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Thread: Selling Overseas - Customs Declarations

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    Default Selling Overseas - Customs Declarations

    Hello (again!). I've recently sold a few pieces abroad and have had to complete the little customs forms that attach to the parcel, and I'm always a little bit stumped as to the terminology to use when selling jewellery items because whilst I want to be 100% honest about the contents of the parcel, at the same time I don't want to draw too much attention to the fact that the contents may be quite valuable, in case it ends up in the hands of someone suffering from an insatiable "curiosity"...

    So now my own curiosity is piqued - how do you describe the items you sell abroad, for customs purposes? Have you ever had any items go missing after stating, say, "silver jewellery"? Is there a better option? Or do you think it does not matter how you describe the contents seeing as the £ value is declared alongside the description?

    Just interested in some of your views and experiences. Thank you, all!

    Jasmin
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  2. #2
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    I think I read elswhere that people put 'Trinkets' on the description
    Wendy

  3. #3
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    Feb 2010
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    I was told to put key ring, I had some cheap ones so I added one to the pendant package in case it was scanned.
    Jill

  4. #4
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    Thanks Jill and Wendy for your ideas. To be honest, [touching wood] nothing has gone missing yet so I guess I have to find the balance between taking a risk, or possibly sending everything by a registered & insured method. I just sent a tiny parcel to France today and, ok no declaration needed there, so it's just as an illustration of the cost, I sent it by a trackable method, insured it only to £100 and it cost me over £8! I'm sending a much bigger, costlier parcel to Australia tomorrow - be interesting to see the cost of that one! It's just that even with insurance, the comissions I get are one-off pieces and if they should go missing I would be devastated even if you can get back the cost, so I was hoping to minimise the risk to them, but every suggestion I was coming up with was ditched as probably totally illegal!
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  5. #5
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    Dear Jasmin,
    You probably haven"t realised it yet but it is not actually your problem! Be polite,(and I"m sure you always are,) and discuss it with your customer, but I think you"ll find that "gift" or "sample" works fine, as for the value, that really is whatever you choose to put down. You are not breaking any laws, ( I am of course presuming that you are not an international criminal ! ) Everything is happening at the other end, you could ask your customer what they want you to put. I"ve sent some pretty expensive stuff abroad without any problem whatsoever.
    Cheers,
    Iori

  6. #6
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    hmmm... well actually if you send stuff as a sample or gift and it's not, technically it's fraud. For me, anything expensive that I send abroad is usually antique jewellery which is exempt from import taxes, so I send it as costume jewellery just to deter any would bees. so far nothing has gone astray yet.

  7. #7
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    Anyone know what the position is in the case of a replacement for a faulty item? You've not paid for it, but you've paid for the original and already paid the import VAT. Clearly you don't want to have to pay the tax twice. Would it be fraud to put a nominal value on the second item?

  8. #8
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    hmmmm, interesting dilemma. I would say if it's a replacement, then no, you wouldn't have to. I don't remember seeing anything about that in the customs info I saw though.

  9. #9
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    I'm not sure. It could be that you're supposed to state the actual value anyway, and then claim the second lot of tax from the seller. Can't say I'd be happy doing that. I'm waiting for something at the moment. The only other time I've had a replacement from abroad the seller marked the package as zero. I didn't ask them to - it hadn't even crossed my mind.

  10. #10
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    Jun 2011
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    Quote Originally Posted by medusa View Post
    hmmm... well actually if you send stuff as a sample or gift and it's not, technically it's fraud. For me, anything expensive that I send abroad is usually antique jewellery which is exempt from import taxes, so I send it as costume jewellery just to deter any would bees. so far nothing has gone astray yet.
    hmmm... actually it is a moot point, like Jasmin I agonised over this when I first sent stuff abroad,but the advice I gave and used myself, was given to me by a customer who was also a lawyer! Mind you I covered myself with the thought that what I was sending "was a gift at the price!" Heaven forbid that I should be the cause of poor Jasmin languishing in some in some foreign gaol, after extradition of course, so I disclaim all responsibility for her subsequent actions. Sorry Jasmin, damned if you do and damned if you don"t. P.S. Are there any smilies around here?
    Cheers
    Iori l

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