Aliexpress customs fees?
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Castoramoi Posted messages 399 Registration date Status Membre Last intervention -
Hello,
Has anyone ever had to pay extra fees when ordering from Aliexpress?
So far, I have only ordered items under €100 and I haven’t had any problems, but it seems that Europe is going to impose a tax on items under €100 as well!?
However, on Cdiscount, I had an issue with an order of €55 and when paying via Paypal. At the time of the transaction on Paypal, it was stated "Partial payment €25..."!?
So I canceled the order...
2 réponses
Hi
If they didn't have everything, could they send part of the order and bill us right away, without waiting?
I don't see how we can conclude anything about the invoice details from a "partial payment" without asking for/reading it?
Some vendors can predict and indicate customs fees in advance upon request, but since each item has to go through the expected route, it's a bit complicated as always: the seller can set their selling price, but customs fees are always "owed," and it is expected that the last carrier must collect and remand the amount to customs under certain circumstances.
The "value" of the item traveling in international trade is recalculated several times by insurers, and customs fees are calculated on a value that is not known in advance.
If the item is in stock near you, the customs issue doesn't arise. The seller has usually paid everything already.
If they are considered the importer, and not the buyer: another "curiosity" of international trade.
Aliexpress is so big, there are importing buyers, and others who are "end clients," but sometimes who has to pay the "due" customs part to the "last carrier," calculated on an item "value" at the moment and place where it went through customs.
Here, in the same discussion, we sometimes have both "types" of buyers expressing themselves.
Hello,
Customs fees are not shipping or freight forwarder fees; they depend only on the destination and not on the journey taken to get there.
In the case of a customs check of a person, a container... and items whose brand or origin is unknown, Customs will estimate the value of the item.
However, regarding an online purchase, this value is known in advance, if only because it serves as the basis for VAT; it may happen that the supplier, failing to provide the calculation clearly according to the destination country, provides the famous "HS code" of the item, leaving "only" to check which rate it corresponds to.
Hello
I had placed an order for €55 on Cdiscount and at the time of paying with Paypal, I had to pay €25 for "partial payment," the remaining amount to be paid would be known at the time of shipping or delivery, I can't quite remember. This means I was probably going to pay more than the expected €55, but how much, that was the surprise...
Hello,
I'm not a Paypal specialist, I've only used it once a long time ago for a small amount on a site that didn't accept any other payment method.
It's just a payment instrument, and Cdiscount is a platform that charges either directly or from Market Places at the buyer's potential risk.
If there's a partial payment, it's either because it was requested or the seller chose, for example, to only charge part of the amount while waiting for the actual product shipment: except in the "Aliexpress situation" where the seller is outside the EU, there shouldn't be hidden costs for VAT and customs, and shipping costs should typically be known at the time of ordering according to the chosen method.
Hello
Well, first of all, I think Paypal is the safest way to pay online, it prevents you from throwing your credit card info all over the internet, only Paypal holds that information. Then, Paypal refunds you if a purchase hasn't been delivered, and Paypal helps you in case of a dispute with a seller.
As for the "partial" payment, I didn’t ask for anything and nothing was indicated on Cdiscount, it was only at the time of payment via Paypal that it said "Partial payment"...
I think one of the two items must have come from China and there might have been additional fees...
Hello
I know all that... VAT is included in the price, but "customs fees" should be added soon for ALL items even below €150.
How can we find out in advance how much it will cost us in total with customs fees?
We cannot prejudge the future: any possible change to the customs exemption can only result from a modification of the tax code and therefore from the vote of parliamentarians after the amendment of the European directive in this regard, which is being discussed, and then transposition into national law.
In any case, if it were to occur, the media would certainly echo it, and updated information is available on the Customs website, and such a decision cannot be retroactive.
The calculation of duties in such a case is more complicated because the supplier can avoid them by shipping from one of its warehouses in the EU, and even if this is not the case, it depends on the nature of the item, some being exempt.
It is almost impossible to calculate unless you are a specialist in the matter and extract the code of the item concerned and then apply the applicable rate, which can go up to 20%.
https://www.tariffnumber.com/2024
https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs-4/calculation-customs-duties_en
I also believe that the French Customs service has a simulator (RITA).
It's still simpler to buy, even if it's online from the EU; you know what you're paying, and, incidentally, the guarantee of getting your money's worth is greater.