Shipping to Europe?

[Peter Naglitsch]

I still *think* that you are the one responcible for the fraud if you state that it is a gift. I have to get that verified and I have no clue if you can be puniched in any way (sanction, black listing, whatever). Me personally have come to the understanding that any serious suplier refuse to call merchendise "gifts" or "spare parts free of charge" or something like that. It is in the end tha law that the customer should pay VAT and import taxes.

[the great waldo]

Hi Ken

Getting stuff from out of Europe into Europe can be prohibtively expensive. I´m in Austria where there is 20 % vat + 14% on average duty and thats on top of the item price as well as the postage, roughly 30% added to any order from the USA. The only way to send without getting to hammered is to send with a lower value reciept, I reckon about 40 dollars US normally gets stuff through without having to pay. Any ebay stuff gets the article number checked by the customs, they are getting savvy to all the main tricks. Sending separate small packages is also a way around paying to much duty on smaller items.

All the best

Andrew

[David Schwab]

I just got an email from a customer today from Europe that wants me to send his pickups as a gift. He never bought any pickups from me before, and he actually specifically states in both of his emails to me that he wants to avoid paying any tax.

I don't know, but my paranoia gland just hit hyperdrive. What do you think?
Me, I think I smell a rat.

I've done it a few times for people. The most recent, as I mentioned before, was marked as a gift and had a value of $45, as per his instructions.

Unfortunately it's gone missing at the moment, so hopefully it's in customs.

[ken]

I wish there was some kind of 'artisan' class of shipping that would let you ship
packages of less than $100 to Europe for the purpose of creating artworks.

Ken