Ebay.com Import Charges!

[jedi_masters]

Hey all.

I'm looking at a couple of bits in the US and have noticed they have recently started adding this 'Import Tax' on your purchase.

Apparently its part of some 'Global Postage Programme'.

Is this what would normally be charged by our customs if it gets stopped?? If it is how can someone in the US charge it to you up front?? By paying this does that mean it wont get clobbered by our HMRC?? I don't understand it and its kinda putting me off the items :?: :?

 

[PGowdy]

I've seen that a couple of times. It was on one purchase i made and i contacted the buyer saying i wasn't going to pay it. I got him to relist the item with my US shipping address but post it to me. That way i paid no tax. He also marked the value down so HRMC AND Royal Mail couldn't get their filthy hands on my dough. :wink

I think the deal is though you don't pay tax when it gets here. I think they use some special delivery service. Not sure how it works but i saw one that actually said "no import duties for international buyers"
I'll try and find a link.

 

[PGowdy]

Here- (this is what i've seen recently on ebay US)

Link where it says "Learn more" - http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

No whether this one here means you pay some tax fee upfront with the purchase i don't know. I'd have to buy it to see i guess.
If this is the way ebay.com are doing it now and you DO have to pay the tax upfront i will not be buying from their ever again. No way. I'll do back door deals only. Or just enter a US address and then message them asking if they can ship to UK.
Altho i'd be very interested to know what the charge is on expensive purchases. Say £3-£400 would it be a % fee or a flat £20 or so charge. If so that'd be well worth paying.

 

[jedi_masters]

Thanks Pete. I've just been reading up on it. A lot of US sellers are fuming about it as it is killing their international sales as because you don't know if your going to get clobbered again in your own country. It does say no extra charges though like you say so must come through some service that shows the fee has been paid. I have one that the fee is like in the pic's you posted, just over $4 so might try and buy that one and see what the process is and how greatly it affects what I'm paying.

Another ****ing stupid idea by ebay. Seriously, they are going to kill it for a lot of people. I'm getting more and more reluctant to buy on ebay.

 

[Richard_H]

Could be a good comp that. How much will Chris get charged buying a $4 item.

My guess $63

 

[PGowdy]

Thanks Pete. I've just been reading up on it. A lot of US sellers are fuming about it as it is killing their international sales as because you don't know if your going to get clobbered again in your own country. It does say no extra charges though like you say so must come through some service that shows the fee has been paid. I have one that the fee is like in the pic's you posted, just over $4 so might try and buy that one and see what the process is and how greatly it affects what I'm paying.

Another ****ing stupid idea by ebay. Seriously, they are going to kill it for a lot of people. I'm getting more and more reluctant to buy on ebay.

Yeah it will kill international sales which were already made close to impossible by HRMC and Royal Mail fees. I very rarely buy "honestly" from the US now. Actually, never. :lol: I only get charged when i make a mistake on the value amount as they keep changing the rules/moving the goal-posts.
I make a lot of international sales so i REALLY hop they don't introduce it over here. OWouldn't really make sense as most countries i send to don't thieve money off of people like ours does. But if fear that may be irrelevant. This looks like another way for ebay to skim/scam money off of people's sales.

 

[theslider]

I don't see how this will work to be honest. I can't imagine eBay giving money to the HMRC, it's just a money making scam on their part I think - just another way to screw more money out of users.

 

[jedi_masters]

That is what I couldn't understand, why would I pay an American for the supposed customs charges our country would charge? I have placed a bid on the one I was looking at so if I win will see how this system works.

Apparently when you read up about it, US sellers that are signed up to this programme send the item to an International shipping agent somewhere in America who then ships it on to the buyer. They deal with all charges and apparently you wont get charged the other end on delivery.

I just really don't get the idea and I think a lot of US sellers are also coming round to it being a **** idea.

 

[Frunkstar]

Has anyone started a thread on RS about this to see if they know any more than we do?? as its quite worrying TBH

 

[Joe]

Could be a good comp that. How much will Chris get charged buying a $4 item.

My guess $63

LOL Funny because it's true

 

[PGowdy]

Also i was looking at an item today on ebay.com. The item was $11 and it said 'customs fee $4' so even on stuff you wouldn't get a customs fee for when it arrived in the UK, through this system, You'll get charged anyway. Which is scandalous.

Here's a pic. Very worrying.
"Import Charges: $4.47 (based on current bid)"

 

[PGowdy]

Perhaps a little more worrying is the import charges calculated for a more expensive item...

One thing that is clear is that only 10-20%, or so, of sellers seem to have this "service" included in their sale and it's not automatically people with "shops"/business ebay accounts. It's a random mixture so my thinking is this is something that has been offered to US sellers and they have, foolishly, opted for it.
I don't see what this achieves for ebay or for the seller. The seller will lose 99% of potential international buyers and it will encourage "of ebay" dealing as no one in their right mind would pay these fees.

 

[walkie]

I don't get it. why hasn't somebody launched a decent eBay rival?

 

[jedi_masters]

The other thing as well Pete is that amount is on the current bid. So say that han was an auction not BIN, if that went up to $1500, that fee would go up to around $300. I really cant get my head around it, 'ive been doing a lot of research and it is def a scheme that you have to opt in to. If you don't, it sounds like eBay hound you with emails every time you sell something and you haven't opted in. I have bid on something today, only lowball but will see how this works and if I get clobbered again this end.

 

[jedi_masters]

Just looked at the auction i'm bidding on and the import amount is $4.37 as well, same as the Marshmallow man. Seems this is a minimum charge but you are right, the thing I am bidding on is only just over £7 so that is under the import limit anyway.

 

[itfciain]

Here we go chaps - this is the 'cause' of the confusion.

Those sellers offering this have opted into eBays Postage Programme

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

Apparently everything is shipped to one point and then onto the buyer with all taxes paid.

Sounds like a massive negative for to me - no more asking the seller to mark it as a gift with a low value :evil: :evil:

 

[itfciain]

Found this -

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/topic/Packaging-Shipping/Global-Shipping-Issue/5200129581

Looks like there are a lot of people very unhappy with this process and that it is another way for eBay to make some more cash.

On a slightly different note, has anyone noticed that eBay have stopped you from sending your email address via their messaging service now - even typing it out with dot com at the end is banned - makes it a lot harder to deal off eBay - bastards !

 

[PGowdy]

On a slightly different note, has anyone noticed that eBay have stopped you from sending your email address via their messaging service now - even typing it out with dot com at the end is banned - makes it a lot harder to deal off eBay - bastards !

Yeah i have. I send them my phone number now and get them to text me their email address.

 

[itfciain]

On a slightly different note, has anyone noticed that eBay have stopped you from sending your email address via their messaging service now - even typing it out with dot com at the end is banned - makes it a lot harder to deal off eBay - bastards !

Yeah i have. I send them my phone number now and get them to text me their email address.

ha ha - that's what I have done too - not so easy with international sellers tho

 

[Stormtrooper37]

****!! Only just seen this thread.

Just won something on ebay from a US Seller, never noticed the import charges on the listing and now when I come to pay they want an extra $16!!


Watching another US auction, but no mention of charges on that listing so I presume Okay and won't be charged if I win that auction.