Ripped off by canada customs!

[un1bomber]

Hey guys,

so I bought 3 H3 Motorla bluetooth headsets from ebay totalling roughly $65CDN, but when the package came to my door the package was opened by canada customs and they made me pay $42 in GST, PST and $5 handling charge. The worst part is that the 'value for duty' section stated the goods had a $300 value!!!!!!!! does anyone know how I can recoup some of my $47 back or anything I can do in this case

many thanks!

[KorruptioN]

The worst part is that the 'value for duty' section stated the goods had a $300 value!!!!!!!!

Isn't this because of the vendor?

[3weddings]

Use the form on the back of the duty form on the package and send it in.

I had a similar incident with a pair of sunglasses they assessed incorrectly...I sent them my paypal invoice and received my refund.

http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=484776&highlight=duty

[3weddings]

Hey guys,

The worst part is that the 'value for duty' section stated the goods had a $300 value!!!!!!!!

Ooops...I missed that part!!! But you can certainly try what I did...it doesn't hurt!

[AirTimid]

Blame the vendor. As for customs, you could contact them and explain the situation. You would also need to prove that what you paid was $65. I guess a copy of the ebay auction and paypal receipt would be a good start. I once had an issue with ebay where the seller sent my item in 2 boxes and wrote the total value on each box separately, which caused me to pay the same tax twice. I sent them all my info and got reimbursed. I would definitely call. Sometimes the people at the Post Office can offer assistance.

[spf1971]

Sounds like your fight is more with the vendor than with customs. They charge duty on the "value" of the item. If the vendor lists it at $300 then that's what they base the duty on but like the others said, if you can show you paid less I'm sure you'll be able to get the duty re-evaluated.

Good Luck

[un1bomber]

Many thanks for the replies guys... I just ripped off the form as suggested so I could fill it out, and under it is the original customs decloration form from the seller in HK. He marked it as a gift and value as $10!!! WTF??!??! so canada customs put the $300 tag on it??? this is really pissing me off now, help would be appreciated

thx guys

[td0t0]

I had a similar problem, but I don't know what form at the back of the customs sheet you're talking bout is

i called customs and they said to sent in this form too but when I went to look after I called, there wasn't anything at the back???

Also, I printed something off the internet that I think is the same but not sure....

[Tha_Doggg]

I have heard horror stories of Canada Post re-evaluating items at much more than what they actually are worth. Give them a call and send them the invoice as proof.

Thankfully this never happened to me and I have received numerous items from the states and I have never had to pay taxes or duties (except for once when I received jewelry)...even on $300 items I never got charged. I guess it depends on your luck.

[westernartic]

I have heard horror stories of Canada Post re-evaluating items at much more than what they actually are worth. Give them a call and send them the invoice as proof.

Thankfully this never happened to me and I have received numerous items from the states and I have never had to pay taxes or duties (except for once when I received jewelry)...even on $300 items I never got charged. I guess it depends on your luck.

Canada post is not all that bad.Now ups that is a horror story.Last week i paid $500 in duty thanks to ups very high fees.

[spf1971]

Many thanks for the replies guys... I just ripped off the form as suggested so I could fill it out, and under it is the original customs decloration form from the seller in HK. He marked it as a gift and value as $10!!! WTF??!??! so canada customs put the $300 tag on it??? this is really pissing me off now, help would be appreciated

thx guys

At the same though, customs isn't stupid and they know a lot of people list stuff as "gifts" with a very low dollar amount. If the listed value and actual value are excessively different, they will assess a value that is closer to the actual number just like with motor vehicle registration. I still think you should be able to get some of the duty refunded.

[joesph]

you can't fight the government

[brute33]

it happends to me on occasion. you can contest it and send in your paperwork and they will send you a refund of the differnce. it wasn't difficult then...

[Calmuser]

just tear off that customs form on your package and on the back there is a form to fill out.

I've had to do it a few times.

Last time I had RMA return of a DVD which was marked on the package at a $0 value warrenty replacement item, papers in the box indicated same. But customs opened up the package and decided the value was $60 and decided to charge me for that.

I send in the form and 3 weeks later I got a check in the mail. A pain, but at least I got my money back.

[Ebola]

Fill out an adjustment claim.

Was the package shipped by USPS or by UPS/FedEx?

There's clearly more to this story.

Edit:

I did a quick search, and although they are generally selling at $25/per on various websites for the H3 Headset, the MSRP is $79.99. If whatever source the customs officers used to look up the value had them listed as more (old source?) then I definetly have an idea as to what happened.

So if upon opening they see what at list price is at least $250 worth of goods declared at $10, that's where your taxes could come from. And that's basically the easy way out.. isntead of seizing them as undervalued and you going through that whole thing.

So basically, you have to prove that you didn't pay list price, that it did cost you just $65, and maybe explain why it was listed at $10. Although they already know it's common practice.

P.S. I'm also assuming these are the older H3 headsets, and not the newer RAZR H3's which are worth more.

[dmdsoftware2]

I chronically get ripped off by Customs Canada. I have a little rant of my own going here --> http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=514413

Can we not as a society do something about Customs Canada? They cannot follow their own rules and regulations which results in backlogs of complaints and refunds. Why should we as a society accept this as the norm?

[un1bomber]

Thx for the advice everyone..



The item was shipped via USPS and was delivered to me through canada post. I guess I will printout the ebay invoice on how much I paid for them.. although the package was listed as gift and $10 value, do I really have to explain that to them as that was the sellers doing and I don't think that I really have control over putting the value on the package.

Fill out an adjustment claim.

Was the package shipped by USPS or by UPS/FedEx?

There's clearly more to this story.

Edit:

I did a quick search, and although they are generally selling at $25/per on various websites for the H3 Headset, the MSRP is $79.99. If whatever source the customs officers used to look up the value had them listed as more (old source?) then I definetly have an idea as to what happened.

So if upon opening they see what at list price is at least $250 worth of goods declared at $10, that's where your taxes could come from. And that's basically the easy way out.. isntead of seizing them as undervalued and you going through that whole thing.

So basically, you have to prove that you didn't pay list price, that it did cost you just $65, and maybe explain why it was listed at $10. Although they already know it's common practice.

P.S. I'm also assuming these are the older H3 headsets, and not the newer RAZR H3's which are worth more.

[Ebola]

Thx for the advice everyone..



The item was shipped via USPS and was delivered to me through canada post. I guess I will printout the ebay invoice on how much I paid for them.. although the package was listed as gift and $10 value, do I really have to explain that to them as that was the sellers doing and I don't think that I really have control over putting the value on the package.

All you are going to need to do is show how much you actually paid for it.

[romsan04]

Hey guys,

so I bought 3 H3 Motorla bluetooth headsets from ebay totalling roughly $65CDN, but when the package came to my door the package was opened by canada customs and they made me pay $42 in GST, PST and $5 handling charge. The worst part is that the 'value for duty' section stated the goods had a $300 value!!!!!!!! does anyone know how I can recoup some of my $47 back or anything I can do in this case

many thanks!

What are you wining about?? You asked seller to lie about true value of your goods which is considered criminal offense. When customs checked 3 bluetooth headsets for $10 sounds too good to be true, they went on internet, probably Motorola website and put the true value of your headsets.

I am sorry buddy, but they did their job, imagine if everyone starts receiving 42 inch flat screen tvs from China worth $10 in declared value??


P.S. I was dinged couple of times by customs too, but everything was legal (declared value, e.t.c), brokerage fee was insane too. I learned my lesson.

[Narci]

What are you wining about?? You asked seller to lie about true value of your goods which is considered criminal offense. When customs checked 3 bluetooth headsets for $10 sounds too good to be true, they went on internet, probably Motorola website and put the true value of your headsets.

I am sorry buddy, but they did their job, imagine if everyone starts receiving 42 inch flat screen tvs from China worth $10 in declared value??


P.S. I was dinged couple of times by customs too, but everything was legal (declared value, e.t.c), brokerage fee was insane too. I learned my lesson.

I totally agree. Best thing to do is to have the vendor declare the actual cost of the goods and put the bill in one of those clear pockets you can stick on the side of packages.

Besides, what if the 3 headsets got lost in the mail...the insurance will only cover $10.

So you paid $65 on 3 headsets. Is it really worth it to lie to customs and possible have them seized or held up for months to save $8 or $9?

The title should more read like "I tried to rip off Canada Customs but it backfired."

[woof]

If the value of the goods stated is ridiculous the customs people are free to revalue the items based on "fair market value". I ran into this once when some idiot at a US branch of a company I was working for sent us a bunch of expensive golf T-shirts and other promotional merchandise and put $1 on the customs form. Of course it got stopped. To get the shipment kicked loose I just pulled a number out of the air ($100) which seemed reasonable and our broker was able to get it released. I have no idea what the shipment was actually worth and wasn't interested in spending the time to find out.

Sometimes a buyer will ask the seller to understate the value on customs forms and sometimes the seller will just do it on his own without being asked to "help out". It's not worth the grief you can get into.

[un1bomber]

What are you wining about?? You asked seller to lie about true value of your goods which is considered criminal offense. When customs checked 3 bluetooth headsets for $10 sounds too good to be true, they went on internet, probably Motorola website and put the true value of your headsets.

I am sorry buddy, but they did their job, imagine if everyone starts receiving 42 inch flat screen tvs from China worth $10 in declared value??


P.S. I was dinged couple of times by customs too, but everything was legal (declared value, e.t.c), brokerage fee was insane too. I learned my lesson.

I totally agree. Best thing to do is to have the vendor declare the actual cost of the goods and put the bill in one of those clear pockets you can stick on the side of packages.

Besides, what if the 3 headsets got lost in the mail...the insurance will only cover $10.

So you paid $65 on 3 headsets. Is it really worth it to lie to customs and possible have them seized or held up for months to save $8 or $9?

The title should more read like "I tried to rip off Canada Customs but it backfired."


you guys really need to learn how to read.. I NEVER asked the seller to lie about the cost of the goods or put $10. Please tell me where I wrote that in my post??????? That is what HE put down and had nothing to do with what I bought. I simply bought it and paid for it, so im responsible for what HE writes down on the value??? before you start blabbing your mouth about how I'm committing a criminal offense maybe you need to understand the situation

[Ebola]

you guys really need to learn how to read.. I NEVER asked the seller to lie about the cost of the goods or put $10. Please tell me where I wrote that in my post??????? That is what HE put down and had nothing to do with what I bought. I simply bought it and paid for it, so im responsible for what HE writes down on the value??? before you start blabbing your mouth about how I'm committing a criminal offense maybe you need to understand the situation

Which is why I said once you submit proof of what you paid for the headsets this will all go away, because if you are telling the truth, you've done nothing wrong.

Although I hope you can see with no support other than the gift tag stating $10 value how the BSO would go.. ya right.

[5abSingh]

Which is why I said once you submit proof of what you paid for the headsets this will all go away, because if you are telling the truth, you've done nothing wrong.

Although I hope you can see with no support other than the gift tag stating $10 value how the BSO would go.. ya right.

I don't think the gift tag said $10, it said $300. The original label that was underneath the label the seller put on said $10. Frequently when buying items from Asia, the sellers will put a $10 gift value on the shipping declaration. The OP never requested a $10 declaration and is willing to pay the correct amount of duty and tax on the $65 that he/she did pay. At least this is what I understood from OPs posts...

[Ebola]

I don't think the gift tag said $10, it said $300. The original label that was underneath the label the seller put on said $10. Frequently when buying items from Asia, the sellers will put a $10 gift value on the shipping declaration. The OP never requested a $10 declaration and is willing to pay the correct amount of duty and tax on the $65 that he/she did pay. At least this is what I understood from OPs posts...

No. What happened was it was declared at $10, and the CBSA assessed a $300 value.

[un1bomber]

The OP never requested a $10 declaration and is willing to pay the correct amount of duty and tax on the $65 that he/she did pay. At least this is what I understood from OPs posts...

I want to pay GST/PST on $65 which is what I paid, but instead had to pay GST/PST on $300 which was $47

No. What happened was it was declared at $10, and the CBSA assessed a $300 value.

Correct.. thanks for your help Ebola

[malbadon]

And now you know, the next time you order something from an international seller, make sure you tell them to declare the actual purchase value of the item. EVERY buyer in Asia I have ever bought from wants to underdeclare their item values and mark them as a gift. Cheaper shipping, cheaper insurance, and the only one who loses is you if the item gets lost in transit, cause guess how much the shipping company is going to give you for the lost item, 10 bucks.

It's not Canada Customs fault for this in any way. The item was ridiculously underdeclared, it doesn't matter whether from your prompting or the shippers prompting, underdeclared is underdeclared. It got opened, it took them 0.5 seconds to know the value was more than 10 dollars and their job isn't to go web surfing to find the best deal at Dell.ca to determine the true value :) They put a value to it, charge customs on it, and ship to out fully expecting you to come back with the form stating the paid value to get the customs difference reduced. In the end they were still right, customs due was more than was declared. :)

[Hellfire]

Since no one has bothered posting the form for you, here ya go:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/import/courier/postal/ind_reassess-e.html

[brunes]

I did a quick search, and although they are generally selling at $25/per on various websites for the H3 Headset, the MSRP is $79.99. If whatever source the customs officers used to look up the value had them listed as more (old source?) then I definetly have an idea as to what happened.

...

So basically, you have to prove that you didn't pay list price, that it did cost you just $65, and maybe explain why it was listed at $10. Although they already know it's common practice.

P.S. I'm also assuming these are the older H3 headsets, and not the newer RAZR H3's which are worth more.

If they're selling for $25/per, then that is their value. If the OP spent $65 on them, then that is their value. MSRP is totally not applicable to taxable value on imports, it is the value you spent on the item, period.

OP, if you have a receipt from the online vendor for the purchase (which you should), just send that in along with the dispute claim, you will get all of your money back.

On a side note I can go to http://www.dealextreme.com and buy an H3 for $28 whenever I damn well please so I don't see how anyone could justify a value of $100. More liekly the officer pulled it out of his proverbial ass.

[Ebola]

If they're selling for $25/per, then that is their value. If the OP spent $65 on them, then that is their value. MSRP is totally not applicable to taxable value on imports, it is the value you spent on the item, period.

OP, if you have a receipt from the online vendor for the purchase (which you should), just send that in along with the dispute claim, you will get all of your money back.

What I'm saying is, you are correct!

However, in THIS CASE, there was no documentation other than a $10 gift declaration.

So, when the BSO opens the package, he knows they arent worth $10, (or at lease he thinks he does). So he goes online to look up how much they sell for. That's where the MSRP comes into play.

Just because you declare it at something does not make it truthful nor binding for a BSO. The actual value you paid, correct, is what matters.

The gov't cannot allow people to simply declare things as a dollar, eliminate all traces of pricing on the item, then say "prove i didnt pay a dollar for it, beyond a shadow of a doubt", and have the CBSA cave.

But as I have stated, we have no way of knowing how much you paid, hence the assessment, and subsequent process of the OP sending in his proof, and yes he will get his money back!

[TrevorK]

On a side note I can go to http://www.dealextreme.com and buy an H3 for $28 whenever I damn well please so I don't see how anyone could justify a value of $100. More liekly the officer pulled it out of his proverbial ass.

I googled "motorola h3 msrp" and here is the MSRP on the first 5 hits:
$59
$149
$79
$119
(the fifth hit somehow was related to hummer H3's)

So it's very easy to see how Canada Customs could assess a $100 value to the headset. Do you expect them to shop around for the lowest deal for you?

[brunes]

I googled "motorola h3 msrp" and here is the MSRP on the first 5 hits:
$59
$149
$79
$119
(the fifth hit somehow was related to hummer H3's)

So it's very easy to see how Canada Customs could assess a $100 value to the headset. Do you expect them to shop around for the lowest deal for you?

No what I am saying is you shoudn't even include MSRP in yoru search because like I said before MSRP has nothing to so with anything, the cost paid is what matters.

My Dell D610 P1.6 laptop here has an "MSRP" of $2800 or more, does that mean I would pay that for it if I bought it today? Of course not, more like $300 tops.

MSRP is meaningless.

[Ebola]

No what I am saying is you shoudn't even include MSRP in yoru search because like I said before MSRP has nothing to so with anything, the cost paid is what matters.

My Dell D610 P1.6 laptop here has an "MSRP" of $2800 or more, does that mean I would pay that for it if I bought it today? Of course not, more like $300 tops.

MSRP is meaningless.

As I say at work and in this case. Prove you only paid that much, then I'll charge you that much.