Import fees?

[sokioku]

I had recently bought a steelbook for the 2012 movie and to my surprise when paying there was a $12 import fee. Not only was it not in the description of the item listing but the seller was unaware of any import fees. The seller had checked their invoice and it wasn't there, however when I was paying it was.

Is this some sort of new eBay policy when buying from the USA? I'm very unhappy with eBay for this. This discourages me from buying from the USA since I'm unable to tell what auctions have import fees and which ones do not.

[heidilynn0_3]

Hi sokioku .. The only thing that US sellers know about other countries Customs regulations/charges is that they are not responsible for them , which is true . Always the buyer's responsibility as importer.

You are likely aware that we canadians are only allowed to import to $20 free of any duty and taxes.  By mail a good percentage slip through without the regulations being applied because of mail volume.

So what has changed.. Ebay now has a new Global Shipping Program and some sellers are signing on. Import duty/taxes are being charged at checkout rather than paying(or not) on delivery.

How to know..check the top part of any listing under shipping.

Will now see..import charges..To be provided at checkout ? click ? for details.

[karl*katz]

Your seller must have used the new global shipping program which is explained here.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/shipping-globally.html

[sokioku]

Okay so I clicked on the ? beside the shipping and it does indeed say GSP but it also says that those fees should be included in the price until checkout.

Doesn't that mean that I shouldn't have had to pay for the full $14 shipping and $12 import fees? It should have been included in the price right?

[sokioku]

Also in that link it also says: You'll see an estimate of the international shipping charges and any import charges in the item listing.

Which was not there at all. It just showed up at checkout, and that is why it bothers me. (my mistake for making a comment as an answer btw)

[heidilynn0_3]

Import charges are separate and in addition to listing item price and cost of shipping.

This is a new program and i will avoid for now.  Detailed cost should be visible prior to committing.

[sokioku]

The only thing in the auction that said anything about the global shipping program was the question mark beside priority shipping which says: This amount includes seller specified US shipping charges as well as applicable international shipping, handling, and other fees. This amount is subject to change until you make payment. For additional information, see the Global Shipping Program terms and conditions

It didn't say anything about import fees or how much. I never had to pay for import fees on anything under $150. Now because of this program I'm forced to. I'm not happy with this hidden fee. Unfortunately there was no detail import cost in the auction before committing to buy. Seller was kind enough to suggest cancelling the order but since I wanted it I bought it anyway. I'll be more careful what I buy from now on.

I appreciate the answers. I'll leave this open for further answers for a little while longer just in case more info can be shared.

[femmefan1946]

I never had to pay for import fees on anything under $150.
Then you were lucky. Canadians, as heidi stated above, are responsible for applicable duty and tax on any imports valued over $20. For more weeping and wailing about this, see the loooooong thread on UPS charges.
Here is the boilerplate eBay has been supplying to sellers to protect them against unwarranted feedback from irresponsible buyers.
 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.

I'm not happy with this hidden fee.
It's not hidden. It is stated on the listing although you do have to read the alert, and is printed on the invoice before you pay.

I agree it is a dumb move for a "buyer friendly" venue. Perhaps when a few thousand sellers complain that they have refunded and cancelled international sales to unhappy buyers, eBay will reconsider.

[sokioku]

The thing is, it was hidden. Like I said in earlier posts, there was nothing that said there would be import fees. The priority shipping was cut in half from what I thought priority shipping would cost, however there was nothing that said there would be an import fee.

There was the question mark beside the shipping that does say there may be other fees but most people don't click on that. It should have been in the shipping details tab which it wasn't. Therefore it WAS hidden.

It wasn't a big deal however it did irritate me because it was a fee I wasn't expecting to pay. And now when I go into an auction I know to click the question mark and if it says GSP then I know what to expect.

[kevinstav]

I also was confused by these ""Import fees" $11.00 extra on a $60.00 purchase . seems as though people are trying to capitalize on the U.P.S. brokerage fee scam which I refuse to buy into any longer buy only buying from u.s. sellers who use U.S.P.S.  If I get charged extra duty on this item on delivery my feedback will reflect. And I agree it seemed as a " hidden fee" .

[jacobsladder1969]

Come on ebay is not making enough money, think after all said and done with listing fees pay pal charges and exchange rates they must only be making 40% of the purchase prices

[stephan14]

I will not purchase from any seller who has the import charges. Most of the time it will cost less and ship faster when bought in Canada. If not China... as for the Us no more deals for Canadians. Too bad 😞

[femmefan1946]

Come on ebay is not making enough money, think after all said and done with listing fees pay pal charges and exchange rates they must only be making 40% of the purchase prices

This fee does not go to eBay. It goes to PitneyBowes, a company that for many decades has managed to persuade businesses that it is a good idea to pay an extra fee to them for the privilege of printing out postage in the office instead of buying stamps from the Post Office.

Apparently eBay hires from the same pool of brainiacs who fell for that one.

[doomrulz]

These mandator import charges are so ridiculous I can't even begin to comprehend them. I was about to bid on a set of action figures that cost $207 CAD with a reasonable shipping price of $28. The import charge?

$70.69!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you kidding me with this, eBay?!! when did you become so lame???

[dshabby]

These import fees are a farce. Many sporting goods made in the USA are now duty free when shipped to Canada. Recently bought a putter made in the USA and had to pay the import duty....total bull. Ebay should have to check the NAFTA agreement and for Ebay.ca, they should be extra diligent to make sure that sellers are not charging items with import fees that should not be charged as many customers will be Canadian. This is fraud as far as I am concerned. I have no problem paying this fee where and when it applies properly, but for items that are suppose to be duty free and have this fee attached to it.......its fraud.

[supraguy777]

This is a total scam, cash grab by ebay, as if it wasn't already bad enough that the ebay sellers gouge Canadian's on shipping charges, now ebay wants in on the action with these BS import fee's?? Where does this money go anyway, into ebay's pocket I assume. I was just looking at an auction where the listing price is $60, shipping to USA is $8, shipping to Canada is $20 PLUS $20 ebay import fee, so that's $100 for a Canadian buyers and $68 for USA buyers, a $32 punishment. So much for free trade.

Ebay had better rethink this policy, I've been on ebay since 2000, 13 years and I'm ready to close my account. Bloody ridiculous! May as well buy retail and forget Ebay.

[decontrol204]

Not everything is shipped with ups femmefan1946 and when did eBay tell you personally that pb takes the import fees? This is a total eBay money grab....I will avoid ALL auctions that require you to pay an import fee. I've never paid for import fees on any of my buys, just make sure its shipped USPS and there's NO silly fees.

[moj60moj]

Now I feel like an idiot. I ordered a used camera worth of $1550 while I thought I found a decent price on eBay, I was totally unaware of any import charges.Today postman came to my door with a $210 CAD custom fee!! 

Initially I thought it was the seller who didn't mentioned these fees but I found out he wasn't aware of these either. I was thinking if he wouldn't stick the ebay receipt on box( and instead write "for repair" + my address) they probably wouldn't find out its a taxable good and I might have be able to get away from this hidden fee!  

[haugh-780]

Most of my dealing is for Hobby items from the US to CAN. Basically there is free trade between our country's
so why do some vendors force a prospective buyer to be penalized by these additional customs and import
charges?? Why do I smell a money grab for e-Bay?

[femmefan1946]

These are not new charges.

Canada sets the limit for imports at $20. Any item imported that costs $20 or more, sent through Canada Post is supposed to have a $10 service charge plus your provincial sales tax (from 5% to 15%) plus any duty. The duty applies to the place of manufacture, not to the place of purchase, so forget NAFTA right now.

And, yes, this does apply to used goods.

If your shipper had used UPS or another courier, that $10 service charge would be called "customs brokerage", would start around $25, and commercial shippers ALWAYS charge this. There are archived threads about this that are thousands of posts and several years long.

Canada Post has been notoriously lax about charging these fees, taxes and duties. As a result, many buyers have never been charged the money they are actually legally required to pay for imports.

The new Global Shipping Program is run for eBay by PitneyBowes, the company that has persuaded many corporations to pay a premium for postage that they could just as easily buy at the Post Office for 10 to 20% less. Slick.

PB operates like the couriers, but the service charge appears to be much lower. We don't have enough reports to be sure yet, but apparently it either starts around $5 or is a fixed $5 service charge. Plus of course sales tax and duty as applicable. And like other couriers, they are charging and collecting the fees, taxes and duty. And remitting those taxes and duty to the Canadian government.

The big difference is that this must be paid before the transaction is completed and the parcel shipped. Before these charges were collected on your doorstep and the parcel would not be turned over until they were paid.

You can ask your seller, before bidding, how he plans to ship. The least expensive is First Class International Parcel, I understand. And I believe that this now offers Delivery Confirmation, which nervous sellers want since it protects them against bogus non-delivery claims. If you know the approximate dimensions of your potential purchase, check them against the USPS rates.