German members Advice please!

[Nigel Meaby]

I've just sold a camera on ebay for over £1000 to a buyer in Germany. He's asking me to value it for less than €500 for customs purposes because he previously had a problem with an item sent from Ireland.

I don't doubt what he is saying but I thought within the EU goods can be freely sent without any import taxes, etc. Does Germany have some rules I'm not aware of?

Your knowledge on this is greatly received

 

[Vobluda]

No way - there is absolutely no customs within big willage called EU.

 

[sebastel]

no customs apply.

 

[Nigel Meaby]

He's saying he had a big problem with customs declaration. I'm not sure whether he's saying he had a problem with a delay with delivery due to it being caught up with customs rather than actually paying fees. It's difficult to discern because his English is not so good and my German is even worse 😀

 

[sevo]

I've just sold a camera on ebay for over £1000 to a buyer in Germany. He's asking me to value it for less than €500 for customs purposes because he previously had a problem with an item sent from Ireland.

I don't doubt what he is saying but I thought within the EU goods can be freely sent without any import taxes, etc. Does Germany have some rules I'm not aware of?

No. There are no customs and taxes in inter-EU trade (as long as we aren't talking tobacco and alcohol). There isn't even a customs form to fill. So any "declaration" possible would be a lower value on the bill or on the parcel insurance registration. There is nothing beneficial about either - the former would make the buyer lose part of the potential VAT returns, the latter means that both parties would not get full refund if the parcel it is lost or damaged.

 

[sevo]

He's saying he had a big problem with customs declaration. I'm not sure whether he's saying he had a problem with a delay with delivery due to it being caught up with customs rather than actually paying fees.

Well, there are things that can go wrong. For example, if you attach a customs declaration tag (the green sticker) to a intra-EU parcel, it will presumably go through customs and you might have to prove that it doesn't belong there. But even for shipments from abroad I am not aware of anything with a 500€ safe limit - these are much lower...

 

[Nigel Meaby]

Ok reading between the lines ( we've had further communication) I think he's worried it's going to be delayed by customs because he's going on holiday at the end of the week and wants to get it before he leaves. So he believes by valuing it lower it will get a swift passage through customs.

 

[sevo]

Ok reading between the lines ( we've had further communication) I think he's worried it's going to be delayed by customs because he's going on holiday at the end of the week and wants to get it before he leaves. So he believes by valuing it lower it will get a swift passage through customs.

Send by express, then.

Only a tiny percentage of samples go through a customs check - and as the inner-EU job of the customs office is not taxing by value, but tracking criminal shipments (undeclared hazardous materials, drugs and steroids, cash or gold sent for money laundering, stolen goods), declared value won't be among the criteria for a shipment inspection...

Sevo

 

[Nigel Meaby]

Sevo

Yes it's my intention to send by an express service anyway. Pretty much everything you have said above I agree with. It's curious because he's bought a lot of camera gear on ebay and the address I have for him is for a photo store in Koeln

 

[FrankS]

At least for Canada Post, one cannot insure for more than the declared value. If it gets lost, you might be out $500.

 

[Nigel Meaby]

Yes if a buyer requests having an item sent as a lower value then it's at his risk not mine.

 

[sevo]

It's curious because he's bought a lot of camera gear on ebay and the address I have for him is for a photo store in Koeln

Well, it won't be entirely legal, then - the desire to be able to discreetly spend money that has never appeared on the income side of things is widespread...

 

[Nigel Meaby]

Well, it won't be entirely legal, then - the desire to be able to discreetly spend money that has never appeared on the income side of things is widespread...

Although what you state in entirely possible. Lets not wildly speculate without any evidence to back up an accusation. 😀

 

[silverbullet]

it's clear that the store wants to get a lower 'invoice' as an evidence because there must be some 'purchase price' for his final calculations......

 

[David Hughes]

it's clear that the store wants to get a lower 'invoice' as an evidence because there must be some 'purchase price' for his final calculations......

Hi,
That's odd, I doubt if our friend in Köln wants it undervalued if intending to sell on: assuming traders still do that - there's no telling these days!. ;-) That would increase his profit and more tax would be paid. Do they like paying more tax than necessary in Köln?

Regards, David

 

[BobYIL]

Nigel, some sellers from Spain, France and UK have shipped thousands of euros worth photographic equipment to the address I adviced them in Germany. Not one single time there was an issue with the actual declared value, customs, VAT or insurance. Within EU the import-export transactions are not any different than shipping the same to the next town.