German Shipping Question? (More MOC drama)

[silverdawn]

I just got this email for a German buyer

Hello,

so you didn`t put an invoice in front of the package, I had to pay 23,- EUR extra for custom service...

I'm thoroughly confused by this: all my shipping labels are printed directly from eBay, and all international labels have an itemized customs declaration form.  I checked with eBay and they've told me I did everything I was supposed to and I'm not responsible for import fees.  I remember this item in particular as eBay printed off two full page shipping forms and I barely had room to get them all on the package.  This package was also sent insured... could that be an issue?  Hoping someone here can help!

Thanks!
Melissa

[Rhubarbpie]

Its likely the buyer had to pay a customs fee. This does occasionally happen and its something a buyer should expect when buying from overseas.  If your package had been shipped without a customs invoice, it would never had left the country since it would have been seized.

Also just to add, if the buyer leaves any negative feedback because they have had to pay customs fee's, it should be reported to ebay and they will likely remove it.

[silverdawn]

Yah, that's what I politely suggested to them.  I'm originally from Canada myself and paid customs fees all the time on packages over a certain dollar amount, and this package was PRICEY.  (and insured)  I contacted eBay right away, and they told me if he/she negs me, they'll remove it.  Whew.  I was just worried Germany had some "special" form they required that I was unaware of.  But you make a good point: without the form, they have no way of knowing if there's a freakin bomb in the thing... although I suppose they xray all the stuff, but still.  Thanks for the support

Silverdawn

[Rhubarbpie]

That's OK, there are some countries which can be tricky to ship to, Italy is the main one which springs to mind.  Your local post office or ebay customer service will be able to help you if you are shipping to a country you are uncertain of 

[silverdawn]

I've heard nothing but horror stories about Italy, what happens over there?  Just a bad PO system in general?  I've been warned to always ship insured going there...
Silverdawn

[goddessofpeep]

From what I've heard, there are two main problems with shipping to Italy.

First, the postal system is a total mess.  Some of it's just bad policy/system/etc, and some of it's bad people working there.  I have heard theft is a big problem there.

The second thing is that a whole host of weird things are illegal to send there.  I believe that it's only legal to send wooden toys, not plastic or metal.  Also, I think there are a lot of laws on the books to prevent bootleg items from coming into the country.  Since customs agents obviously can't tell what's real and what's not, they just flag anything that might be bootlegged.  This means that customs is a HUGE problem to get through.  If you don't label your package *just* right, there's a good chance it'll be flagged.  "My Little Pony" will get taken by customs as a possible bootleg item since it's a licensed brand and can actually be bootlegged(if it doesn't get flagged for being a toy), and "plastic toy horse" could get nabbed for being an illegal type of toy to send.

Check out the list of restrictions for Italy:
http://pe.usps.com/text/Imm/il_008.htm

Some of it makes sense, but a lot of it just boggles the mind(No typewriter ribbons?  No non-wooden toys? No playing cards?)

Just an interesting list of some of the prohibited items from around the world:
http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa112300a.htm

[silverdawn]

Well that's good to know on the Italy front!  So technically, it IS illegal for me to ship My Little Ponies there under their own laws.  Yikies!

Silverdawn

[Wardah]

Well that's good to know on the Italy front!  So technically, it IS illegal for me to ship My Little Ponies there under their own laws.  Yikies!

Silverdawn

If My Little Ponies can't be mailed to Italy then how do they get to the stores there? Because I know they sell them in the stores there?

[goddessofpeep]

There's a difference between mailing something to someone and a store importing something from another country.  They have a whole bunch of different laws for that, and I'm assuming the toy manufacturers know them and abide by them.  Major manufacturers and distributors can make things "legal".  Over here it's not uncommon to find items from other countries with extra labels stuck on to them.  Most often it's on food items.  You'll find a label that has all the nutritional and allergy information for the product in the same format as you find on local goods.  Without that label the product is illegal to sell, but with that extra label it's 100% legal.  I've gotten G2s and G3s from other countries that had extra labels stuck to them with extra safety information, or the product's information/warnings in other languages.  I'm assuming the same goes for toys in Italy.  They need to be made to conform to the local regulations, and an individual in another country can't do that.

[flying_narwhal]

The buyer may be talking about an actual purchase invoice, like the kind you can print from paypal or ebay that looks like a packing slip, rather than just the customs forms. I've shipped internationally before and I've noticed that some countries require this. On Germany's page for mailing conditions on USPS it states: "An invoice, in duplicate, is required for all commercial shipments regardless of value and for all personal shipments valued at $300 or more. The invoices must be either affixed to the outside of the parcel or enclosed in PS Form 2976-E with the customs declaration." (you can see the page here: http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/fh_011.htm)

Regardless, it is not your responsibility as a seller to cover any duties or customs fees tacked on. I don't know the value of the package, but I do know some countries will tack on high customs fees and buyers should be aware of that before buying. Like others have said, if there is a negative comment relating to this you can get it removed by eBay.

[Ringlets]

I think the same thing as the others mentioned - your buyer got hit with a customs tax that they weren't aware they would be getting. It varies  from country to country and the amount the item starts getting taxed from depends on if its marked as a gift or ,merch or whatever. Your buyer may have been complaining that they got taxed as it was not perhaps marked as a gift to avoid the tax. Either way, it is not your responsibility if a  buyer ends up having to pay custom taxes, and you can have neg feedback removed if its left due to this 

[CupidStrikes]

It sounds to me like they are saying they have been overcharged for import fees because of the missing invoice. Perhaps email them and ask to clarify (is it possible they were fined for the missing invoice? It wouldn't shock me for customs to be finicky about that)? Did you use the same shipping and insurance method stated on the auction page? (I ask because the shipping method greatly affects the amount of import fees you pay here due to a courier service handling express packages. It may be similar there, too).

[silverdawn]

It sounds to me like they are saying they have been overcharged for import fees because of the missing invoice. Perhaps email them and ask to clarify (is it possible they were fined for the missing invoice? It wouldn't shock me for customs to be finicky about that)? Did you use the same shipping and insurance method stated on the auction page? (I ask because the shipping method greatly affects the amount of import fees you pay here due to a courier service handling express packages. It may be similar there, too).

Yep, I shipped priority mail insured as was listed in the auction shipping details, and then printed directly from the eBay website.  It was even stated in my auction description the package would be mailed with insurance because it was a MOC item (and all the horror stories I've heard had me gun shy) Like I mentioned, there were two full pages printed and I barely had room to attach them to the package.  I'm assuming one of those sheets was the invoice?  I can't go back far enough in my ebay shipping labels to see though as the labels have now expired.  I just remember deciding that if eBay printed it, I was attaching it to that package! I did find out that Germany charges customs on any package valued over $150, and that package met the criteria... I'm guessing that's what it was.   In any case, I can always print out a separate invoice and attach it from now on, just to be sure.  Just hope my packages are big enough for all the paperwork!

Silverdawn

[ponylady]

I think another problem maybe that you attached all of the copies directly to your package. They should have been put in a plastic envelope that is provided by USPS.  Regardless of value or contents, every Priority Mail International package must bear a completed PS Form 2976-A Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note that is inserted into the Plastic Envelope, PS Form 2976-E.

[silverdawn]

Thanks for the info pony lady and everyone else. I'm headed down to the PO to get some of these plastic sheets!