Customer refusing to pay customs fees, demands refund

[Former_Member]

Hello all,
I have talked to many customers in the past about customs fees yet I am having a bit of trouble with one as she is demanding a refund as she does not want to pay customs fees and says that she had read her "rights purchasing online" and I have to give her a refund if she changes her mind for any reason at all.
I have already explained to her that my shop policies regarding this situation is very clear but she still refuses. I am not sure what to do. I always stay strong with my policies but I am not sure what to do now.

[KnitsByNat]

If she's really read her "rights purchasing online" then she should clearly know she's totally responsible for custom fees, not the seller.

[Former_Member]

if she's not willing to pay the customs fees then that definitely IS her right, but she doesn't get the merchandise until the fees are paid.

If she decides not to pay the fees, I would simply tell them that once the package arrives back to you that you will refund the full purchase price.

[Former_Member]

Thank you both for your replies. My items are hand made, made to order. I do not offer refunds for orders that are customized. Do I still have to give her a refund if she refuses to pay customs fees?
I have written in my shop policies that I do not accept refunds if a customer refuses to pay for customs fees. Am I obligated to refund the order, although it states clearly in my shop policies that I do not accept refunds?

[kidsstore]

Did the title and/or the description state that the order was a custom order? The way I understand it neither Etsy or PayPal will make a seller refund custom orders.

[Former_Member]

If your customer is I'm the uk or other EU country it's worth noting that we have very strict 'distance selling regulations' which allow a customer to cancel a purchase within 7 days and have a full refund without any reason other than they have changed their minds. However I have no idea if this applies to items bought outside the EU... Will have to go look it up! But, this might be 'the rights' your customer is referring to. ~Sophie

[Former_Member]

Almost all items in my shop are custom orders. Yhe order she had purchased was a personalized necklace I made just for her but not a specific custom order as everything is already customized. The order was purchased weeks ago and has already arrived to the UK until she got a mote from customs to pay a customs fee in order to receive the order.

[rusticcraftdesign]

She is responsible for paying her taxes, not you. She really has no choice, she pays her taxes that she incurred and receives her custom merchandise, or she refuses, it gets sent back to you....and you keep it until she wishes to pay return shipping and her taxes due....or she forfeits her order completely.

If her custom order can be resold---I might consider refunding the purchase price only---but if it is personalized and cannot be reasonably resold---well you should not have to eat that cost.

[Former_Member]

Sophie - In Norway it is actually 14 days.

[LeNidDeFleurs]

Do not refund her until you get back the item.

If you were to refund her, she could be cheeky and then pay the customs fees and get the item.

[spacefem]

yeah, this is one instance I have a low tolerance for, the customer is not always right!

if it's a custom item, no refunds. if it's something you could resell, refund after you get the order back. that's it though, she doesn't get to blame you for her country's custom fees.

[PaperWhispers]

Ashley,

1. The law that applies to your customer is US law

2. The law in UK where your customer is that personalised items are not refundable unless they are damaged. All online items can be returned for any reason but personalised items as well as other items e.g perishable food, underwear etc are NOT returnable nor refundable. She can refuse the item and it can be returned back to youBUT you still do NOT have to refund her - Here is the UK government website that clearly states this- https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds

3. The approach I would take is not to quote the law to her but instead to get your items back, which will happen if she does not pay the customs charge and you have your address on it. I would then inform her that you have received the items, they were not subject to refund but you would process a partial refund on it (e.g 50%) as a gesture of goodwill and to cover your costs. Of course if your costs are not covered, I would not refund. You can opt to refund and take it as a loss but it is not a good idea given the circumstances in my view.

[LittleAcornToronto]

1) She ordered a custom item
2) You don't offer refunds on custom items
3) Paying taxes/duties IS THE LAW and has nothing to do with you

I don't see what the problem is... when it comes to ordering items from another country, sometimes you win some, sometimes you lose some. I've received countless items without having to pay taxes/duties/fees, and every once in a while I'll get nailed with the fees. C'est la vie! What can you do.

Stick to your guns on this one.

"In life, only two things are certain: death and paying taxes" - Benjamin Franklin.

[Rhodopa]

Hi all, 

I have now a lot of similar case with purchases from Canada. Etsy does not require their phone number and I am shipping the order with DHL Express in this situation I only have the customer's email and DHL can not find them or they refuse to pay the customer taxes. I am not sure what I have to do in this case. Also the shipping price is included in the product price. I will appreciate any advices. Thank you!