stop some of them try to exstort the duties from you, had one recently threatened to leave a NEG if we did not pay his duties, pointed out we are not responsible for those, still went ahead and left a NEG, so went through the feedback removal procces, and Ebay removed it in a matter of minutes, which was quite astounding as usually dealing with Ebay takes a lot of time.

[2106greencat]

Yep, kopes is right (he most usually is BTW)

Up to the buyer to know the rules, regs and 'import taxes' into their own country.