trouble with shipping to mexico!

[k-briggs]

someone from mexico bid on and one my item. i normally dont ship to mexico but this was the second time i listed it and i needed the money. i told him it was a large box and would cost a lot to ship. he agreed. i got a shipping quote from UPS and told him that if i ship it i will NOT be responsable for any fees, or anything that may happed to the package. once again he agreed on my shipping terms. well it was a nightmare to get this package shipped but finaly it went out. a few days later i get a call from UPS International Resolutions saying they cant get ahold of the person in mexico. they need a form called an SS2 from him. well i help them get in contact with him. now he started a dispute with paypal saying he cant get the package because of something i did. but i have all the emails and info from UPS saying that he could not produce this SS2 form and that he authorized the package to be returned. i told UPS i dont want it back. its in Mexico, waiting for him to pay the fees and provide the proper forms. why is this my fault? i shouldnt have to refund him his money. what should i do?

thanks

kyle

[BigKahuna97]

This is part of the problem with dealing internationally.  The item you shipped got stopped by customs and fee's added.  The customer now does not want to pay those fee's.  There is really nothing you can do besides chalk this up as a learning lesson.  PayPal will side with him if you can't provide a tracking number which shows delivered.  He will not give you this as he would have to agree to a customs bill prior to receiving the package.

My only advice is think twice WHENEVER shipping out of the country.  Too many sellers get burned by shipping cost to no where.  Sometimes it's best to put yourself in the buyers shoes.  Depending on how you claimed the item prior to shipment the customs fee's could be higher than the total he paid to you.

[Gundam3K]

k-briggs:

Don't worry too much about this issue.  It is the customer's responsibilty to pay for any duty fees and taxes.  The fact of not knowing mexican applicable import laws, fees and taxes is not an excuse for the buyer to try to open and win a dispute.  Also, as you post, you explained him/her the situation and he agreed.

Trust me, I am a mexican living in Mexico.  I know it is really a pain in the butt to have to deal with our imposive and unfair import laws.  The best solution I have found to this issue, is to get a US continental address because of the following:

1.  Shipping charges cost way less even if sending by FedEx than sending by USPS international service.

2.  The US shipping companies really do care for the packages (I remember a package, containg a digital satellite receiver, that I needed to pick up at my local post office.  The postal clerk just let it fell on the front desk like it was a sack of rocks or potatoes.  The plastic bezel just fall of because of the impact.  It was sent by EMS).

3.  It is far more easier to track packages in case of an issue.

4.  It gives more confidence between seller and buyer.

Well, for me is easy because I live near the US border and that is the simpliest way to avoid problems and even unfair taxes, specially for toys and certain products manufactured in China.

Otherwise, I will strongly recommed trackable methods (UPS, FedEx, DHL, EMS which cost more but are far more secure than regular air mail) but always making the international customer aware that any taxes and additional fees are his/hers responsibility and once shipped, there are no returns or refunds.

BTW, what type of product did you send?  I make a short investigation and I didn´t find a SS2 form or related.

[k-briggs]

it was a bunch of acrion figures. ups is telling him i listed the package as painted toys of chinese origin.  on my ups paypers it just says action figures. i never said or signed anything calling them painted toys of chinese origin. this ss2 form is some sort of sanitary form that he has to provide. and because he cant he wants me to refund him his money. 

[Gundam3K]

Oh, my!  Now I see the real issue.

Unfortunately, for the buyer of course, he/she should know that importing toys manufactured in China (it really doesn´t matter if they were bought in the USA or Timbuctu), Mexico has a long last history of absurd antidumping countermeasures, specially for toys.

I didn´t find any information regarding the SS2 form that you mention.  But, it is still the buyer's responsibility to know and/or pay for any additional fees or charges that the package will incur when entering the country's customs.  Well, what the heck, it is even stated in USPS, DHL, FedEx and UPS websites.  A no brainer.

The process when an international package containing any goods from the USA, shipped by a private carrier, in this case UPS:

1.  Package arrives to UPS Mexico

2.  Pacakge is inspected by a customs officer

3.  Customs officer determine applicable import duties and requirements, adds tax.  (At this part of the process, the customs officer added the requirement of the "SS2 form" and the issue generated; it is out of your hands since you don't have any control or chance to avoid this; neither the buyer.  **bleep** stupid laws!)

4.  Duties, requirements and tax are stated in a document calles "Pedimento de Importación Simplificado" (Simplified Import Notice).  Private carriers are obliged to this.  There are no exceptions.

The customs officer will put on paper what he thinks, at his/her expertise, fits best according to import duties regulations.

The only way, for this case, that maybe your buyer may had the chance of no paying anything at all (no guarantee at all) is, if you had sent the package by USPS (in this case, because of all the high volume of packages handled by the mexican postal office, they enter in a random inspection that may result in a "duty free" package, but agian, no guarantee; it will be just plain luck).

However, I really don't think that Paypal will take away your money for a refund for this buyer.

My interest on this topis is that because of some bad buyers, it make us difficult for good standing buyers like me, because many of the goods sold on ebay by US users, are by far less more cheaper in Mexico.  I remember I bought a new pair of Nautica pants for my father in $18.00 dollars (international shipping by USPS included O_O when at the local stores, a pair like that had a price tag of more than $100 dollars O_o!)

Hope my fellow mexican buyer understands the situation and get along with this.  Yeah, mexican goverment impositions **bleep** but there is nothing a normal citizen can do.  >(

[distoyer9]

WELL I WONDER WHY YOU DON'T SHIP TO MEXICO ALOT OF THINGS COULD HAPPEN BUT NICE SALE