Reclaiming Customs fees?

[Vakamadisk]

Hey everybody,

When I received a shipment of TFs in the mail, the parcel contained the infamous random customs charge. My carrier told me that it's possible to reclaim the fee that was charged to me for the international shipment. All I have to do is fill out a form on the back of the duties label.

I am doubtful that customs would pay me back, though. Why would they make that an option? It doesn't really make sense. Wouldn't the government be losing money?

Still, I am curious about this. Has anyone tried reclaiming their money from customs? If so, does it work?

Thanks.

[Larkhainan]

so do you also not believe in tax refunds and credits?

edit: anyway to put some content into this, yes you can but I haven't done it in years so someone more experienced on the forums may know better than me. all the times I've ordered TFs I haven't been dinged.

[herooftheday316]

I did it once a FEW years ago.
Bought some DVDs for 50$ and the guy put the value at 200$ (wtf!?!?!) so I got hit with a 60$ fee on a 50$ purchase.
I basically ripped off the paper from the box with the custom charges on it and sent it, proof of purchase and value and a letter explaining. I received a refund. Not a complete refund but the difference for the extra price I had to pay due to the evaluated value on the claim.

Besides that, I don't remember any detail
-Mike
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VAPORIZERINFO.COM

[Deemar]

I can't imagine why they would pay you anything back, you're paying for them to inspect your imported packages so that nothing illegal enters the country. That's what you are supposed to pay for and that's what you did pay for, there's nothing to claim. You received the service you paid for.

What you can claim is any taxes (besides GST) that you might have paid. I had to pay HST on some computer parts I bought once and had planned on getting my PST money back but never bothered. That's how they get you.

[TTT]

Yes, fill out the back of the Customs form & only ask back for what you were overcharged, include an invoice or if it was eBay a print off of the auction to prove what you paid.

Originally Posted by Deemar

I can't imagine why they would pay you anything back, you're paying for them to inspect your imported packages so that nothing illegal enters the country. That's what you are supposed to pay for and that's what you did pay for, there's nothing to claim. You received the service you paid for.

That's not how it works, they can only charge him tax(and a handling fee) on the exact amount that he spent on the item in question. If he spent $50.00 and the value was declared @ $200 then he is paying tax on $200 for a $50.00 item/sale(4X the tax he actually owes).
The tax that he paid on the extra $150 he is entitled to get that back in full.

This is exactly why I ask people not to check it off as a gift, if you ask for any back they tell you to go pound sand unless you can prove it was a gift.

[herooftheday316]

Originally Posted by TTT

Yes, fill out the back of the Customs form & only ask back for what you were overcharged, include an invoice or if it was eBay a print off of the auction to prove what you paid.




That's not how it works, they can only charge him tax(and a handling fee) on the exact amount that he spent on the item in question. If he spent $50.00 and the value was declared @ $200 then he is paying tax on $200 for a $50.00 item/sale(4X the tax he actually owes).
The tax that he paid on the extra $150 he is entitled to get that back in full.

This is exactly why I ask people not to check it off as a gift, if you ask for any back they tell you to go pound sand unless you can prove it was a gift.

That was exactly what happened in my case. In the case of plastic toys, there are no "duties" only taxes and it should be the equivalent of sales tax (of note, according to the Canadian border guard who charged me for toys I was bringing back from the US, you have to factor the shipping charge into the price they are going to tax you at). If you have been overcharged you can claim. If you haven't been overcharged, they won't give you anything back

-Mike
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Vapormatic Deluxe Instructions

[Bruticus82]

Relevant older thread:

http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=3695

[pulsedragon20]

I've done it before because the seller declared my package was worth $200 but in reality, I only paid $150. Just fill out the back of the form and provide proof (credit card statement, paypal, ebay invoice) of how much YOU paid....then wait 4-8 weeks or so

[Vakamadisk]

Thanks for all of the feedback I understand how this works. It is not a simple "refund the whole customs charge" deal--that would not have made any sense. Now I know the importance of the declared value section on a parcel. Thanks again for the help.

[Batman]

I don't mind paying customs fees really, but what makes me really angry is when they charge you the extra cash after holding onto it for 10 business days. Bastards.