PC Peripherals Anyone here bought stuff off international eBay??

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=CrAzYG33K=

Adept
Anyone here bought stuff off international eBay?? :huh:

If so, I'd like to know of some details...

1. Does buying an used item attract customs?
I know buying a new one does ... but what abt used items?? :S
2. OR
Does that depend on the country the item is bought from?
 
Yeah, I ordered some batteries for my camera last year, they reached me safe and sound. I'd also bought a charger for my PDA, that came through as well. It (customs duty) depends on the price and item that you're ordering.
 
I'm not too sure about that.But its always better to ask the seller on ebay to understate the value of the item and mark it as a GIFT or a TRADE SAMPLE.That way its most likely to get away without duties, if they are applicable on that particular item.
 
I've been buying stuff off US Ebay for over 3 years...Don't worry about customs unless its a very unusual product but its also luck of the draw. Sometimes they charge you for something very tiny and sometimes they don't even if its an expensive thing.

The 8800 Ultra in my sig was bought off US Ebay...I paid 0 customs for it and it was brand new. Marking as "Gift" is usually a good idea.
 
=CrAzYG33K= said:
^ Okay, thanks....
But does a product attract customs even if it is a 'USED' product??
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I've never bought a used item off Ebay, but I believe that it depends on the item and of course the mood of the customs agents and their level of intelligence in ascertaining what the true value of the product at hand is.
 
Customs duty can be levied on new, used or even gift items... but I've "never" paid duty on books and CDs, unless they were shipped along with other computer or electronic items.
 
RiO said:
Customs duty can be levied on new, used or even gift items... but I've "never" paid duty on books and CDs, unless they were shipped along with other computer or electronic items.
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I've never paid duty on anything (including electronic items) unless I bought it off amazon and it came via DHL. That and the one time I bought a lightsaber replica. The customs agents were confused as to what it was...ended up paying 62.5% duty. When I bought off MemoryC I paid about 1% duty.

Lesson - Never use DHL from Amazon. USPS is good enough...and cheaper.
 
I've used all carriers to ship well over 30 packages in the last 6 years, and the most reliable have been Fedex and DHL. Duty was less important to me than the goods arriving on time and in one piece. I was over charged duty (31%) only once when I made the mistake of shipping 2 tees, books, CDs and a power supply together. They basically calculated duty on all items, when it was only the power supply that attracted duty.

As well, 62.5% is impossible.. you probably under valued the item and they "knew" or "researched" the true value and levied duty on that assessment :)

EDIT: one more thing, duty is levied on cost of goods + freight + insurance.
 
So how does the duty thingee work? Does the carrier call you upfront and ask you to pay the duty before they deliver the goods or do you have to go and deal with the customs folks yourself?
 
In the case of DHL and Fedex, you pay whatever duty there is when they deliver the goods. If you went with USPS, the local PO will notify you that your shipment carries duty so you need to pay and collect.
 
RiO said:
I've used all carriers to ship well over 30 packages in the last 6 years, and the most reliable have been Fedex and DHL. Duty was less important to me than the goods arriving on time and in one piece. I was over charged duty (31%) only once when I made the mistake of shipping 2 tees, books, CDs and a power supply together. They basically calculated duty on all items, when it was only the power supply that attracted duty.

As well, 62.5% is impossible.. you probably under valued the item and they "knew" or "researched" the true value and levied duty on that assessment :)

EDIT: one more thing, duty is levied on cost of goods + freight + insurance.
Click to expand...

There is no doubt that Fedex/DHL are faster and more reliable that USPS but I only need to use Fedex if I need the items ASAP. Most items which I buy off Ebay (CDs/DVDs etc etc) are usually not needed ASAP and I can wait a few days extra for them. As far as things arriving in one piece goes I have not had anything break in transit, but I usually do not buy fragile items. I have bought over 50 items from US Ebay and around 5-6 shipments from Amazon (each containing 10+ items) and a few more shipments from various stores including FrozenCPU and various websites offering CDs/DVDs and I've never encountered any problems with USPS except that they take a little longer to deliver the package. Sometimes though the package is lost in transit.

I did not undervalue the item as you may very well kow many Ebay sellers refuse to undervalue the item or mark it as a gift, I was charged duty on the correct price declared on the package, however I do not know on what basis they charged the duty...nor was I bothered at the time because they seemed to consider the replica lightsaber a weapon or a questionable item and were thinking about confiscating it. I was just glad to get it released from them.
 
Guys, even i have to get a few things from ebay.com, but what bothers me is the hefty sum they charge for shipping the items to india. Sometimes, it turns out to be more than the product itself..:no: so is there any way, the shipping charges can be negotiated? I havent tried it yet...
 
I have never negotiated a shipping charge over Ebay. They can offer cheaper shipping if you change the shipping method but they usually do not negotiate on shipping charges.
 
US postal service delivers to Indian postal service and this is where things go wrong.

A mobile phone sent from the US never reached. When the postal vigilance section was informed they squarely put the blame on the postman. He was to be suspended without any proof. In the end nothing came out of the complaint as this happened umpteenth times before with lot of people i know around here.

If the items are important use FedEx or DHL and avoid hassles.
 
wats a Good way to Ship to US ?

i have a Parcel which Weighs about .5Kg

is Speed Post good ? Do they give a Tracking number :)
 
Yes I Did
But Its Not Worth It Unless U Hav A Good Deal
For Example
For A Small Pack U Pay 25-35$ For Shippin
Den Cost Of Stuff
Den U Wil B Fuked By Those Customs For Duty
End Of The Day U Almost Pay Same What U Get Here
Unless U Want 2 Buy Wat Is Not Available Here Its Not Worth A Try!
 
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