Buyer refused item because of duty and taxes

[loml888]

Hi all...I sold a bass guitar to a buyer from the US, (I am in Canada) and when he received the guitar he was required to pay $60.00 more for Duty & Tax.  He then refused the item and emailed me saying it was more shipping charges and wants me to pay for it.  Not sure what to do next.  Is it not his responsibility to pay for Duty and tax, as I have always done so when I purchased from the US?

Thanks for any help.

loml888

[reallynicestamps · Accepted solution]

Is it not his responsibility to pay for Duty and tax,

Yes.

In fact eBay has a boilerplate statement about this.

Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility.
Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.

Add this to all your listings in the "Further Instructions" part of your shipping page.

Since the item is now on its way back to you, do nothing until it is received. Let your customer know this. Be polite. 

There is a record of attempted delivery, so you should be safe from an Item Not Received dispute. And eBay will remove any feedback that mentions the duty question.

Some sales are not worth having. Even if you get stuck with fees. Even if you have to pay Canada Post for the return.

If for some reason, you are charged duty or sales tax on the return you can reclaim it from CBSA.

Put the guy on your Blocked Bidder List.

[loml888]

Hi reallynicestamps...thanks so much for your help. As far as I know, the guitar is still being held at customs. Should I email him to let him know that it is his responsibility to pay for Duty & Taxes? If so, can you direct me to where it states that on Ebay's site so I can direct him to that statement? And I will from now on state this on all my listings.
Thanks again,
loml888