Customs declarations

[Maniah]

Have you ever had someone ask you to write the cost of the item on the customs form as less than a certain ammount in order to avoid customs fees?

What are the repercussions of this? I'm not sure what to think about it or what could happen as a result.

[Moondancer115]

I ask someone like a week ago to do that. I don't think that customs will notice. For them they are just old ponies  .
But i hear it from more people they do that. I think it happens all the time.

[SFlame]

Well i think its against the rules to ask for it, because if the package goes missing then you wont be able to claim its full worth, also customs duties are just part of buying from overseas and a legal duty.

However i wont deny that i really appreciate it when someone marks something as a gift or less than its worth since i can get charged almost as much as an item is worth in custom fees, and i personally usually mark value less for arena members. But id never ask for it, nor have i had arena members ask me to do this.

[ponylady]

It's a tough call.  I would not hesitate to do it for an arena member.  But I will not with ebay, etsy, etc.  It has lots of repercussions. 
 
For one let's say you add insurance and the package is lost or ruined, you are not going to be able to recover your costs beyond the declared value (by the way, you can only recover the amount you have insured). 

So, if you mail a $100 item, but say it was worth $20 so a customer doesn't have to pay duties on it, you cannot recover anything beyond $20 & your postage fee. 
 
Second if it is sold on ebay for a certain amount, ebay/Paypal sees that amount and has a record of it if they want to go back and look at it. 
 
And lastly it is illegal to make false statements on a goverment document and is considered a felony if you get caught.   
         

[hokuspokus]

I ask someone like a week ago to do that. I don't think that customs will notice. For them they are just old ponies  .
But i hear it from more people they do that. I think it happens all the time.

I ask for it too. Not too long ago, i had to pay €27 custom fees (thats like $35 or so).
That's alot of money. I can't afford to pay that for all expensive items, so i will ask members to mark the value lower.

As for myself, i either mark items as gift or put in low value and describe the items as 'old toys'.

[Roogna]

I always mark ponies as "gift"
I've been asked once to write a lower value on the customs form, and since it was for an Arena member with good feedback I did it (and it arrived safely!), but it's definitely not something I would want to make a habit of.

[cloud_weaver]

Huh...I must not have to deal with that as much here in the US.  I've never run into paying higher fees on higher value packages.


I, too, always mark ponies as a "gift".

[hathorcat]

I will admit that not only have I asked in the past but when people I know have asked me I have done it.

Yes, it is "against the rules" and technically fraudulent...everything ponylady says is so completely true...as a seller you are taking a massive risk by doing this as if a buyer doesn't get their item or has a problem and files a claim you would have to give them back all their money but you could only claim what is on the declaration. It is why when I ask it I would always offer to send a separate email/message confirming that any problems are mine - a message which the seller could easily show to paypal/ebay...but completely understandably some sellers wont do it.

However, as I said I do ask for it and I understand why...UK customs arent just a little obsessive with this in my opinion their attitude, charges and manner should be illegal. The purpose of customs charges is to ensure that the government of the country in which the buyer lives still gets their "tax" for the item. So if I buy a DVD from Tesco in the UK, the government gets their VAT on that; if I buy that same DVD from some on in New York who posts it to me, then I have purchased the item and brought it into the country and the UK government have missed out on their tax element. In theory this is what the customs charge is for....HOWEVER...what they dont factor in is what is in the parcel - i.e. a vintage toy...1) if I am paying VAT on this I want to pay it at 80s VAT prices 2) the toy may never have been available in the UK and 3) it is a used item so why am I paying any tax on it at all...

Sorry...you may see this is a sore subject in my house! lol
 

[lovesbabysquirmy]

I mark as "gift" but that's only because I am very low volume, compared to a small business.   At most, 10-15 packages were mailed out last year?

 But yeah...  PonyLady is correct about all those points!  Thankfully I have not had to send anything too valuable (the Easter Swap box last year was about it, $30) and Canada Post insures up to $100 for free.

[NoDivision]

Something I'm very glad we miss out on in the US.

I would look at the cutsoms/VAT poilicy of whatever country you are shipping to and find out what the limits are. For example if you are selling something that's $30 and the limit i $25 before they start charging fees or whatever, then a slight markdown might not be so bad.

In general, I NEVER mark down values on ebay goods and sales. I want to try to be kind to people, but when you buy on ebay you have to be aware that you are responsible for customs fees or other charges - that is not the sellers responsibility. But most items that I sell and ship are custom ponies, so I determine the value on those myself anyway.

[Ringlets]

agreed with ponylady , and I also I agree with Hathorcat - the fees we get in the UK/Europe are awful,     I appreciate it when people do this for me, but I dont  ask them. Also I will mark the item as a gift etc for Arena members (who I consider as  friends and therefore the item is being sent as a gift )  but not for ebayers in general 

[ShortyBoo]

Wow, I didn't know that putting the real amount on the customs form could result in the person I'm sending it to getting charged. We don't have anything like that in the US, and I've only done a few trades that were with people outside the US, but I've been truthful on the value since I didn't think it made a difference and I figured it was better to tell the truth. But now knowing I may have cost someone money, I feel really bad about it. Since I'd just have my mom mail the packages for me since the post office is near her work, I've never personally filled out the custom forms, so I have no idea if she marked them as a gift or something else, but I always told her the value. Should I be marking the packages as a gift from now on?

[Sebby6]

I always mark low, but for a different reason.
With all the mail theft going on I reckon it's better to put $5 plastic horse toy than $100 My Little Pony

[hathorcat]

I always mark low, but for a different reason.
With all the mail theft going on I reckon it's better to put $5 plastic horse toy than $100 My Little Pony

Wow now thats a good point! My accounts department at work have actually stopped posting cheques recorded mail for this reason - more cheques get to their destination in a standard 1st class envelope than get there when recorded...I didnt even think of the fact this could be true outside of work place!

[Ringlets]

With all the mail theft going on I reckon it's better to put $5 plastic horse toy than $100 My Little Pony

Actually yes that is a good point!  ^^   I dont ever write "My Little Pony" or "collectible" on the parcel anyways  though TBH , I always just something vague like "used toy" or "plastic toy" or "horse toy"