Question Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA in Member To Member Support DO NOT DELETE

BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

thesilverguy — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 23:06:55 GMT

Just thought I would put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard about this). I bought a pack of 200gm Trinadaian spice powder from a seller in India listed with free postage so on the spur of the moment while buying my usual ground curry spice from our usual source bought one of these to try for £15.14 pence. It has actually cost me £15.50 EXTRA in import duty, VAT and EXTORTIONATE FEDEX fees of £12.00.

Anyone else come across this total rip off before. I spoke to ebay with my concerns saying that this should be stated clearly on the listing and the usual withering response was NOT INTERESTED. Spoke to the seller and got the usual "I not understanding what you say scenario"

I dont mind paying the vat and import duty of about £2.50 but the £12.00 fee from fedex is an insult and my business will not be using FEDEX again.

ANYONE ELSE COME ACROSS THIS.

I cant understand why the guy used fedex and not the post

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

captain*obvious — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 06:22:52 GMT

It's called an advancement fee.

Fed-Ex charge it because they employ their own clearance staff to clear items through UK customs.

They do it to expedite delivery and whilst you have to pay it to get your item, you can get it back with a correctly worded email.

This page contains a draft email that has been deployed with considerable success in the four years since it was first published.

The seller isn't at fault, fed-ex is a reasonable choice for someone sending something from India.

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

papso22 — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 08:23:00 GMT

Does it work for other couriers too?

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

thesilverguy — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 09:21:44 GMT

Many thanks captain. Still cant see the need to use fedex for sush a low value item though. India do have a reasonable postal system

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

redwick1 — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 09:25:48 GMT

Goods Over £15 bought from outside the EU you pay VAT plus a fee to the delivery company (RM was £8). If over £135 you also pay Customs Duty.

As the importer of the goods you are responsible for paying the customs or taxes for your own country.

It is nothing to do with the seller.

When you buy an item overseas then it says on the listing that you may occur other charges

If you do not pay then the item will go back to the seller and you lose your ebay money back guarantee so would be without the goods or the money.

Go to the Gov.uk and check out the import fees

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

thesilverguy — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 09:30:41 GMT

You are missing the point redwick and if you read the letter that is in the link sent by captain you will see the problem. I dont have a problem paying any due tax as have been doing so all my life. At no point was I told I would owe a £12.00 "CLEARANCE FEE". The goods were just delivered to me and then I got the bill 2 weeks afterwards so I did not get the chance to refuse the delivery nor to send back. Its a fedex rip off

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

redwick1 — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 10:54:30 GMT

It may be a ripoff but it says you are responsible for any import duties.
The charges are import duties tax and courier fees which with RM was £8 last time I checked but could have gone up by now.
It was strange that you received your item before the bill was paid as RM would not have delivered unless you had paid

If you had known the price and refused the item then you would have invalidated your money back guarantee.

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

thesilverguy — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 14:42:01 GMT

As I said I dont mind paying the import duty and vat which total about £3.00. I object to paying a "clearance fee" that no one told me about and at the end of the day its only a piece of paper that gets stamped. As I already said its a FEDEX rip off. I have actually paid this fee before without realising what it actually was on a couple of items that cost a couple of hundred pounds so it sort of gets lost in the larger figures. When the fees are more than the curry powder that I bought cost which incidentally was pretty poor anyway it is a different kettle of fish. Thanks for the input anyway but the best piece of advice was the first comment that had a link to a standard complaint letter to fedex but that seems to have dissapeared?

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

thesilverguy — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 14:49:04 GMT

P.S. To add to my last comment have just realised that the spice powder at £15.19 is a rather odd price but it does of course then entitle FEDEX to charge the "advancement fee" of £12.00. Maybe FEDEX offer free postage to sellers in India and then charge us £12.00 to offset?? UMMM Food for thought there but still quite bland

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

thesilverguy — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 13:38:01 GMT

JUST TO CLARIFY HOW THIS ENDED. The original answer to my post mysteriously dissapeared but in it was a link to a standard complaint letter to fedex or could be used to send to any shipping agent about the fees. I sent the letter off and the fee was immediatley waived so all I had to pay was the couple of pounds import duty. I actually think that shippers may offer sellers in India a free postage service and then make up their money with this "CLEARANCE FEE". This again would explain why the item was delivered to me and then I got a bill 2 weeks after

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

arkwebus — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 14:52:22 GMT

@thesilverguy

You have been lucky/persistent! All clearance agents charge a fee for their service. Royal Mail charges £8. Certainly all the [highly experienced] posters who answer questions on this board know of it and expect it!

It gets worse now that the new EU arrangements are in force. The £15 waiver is gone it seems so that an item at £5 will get £1 VAT and £8 clearance.

Re: BUYING AN ITEM FROM INDIA

thesilverguy — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 15:09:15 GMT

Thats just more opportunity to sell stuff if you are prepared to lay out
on a bulk lot and sell small quantities as only one clearance fee