maxf said:
It will be ebay policy, not UK tax rules.
Full duty and tax is not payable on everything, including vintage toys, but the GSP charges it indiscriminately. Their smallprint states that in these cases it is not charged as a tax and will not be paid to the relevant authorities, but is simply a 'shipping and handling charge'. GSP is an absolute con on every level, IMO.
Not only that, but trying to get GSP fees refunded is like getting blood out of a stone. I recently bought a cheap, but good condition loose Bespin Guard figure from America. It was sent via the GSP with a small, but still relatively extortionate shipping price. Because I wanted the figure, I was prepared to swallow the otherwise outrageous shipping costs and bought the figure on a But It Now.
Unfortunately, the seller managed to send me the wrong Bespin Guard figure, and that was where the fun began... After eventually getting them to agree that they had sent the wrong figure (initially, they claimed that they had sent the right figure, even though I had already sent them proof that they hadn't, in the form of multiple clear photos and a written description detailing multiple paint rub, dirt and other differences between the auction photos and the figure that arrived - which was actually from another auction of theirs; something I was also able to prove), they finally agreed to refund me my money and said I could keep the wrong figure, since it would be uneconomical for them to pay for it to be returned to the States.
However, they only refunded me about $2.50 for shipping, leaving me $18.50 out of pocket. I complained, but they said I would have to contact eBay to get the rest of the shipping costs refunded since all the seller was allowed to refund was their part of the shipping (I assume the cost of them sending the item to eBay's GSP hub in the States). The remainder of the shipping costs can apparently only be refunded by eBay themselves (in actual fact, only eBay's GSP department itself, as it turns out). I therefore had to contact eBay via an online chat session where I was first passed from pillar to post to get to the 'right' department, before eventually being promised a refund within 5 days. This did not arrive.
I therefore contacted eBay again after the time limit had passed via another online chat session, whereupon I was once again passed all round the houses before finally speaking to a different 'right' department, which this time claimed that they weren't really the right 'right' department after all, as that only operated within business hours Mon-Fri, and so they would email me within 48-72 hours. And they did email me eventually (after 120 hours) to advise me that they had 'submitted a request to process a refund' for me, but that this would take an eye-watering 7-10 working days! So I patiently waited for 10 working days and guess what? No refund.
I therefore telephoned eBay and first spoke to Ireland (the online chats had been with India) and a very helpful-sounding lady who took all my details and advised apologetically that she would have to transfer me to (you guessed it) the 'right' department, but that she had put a note on my account so that I would not have to recount all the same information yet again to the next person I spoke to, and not only that, there was zero waiting time!...
After a full 10 minutes' waiting time, I was transferred to India and ended up speaking with a woman who hadn't got any idea why I was talking to her, and hence I had to explain myself all over again. This time I was told again that although I had been told I was transferred to the 'right' department, I wasn't actually talking to the 'right' department at all, as in truth the 'right' department is eBay's GSP people themselves, and they cannot be contacted directly by mere customers with valid claims such as myself! And of course, they only operate during business hours, and therefore I would be emailed by them...
And I was, two days later. This time I was promised a refund, which would 'typically be within 72 hours, but might take as long as 10 working days'! In the event, I finally did receive my refund just 2 days later and some 2 full months after buying the Bespin Guard!
And then, just to put the icing on eBay's incompetence cake, yesterday I received the exact same refund for a second time! So now, because I'm honest, I have to contact eBay again to let them know that they have double-refunded me... GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :x