Customs charge for ebay item

GemBlueTopaz1984

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the right place for this query but it's to do with ebay so hopefully someone will know the right answer. Last month I ordered an item from a chinese business seller on ebay, it was an auction that I won at 6p with £3.15 delivery. The item arrived a week or so later no problem and I left positive feedback. Today I received an invoice from TNT for £23.98 for customs charges, can they do this? This seems ridiculous considering the cost of the item which wasn't valuable (a little basket for a flowergirl). I never agreed to this charge and wouldn't have ordered the item had I known. Is there anything it can do about this.

Thanks
Gemma

POPPYOSCAR

I thought custom charges were based on the value of the item?

That sounds wrong to me.


My daughter ordered something from ebay that came from Hong kong and it cost £3 she did not pay any customs charges.

Ms_Chocaholic

I've got no experience of this but this may help

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/customs/post/internet.htm

sequence

You only pay import vat if the total value (Including shipping) is > £15. If the total value is £3.15 as you say, there is nothing to pay. It sounds like TNT are just chancing it.

POPPYOSCAR

I just read that and it would appear that no customs are due.

I have read about TNT and the handling charge they make. I do not know how true it is but I have read that if you do not pay it there is nothing they can do to enforce it as they have no contract with you. Their contract is with the seller.

George_Michael

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

I just read that and it would appear that no customs are due.

This is true providing that the sender wrote the correct value on the customs declaration.
If for some reason they over valued the shipment then TNT and HMCE can only work with the information supplied to them.

System

The problem is that if HMCE decide to check a package, then they will apply the import and VAT charges for what they consider the correct price is and not what is declared

Mandy44

You need to read the TNT invoice and see what the breakdown is for. Most couriers charge exorbitant handling charges but only when customs is payable as they pay on your behalf.

There should have been a customs declaration also on the packaging of your item detailing the declared value etc.

GemBlueTopaz1984

Hi all,

Thanks for all the replies, so should I just ignore it then, what happens if the seller did put wrong information on the paperwork and inflated the value would that make me liable for the customs or is it the sellers mistake so their responsibility?

Thanks

GemBlueTopaz1984

On the paperwork there is some handwritten details where it seems to say 1 @ $10 then on the total it says $50 this looks like it has been miss written then what should I do I really don't want to pay this amount of money I'd be better off giving them the item. I just don't understand how they can send me an invoice for something I never agreed to.

Thanks

Mandy44

Read the documentation you received on the package and that letter. If the seller overdeclared its up to you to sort out as TNT will chase you if they,ve paid hmrc on your behalf. If its some spurious TNT handling charge only you can ignore it as they won't chase it.