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

In these situations, is it right for ANYONE, in any case, to be angry with the company?
quite simply if you asked for it to be marked down it's YOUR fault. not the company's. if the company did it on their own then you can write them an eloquent email detailing exactly what happened and why they need to do something to fix it.

Is it really proper to expect the company to put themselves out for you by marking the package down?
hell no! that's like asking someone you've never met to smuggle cocaine over the border to them or something. it's just not right. not only could they get into trouble you could too and there ain't no dolls in prison folks ha ha

Why, in instances of the package being marked down by request, do people blame the resulting customs chaos on the company?
because people can't take responsibility for their own actions. maybe "the customer is always right" but that doesn't mean that it's the company's fault(entirely. because they could have said no). if you ask to mark down packages then YOU have to take responsibilty when everything goes to hell.

i used to think marking down packages was a smart thing but...i'd rather get my full money if something goes wrong. definately asking dolkot not to mark down my doll >.>

 

I've never asked a company to mark down a doll, although I have made conscious decisions to choose from companies I know do mark down.

However I have asked plenty of marketplace sellers. I also make sure they realise I will NOT be holding them responsible if something happens because it is MY choice to request the mark down. And I also specify, if it is a doll, to be sent with tracking. Far, far less likely to go astray that way.

I'm always polite when I ask, and I reserve the right to choose not the buy the item because the seller doesn't want to mark down (which is a choice I am respectful of).

 

I think if you ask the company to mark the package down it should be at your own risk. If you need to file a claim and only get $95 then that's just it.

However companies seem to automatically mark boxes down a lot. When they do, I think they should be responsible for loss and damage, considering your claim won't be able to get you your money back.

Maybe my standpoint as an American does skew my opinion, though. I don't get charged customs fees for dolls but understand that they can be expensive.

 

This is exactly why I usually prefer to not ship outside of the US. It makes me really uncomfortable to lie on customs forms, so unless I really need to sell something, I keep my sales in the States to avoid having someone even ask me.

 

I think asking the company to mark down a package is totally irresponsible and wrong - if you get customs fees or wait time, it's part of what you should know in advance is going to happen when you buy an expensive product.

 

If someone asks a company to mark down a package and something goes awry, I don't think they should be blaming the company. For one thing, if it is not the company's normal practice to mark down packages, then asking them to mark down creates the potential for misunderstanding the request (ex. marking it as a gift rather than just marking down the price, etc) and ending up with more problems.

Even if it is normal company practice, it isn't legal and there have been instances where custom agents have caught on to what was happening--I believe that happened with Luts. And of course, should something really bad happen to the package, there won't be a way to get all the money back.

I can see the desire to have something marked down when custom fees are very high. However, even then I would be leery--it would be awful to have something happen to a 500+ dollar doll and only be able to get $80 bucks back.

I personally would rather companies did not mark packages down as their common practice. They are trying to be helpful to those who are forced to pay customs fees, but unfortunatley there is potential to put all their customers in a bind should there be issues with packages arriving damaged or wiley customs people catching on.

 

I don't because I don't think its fair
firstly it may seem unfair at the time but we need to pay custom charges for a reason but the mean reason I don't do it is because if I ask them to mark it down and they get caught its them that gets in trouble not me and I wouldn't feel right about that.

 

I have never *touch wood* had anything happen I NEVER ask them to mark down A private sale maybe- but not a company. A company may shoose to do this, but if I didn't instruct them to, I can in no way be blamed- AND I would hope full payment can be claimed back.

dodgy area really

 

I used to see a good deal of this during the "Golden Age" of anime in the 90s, when i was shipping books, toys, models and CDs out by the Bushel-basket. People were eager (especially in the UK) to minimize the impact of the Customs Lottery.

However, no matter how often I said to people "I'll declare whatever you want, but its your own responsibility" there was always crying when things when wrong.

When parcels were damaged (maybe only 4 parcels in seven years) or lost or seized by Customs for being suspiciously under declared (must be over 30 parcels in the same period) the people purchasing always got most upset.

These days I will not do that for anyone, and never ask others to do it for me.

These days I prefer peace of mind to a few dollars saved.

 

Personally I would rather for me just have the company mark the package honestly, with total value of the product inside, and if something goes wrong with customs or wherever, just take the insurance for what the total cost of what you paid for the doll. (That way I couldn't blame the company...and it really isn't the company's fault if they hold up their end of the transaction-by packaging the doll rightly and sending it off.)

There are differing doll marketplaces that carry multiple companies dolls that you usually can have a choice where to purchase a certain doll. I have gotten different types of dolls, Delf, MNFs, Dolkot and Soom, and I know some places like LUTS are connected to other companies dolls.

Maybe I'm just speaking from experience of having no customs trouble (so far) with the brands/types of dolls I've ordered at the main marketplace type websites (LUTS and Dollmore). And Having noticed the Dolkot will mark the value down (if you ask them to or is it they will mark down regularly unless you ask them to mark full price) and I really would like to get another Dolkot (Junior size) doll again...but am scared the package might get stuck in customs-whether it gets marked full price...or marked down. I went with Dollmore to get my White Kiss from Dolkot...and had no trouble with the package.

 

I will say this some companies will mark things down within reason. I know used places will mark down dolls since they are used items and saying "used doll 70,000 yen" well that's just more suspicious than it actually is.

 

I actually had to ask the company I am ordering my doll from if they do a mark down or not. I needed them not to do it if they were going to. It makes me nervous that my doll may brake or get lost and I wont be able to get a new one with little to no hassle. I was happy to hear that because of where I am ordering her from I will not have any issues with a need for markdown, and that there will be NO CUSTOMS FORMS! Yay for canadian companies.

Now on the same note but a bit different here is what I feel about this.

I deal in the My Little Pony world a lot. 1, as a customizer and dealing with huge customs worth lots and lots of money, and 2, dealing with REALLY RARE ponies.

I have and do sell both customs and my little pony for hundreds at times. I refuse to mark down the pony and often tell them I am adding ten dollars to it to make sure that the pony price is covered including shipping if something happens to it. I have had none of the people I ship too complain at ALL and that is good because I would not ship if they did complain.

Or I would send them information and make them promise to not blame me if something happens if I mark it down on there request.

I don't mind if the company wants me to mark the doll down to ship it back that is there choice, I will make sure they understand it is at there own risk that they ask me to do this, and I would make sure a copy of the receipts were scanned and emailed to them. This way I can say There I sent your issue now!

Cover your bases, paper trails are great and make duplicates.

 

My Mini Fee Shiwoo, a $427 doll, was marked $30 on his package.

I'm glad they do this because if they said it was like $400 then I'd have had to pay a lot more to get it.

And some people think it's weird to see a doll going for over $300, so I think by marking the parcel down, there's a better chance you'll get it unharmed, imo. If someone sees a huge price tag on it, they may just steal it. >_>;

 

In these situations, is it right for ANYONE, in any case, to be angry with the company?
In the event of paying import duty on a customs declaration, that is the sole responsibility of the purchaser and no-one has the right to be angry for having to pay duty, its the cost of living where they are. In the event of it arriving damaged and under valued, if its at the customers request tough luck, if it was voluntarily done by the company it should be pursued and backed up with a purchase slip.

Is it really proper to expect the company to put themselves out for you by marking the package down?
One can only ask, however you MUST be willing to accept the consequences, being if the package is damaged it is the purchasers responsibility. The company has EVERY right to refuse, if you don't like it go elsewhere!!

Why, in instances of the package being marked down by request, do people blame the resulting customs chaos on the company
This is totally inappropriate, there's no two ways about it, your request your responsibility!!

 

In Holland, when a package is marked as 'gift' and is more than $80 you'll have to pay taxes. If it's not marked as 'gift' a package of only $40 will be enough to make you pay.
When I bought my soo ri I had to pay $300 to customs (and I bought the doll for 450 dollars) so I figured that if customs was going to charge this much, and a company offers me to mark the value down, I'd go for it. I won't however ask for it. And even though I had to pay taxes for all my dolls I've bought so far, it was significantly less than the absurd amount I had to pay the first time.

However, I won't be angry with the company if something goes wrong.. it's not their fault. It's just silly. If you want to get angry with anyone, blame customs or yourself. On the other hand I don't think you're entitled to anger at all, custom charges are one of the more unpleasant parts of this hobby and something we'll have to deal with.

 

*laughs*

I'd have to say, a majority of my overseas customers ask me to mark down their doll shipments.
That's just a fact, whether it's admitted here or not. They also get a return label on their boxes with my personal name rather than that of my company's. We often giftwrap things.. every little bit helps! We're very lucky in the USA that we don't have customs taxes on dolls. I can get things from my partners in Korea, and then send them off to buyers without having to pass on import taxes to my customers.

The worst situation for us was when a customer in Europe (I will not name the country) threatened me after she'd bought the doll that: if she was contacted by her customs and had to pay tax, she'd refuse the shipment, have it sent back to me, and demand a full refund!

As if I had magical controls over her country's customs department : - ((

Catrina

 

Well, actually, since you live in the USA, you would not "have had to pay a lot more to get it." Dolls are specifically exempted from all customs duties in the US. Several people have referred to this higher up in the thread, and it's also been explained quite a few times in Buying and Shipping Qs.

The only exception is when an overseas seller ships a doll by FedEx, DHL, or another private shipping company. Many of those shippers charge a "brokerage fee" even for packages that are not subject to US customs duty. But that is not a charge made by US Customs--it's the private shipping company's own fee.

Also, considering how carefully EMS packages are tracked, I have to say that the chances of any EMS package being stolen on the way from a reputable company outside the US to a buyer inside the US are . . . hmmmm, what's smaller than nil?

 

I really don't see the point in doing that sort of thing. To get my bjd out of customs I had to give them a prove of exactly how much I paid and had to pay the respective taxes. Customs are not fooled by supposed gifts. If the package is reasonably large it's going to be opened. If the value is not declared or looks unlikely you have to prove how much you paid. If it's gift wrapped it's still going to be opened. There's no point in taking the risk.

I don't think it's right to ask a company to do that and if it's something you wanted, you're the one to blame if it goes wrong. Period.

I had no idea some companies declared such a low price for the dolls...they could at least keep it realistic

 

I don't want them too, but at first, before I knew the US wasn't charged, I wanted them too. But I can see why they do it. Usually they will to help customers, but still, it is wrong. People should just save up for the extra in taxes. I think it is wrong because normally you can't get these dolls in your country so there is no competing with a company there.

 

I'm curious to know if anyone's ever had a problem from the doll not being marked down; i.e. customs disbelieving the price and thinking it was an insurance scam.