1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
    Dismiss Notice

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

Feb 22, 2008

    1. I live in the US, so I don't get charged fees...but I will not mark down a package. It's illegal (as told to me by my PO worker) and I am not risking it. I do think the high customs fees of other countries are unfair but we don't get to pick and choose what laws to follow based on what we think is "fair". It's not fair that my taxes go to welfare, foodstamps, public schools and unemployment when I don't use those things. But that doesn't mean I can refuse to pay my taxes or lie and hope I don't get audited just because I think those laws are unfair.

      I think it's just an extra cost that needs to be considered when buying a doll. I hate that the only shipping method available to me from DollMore (and many other sites) is EMS, starting around $25 for even one item.  It seems ridiculous to pay more than the item is worth for shipping, but I can't demand the item and refuse to pay the shipping.

      I don't ever want my stuff marked cheaper than what it's worth and I would not be comfortable buying from a company or seller that I knew had a history of underdeclaring without warning.  And if, in that case, something did go wrong, it SHOULD be the seller held responsible.

      If a buyer asks for it, then it should be all on the buyer.  As a seller, I would not sell to someone who demanded I mark an item for less that what it sold for.  I'm just not comfortable with it.
       
    2. Kind of off topic, but: wow, this is the first time I hear say it's unfair for a country to provide for those who need help.
       
    3. I would not even try this. It is simply illegal here in Germany. From my job(s), I learned one rule: Don't play games with customs authorities!

      Thus I already included custom fees into my calculation for my boy, and so everything arrived fine.
       
    4. You stated exactly what I was going to say. It is an illegal practice and if a seller refuses to mark down a package their decision needs to be respected.
       
    5. I recently bought "Shiori-chan"(named her recently) from Parabox website. It was an Obitsu 50 P-chan series.

      I didn't ask for any markdown whatsoever. But it got past custom without getting any tax whatsoever and when I went to the nearby post office to collect my item. I then saw the initial price slashed from 29,000 yen to 15,000yen. Which initially drop close to untaxable price in my country.

      But my box still got opened by custom and resealed back though....:(.
      They invaded her privacy...:x. I is mad but I guess I glad I got her without any further implications involved.

      :DDo visit her if you have the chance....:D
      http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?517038-My-first-dollfie
       
    6. One thing I've learned through discussing this sort of thing with Americans online is that it's not the 'providing for people in need' part that bothers most people, it's the 'the US government is absolutely awful at actually using money to help people' part. A lot of money which - in better-run countries - would be going to the poor and needy, is in the US going to administrators and managers who add very little value but demand huge amounts of money.

      There are many other reasons tied into it, but I think welfare would be a much less contentious issue if Americans had faith that money given was money well-spent.

      Personally, I'm glad I live in a country which has effective safety-nets, but I try not to begrudge Americans their views on it. I probably wouldn't be keen on government programs if I truly honestly thought my government was nothing but a bunch of inept crooks :|
       

    7. Thank you, sharnofshade, That's basically what I meant. I'm really not wanting to get into a political debate here, as that is way off topic and not appropriate for this forum. I was just trying to point out by comparison, that just because I don't like a fee/tax/extra cost or think it's unfair for me to have to pay it, does not give me the right to refuse to obey the law. It's just something I have to figure into my budget, like it or not.
       
    8. That's basically the United Kingdom too. Though we do have the NHS a free healthcare service and our benefits system is far more generous than most other countries but we also get the:

      "oh hey, we should totally use this money to give people at the top of the chain a MASSIVE bonus in pay that they won't need to pay tax on because it won't be IN their pay" rather than saying:

      "we could use this money to help the people at the bottom of the chain, or invest it to create new jobs" etc.

      But on topic:

      I wouldn't ask a company or anyone else to mark a package down and neither would I do it with anything I sell. The trouble just is not worth it and I declare upfront that customs fees are NOT my responsibility, because it honestly just is not.

      Also I agree with CloakedSchemers last comment, about not liking a fee or tax but understanding that I can;t refuse to obey the law.

      Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean that you should be allowed to IGNORE it or break the law. It's just the way things are, it sucks but such is life.
       
    9. I factor in the customs fees when I buy internationally. If I don't get charged, it's wonderful and I have some extra money, but if I do get charged I've taken it into account and it gets paid quickly and I get my stuff. I wouldn't ask someone to mark down - I feel nervous enough about international purchases without also worrying my parcel is going to get destroyed and I won't be able to file a claim to get the true value of the package back. I also don't want to pressure someone into breaking the law, or helping me break the law. I also won't pass on any customs fees to buyers if I do decide to sell the items I bought internationally.

      I do not begrudge paying taxes, what I do begrudge is paying Parcelforce handling fees. I have already paid for postage, and that includes Parcelforce picking up my international packages from Heathrow, sorting them, and delivering them to me within an acceptable timeframe. I have never asked Parcelforce to pay my customs fees on my behalf, and neither has anyone else I know, so the way I see it, I should receive a bill from the customs office when my package comes into the country, I pay the bill, my package gets picked up and delivered to me. No additional services required.

      I shouldn't be paying for additional services I never requested, particularly when the cost of this handling bumps up the total I'm paying. I got charged £20 in customs fees once, which was fine and dandy, but the £13.50 Parcelforce charges for handling meant that I had to pay £33.50 in total! :(
       
    10. I agree entirely. I'm of the opinion that Parcelforce is one of the worst things about living in Britain. I really resent having to pay for something I didn't actually ask for and don't need to pay for. I also resent paying customs charges on things that are literally not available to buy within the EU due to protectionist laws that are in fact utterly meaningless to companies. These two things are why I always try to buy second-hand within the EU, or, if I'm really forced to buy from elsewhere, I have to get things marked down. So far I've only had to pay customs charges on two orders of mine. The rest have slipped through. The mindset of the people running this country is to squeeze as much money from you as they can, and I'll be damned if I won't try to get around them every way possible!
       
    11. I do notice that a lot of people ask to mark the package cost down. If they're willing to take the risk, I'm usually okay. But I rather not myself.
       
    12. I've never asked for a company or person to mark the value of my packages down. Ever. But I'm in the US and customs fees are much more rare.

      I have noticed that some companies, as a default (without you asking), mark packages down. There's a company I buy from occasionally that's based out of Hong Kong that does it, as an example. This particular company is not at all doll related though. I guess it's supposed to be a service to the customer.
       
    13. Ah, right. This, I can get. I just never heard of it before.
       
    14. I don't know if this has been mentioned but another problem in the UK is that customs fees are different depending on where your package has come from. I bought two dolls that were worth the same amount, both underdeclared to $600 and marked as gifts but came from different countries. One came from the US, it took 3 days to get here but spent 2 weeks in customs and I was then charged £94 (149 dollars) to get him :( The other doll came from Europe, she arrived at my door 2 days after she was shipped, no customs fees. I really appreciate it when people or companies say they will mark down items, and if I'm negotiating a price I don't expect them to be unrealistic. I don't begrudge anyone wanting to avoid customs as long as they understand the risks, no point in getting angry when that energy can be spent fixing the problem.
       
    15. I can see where the "No Markdown ever" side is coming from. It IS not worth the risk to potentially lose a $500~ item just to save up on custom fees. Also, good citizenship things and all that stuff.

      But what if: 1.)There is no set-in-stone calculation of said customs fee. You are under the mercy of the attending staff's mood. 2.) You are pretty much assured that whatever amount you pay will go directly to the attending staff's pocket (no receipt, anyone?), and 3.) You cannot claim insurance whatsoever from the local postal system because there is no such thing here (private carriers are another matter entirely and I do not speak for them).

      Because not everything is all roses and candies. Not everything works as it should. When you are 100% screwed and you have nowhere to file a complaint to, wouldn't you at least try to be less screwed? It's all well and good for others who have a working system, but for others who have nothing but a sham, we are expected to literally just grin and bear it? In the hopes that, one fateful day the corrupt people's eyes are finally opened by our law-abiding examples? Yeah, I can see that happening.

      Now that that's out of the way (sorry for the rant), it is not good for companies/sellers to automatically mark down a parcel. Because insurance does work in some countries and marking down means the buyer can't be refunded for his full loss. I tend to see it as an option that should only be offered, and not be made general practice.
       
      • x 1
    16. I totally forgot about this.

      I had a doll come from Canada and had to pay £80 in customs fees when I'd already paid about $100 for shipping.

      I think they just pick random packages and then stick prices to a dart board and wherever the dart lands, they charge that. But that's because I like to think that customs are just a complete joke.

      But yeah, I also got a doll arrive from Sweden, no customs charges and it arrived within a week.
      Come to think of it, I've never had a customs charge for anywhere other than the US and Canada.
       
    17. Actually I have already received some packages which were marked down (I live in Germany).
      Most private sellers have no problem with it, some even asked me myself if I wanted them to mark it down. And yes, I have even once asked Soom to underdeclare a package, which was worth about 500$, down to 100$.
      If you (thread opener, sellers) are not comfortable with it no one is gonna make you do it. But I think it's kind of unfair to judge a person who does it when you live in the US and don't have to pay any fees at all.
      I'm just not very fond of paying 100$ extra when I already spent 500$ on a doll, I could really use that money for something better. And it's not like underdeclaring an item is a huge crime. Some of my packages actually were captured by customs anyway, and I had to bring a bill to prove how much I paid for it. They didn't even ask why the value on the box was so much less than the actual value, I guess it happens quite often.
       
    18. Trading within the EU has no customs fees attached to it by law. It's everywhere else we have issues with and that's why you've never been charged when dealing with EU member countries. NOT EUROPE, I should add, JUST the EU countries. European continent countries that are not members will still be liable to a charge if the customs people feel like it.

      Generally speaking, you're more likely to be charged on parcels from places like the US and Canada because HMC&E assume that boxes from those countries contain higher value items. They've recently started pulling boxes from Australia more frequently too, however, so it could well be that they're clamping down generally in order to bring in a greater revenue when the country needs it.

      Pretty sure I've commented in this thread before, but from a personal standpoint, HMC&E have had the better part of £3000 (that's nearly $5000 USD, to give those who don't have to live with this some idea of the amounts we're talking here) out of me in the last 8 years and that's all they're going to GET. I absolutely will not import from anywhere liable to be charged until such a time as the UK government removes the entirely inept, utterly corrupt and frequently farcical "charging system", and I use the term LOOSELY, that is currently in place here. Parcelforce alone is as crooked as a dog's hind leg and I refuse to pay them any more of my hard earned cash for a service I did not ask for, did not need and that is more often than not nothing more than an expensive hindrance.
       
    19. I just wanted to say that you have put into words exactly what I think of the whole shambles. You are far more eloquent and well...you make more sense than I do! haha.

      I learn something new everyday, I didn't realse that was the case with the EU countries. Now I can properly narrow down where I'm willing to buy from!
       
    20. It's not so much where your doll has come from, it's more about what currency they're converting the value into GBP from. Customs fees are charged at 20% of the total value of your imported good(s), in line with VAT. When you get your letter from Parcelforce, always double-check with an online currency converter to make sure you're being charged 20% of the total in GBP and not 20% of the total in a different currency - that makes a big difference. I know someone who got a huge customs charge on a PukiPuki because the person doing the calculations misread the USD value and didn't convert the value to GBP. Customs officers are humans too and make silly mistakes, but you shouldn't be paying for their mistakes.

      Customs seem to have a rotation of which packages they target - for a while they would catch and charge lots of packages from the US, before that they put charges on everything coming from China... :roll: I do think they pick and choose a lot of the time.

      You shouldn't be charged customs fees on anything if it comes from within the EU, and even if it comes from a European country outside the EU, things usually come through without charges - or at least they have for me *fingers-crossed this continues*