Sending to US. What to write on Customs Form ???

dblue75

I sold an iphone 4 on Ebay for over 1K. Payment cleared through paypal(originally meant to be bank transfer or c/c ....buyers wish)

Anyway item ok to send...done all paypal checks etc.....and am now arranging parcel to go by DHL International fully insured and track n trace with signature at other end.

But what do i write on customs declaration form ??? Do I put it as a gift ? If so ...does this prevent the buyer from having to pay cutoms duty etc....also asks if item under or over $270.

Do i tell a fib and say under...OR just tell the truth......never sent to the USA before and needa bit of guidance guys.

Thanks :T

lightisfading

Well if you value it as < $270 and it gets lost you won't get your 1k money back - so not much point in the insurance.

Mostly, lying on customs forms is a really stupid idea if you're a seller. They should have accounted for the taxes anyway and they've cost you a fair bit paying by paypal I'll bet!! (not that I would send 1K to ANYONE by bank transfer.. were you really expecting them to??!)

dblue75

Their paypal had been restricted due to large sums of money into and out their account. So paypal were reviewing to make sure everything above board. It happened with me in the past, so I suspected it would be ok.

The buyer was so desperate to get their item offered bank transfer or C/C but I was wary of it and posted a thread on here to that regard.

Any fast forward a day....paypal dispute resolved...everything ok to post....got courier,tracking etc sorted.

And you are right..no point lieing on customs form.SO i'll list it exactly as it asks over $270....and if US customs want to charge the buyer to receive it then so be it.

Pembroke

If you lie on the form and send it as a gift and it's found out then the goods are subject to forfeiture and neither you or your customer will have the phone and you will have to pay him back.

If I were you I'd send your buyer an email asap and tell him that he will have to pay import duty and tax on the phone, you may wish to offer to help him out with these costs.

The £270 limit according to the royal mail website determines what type of customs form you need to fill in. Suggest you contact DHL as to how they want the documentation presented. The RM website says one doc stuck to the package and the other in a transparent pocket.The forms are called CN22 & CN23.

dblue75

I've already told the buyer they may well be subject to import duty and will have to pay it.
I will fill out the relevant forms in the morning and contact DHL for what they exactly want from me. Thanks

tryingtogetsolvent

Apple sell the iphone 4 for $199 (£130) in the States, why buy one on Ebay UK for £1k and then have to pay shipping and customs duty on it? Doesn't make sense to me.

dblue75

Show me where you can get a iphone 4 32GB factory unlocked for $199 !!!

AND.....in stock !!!!

I will buy a wad and flog em along with everyone else.

* The iphone 4 32GB @ Apple US is $299, NOT Sim free, Locked to AT&T with a 2 year contract..paying either $40, $60 or $70 per month for calls, a further $15 $25 or $45 for internet usage and $5, $15 or $20 for a messaging package.......... AND not in stock at present with at LEAST 3 week waiting list.

1 package i checked adds up to $2939 inc $299 for phone over 2 yrs.

Add all that up and price it now over 2yrs and tied to a certain provider.

Was that what you were talking about ?

tryingtogetsolvent

I was quoting the 16GB price on the Apple site $199 but even on a two year contract at $40 per month its still less that the "over £1K" plus massive customs charges they are going to have to pay.
I guess some folks have "must have it now" fever for new gadgets, that's why it doesn't make sense to me ( oh by the way I don't even own a mobile phone I've no need for one so the iphone isn't even on my wants list)
Good luck to you with the transaction anyway , hope it all goes through smoothly .

cyberbob

There's people out there with way more money than sense

http://completed.shop.ebay.co.uk/Mobile-Home-Phones-/14675/i.html?LH_Complete=1&_nkw=i+phone+4&_catref=1&_dmd=1&_dmpt=UK_MobilePhones_MobilePhonesCasesPouches&_fln=1&_sop=16&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

soolin

Firstly it is always up to the buyer to pay all duty and import charges. It even says that in the ebay help pages, however the issue is of course that if buyer refuses the seller gets their item back and has to refund.

Secondly, are you 100% sure this is all legit? This all feels very odd to me, is paypal all 'OK to send' and you are definitely sending to the paypal address etc.

The buyer was so desperate to get their item offered bank transfer or C/C but I was wary of it and posted a thread on here to that regard.

From your point of view it is a shame that you didn't get the bank transfer but then it was probably a bit too good to be true .

theonlywayisup

dblue75 wrote: »

The buyer was so desperate to get their item offered bank transfer or C/C but I was wary of it and posted a thread on here to that regard.

.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2609479=

I have re read that thread and don't understand why you opted for Paypal. You really are leaving yourself open to problems re the import duties in the US, particularly if the buyer doesn't pay them, to chargebacks up to 180 days from date of purchase and from problems if the item doesn't track (for whatever reason).