etsy 5 stars

theoretica

samehat wrote: »

I take her point that I should have read the conditions but I also feel that she should have more contact with international customers as she is aware they are likely to be hit with additional charges.

I have only bought a few things from Etsy, but don't you just hit the buy button and pay? I can't think of a sensible time for the seller to ask 'are you sure about this?'

Small sellers really have two options - either refuse to sell abroad or leave it to the buyer to know the rules for the country they live in. As mentioned trying to know the tax situation for every country is just too complicated, and a note that charges may apply is all I would expect. Personally, I prefer sellers to let me make up my own mind if I want to buy from them. It is really frustrating when the person with the exact item I want won't send it to the UK.

adonis

I am looking to buy something for the Mrs off Etsy USA , it says postage £6.00 it doesn't say anything about customs, so it can be a trap for the unwary.

alykatz

adonis wrote: »

I am looking to buy something for the Mrs off Etsy USA , it says postage £6.00 it doesn't say anything about customs, so it can be a trap for the unwary.

Tbf, any customs duties are wholly the responsibility of the buyer and have nothing whatsoever to do with the seller.

justjohn

adonis wrote: »

I am looking to buy something for the Mrs off Etsy USA , it says postage £6.00 it doesn't say anything about customs, so it can be a trap for the unwary.

its import duty imposed by the uk government. it would be more apt if you wrote to your local MP.


if buying from outside uk people should be aware of the charges the uk government impose. A seller cannot be held responsible for this. it is different dependant on the country it is dispatched from and the destination country.


Best bet buy from uk.

mrcol1000

I do have some sympathy for the OP but there does seem to be a few posters on this forum and probably others who rush into something without first checking everything out.

The seller has put this in the listing, whether it is fair or not is another argument completely.

Some items you by from USA on Ebay will charge you the customs charge and show this as part of the delivery cost. Amazon also do the same but will refund you the difference afterwards if the charge was less.

If people stopped and thought about things and checked things out before they rushed in then they would find life a lot easier. There is no crime in making a mistake but demanding compensation from a seller in USA for a customs charge in the UK because you were not aware of it seems a bit naive.

adonis

justjohn wrote: »

its import duty imposed by the uk government. it would be more apt if you wrote to your local MP.


if buying from outside uk people should be aware of the charges the uk government impose. A seller cannot be held responsible for this. it is different dependant on the country it is dispatched from and the destination country.


Best bet buy from uk.

My MP probably wouldn't give a monkey's, I think a lot of people would not be aware that they would have charges levied on them for a not very expensive item, especially if they have been to the states and know you can return with a suitcase full of hundreds of pounds worth of goods with no problems.

By the way the USA sellers I looked at didn't say anything about customs duties in their policies.

I am now ordering from a UK seller who ironically sources their products from the USA.

campdave

adonis wrote: »

I am looking to buy something for the Mrs off Etsy USA , it says postage £6.00 it doesn't say anything about customs, so it can be a trap for the unwary.

Your ignorance is your problem, the not the sellers.

adonis

campdave wrote: »

Your ignorance is your problem, the not the sellers.

Maybe, but an annoyed buyer can give low stars which can make it a sellers problem.

soolin

adonis wrote: »

Maybe, but an annoyed buyer can give low stars which can make it a sellers problem.

I cannot speak for Etsy, I don't even know if they have a star system, but leave poor stars for that on eBay they could be removed.

eBay has a strict policy about buyers taking responsibility for understanding the rules in their own country. I think it slightly naive to assume that every seller who sells worldwide should give an appropriate warning for every single nation that could conceivably purchase from them.

RFW

adonis wrote: »

My MP probably wouldn't give a monkey's, I think a lot of people would not be aware that they would have charges levied on them for a not very expensive item, especially if they have been to the states and know you can return with a suitcase full of hundreds of pounds worth of goods with no problems.

Just because you can do it doesn't necessarily mean it is within the law, there are guidelines for declaring goods, although most people are happy to get away with it.

adonis wrote: »

By the way the USA sellers I looked at didn't say anything about customs duties in their policies.

I am now ordering from a UK seller who ironically sources their products from the USA.

For the US sellers they are targetting the US market and add on world shipping for the odd extra sale, they don't need to add every detail for every country and doubt they care.

Hopefully your UK seller has imported the goods correctly and paid duty on them so everyone wins.

The biggest problem with importing is the mail/courier handling charge, if you're importing £10,000 worth of stock the handling charge is nothing, when the same charge is levied for £3 duty it becomes ridiculous.
It's certainly something that needs looking at.