How much you have been forced to pay?
157.67 (USD).
@ Others,
I wasn't upset with seller. Only Customs. I've sent and received from Poland and Finland before and never got hit with any kind of Import fees. But my experiences are also very small.
I will admit some surprise to the amount of attention to the reply. I don't wish to bloat this thread any further but I will add that it was in Customs for several days, and no one got in contact with me until after those days. My "Homework" has been my previous experiences. I've learned a lot from this exchange. Again, NOTHING against the seller...from me. Hardware is also functioning well.
That you haven't gotten hit by customs taxes before is just down to luck.
In what way does luck exist? 45+ years of examining that superstition I have found absolutely zero evidence of luck in anything, in any moment. It's an arbitrary statement just as, "Let's meet for coffee." is, because I don't drink coffee and the other person doesn't have to either...you may still meet and drink something else. If you can show me where "luck" is actually happening then I'll agree.
Many times things do go through without taxes but the expectation should always be that you will have to pay customs. Be pleasantly surprised when you don't but it is an expected cost for us to get things from Europe.
Why Should that be the expectation? What you don't know is that the Seller and I agreed on a solution. I highly appreciate older business practices. We discussed the details and came to a solution that the seller was also considering. I would have done the same. I'm not surprised about a whole lot, but that don't meant I have a ho-hum attitude either. I understand your thoughts, and I have been pleasantly surprised many, many times in the past and within this year.
Sometimes the carrier makes a difference. FedEx seems to ALWAYS collect customs. DHL often does. Regular postal service is hit and miss. The declared value and the insured value are what determines the amount amount of the tax - unless Customs decides for some reason that it is worth more. The description seems to have some effect on whether Customs charges or not. You can take the risk of damage or loss in shipping with a lower declared / insured value. You can try something other than a description of "retro" which screams valuable to them. You just have to be careful that these strategies don't backfire. If Customs decides that you are lying to avoid taxes it won't end well.
Yup...retro is not a good idea. Retro means pricey and not only because of Customs. I don't agree with that Business model but a lot of people sell and buy that way. Many years ago it wasn't that way. I agree, I stay AWAY from UPS, FedEx, and DHL as often as possible. I like the drivers, they're human and communicate (hehe), but the business model in many ways blows, in part in how you outlined. I much prefer USPS...and I know people at my Local Post Office.
Asking a seller for a refund for all or part of the import taxes isn't fair to them. Your "homework" was unfortunately based on past experience that does not reflect what should happen 100% of the time. That it hasn't so far for you really and truly is just down to your good luck and nothing else.
Again, show me where "luck" actually exists anywhere and I'll concur. Anyway, I didn't ask for a refund. That would have been cold...and not a good way to finish the business. I'm not going to go into the details. Unless it's actually required, as in a sale really went awry. It didn't.
As several of us have said, you should always expect, and be prepared to pay, Customs to levie an import tax. There's really nothing any of us can do to change that fact. One way or another the government will always get their cut. It's the old argument of "trying to fight City Hall" - there's no way to win that fight.
A lot of the "old people" and "old ways" are coming to an end. I've very aware of the politics...and I'm aware of the coming wave of changes. You and some others are really misunderstanding something. I do not have any challenges with Customs collecting money. Very high sums are the challenge. 157.xx is bloody high! Several people at UPS said the same exact thing. 1/2 of that more understandable...and I would have had much less of a reaction to. You don't have to "fight City Hall"...you have to get the people out that are lining their pockets and don't give a hoot about
anyone else.
I'm sorry that it was such a surprise for you. I'm sure you didn't expect this type of reaction from us either. It's just that we've all been through the same "learning experience" :smile:
You wouldn't be able to communicate about it unless you had - or you're really good at inferring.
I very much understand. It was indeed a pricey lesson, haha, haha. Without any luck being involved. Smiling. I appreciate your reply...as well, of course, the others. When I first posted I wasn't going to use the word "fair"...but I wasn't thinking of any other that applied at the time. It's a flabby word, like luck. It implies, as luck does, how things happen without any awareness of how we all interact with each other and mindsets. I could go much deeper but not here. This is for selling and buying, not philosophy. Wink.