Items held up in overseas customs due to fees. eBay issue!

[michelle53]

Hi everyone!

As some of you might know, I've been trying to sell off some stuff to raise money for our trip to Disney World with my daughters dance school in the fall.  I'm not a huge seller on eBay, so for a few of my transactions, eBay is holding my funds until the package shows as delivered.

Well, the package is going overseas and because is printed a shipping label from eBay, it listed the amount of the sale.  The package is held up because of custom fees and the buyer has not claimed it yet. 

Am I responsible for paying the custom fees??  How and when can I get my funds available if the buyer doesn't pay the fees?  Will the package be returned to me if they don't end up paying?  I haven't encountered this before ever, so I'm at a loss.  Please help me!!

[ClosetAvalanche]

The buyer is responcible for customs fees. I would send the buyer an email letting them know their item is waiting to be picked up. If they dont pick it up, it will be returned to you.

[CupidStrikes]

Could be because the buyer isn't aware yet or hasn't had the charge card through. I know in the UK it can take a minimum of a week between the item arriving at customs and the postcard telling you you can pay for it arriving. It often takes longer, especially if it's EMS/Priority and there is little you can do until that card arrives, even if the tracking says they've worked out the import fees.

[hathorcat]

Yup - I ll agree with CupidStrikes, depending on how things are shipped sometimes it can take a while for you to get notification. If a parcel is picked up by Parcelforce [UKs courier service] they actually send you out a letter through the post to let you know the parcel is waiting for you. You then have 28 normally days to go online and pay your customs charge; at which point Parcelforce will then make the delivery. If you have shipping to the UK, its possible that the parcel is caught up in this period at the moment.

If your buyer does not pay their fees, Royal Mail will simply send the parcel back to you as unable to import due to custom fees unpaid.

Every country is a little different though so its going to depend which country you shipped it to.

[ponylady]

Thanks girls for your help 

I am in agreement with all that has been said. Also just in case, this is also from eBays FAQ page concerning items not being claimed.

What if the item is stuck in customs because the buyer won't pay the import fees?
Cross-border trade disputes will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis using all available transaction information. We will not accept cases filed by international buyers where the sole complaint is high customs duties. Sellers who sell internationally can also facilitate reviews of their cases they receive by specifying in their item description that international buyers are responsible for any customs, duties, etc. imposed by the buyer's home country.