Quote:
Originally Posted by RP
Is it up to the out-of-US dealer/manufacturer/builder to let the US customer know that he may or may not be responsible for paying customs fees upon delivery? One of the reasons that I used the term ransom was that the one (of four) Emeralds that required an unexpected fee was also held in customs for three weeks longer than the three Emeralds which were not socked with the customs fees...
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Import taxes and duty are nothing to do with the out-of-country seller IMHO, they are charged by customs/IR in the purchaser’s country and are completely out of the seller’s control. I also believe it would be unreasonable to expect a seller to have a detailed knowledge of tax regimes in countries other than the one in which his business is based.
However, I believe that it is good customer service for the out-of-country seller to draw the purchaser’s attention to the possibility of import taxes and duties being charged by customs/IR when the goods arrive in the purchaser’s country. That is exactly what my experience has been as a non-US customer when purchasing guitars from MFG and accessories from, e.g., Stew-Mac, Elderly, etc. in the US. (although, having worked for fifty years as an accountant in U.K. companies involved in international trade, I’m well aware of import taxes and duties here!).
The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.