Probably a dumb question re: customs and shipping insurance

If you are being sent a reasonable valuable figure from the US, is it feasible to request that the seller mark a low value on the package or form in order to escape/reduce customs fees, but also ship it insured to the true full value? If therefore the package goes astray/never arrives and you need to cash in on the insurance, do you think there could be a problem in that you indicated on the customs/postal form that the value was low. Just wondering if the two would conflict one another...
Thoughts appreciated.

I always ask them to put a low valiu at my own risk to avoid paying shitty customs but when the parcel takes a long time coming then you get worried and wish you had paid full insurance

I dont know if they could put one price and insure it for more unless it was with a third party insurer though... everything is fkn money money money in this world

if you win an auction through auctionsniper you can choose to insure it with themfor about Ã'£1. I assume it doesn't matter what price is put on the customs as they are a third party.

Oooh, that sounds like a cheeky trick. Will look into it. Thanks

Rudyard said:

is it feasible to request that the seller mark a low value on the package or form in order to escape/reduce customs fees, but also ship it insured to the true full value? .

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You can't under value the item on the customs form and then insure for higher - the Post Office will not allow it their end.

Bottom line is insure and take the charges or don't and take the risk.

Thanks Andy

For what it's worth, I had about Ã'£3k worth of stuff come through customs and only paid about Ã'£170

UPS got me through on some special rate of 5% instead of the usual 17ish%.

Sorry to harp on about this. I'm speaking with someone in the US about a relaively high value figure - problem would be a significant customs fee. He's offered to insure with a third party and mark a low value on the form. Great. However, just reading up on this I came across this: http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageVAT_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_001454&propertyType=document

The key bit is:
"Note. Some unscrupulous overseas suppliers openly advertise on the internet, or on their web-sites that they will deliberately either misdescribe items or underdeclare their value in order to evade customs charges that are legally due on importation. You should be aware that although the foreign sender may have completed the customs declaration form on the parcel you are regarded (in law) as the importer of the goods and responsible for the information on the declaration, and any customs charges that may be due. This means that if you purchase goods from these suppliers and the declaration is found to be false or misleading you may be liable to financial penalties or criminal prosecution. Furthermore the goods themselves will be liable to forfeiture. It is in your own interests to ensure Customs declarations are completed properly.

****. Not quite sure what to do really. I could do without a big customs bill... but it sounds like its quite a risk. Do you really think some customs shmuck would know what the true value of vintage figures are? Do any of you regularly ask for low values to be marked on your items?

All thoughts much appreciated.

I honestly dont think the customs people would know, but its a big risk :?

Cheers Spoons. Think I'll sleep on it.

as long as the seller doesn't put an invoice in with it how would customs know? The original retail price of the figure was probably 99p

Jolly good point Sir! Thanks

Darth Wensleydale said:

as long as the seller doesn't put an invoice in with it how would customs know?

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They can demand to see proof of amounts paid if they suspect something is up - in over 10 years of importing I've never heard this happen though.

I've had to send them ebay pages and paypal receipts before, when for example, a knob jockey in the US wrote $75 on the customs form when I won it for $25 - he thought he was being helpful :roll: . They eventually released the parcel without me having to pay anything.

I've had a couple of parcels randomly opened (which is less than 1%) of what I have imported and in the late 90s I was bringing in multi box consignment worth several hundred dollars. As the customs form descriptions and values were okay it was sealed up with the red, yellow and white tape and delivered to me without a problem.

I suspect they are a bit more streetwise now though and if they open one up and see $20 marked on the form but see it is a Star Wars 12 back then they would probably pursue the matter further.

Thanks for your thoughts on this guys

Like spoons says, I doubt very much customs would have the first idea how much a vintage SW toy is worth.
Lets be honest most of us don't know the values of things outside our own focus's.
Well, I don't anyway! I wouldn't know what most loose figures or variants are worth, and as for the modern stuff............