simzger Posted May 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Declare it "fashion jewelry" - however that translates in to German. (That also translates in to "junk" in English, ) Tell them you paid 50 Euros or so. Then if it gets seized, contact your dealer. Though I am surprised there is no declaration on the parcel by the sender. Try to find out how it was valued by the sender. My $0.02. hello chief that's the thing. DHL faxed my friend a copy of the invoice that was enclosed. it was declared as 1 plastic watch (sample) worth $30. but dhl circled all these things with pencil....the "$30", the "1 x watch"....the country of origin "china".... so it was declared. but DHL still came back to the receiver. why is that? thanks simzger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeromatic Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 hello chief that's the thing. DHL faxed my friend a copy of the invoice that was enclosed. it was declared as 1 plastic watch (sample) worth $30. but dhl circled all these things with pencil....the "$30", the "1 x watch"....the country of origin "china".... so it was declared. but DHL still came back to the receiver. why is that? thanks simzger this is what sellers there do for there benefit to lower the insurance/parcel fees customs and carriers should know this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simzger Posted May 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 this is what sellers there do for there benefit to lower the insurance/parcel fees customs and carriers should know this so in other words, DHL just does not believe what it says on the invoice? i could just call DHL (so there is no written documents sent to them) and say: everything was correct the way it says on the invoice, it's one watch and its $30. or should i tell them its 5 watches and worth $150? the thing is: i do not want to get my friend in germany in trouble. so if i get him to declare the stuff, isn't it like if he would admit that he ordered the stuff? and there would be written proof. and when the customs then open it, he gets into trouble if they find replica watches? what would be the worst thing that can happen to him? simzger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 I would be as unspecific as possible. No quantities. "Fashion jewelry", $30. Then see what happens. My gut says if they haven't ripped it open to see what's in side yet, they're not going to do so after you give them this description. I could, of course, be wrong though. But if you do this, then as I see it, you will have been consistent with the shipper's customs declaration, and so if anything gets seized, your dealer who has guaranteed delivery should reship in multiple packages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vafarmer70 Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 I would be as unspecific as possible. No quantities. "Fashion jewelry", $30. Then see what happens. My gut says if they haven't ripped it open to see what's in side yet, they're not going to do so after you give them this description. I could, of course, be wrong though. But if you do this, then as I see it, you will have been consistent with the shipper's customs declaration, and so if anything gets seized, your dealer who has guaranteed delivery should reship in multiple packages. I would say you are correct. Consistency is important. I am still surprised at the 5 in one box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simzger Posted May 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 hi thanks for the replies do you think my friend in germany could get into trouble if he wrote back to DHL and later the customs seize 5 reps? does anyone know what is the worst that could happen to him? best simzger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackKnight Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 (edited) Ok, this from DHL website: It's not always about the purchasing! If someone sends you a gift from abroad that is over £36 in value, you will also be obliged to pay the duty and VAT unless the person who sent it has agreed to pay it themselves. Likewise, if you are the person sending you need to remember that if you don't take the time to include the proper invoices then your shipment could be held in customs or the person you are sending to may be charged too much duty and VAT. The bottom line is: If you are sending goods out of the European Union (EU) you will need to prepare a Prepare a Customs Invoice and if you are receiving a shipment you need to know that there could be duties on top that may be billed after the shipment has been delivered. Of course I don't know for sure, but I doubt DHL care what brands of watch are in the parcel. They want to make sure your friend pays the correct taxes. Anyway, if it were me I would just say it's 5x$30 cheapo watches and pay the damn duty. At the least I would call DHL and ask them what they want me to do to get the thing delivered. Just my 2 cents Good luck with it! Edited May 4, 2010 by BlackKnight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newton78 Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 From my experience in Austria (I guess it's pretty much the same as in Germany) I would say the worst case scenario is that German custom knows already what's inside the parcel, they work closely with companies like DHL, especially on the airports. They just want you (or your friend) to properly declare and sign for the parcel. By signing you confirm that you have ordered the stuff. And then you get fined, it's not about VAT, they know it's fake. Usually they are mercyless in such matters. From my brother in law (he is lawyer and deals with such cases) I know that in case customs are involved the only way getting out without being fined is simply denying that you have ordered the stuff, giving whatever reason. I know one case where one ordered a Ed hHardy T-shirt via ebay, believing it's gen. In the end it turned out of course it was fake and the seller sent it from China. customs caught it and the guy was fined. He made the mistake saying he was not aware of it being fake (which obviously was the truth). Cruel world we live in. Well, best case scenario I guess would be that DHL really just wants you to declare it properly and then sends it out. Difficult to give proper advice here ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narikaa Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 What should you do? Sit quietly crosslegged in a tranquil place Let your attention settle on your breath Then repeat this mantra in your mind ' Never, never, never use DHL ' If your attention wanders just gently bring your attention back to your breath and resume the mantra Keep doing this until it becomes part of your waking psyche . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougaree Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 I think Fedex is also bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narikaa Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 DHL, Fedex et al work hand in glove with customs (and of course squeeze a nice 'handling fee' out of recouping duties for them) In Thailand it has reached the stage that all these private carriers search outbound consignments BEFORE they reach the airport to ensure all is kosher and ready for full duty charging (FFS !) And dont overlook the other cute little practise of delivering the item and following it up with an invoice for duties due a couple of weeks later !! Always use regular Mail carriers.. if customs want duties they have to work for them (not have it handed to them on a plate ! ) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatever123 Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Hi! I am in Germany and also had this problem with a rep PAM. I think your friend may be in serious trouble.. here's what happened to me: Ordered a fake PAM from Hong Kong, got a letter from the local customs office to appear there and declare what's in the package. I searched for a way to circumvent this, calles the customs office and said I was on holiday and couldn't get there in time (they had a deadline of two weeks I think). The offered "Postverzollung", which means I just send them the neccesary declaration letters and they hand it over to DHL. DHL then collects the taxes from me when delivering the parcel. Well, that never happened... I got a "nice" letter from the german customs headquarter in Frankfurt that they have discovered "counterfeit goods", assumingly a fake Panerai watch. They would send the watch to Panerai for them to check it. Bad... Didn't take long before I received a "not-so-nice" letter from Panerai's German law office. They wanted me to agree to destroying the watch and lectured me not to buy fake Panerai watches again. If I would agree to destroying the watch, I would get off with a warning, because this was the first time they caught me.. Of course I agreed and I think I am quite lucky the didn't charge me. I also got another letter from customs headquarter in which they also warned me off. So I guess I am on "black list" now... I'll never try that again, that's for sure. If there had been 5 watches in the package... well, I am not sure they would have reacted in the same way... Good luck to your friend! W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtanak Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Hi! I am in Germany and also had this problem with a rep PAM. I think your friend may be in serious trouble.. here's what happened to me: Ordered a fake PAM from Hong Kong, got a letter from the local customs office to appear there and declare what's in the package. I searched for a way to circumvent this, calles the customs office and said I was on holiday and couldn't get there in time (they had a deadline of two weeks I think). The offered "Postverzollung", which means I just send them the neccesary declaration letters and they hand it over to DHL. DHL then collects the taxes from me when delivering the parcel. Well, that never happened... I got a "nice" letter from the german customs headquarter in Frankfurt that they have discovered "counterfeit goods", assumingly a fake Panerai watch. They would send the watch to Panerai for them to check it. Bad... Didn't take long before I received a "not-so-nice" letter from Panerai's German law office. They wanted me to agree to destroying the watch and lectured me not to buy fake Panerai watches again. If I would agree to destroying the watch, I would get off with a warning, because this was the first time they caught me.. Of course I agreed and I think I am quite lucky the didn't charge me. I also got another letter from customs headquarter in which they also warned me off. So I guess I am on "black list" now... I'll never try that again, that's for sure. If there had been 5 watches in the package... well, I am not sure they would have reacted in the same way... Good luck to your friend! W. What a nasty experience! If it was 5... they can easily treat you as a dealer or reseller and things could have been much worse... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ongck77 Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Hi!I am in Germany and also had this problem with a rep PAM. I think your friend may be in serious trouble.. here's what happened to me:Ordered a fake PAM from Hong Kong, got a letter from the local customs office to appear there and declare what's in the package. I searched for a way to circumvent this, calles the customs office and said I was on holiday and couldn't get there in time (they had a deadline of two weeks I think). The offered "Postverzollung", which means I just send them the neccesary declaration letters and they hand it over to DHL. DHL then collects the taxes from me when delivering the parcel.Well, that never happened... I got a "nice" letter from the german customs headquarter in Frankfurt that they have discovered "counterfeit goods", assumingly a fake Panerai watch. They would send the watch to Panerai for them to check it. Bad... Didn't take long before I received a "not-so-nice" letter from Panerai's German law office. They wanted me to agree to destroying the watch and lectured me not to buy fake Panerai watches again. If I would agree to destroying the watch, I would get off with a warning, because this was the first time they caught me.. Of course I agreed and I think I am quite lucky the didn't charge me.I also got another letter from customs headquarter in which they also warned me off. So I guess I am on "black list" now... I'll never try that again, that's for sure.If there had been 5 watches in the package... well, I am not sure they would have reacted in the same way...Good luck to your friend! :wounded1:W. Wow, that's bad, sorry to hear that W All the best to TS, hopefully everything will be sorted out nicely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spooky driver Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 What should you do? Sit quietly crosslegged in a tranquil place Let your attention settle on your breath Then repeat this mantra in your mind ' Never, never, never use DHL ' If your attention wanders just gently bring your attention back to your breath and resume the mantra Keep doing this until it becomes part of your waking psyche . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMK000 Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 BE ADVISED. All EU Customs offices have clear orders to stop, inspect and TAX all packages coming from outside EU. The final goal is not to stop fakes , is TO CHARGE VAT . .......in other words to collect money for the government. Crisis , who said crisis ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By-Tor Posted May 6, 2010 Report Share Posted May 6, 2010 If you live in the EU (UK excluded which has relatively easy customs I've heard) DO NOT ORDER REPS FROM FAR EAST! It's that simple. Just don't do it. Use EU-based dealers (Narikaa, PT). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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