Shipping Internationally? Customs?

[#1]

Hi!

I don't have a ton of sales but of the ones I have had, a number of them have been international. The last order I shipped the poor gal in the UK had to pay $20 customs/duty on a $12 item. I ended up refunding her the purchase price because I felt so bad.

Has anyone else had trouble? Do international buyers just know that they will get stuck with this? Do they always get levied a fee?

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Julie

[Spellbinderie]

Lynda, different countries have thresholds for charging customs for imports. In the US, your threshold is pretty high.... $200 before you are charged customs fees. The UK has a very low threshold so they really get hit. In France, customs in charged for items valued over 150 euros but we pay 19.5% VAT (value added tax) on items over 22 euros. But I rarely have paid it for anything sent regular mail. I order from Etsy and all items have shipped as commercial goods via USPS and I have yet to be asked to pay VAT. Only when items come from a private carrier. No idea why but that's been my experience.

[Spellbinderie]

site that gives info for customs & VAT for lots of countries
http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-duty-and-tax-calculation/

[MellowMoonSupply]

Thanks that was an interesting site.

[GoTo]

"Also, if you mark it as 'gift' the recipient is unlikely to get charged as well - but this is a at your discretion."


~~~Marking gift when it's not an item you are sending as a gift to someone you personally know is considered falsifying federal import/export documents and can result in fines & jail time. It's essentially aiming for tax evasion...

Plus, marking it gift doesn't make it exempt--there's still tax due on gifts in many countries. Some countries have a higher threshold for gifts than for other packages, but some countires, like the US, drop the $200 duty free amount down to $100 when a package is marked gift.

The UK in particular seems to have gotten more strict about applying taxes to incoming packages since the Olympics.


I think it's the handling fee and taxes as Pininkie described on page 1. For private couriers.--examples of brokerage fees:

http://www.fedex.com/ca_english/international/customsservices/index.html
http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/shipping/cost/zones/customs_clearance.html

[TerraRhapsody]

I made two orders from the US this year that had a £13 charge ($21USD approx) slapped on top of each. It's because of the cost of the items being over the customs pricing threshold. I swear that threshold is going down!
It's only because VAT is added on the way into the country that you have to pay the change, but I think it's unreasonable that the post office slaps on an £8 'handling fee' charge when the VAT charge is only £5. I have no problem paying VAT, but there is no way to pay the VAT before it comes into the country over the internet or anything, so we have no choice but to pay the extortionate 'handling fee'. The handling fee can go up depending on the carrier as well. I've had handling fees of £15 before from fedex for a low value item.
It's annoying, I have to say, as it means I can't spend more on people because the rest of the gift budget is spent on charges :-/
But yes- add it into your policies that this can happen- perhaps add a link to the legislation or information websites if you can.

[UrbanJule]

I have in my policies that I am always honest on customs forms (will not say it's a gift when it's been purchased) and that all customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer. I have shipped several items to the UK and never had a complaint from the buyer although I don't know if they had to pay fees or not. Both items were under $100 US.

However, yesterday I had to send something to Russia and I wanted to send it First Class insured because Priority Mail was so cost prohibitive. What scares me is that when I took it to our post office, they said that first class mail to Russia could not be insured. There was no provision in the postal computer program for inputting insurance. I filled out the appropriate customs form and in the space for listing the item enclosed I put "womens accessory" because I had read somewhere in another thread that it was better to put a generic, but true, description like that. The postal worker made me revise it to be very specific (ring) so I don't know how that's going to affect the recipient.

I just hope it gets to her as it was a New Year's present from someone here in the states.

Anyone have any experience with Russia?

[Former_Member]

I've never actually sold to Russia but I just order from a shop located there. It took about 2 weeks for me to get my order. I received it from the usps and there was no way for me or her to track it while it was in transite. But it arrived safe and sound. Hope that helps a little

[Former_Member]

If you want to track your parcels in Russia go to:
http://www.russianpost.ru/rp/servise/en/home/postuslug/trackingpo

[UrbanJule]

Maja, I love your shop. So cute!

[SageNThymeDesigns]

When you print an international shipping label through Etsy the form is automatically checked as "other". I've never been given the option to choose if it's a gift, merchandise, etc. The price is also already checked- they just insert the info directly from your listing title, etc. All you do is print, sign, date and send.

I think it's a good thing to include a blurb about taxes/duties and insurance in your Policies section. I'm not sure how much it matters if people read your Policies before purchasing. It's there regardless of when they read the policies and then you have yourself covered should a situation arise.

[Former_Member]

Put the international disclaimer in your policies AND the Message to Buyers. That gives them enough time to cancel the sale before it ships.

I've worriedly shipped twice to Russia, but both packages arrived safely to very gracious recipients. When you type in your item description, however, be vague. I describe jewelry as "fashion accessory" and beads as "craft supplies". So far, so good. U-PIC insurance will not cover a shipment if it is described as "jewelry".

If Etsy sells insurance for the destination and I'm not comfortable taking the loss, I buy the insurance.

[TheAlteredDiaries]

I'm in Canada. I send and recieve all over the world. Most customers will know about their shipping rates and how long it takes to ship through their system. I mention in my policies that customs fees are the responsibility of the buyer. So far, I personally have not had to pay duty.

I've heard that some countries in South America have such huge fees that some people just refuse pick up rather than to pay. Has anyone else heard that?

If I did get a parcel shipped USPS who would I pay the customs fee to? Would it be the carrier?

[Former_Member]

Thank you Martha!

I live in Croatia, Europe and I know that all Europeans who like to shop at amazon or e-bay are already used to paying customs fees from time to time. It is usually more than the cost of product.

[GoTo]

UrbanJule--USPS doesn't insure First Class International at all--it's not just to Russia.

Fashion accessory is usually fine for costume jewelry. You can avoid the hassle of dealing with the postal worker by printing the First Class International label on Etsy. When the customs form page comes up, you can edit the description and then it will just be printed on the combination label/customs form.

Then you just sign it and can drop your international package in the mail box or take it in just to be scanned as accepted by the PO--the clerk won't need to ask you any questions.

You can also print the label with customs form using a program from USPS and use stamps to cover the postage:

We use a free USPS program called "Click-N-Ship for Business" (formerly the USPS Shipping Assistant) to print our First Class International labels, and it prints the customs form right on the label. The program also submits the customs form online for you.

International First-Class Mail: Print Labels From Your Computer
www.gotogreatpanes.com/blog/2008/02/20/international-first-class-ma...

Because you use stamps for the postage, if the package is over 13 oz you must hand it off to a postal worker (that's the case for domestic & international packages that are over 13 oz with only stamps for postage).

If it's under 13 oz, we leave it out in our mail box and the mail carrier just picks up the package when they drop off the daily mail.



For insuring International First Class you can use third-party insurers or self-insure:


Shipping Insurance
www.gotogreatpanes.com/blog/2009/11/13/shipping-insurance

What is Self-Insurance?
www.gotogreatpanes.com/blog/2012/10/17/what-is-self-insurance

[UrbanJule]

Go To, great information, thanks. Going to open a business account with U.S. Post Office and check out Etsy's mailing label feature. Do you pay more if you print the label through Etsy than through the post office?

[Former_Member]

For people who are both sending and receiving international packages, are you marking it as gift, or was your package marked as gift, when you sent/received it? That could be what's making the difference, as well as the value of what you are sending. I know that I recently went to send something through FedEx and since it was a gift I marked it as such. The person at the counter said that if it wasn't a gift, the recipient would be paying a fee for it. He also said that there may be a fee depending on the value of what I sent. (What I sent wasn't Etsy related, just something sent to a friend). When sending internationally to family members I always marked gift, so they don't have to pay customs on their gifts, but I wonder if that also explains why those packages sometimes take longer to get there.

I'm going to have to make a note in my store about not being responsible for any customs fees. I forgot that they can charge the recipient if the value is high enough until I saw this thread!

[swoonfibers]

Goto,
I have had a problem with a buyer who opened a dispute 6 weeks after i shipped USPS first class to her. USPS can take more than 8 weeks, so I am basically screwed.She did not read my policies, which clearly outline the timing for first class as opposed to priority mail.
So here's a question: Regarding insurance(i use stamps.com)Since its impossible to track, how would i prove that it is lost?
Thanks :)
"For insuring International First Class you can use third-party insurers or self-insure:"

[GoTo]

You're welcome UrbanJule. Just to be clear, for First Class International labels that you use with postage stamps, it's a free downloadable program, not their online label service not an online account (though I do have an online account I use for Express Mail packages).


swoonfibers--when I inquired with the third-party insurers about shipping First Class & no tracking, proof of shipment was all that was required and then the follow up paperwork if the buyer said they never got it. You can get the packages scanned when you drop them off, or hope for it to be scanned when you drop it in the mail box.

Since a buyer has to start a PP claim within 45 days--about 6 weeks--or they lose the opportunity to get their money back, they have to at least start a claim at that point. Hopefully they choose not to escalate it to a dispute for another week or so, but a they need that foot in the door not to lose out.

[swoonfibers]

Thanks go to.
I am considering offering only international priority, because even though it's more pricey, the packages ship so much faster that it may be worth having less hassle. One more question, what is the customs number? Someone in this thread mentioned that the customs number could be used for tracking?

[GoTo]

You're welcome. For the most part, when packages move slow it's because of customs, and customs doesn't handle Priority packages any faster than First Class.

Sometimes a package can be tracked using the customs form number--each customs form gets its own individual number that you can see on the form, online paperwork if you bought it through Etsy or in whichever other program you printed it through:

First Class International, the small flat rate Priority box & envelope all use the short customs form--the label with customs form prints on one half sheet of paper.

All other International Priority (& other package services) use the long form that prints on 3 pages.

That short customs form generally tracks within the US and is rarely scanned once the package leaves the US. The three-page customs form is occasionally scanned outside the US, but only if you're lucky. Only Express or better services will show real tracking internationally.

[swoonfibers]

Thanks , your blog is also packed with helpful information.i am rethinking my shipping now, and with shipping insurance I think I could stay with USPS 1st class, and also sleep well at night!
Many thanks again and enjoy your holidays.

[GoTo]

Glad to help--happy holidays to you!

[Former_Member]

I sold an item to a lady in south Africa and have a tracking number. The customer never received her package even though it clearly stated in the tracking number the package is in a post office close to where she live. It has being few month now and she told me it is very "normal" for a package to get "lost" I feel bad for her and I wish I knew before I would advise her not to purchase the item.

[GoTo]

PachamamaLove--well it is unfortunate, but clearly she knew it was a risk when she ordered. :(

There's no way for her to contact her local postal service about the package?