Asking doll companies to mark the value of your package down..?

I once paid €196 custom fees and that was in the case Soom ignored my request to write the full value ($1200) on the box and wrote down $100 instead. D: Customs didn't buy it and I had to send them an invoice and prove of payment.

I'm usually a bit worried about packages getting lost or damaged, so I don't ask for a lower value when I buy dolls. If something goes wrong and there was a lower value written on the forms, I'd say that's the seller's responsibility and not mine.
Despite that, I don't mind it when packages with lower value arrive in one piece and I only have to pay a small fee or no fee at al. I just won't ask for it, because then it will be my responsibility too and I don't feel like taking a risk like that for $X00 dolls.

 

I honestly don't trust my local mail carriers sometimes, so I don't ask for the value to be marked down (in case of something happening to my item). O_O

 

My incoming doll I have actually asked for the first time ever for it to be marked down. The customs fees in the UK are to ridiculous right now not to.

 

I love it when companies mark the price down, it's better than getting a huge discount because the UK government are a bunch of thieving $%$%&. My sis had to pay £80 import tax on a $500 doll, that's a huge chunk cos at the time the £ was very strong and the doll was actually worth just over £250.
Having said that, I don't expect companies to do this and would never, ever ask them to do something illegal. It's just a bonus if they take it upon themselves to do so. I wouldn't complain about the doll company if something went wrong, I would blame myself or the %^% in charge of customs.

 

Yes they do-other Canadians have even mentioned their experiences in this thread . I've gotten fully taxed on several dolls already...the handling fee is $5, so they're definitely charging you something extra if the total is $10.

Packages exempt from taxation don't carry any fees..since you've already experienced it yourself, I don't see why you think dolls aren't taxable in Canada .

 

As I wait for my doll to arrive I have not said anything to the company about marking it down.

I don't want to mark it down because if it gets lost, my money is gone too. I'm actually just leaving it to the company. I would rather pay the extra tax that the corrupt customs ask for than risking my doll to get lost and then having to lose a lot of money for it.

Of course, with financial issues that is hard to balance, so I leave it up to the company if they mark it down or not. It's a win-win and win-lose situation

 

I have never been charged tax on any doll I've recieved, whether from the US, UK, Hong Kong, China, Korea, or Japan. I believe you may be getting PST, not GST, or the taxes applied are subject to interpretation. Or...maybe they take it easy on us poor souls up in the frozen tundra of the NWT?

I let the doll companies decide how to mark the value of the package - they are the ones who do the most shipping to other countries, and presumably know what they are doing. I do note that most of the time they lowball the stated value of the doll (sometimes to the extreme) but then - that is their call. I've also never had any issue with damage or loss ::crosses fingers and touches wood::

 

As someone who sells jewelery and whatnot elsewhere, I ALWAYS mark packages down at full value. I just don't trust overseas shipping as I've lost several packages going out. Also, lying is illegal. I've seen people leave negative feedback on peoples accounts for being honest on forms, and I generally see that as a reason not to deal with the person giving the feedback!

 

Today my Twiggy Yumi and Winky turned up from Denver Doll. £122.00 in customs fees. I wish I had asked them to mark the package down. I don't think I can afford to order without asking again.

 

I think most of the people who are extremely against marking down items do not have to pay out of the butt for customs (I don't, but I have family in Europe so I know how European customs like overpricing things).

I have never asked a company to mark down the price of something but if I know they do I won't protest with them.

I don't think people will really understand until they order a 750 dollar doll and then have to pay 240 extra for it. People like to say "it's just taxes" but that is just wrong.

 

Me too. I only just realised this is going on as I'm quite new to the hobby and haven't bought from many companies. The trouble is we seem to have three levels of charges in the UK and no way of avoiding them which adds an awful lot to the cost.

 

I may understand the sentiment when you live in a thieving country that charges 32% tax and duty on imported goods, but so far the highest charge I paid was about $250 for a $1200 doll (the €196 I mentioned a few posts back), which is about 20% and I pay more on other kind of taxes. I could have done a lot of nice things with $250 in my pocket, however I imagine the fine a doll company has to pay for fraud is a lot more than that.

Several years ago Luts got threatened with a fine by Canadian customs. I don't know the details, but I think it was either pay the fine to release the package held by customs or have the package send back. This is the only case I've heard that a doll company risked legal action against them due to marking down the value, still it is another reason why I say I don't mind if a doll company marks down the value without telling me and I end up with a doll and no or few fees, but I won't ask them to do it.

 

I think it's terrible to ask a company to mark the price of a package down! As a business they should not be asked to lie and I think it's highly inappropriate for someone to ask a company to mark a package down. I also would be appalled if a company did it and didn't consult me.

If people doing personal transactions decide to mark a package down then that's their business. I prefer to do everything as honestly as possible and if I'm selling something to someone who wants a package marked down... well... I'd have to try and make sure the other person knows I'm by no means responsible for anything that happens.

If a company marks my package down without my asking customs tries to fine me then yes, the company should be held responsible for paying the fine. The party who gets 'in trouble' and has to 'pay the fine' should be the party that originally wanted the package price marked down.

 

I would not ask the original manufacturing company to mark down the original selling price for the doll. But, if you had say bought the doll at a premium to the original selling price from another collector, I dont see the problem with requesting the "value" to be adjusted to the RRP of the doll. Particularly if the customs in your country imposes charge on parcels. You've already paid a premium and you want to reward the govt by paying taxes on the premium?

 

I don't agree with asking the company to do that, for the very reason that if it is damaged all you can claim is the value YOU asked them to mark it as. Some sellers/companies state that they will not do this, and unfortunately they have to do this probably because people ask them to mark it down. As a seller I wouldn't feel right doing it, and as a buyer I think really you're potentially screwing yourself if the package is lost/damaged. If you asked them to mark it down, you can't be mad that something bad happens. You had the chance to do it properly. I'm not mad when a company claims the full value - I know I'll probably get stuck with customs fees, but I wouldn't have ordered it if I wasn't prepared for some extra costs.

That said, I guess I'm on the fence in one way - I'll admit I have been pleasantly surprised to have a doll arrive without any extra fees because it wasn't marked at full value.: I'm just lucky nothing went wrong in transit, or I would probably be upset.

 

I hate Polish customs. They *always* want me to send proof of how much my package (full dolls only, heads are small enough not to get much interest) is worth - doesn't matter if the doll is marked on 600$ or 85$. I pay a lot for EMS shipping, dammit, and here I have to wait at least a week longer to get my package. They should refund what I paid for shipping if they are so slow, yet they will make me pay more because the high EMS shipping charge is a part of the package's value.

I am getting more and more willing to lie about my package's value.

 

Its one of those annoying things, custom taxes. I leave it up to fate, I dont think I would ask as I know it would be just my luck that it would get lost hope this isnt off topic (sorry newbie here) but does anyone know if Lati generally mark down their packages? Id just like to be a bit prepared @__@

 

It's simple for me, really, to the point where there's no debate at all.

Quite apart from the risk - I'm a Quaker. We are supposed to be so truthful that we don't need to be asked to swear oaths or make promises, our simple affirmation is enough to stand as the truth. I'm not going to chuck away centuries of commitment to honesty, integrity and fair-dealing just to get an expensive doll a bit cheaper. :P If I am going to ask people to have faith in my words, then I don't get to ask other people to lie for me, either.

 

I never do it.The law of my country says that a person has to pay taxes only in case if the price of a package is higher then 1500 $?so i just dont need to ask companies to law the price.

I never have heard such horrible stores about damaging the doll...But sometimes I'm realy affraid that the package can be lost...

 

It's really an eye-opening experience reading all of the comments posted here... >_>

In my country, Indonesia, we have to pay import tax (you can call it custom, but we here call it import tax). Everything that goes into our country and has a value of USD $50 or higher will be subject to import tax. And our import tax is 22% to 37% of total value written on the package. Why a range? Why between 22% and 37%? Because it's a lie. Because they don't have any fixed rules or calculation about it. Because they charge whatever they want. Scumbags. Yes. They are. All of our import duty staffs are scumbags.

And they can charge anything they want, anyway they want, anytime they want. For a $750 doll I will be charged roughly $250 and I still have to go ALL THE WAY to the CENTRAL POST OFFICE to take it. I got charged $20 for my Ducan (which was valued lower by DOD upon my request), but my friend's Sha got charged $70 (with the same amount of value from DOD). See?

And what's worse, if I ask for a calculation or a receipt, they will NEVER give me any. NEVER. Because there isn't any! And if I say, this is just too much, can we lower it somehow? They will put out their hands and ask you to pay THEM instead, and then they will release the package under the radar. Where does all the money go? To their pockets. Yes. Not to the government. Oh no, no no... They only give SOME of it to the government. The rest goes into their pockets.

All the Americans here should be happy because you guys don't have to pay for doll taxes. But some of us from other countries have to face worse. So you have to understand why we'd rather lie and ask the companies to lie for us than facing those impossible import taxes! >_> No one has faced any problems so far. No one has gone to jail for asking a company to mark the value lower...

Moreover, all the Korean and Chinese companies know this as well. Not just in the BJD world, but also in other stuffs. I order items from Yesasia, Play-Asia, and several other sites. And they all are willing to mark the value down (some without even asking me). Because they face the same problems in their own countries! Corruption everywhere. So they know and understand very well. They always pack their packages very carefully, and send them out by EMS with tracking numbers. There's no way I will lose any doll sent this way. I've never lost a parcel, or received anything broken as long as they're sent with EMS.

And I'm happy this way. At least my wallet is a lot safer. ^________^