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

HI

What's your source for this info? I have problems with this too. I just mailed an item to Australia and I insured & put the actual amount on the form. I didn't want the lady to pay but didn't know about the 1,000.00 limit.

Also on USA outgoing customs what about including a small gift? I usaully ship a small gift with the item. US customs forms only have one spot to check, so if I check gift that includes the whole package!?!

 

In these situations, is it right for ANYONE, in any case, to be angry with the company?

NO. I may not have a strong "side" on a lot of things but this is one thing I am sure of. It is not the fault of the company if a person gets taxed or can only claim a small amount when the company undermarks a package IF they asked them to under mark the package. It was a choice made by the buyer when s/he made the decision to ask the company to undermark the package so s/he should live with the consequences of his/her choice.

It is also the same for the company. If they decide to agree and risk undermarking the package, they should not complain to the buyer if there were any complications that happened on their side (e.g. Banning or fines) because they were the ones who made the choice to risk it.

Is it really proper to expect the company to put themselves out for you by marking the package down?

No, it is not proper to expect that they will but it is okay to request. If they do decide to, then it is because they were nice enough to risk themselves for the (more or less) good of the buyer. They are not obligated to do it.

Why, in instances of the package being marked down by request, do people blame the resulting customs chaos on the company?

I really don't understand this myself.

 

I wish I could do that, but as a person who isn't even an adult legally yet, and with no support from actual adults, and little knowledge of the matter, unfortunately I cannot. ><
I will definitely do it when I am older though! Currently I'd be too shy to attempt such a thing.

 

I guess one could argue that they company should just make sure the package is packed to indestructability and then send it out marked down so they don't have to pay customs taxes and their doll doesn't get destroyed in shipment.

I personally don't mind paying the taxes and would rather have the actual value reflected on the declaration b/c God-forbid if something happens and I have to file a claim, I would need something to show for the entire value.

 

It is far easier to blame someone else on the other side of the world for a screw up, than climb down from your own pedestal and admit your own part in the chaos. People just don't like to admit that they were wrong so, even if Person A asks Company B to mark down the parcel and Importer C loses the parcel, Person A will blame Importer C for losing the parcel, and when Person A can't claim back the full value, they will blame Company B for agreeing to put the smaller value down in the first place.

It's not fair, but there isn't a person alive who hasn't blamed someone else for something that is just as easily their fault too!

 

This is a very interesting thread and one that is close to my heart for 2 reasons.
Reason 1- I have been buying dolls etc from the states for approx 8 years, i live in the uk, i ALWAYS ask the doll to be marked down, some will do it others wont. With one particular ebayer who has a store on ebay.com became a firm friend i bought dolls to the value of around $600-$700 every month for 2 years as i was a reborner, she marked the packages very low, under $40, these boxes were huge and heavy as there was usually 6 dolls in each! Never would i have come back to her to complain had the dolls got damaged or went missing and i would\'nt complain to anyone else either, i accept full responsibility as i asked them to mark the items down, as far as i am concerned the risk is all mine. In 8 years of buying and having things marked down never once has an item gone missing nor been damaged.
Reason 2-
I used to work for parcelforce here in the uk, both on the track and with customs themselves. we recieved sll mail and packages from usps, here is what i know for a fact, the parcels are unloaded on to tracks, they are scanned to determine many factors, one of them being declared value, high value packages go off and are sorted into one pile ready to be inspected and charged by customs, the lower value enter the main track to be sorted by the workers, every evening for approx an hour, several customs guys would come onto the track and randomly check the low value packages, that is to say, they never open them, merely look at the value and the declared contents then send them on their way to be loaded and delivered, very rarely they would send the odd box down to their own track to investigate further,they do not have the time and resources to check EVERY parcel that comes in, they are far more interested in finding contraban than expensive dolls so are more stringent and dilligent with packages from some countries, usa, hong kong, Japan are not countries of concern on the whole. The chances of getting an underinsured doll seized by customs is miniscule, you stand more chance of winning the lottery 3 times in a row! Doll could go missing, with tracking number this should\'nt happen, it may get lost somewhere in the hub and if your really unlucky stolen by a worker, but with that number it should always show last location, again this not infammable. Doll could get damaged, as long as its securely wrapped it really shouldnt . There are risks, but they are very small risks, its up to each individual to decide but you have to accept responsibility if anything goes wrong, its not fair to blame the other side.

 

Well I'd never ask a doll company to mark it down. If I had to pay extra for customs, so be it. It's a cost you should factor in prior to making your purchase. Likewise I don't markdown sent out packages unless it is requested by the buyer. In anycase there's this huge clause that my country's postal system will only pay up to something ridiculous like $50 in case of damage of the items unless you insure it or send it by EMS. So yeah T_T.

 

Are these horrorstories only when you order from companies directly? I ordered through ebay, does it go through customs in the same way or does it work in a different way?

 

I never really ask for it. Ive only ever ordered from LUTS and they always just put a lower worth on it. Once I got caught and they wanted to see the invoice.. that sure was a scare X_X

though since I do realize that this is the law.. so now I always keep enough money aside just incase I DO get caught.. so then it isnt a big deal... and If I dont get caught.. hey I saved some money!

 

Luts asked me to mark the head I was returning at $30. Admittedly, it wasn't sold separately of the body so there was no actual price for it on the website but I imagine that it might have been worth more than that somehow. O.o;

 

This is a really big topic for me so I'm glad it's in the debate. I am personally disgusted by customs fees on dolls. I think America is really lucky to be exempt.
I have three dolls and none of them have been caught by customs luckily. That's not to say I haven't paid customs on things. I once ordered a t shirt and jumper from America and it got stopped by customs. I had to pay $14 extra to take it home, plus I had to go get it myself rather than have it delivered (isn't that why I pay postage?) Anyway the charge was a 'handling fee', for handling a package I had to get on the bus, go all the way to the office for, fork out money for something I've already paid for then get the bus back home, which isn't free either. It's outrageous! How would I get a doll home, a huge box like that on the bus?

My boy that will be shipping in the next few weeks will be coming from a company that does not mark down prices and he's my most expensive doll. I know it will be a ridiculous amount if he does get stopped. It's quite likely as a lot of people in europe have been stopped at this point in time.

In these situations, is it right for ANYONE, in any case, to be angry with the company?
I don't believe so. The company is doing it to protect you and themselves. I blame the government.

Is it really proper to expect the company to put themselves out for you by marking the package down?
I don't 'expect' them to but I'd really prefer it, though I wouldn't never ask them to do that.

Why, in instances of the package being marked down by request, do people blame the resulting customs chaos on the company?
I have no idea, they are mad they have to pay out more money for something that is already considered expensive I guess.

 

I live in the US so I don't get charged the customs fees so I want them to mark it full value in case it gets lost, but they don't for the most part.

 

Personally, I would never ask a company to mark the value of my packages down. When I ordered my first doll, I did research on custom charges and read all the horror stories about UK customs, so I did worry that my doll would get caught and I'd have to pay a lot of money. I wasn't happy with it, but I figured it was the law basically and that I had to pay those charges if my doll got caught.

Dream of Doll automatically marked down the value for both my dolls without me asking though, which makes me wonder if they're aware of the ridiculously high custom charges here in the UK.

I guess, in the end, if my doll and items get to me in one piece then I wouldn't mind if a company marked down items automatically. So far so good - all my items have arrived in perfect condition. I'm touching wood that none of the stuff I order ever goes astray, I would definitely be irked, to put it mildly, if the doll company marked the missing package's value down without asking first and I'm only able to claim whatever amount they wrote on the custom's form.

 

I just recieved my msd, the company would not mark her down so i figured id take a chance, theres always a chance a high value item will sail through witout charges, unfortunately not this time on a $385 doll i paid £73 charges, eeeek! Good old england!Never again, if they wont mark it down i wont buy!

 

Here I'll give you a mock up of what you can do:

Item: Price:
(1) SD sized head $100
Gift No monetary value

If you wrap it in a seprate thing and label it as gift there should be no problem.
Though if you do mark the "gift" in the little box, that does apply for the whole thing. With personal selling I don't see anything wrong in it, it's still insured for the same amount, if insurance is applied. And if there are customs I think it would make it lower a little bit, not sure about that though.....

 

Same. I am legally old enough, but any legal proceedings I start will inevitably get relayed to my folks, who will subsequently discover that not only did I spend $600 on a doll, I had to spend over $100 on the fees to clear her from Customs.

I wouldn't be confident to know where I stand and challenge a big corp like PF.

 

@__@ Its veiws like this that i really dont understand. "If they wont mark it down i wont buy"? Why? I mean, sure, its a lot of money to toss out in addition to the doll's price, but its your goverments custom fees. You--or more specifically the doll company-- can get in legal trouble for customs avoidance. And god forbid if something happened to the doll in transit! Marked down packages don't have full insurance. So like, say your 500$ doll gets broken in transit, and you are deliverd a smashed box or something, then its the postal system's fault and they will reimburse you....for the posted price...which, if marked down, oh, they could give you like 80$ and you lose a lot more money than if you paid the customs fees.


I might be biased since i dont ahve to pay them where i live, but crap, man, i'd just take it as a given in the total cost of the doll--or ANYTHING i imported. @_@;;;

 

From the other side of the coin, because I got charged even more than Molly1, it is upsetting to have to pay so much more when you have already spent a lot on a doll.

Value Added Tax (or VAT) is usually 17.5% of the value of the item, this VAT percentage stands for most items bought and sold within the UK and I think charging VAT on an imported item is fair, particularly with dolls as the resale of a doll will be VAT free within the UK and a one off payment to the Government of 17.5% is negligible.

This is the most common fee. HMRC will sometimes charge a customs fee and import duty. In addition, if Parcelforce is the courier for your doll, you will get charged £8-£13.50 for the privilege of them paying your customs fees (which is an unsolicited service and is therefore actually illegal) and delivering your parcel late

Most people I have spoken to have no problem with paying the customs duty...but resent the fact that if they do not pay Parcelforce, they will not get their parcel, even though they will have paid shipping in FULL. This Parcelforce clearance fee pushes the HMRC fee up and had I not been charged ransom for my doll, I would have had to pay a more manageable £60.

I personally don't believe in asking companies and sellers to mark down their items, I would feel like I had jinxed my parcel even before it was sent, even after having to pay £90-odd quid for the privilege of getting my girl, but I know the anxiety of someone who has saved and saved for this doll, only to get stung once the doll has got home, particularly if you have had other things sail through customs without even a sniff.

 

It's you not the sender that is legally responsible for ensuring a package coming into the UK is marked at the correct value. I'd dig the link out to the customs website but I'm sure I've linked it in this thread before.

Regarding not buying because you might get hit by customs: Unfortunately it's a part of the hobby for owners who live in countries that levy taxes for the importation of goods in the form of VAT and customs taxes. All I can suggest is putting money aside when you buy a doll on the off chance you'll get caught out, if you don't then hurrah, you've got some money tucked away to spoil your doll with. ^^
It's just a fact of life here, you shouldn't let that ruin your enjoyment of the hobby, rather educate yourself about the law and why they're charging you that money and you wont be taken by surprise by it next time.

 

Yup the fees drive me mad, and Parcelfarce then wapping on a charge for the pleasure of it is really annoying, but I just have to swallow it. It's all part of it, I knew about customs when I got into the hobby and tough on me really.

In December the customs allowance is going up anyway, I think we'll be allowed £103 before we get taxed so thats good