asiamiles
Well-Known Member
I sent a jacket to someone in the US, and for some reason it got held up in US customs for 10 days or more. Well, they finally released it and now the buyer is being asked to pay duty on it, which is unusual for items being imported into the US. But rather than just pay, he sent me this message which has set off some alarm bells. Your thoughts?
"I went to the post office today (1/9/12) and they told me that the $40.17 "COD" amount (their term, not mine) consists of a duty fee of $34.82 + a Postal Fee of $5.35. The Post Office collects the fee on behalf of US Customs and will not release the package until the fee has been paid.
In my opinion, this situation is not your fault, my fault or ebay's fault. It's the fault of US Customs, who may have incorrectly assessed the duty fee. Regardless, it is probably very difficult and time consuming to have it reversed and not worth the trouble.
Therefore, hoping to find a way to complete the transaction in a manner that will be satisfactory to everyone, I contacted ebay customer service and asked for their advice.
After first speaking to a Customer Service Representative who was unsure how to resolve the problem, I was connected to a Supervisor. The Supervisor (Renz) understood the problem and proposed the following solution: Step 1.) Ebay will waive the $28.67 fee that they would normally charge you as the seller of this item. Step 2.) You will refund $28.67 to my PayPal account. Step 3.) I will pay the Post Office $40.17 to obtain the package. This solution will cost you nothing. It will cost me $11.50 more than the amount that I agreed to pay, but I can live with that.
If you want to proceed on this basis, please contact ebay Customer Service by phone or email and give them Service Request #1-2337341183. This number will allow the agent to pull up Renz's notes regarding this matter, which should include Renz's email address if you need to contact him directly.
You should be receiving a communication from ebay comfirming their intention to waive their fee so that this matter can be resolved at no additional cost to you.
If this satisfies you (and I don't know why it wouldn't) please proceed to credit my PayPal account in the amount of $28.67. After PayPal notifies me that my account has been credited, I'll pay the Post Office."
"I went to the post office today (1/9/12) and they told me that the $40.17 "COD" amount (their term, not mine) consists of a duty fee of $34.82 + a Postal Fee of $5.35. The Post Office collects the fee on behalf of US Customs and will not release the package until the fee has been paid.
In my opinion, this situation is not your fault, my fault or ebay's fault. It's the fault of US Customs, who may have incorrectly assessed the duty fee. Regardless, it is probably very difficult and time consuming to have it reversed and not worth the trouble.
Therefore, hoping to find a way to complete the transaction in a manner that will be satisfactory to everyone, I contacted ebay customer service and asked for their advice.
After first speaking to a Customer Service Representative who was unsure how to resolve the problem, I was connected to a Supervisor. The Supervisor (Renz) understood the problem and proposed the following solution: Step 1.) Ebay will waive the $28.67 fee that they would normally charge you as the seller of this item. Step 2.) You will refund $28.67 to my PayPal account. Step 3.) I will pay the Post Office $40.17 to obtain the package. This solution will cost you nothing. It will cost me $11.50 more than the amount that I agreed to pay, but I can live with that.
If you want to proceed on this basis, please contact ebay Customer Service by phone or email and give them Service Request #1-2337341183. This number will allow the agent to pull up Renz's notes regarding this matter, which should include Renz's email address if you need to contact him directly.
You should be receiving a communication from ebay comfirming their intention to waive their fee so that this matter can be resolved at no additional cost to you.
If this satisfies you (and I don't know why it wouldn't) please proceed to credit my PayPal account in the amount of $28.67. After PayPal notifies me that my account has been credited, I'll pay the Post Office."