Reducing item value to avoid high customs taxes risks

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FRZ

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If I want to send an item I sold overseas to a person who requested I lower the declared value to avoid high duties charges, what are my risks? I know paypal won't cover me for an unauthorized use charge back, but the buyer is internationally verified and has a decent amount of feedback. Any tips?
 
I believe that doing what you're describing is actually illegal.

I know that it's illegal for someone on eg eBay's HK side to declare the item you bought there as a low-value gift, and ship it to you in the US as such, when it's not actually a low-value gift. It's tax evasion or something like that.

That said, I am *not* a lawyer (FWIW my mother is a retired attorney but not in that field) so you might want to talk to one about this.

Personally... I wouldn't do it. Not worth the risk.
 
If I want to send an item I sold overseas to a person who requested I lower the declared value to avoid high duties charges, what are my risks? I know paypal won't cover me for an unauthorized use charge back, but the buyer is internationally verified and has a decent amount of feedback. Any tips?

Sounds like an A+, number 1 scam you've gotten yourself into...
 
Dont do it.
He saves money, you take the risk and its not a small offence.
If he wants to do you over, you wont dare do anything about it.
Not worth it, he pays properly or ditch the sale.
 
Bad mamba jamba, bad joo-joo

RED - RED - RED ALERT

DANGER WILL ROBINSON, DANGER!
 
Whenever I buy from overseas ebay users or Meritline the declaration on the front is always something like $1.00 computer part. They can probably afford to get busted once in a while though.
 
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everybody does what your buyer is asking...DMV deals with this all day every day


but now you went and blabbed about it in the internet, this will go in your permanent file and you will have a room reserved at Guantanamo bay

cheers
 
everybody does what your buyer is asking...DMV deals with this all day every day


but now you went and blabbed about it in the internet, this will go in your permanent file and you will have a room reserved at Guantanamo bay

cheers

Shoot I have to leave the country now :(
 
#1 issue is if you insure the item, if you declare the item for a lower value than the customs declaration, well, obvious red flag - and the carrier won't cover the insurance claim should the need arise to use it.

If the buyer isn't willing to pay the customs tariffs, then the buyer doesn't really need the item. That's my take on it.

International shipping is such a pain in the ass for this and many reasons, along with increasing the ease of being able to get scammed as a seller, it's one of the reasons I avoid international sales at all costs.
 
everybody does what your buyer is asking...DMV deals with this all day every day


but now you went and blabbed about it in the internet, this will go in your permanent file and you will have a room reserved at Guantanamo bay

cheers

LOL :)

Issue with this, if you mark it lower price, will be insured for less. And if item gets damaged or lost, it will rise a conflict. Buyer will turn on you and dispute it.
 
"Technically" it's illegal, but it's the buyer's problem should the authorities in the destination's country realize the value written on the parcel is bogus, and trust me, they won't care if the buyer says "but it's not my fault, it's the seller who did that", they hear those kinds of excuses every single day that they dismiss them immediately.
If you plan on insuring it, then yeah, no point in declaring a lower value. If not, then you should do a background check on the country the buyers lives in (as in how problematic customs are over there and stuff like that, a lot of information about that matter can be found on ebay reviews and such). If it's all fine and no issues, then there's virtually no reason not to do it for the buyer right after all the possible complications are explained to them (given of course that the buyer is a solid trader when it comes to feedback score).
 
IANAL so take this with a grain of salt, but in my eyes, it's not really your problem. Worst thing to happen is it gets seized over there until he pays the proper taxes (not sure if there's a penalty added on.)
 
if u got paid and the item will have no problems (hopefully)

lower the price is his problem and dealin with customs. When people ask me to do this I say after it leaves the US its your problem. I even got a video into the russian federation where i thought it would be surely lost.
 
I always do that..jus say it's worth $10-$20 or something
Buddy of mine got a bunch of GPUs from Admin..had to pay almost 1/2 what the cards were worth in
levies or whatever.
PS: don't listen to some of the derpwads.
ZOMY..illegal! ZOmy! not covered. .. bwahahahaha
I bet you dorps don't ship 1/5 of the stuff I do. :p
Dorps:"Make sure people have to pay the government tons of money for nothing."
:p
 
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@schmuckley: you can't ship from a jail cell AFAIK, and if the court orders you to pay a huge fine, you'd damn well better hope you can pay it real quick like. Not to mention how hard it is to get a job if you've a record. Don't tell me that I have to experience it to prove it, either -- that's bullshit. I've heard the stories and seen the numbers enough for myself. You don't believe me? Too bad.

You can take the risk if you want, but don't tell me to, because I don't want you laughing me all the way to The Big House for tax evasion or mail fraud or whatever. I am profoundly disinterested in becoming a statistic -- and, while I'm not the OP, I rather suspect that they'd say the same.

See, your risk is *your* risk. Do it on your own, get caught, buck stops with you, that's it, done. But: if you start telling other people to take that same risk, and if they get caught doing the wrong thing, you share the responsibility, at least a little, because you got them going that way. They walked that path because you told them it was cool. You're now an accomplice to that bad deed -- morally, even if not legally. You helped make it happen, so you share the blame. Understand?
 
Here's the law, OP, decide for yourself if it's worth it to you.

13 U.S.C. § 305
That's Title 13, Section 305 of the United States Code (aka Federal Law), entitled "Penalties for Unlawful Export Information Activities".

Looks like some pretty hefty stuff to me, but like I said, make up your own mind.
 
I always do that..jus say it's worth $10-$20 or something
Buddy of mine got a bunch of GPUs from Admin..had to pay almost 1/2 what the cards were worth in
levies or whatever.
PS: don't listen to some of the derpwads.
ZOMY..illegal! ZOmy! not covered. .. bwahahahaha
I bet you dorps don't ship 1/5 of the stuff I do. :p
Dorps:"Make sure people have to pay the government tons of money for nothing."
:p

This. If you listen to most here, lowering the declared value will get you 25 to life in Club Fed.

Reality: Feds don't give a damn about your little package, they have bigger issues.
 
Breaking Federal Law - Thread closed.
 
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