I have to pay how much? From what???

[Skelletonimp]

I've already ranted about my Venezuelan Tootsie arriving incomplete and with the box ripped apart...
Now I'm getting a bill from FedEx and I have to pay €38,43 for "advance Duties and Taxes" (translated with google translater). I don't have any idea what I have to pay for, and not to mention: WHY should I pay? I already lost so much money for this incomplete pony. Second, I don't even have the money. And the seller isn't going to pay either. Jeej this was so worth my money. NOT. Payed so much money and I totally regret it.

This is not helping with my €950 bill for my braces.

Moving this over to Trader Support for you, as they're very knowledgable about this kind of issue. Snork Maiden, WYP Mod

[MaronaPossessed]

1.Leave a terrible, negative review
2.Refuse to pay the bill and redirect the bill back.
3.Call your bank to refuse any payment of that certain amount from FedEx.

[Chrissytree]

that sounds like a customs charge.  When you import something worth over a certain value the government wants you to pay.
I'm sorry to hear you've had so much trouble.

[Skelletonimp]

The seller snow tells me that he told me shipping was free, which is a lie, he told me shipping was $25. And now he's telling me that I should have told him to put a lower amount on the box, so I wouldn't have this problem. How could I have knows when I never experienced that, and why didn't he tell me this before sending the package?

[StarFaerie]

The seller snow tells me that he told me shipping was free, which is a lie, he told me shipping was $25. And now he's telling me that I should have told him to put a lower amount on the box, so I wouldn't have this problem. How could I have knows when I never experienced that, and why didn't he tell me this before sending the package?

I don't think you can really expect the seller, who is not in your country, to advise you about the laws in your country.

[hathorcat]

I am so sorry to hear you have had so many issues.

Unfortunately if you check out a few of the TS and Nirvana threads on Venezuelan ponies this customs treatment is almost becoming standard practice. It is why I have even seen people have ponies shipped loose with their boxes and occasionally even with their heads already removed so that customs can open and check and you don't risk the box being ripped or the pony being damaged. Vennies are easy enough to put back in their box again due to the lack of bubble and sealed packaging.

I know it is frustrating - very very frustrating - but whether you are buying from ebay, the Arena or a multinational company you as the buyer are responsible for any customs charges and duties which your country imposes. For sellers it can be tough to know what every other country in the world  imposes as limitations on imports - as a buyer it is always helpful to be aware of the numbers, the limits and the duties. Mainly so that you can calculate whether you can afford the import and so you know how much you need to set aside for payment.

The seller has not done anything wrong in this case so leaving a negative because of Netherlands import duties would be unfair. In addition if you simply cant pay for the import charge or dont want to pay for the import charge - this will mean the pony is most likely returned to the sender. It is also possible the sender will have to pay for this item to be returned. In such a case if you simply did not wish a refund for the pony and wished the pony re-sent the seller would be within their rights to charge you again for shipping which could be more than the import duties.

[ponylady]

I am sorry you have had such trouble with your Vennie.  But Cat is exactly spot on with her response.

A seller has no way of knowing that you will be charged customs fee's, nor do they know the amount.  It is up to the buyer to know their countries laws regarding this. 

This is taken from VAT rules for the Netherlands:

Value added tax (VAT, in Dutch ‘BTW’) is levied in the Netherlands at each stage in the chain of production and distribution of goods and services. The tax base is the total amount charged for the transaction excluding VAT, with certain exceptions. Because of deductions in previous stages of the chain, VAT is not cumulative. Every taxable person is liable for VAT on his or her turnover (the output tax), from which the VAT charged on expenses and investments (the input tax) may be deducted. If the balance is positive, tax must be paid to the tax authorities. If the balance is negative, a refund is received. The tax paid by the ultimate consumers of the goods or services is not tax-deductible. The tax is based on the VAT rate applicable to the price of the goods or services received, exclusive VAT.

Here is the link to read all rules regarding this for your country:
http://www.expatax.nl/vatrules.php

I honestly do not feel your seller deserves a negative due to this.  And if this was ebay they would remove it.

*sigh* there has been many issues with shipping these ponies.  It is a risk that you or anyone else takes when buying them.  And I am not sure that there is much we can do about it since it lies within our countries borders when importing them into our country.  

[lolaandbean]

Did you pay $25 for shipping? If he's now telling you it was free I think I would demand a refund.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Customs charges are entirely separate from the transaction with the seller and have to be paid regardless.  It is not up to the seller to educate the buyer about customs fees and they are in no way responsible for anything to do with them. 

[hokuspokus]

that sounds like a customs charge.  When you import something worth over a certain value the government wants you to pay.
I'm sorry to hear you've had so much trouble.

I think this is the exact reason for the extra costs. Sorry you have to pay so much..! I had to pay this amount of money for this exact reason one time, though i had to pay to my postman right at the door. I wouldn't even get the box if i didn't pay. How did that go in your situation, did you get the box and a bill afterwards? We are in the same country, so that's why i'm interested if they work in different ways or something with the custom fees etc.


Unfortunately, like said above, i don't think you can expect the seller to give this info up front. After all, he is in another country and does not know about Holland's charges for this. I'm sorry for such a letdown.. though i don't think there is much to do! I think a negative feedback would be unfair, this is totally out of the hands of the seller.

Did you pay $25 for shipping? If he's now telling you it was free I think I would demand a refund.

I don't really understand this part. You had to pay him for shipping and later he said it was free?!! That's...unclear(?)


A little advice for the future: it seems that the Netherlands ask extra fees for each international (out of Europe) package/envelope above €25,- now. (It used to be around €40, but it becomes worse and we must pay up sooner & more).
So you can make the choise to ask sellers to NOT fill in a value above €25,-
However, this way, in case of sending with insurance, your item is marked as €25 (or less). If it was (for example) worth €100, you are not insured well enough since the parcel was marked a lower value. So it's really an important choise you must think about!

Hope this makes some sense. My english might not be well enough for such explanations, sorry!

[Mitchell-mugno]

Hi.

I'm the seller and that was a very bad experience I've had.

Firstly, yes the shipping cost is the right USD 25,oo (the ponies I'm selling, detailed the cost of each and shipping cost, but some discounts can be applied as some of members here, I've offered free shipping for the purchase of 2 or 3 items). My mistake and really there's not fishy going on here, that was my bad and confusion.

Second, the purchaser insist I need to be responsible for that fee. If the buyer don't inform me declare low value to avoid taxes, I put the full cost of the good. So, why I then must pay for an omission from the buyer. I checked very well payment instructions and pms before shipping for a note. Only the address and phone number to contact the receiver once the box arrives to destination as I requested.

I have no idea which countries apply taxes for import goods, so, if the buyer say nothing about low cost declaration, how can I know this?

lovesbabysquirmy can't say this better about this. Thanks  .

Also, custom sometimes are not the better hands to handle a collectible items, so they don't care about this when they open the boxes to do their jobs, and no matter which ways, letters, instructions, signals, etc, etc someone put inside and outside box, they don't care about it.

For previously experiences, this is why I take pics of all the process from start to finish (I also took video of all process too, but it's so heavy to send it by mail, also too many problems with time upload of it), pics of the item, accesories, box, shipping box, to avoid troubles and have evidences of the condition of the good as I had it.

I think would be more easy to FEDEX explain in the same bill or letter why they are charging some fees, and also offer all the support to their clients to avoid confusions and/or misunderstandings.

As I said to the buyer, I'm so sorry for all the inconveniences caused.

Regards

[HawaiianRain]

If you are shipping a package outside of the US and it's not by USPS, UPS and Fedex will sometimes go through third parties to get your package delivered. This is where some of the fees also come from. Also, it is against the rules/law to under value a package just so you can get lower fees. You are importing goods from the usa. It is also not his responsibility to pay any of your customs fees. Those are to be covered by they buyer.

[Ringlets]

Thank you for responding here Mitchell_Mugno
What everyone says is true - while it is really disappointing to have to pay extra fees  (as well as for customs to ruin your pony parcel), it is not the sellers fault in this case. Buyers are responsible for paying customs fees, and its much too risky for a seller to way undervalue a valuable pony to try and avoid them. Us European pony peeps have to pay really high fees , and it sucks, but unfortunately its unavoidable. 
Thats something to keep in mind for future when buying valuable ponies from countries outside of europe. The situation with Venezuelan ponies being damaged in customs is hit and miss. Some people have had their pony parcels very damaged, some just get checked and are fine (my own Venezuelan pony arrived completely fine, but friends have had problems) . Its a risk you take becasue it depends on who checks them in customs.

[Buffy]

that sounds like a customs charge.  When you import something worth over a certain value the government wants you to pay.
I'm sorry to hear you've had so much trouble.

I think this is the exact reason for the extra costs. Sorry you have to pay so much..! I had to pay this amount of money for this exact reason one time, though i had to pay to my postman right at the door. I wouldn't even get the box if i didn't pay. How did that go in your situation, did you get the box and a bill afterwards? We are in the same country, so that's why i'm interested if they work in different ways or something with the custom fees etc.

I have had this a few years ago. When I get a pony with dhl from outside Germany, the custom office send me a letter, telling me they have a package for me, which I have to pick up in Düsseldorf at custom office. I have to pay there to get my package(or I can send them an email with all information about the sale and have to pay to my post man, when he brings the package) .
A few years ago I have bought a lot of G3 from a girl in USA and they were shipped here in germany with gls, the postman gave them to me and a few days later I got a bill from gls, where I have to make a money transaction to pay for custom fees.
So perhaps you and Skelletonimp got them from different post companies with different rules about paying for custom fees?!

@ Skelletonimp: I'm sorry to hear that you are unhappy with the whole situation, but your seller isn't responsible for any fees you have to pay... I know custom fees sucks...

[hokuspokus]

that sounds like a customs charge.  When you import something worth over a certain value the government wants you to pay.
I'm sorry to hear you've had so much trouble.

I think this is the exact reason for the extra costs. Sorry you have to pay so much..! I had to pay this amount of money for this exact reason one time, though i had to pay to my postman right at the door. I wouldn't even get the box if i didn't pay. How did that go in your situation, did you get the box and a bill afterwards? We are in the same country, so that's why i'm interested if they work in different ways or something with the custom fees etc.

I have had this a few years ago. When I get a pony with dhl from outside Germany, the custom office send me a letter, telling me they have a package for me, which I have to pick up in Düsseldorf at custom office. I have to pay there to get my package(or I can send them an email with all information about the sale and have to pay to my post man, when he brings the package) .
A few years ago I have bought a lot of G3 from a girl in USA and they were shipped here in germany with gls, the postman gave them to me and a few days later I got a bill from gls, where I have to make a money transaction to pay for custom fees.
So perhaps you and Skelletonimp got them from different post companies with different rules about paying for custom fees?!

Ah, that might indeed be an explanation

I get 90% of my packages from PostNL and they ask the money at the door. DHL can work a bit differently indeed