*JMHO* - to be taken with a grain of salt!
Sorry folks, just can't agree with the consensus on this one.
Marking it down as a gift when it is in fact a sale is tantamount to lying to customs. I just don't want to put myself, or my business, in that form of jeopardy.
Marking as a sale does not in any way change things at the other end. Duty no longer exists on sales to the USA because of FTA and NAFTA. And Don, marking it down as a reduced value also makes you a target of customs if a random inspection determines that your $5 item is really worth $500. If customs determines through a random inspection that you have deliberately made an effort to deceive them they can get pretty aggressive (nasty).
It really is no different than driving across the border and being less than truthful to a customs inspector at the crossing. You may think that it is a very inconsequential matter but, I can assure you, I have never met a customs inspector that didn't take their job very seriously. I have spent more than 30 years involved with import/export and I have done business with Canada Customs up close and personal. I even used to go to Expos ball games in Montreal years ago with a whole group of them from Ottawa.
I don't see a single benefit in marking it as a gift. No one can explain to me who really benefits from this deception and to what degree. On the other hand, from personal knowledge, I do know the potential consequences.
Marking it down as a gift when it is in fact a sale is tantamount to lying to customs. I just don't want to put myself, or my business, in that form of jeopardy.
Marking as a sale does not in any way change things at the other end. Duty no longer exists on sales to the USA because of FTA and NAFTA. And Don, marking it down as a reduced value also makes you a target of customs if a random inspection determines that your $5 item is really worth $500. If customs determines through a random inspection that you have deliberately made an effort to deceive them they can get pretty aggressive (nasty).
It really is no different than driving across the border and being less than truthful to a customs inspector at the crossing. You may think that it is a very inconsequential matter but, I can assure you, I have never met a customs inspector that didn't take their job very seriously. I have spent more than 30 years involved with import/export and I have done business with Canada Customs up close and personal. I even used to go to Expos ball games in Montreal years ago with a whole group of them from Ottawa.
I don't see a single benefit in marking it as a gift. No one can explain to me who really benefits from this deception and to what degree. On the other hand, from personal knowledge, I do know the potential consequences.
Antique French Tickler? Reminded me of a joke.
So this guy gets a job at an adult novelty store. He spends the first morning learning about the layout of the store, the stock room etc. At lunch time, his manager tells him they will take turns going for lunch so the store will not go unattended.
"Just do your best. There's prices on everything", said the manager, and he steps out for a quick lunch.
Not two minutes later, a lady comes in looking for a dildo. The new guy shows her the ones behind the counter, explaining they have black ones and white ones in small, medium and large. She chooses a small one. She pays $25, thanks him and leaves. His first sale!
Next, a lady comes in, also looking for a dildo. She looks over the selection, chooses a big one, pays $50 and leaves. Another satisfied customer!
Just then a big strapping lady comes in, looking for, you guessed it. He shows her the selection. "No, no, no. I want something BIG", she says. He shows her the biggest one he's got and still she is not happy. Then he reaches down under the counter and pulls out this huge plaid one and her eyes light up! Almost breathless, she pays $250 and leaves.
When the manager returns, he asks his new employee how things went while he was gone.
"Amazing!", said the salesguy. "I sold a small dildo for $25, a large one for $50 and I got $250 for my thermos!".
Oh yeah. I write gift on everything. No Biggie.
So this guy gets a job at an adult novelty store. He spends the first morning learning about the layout of the store, the stock room etc. At lunch time, his manager tells him they will take turns going for lunch so the store will not go unattended.
"Just do your best. There's prices on everything", said the manager, and he steps out for a quick lunch.
Not two minutes later, a lady comes in looking for a dildo. The new guy shows her the ones behind the counter, explaining they have black ones and white ones in small, medium and large. She chooses a small one. She pays $25, thanks him and leaves. His first sale!
Next, a lady comes in, also looking for a dildo. She looks over the selection, chooses a big one, pays $50 and leaves. Another satisfied customer!
Just then a big strapping lady comes in, looking for, you guessed it. He shows her the selection. "No, no, no. I want something BIG", she says. He shows her the biggest one he's got and still she is not happy. Then he reaches down under the counter and pulls out this huge plaid one and her eyes light up! Almost breathless, she pays $250 and leaves.
When the manager returns, he asks his new employee how things went while he was gone.
"Amazing!", said the salesguy. "I sold a small dildo for $25, a large one for $50 and I got $250 for my thermos!".
Oh yeah. I write gift on everything. No Biggie.
I mark down the value as the amount the customer paid. I normally just fill out the little green slips, and the choices are GIFT or SAMPLE (only the US slips have merchandise as a choice). Since my item is neither, I don't check anything.
Never any complaints, never any problems.
Never any complaints, never any problems.
I don't check either one, and for value I usually state NCV for No Commercial Value. I've never quite understood how the value can be what the bidder paid for an item -- sometimes it's the last piece the buyer needs to complete a set and he pays way more than he should! That's certainly not the true value -- just a lucky vendor!! Mind you, I'm selling old tokens and they really don't have a commercial value - the merchant that issued them is usually long gone, and just try using an old dairy token to get a bottle of milk at Safeway 😕
Glenda
Glenda
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