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I need some advice - I am working on a deal to mail someone in the UK about $450 worth of figures. The buyer has suggested that we not insure it and put a value of $150 on the customs declaration, otherwise he will have to pay too much in customs fees. He said if we do tracking there shouldn't be much chance of damage or a lost package, he suggested using Express Mail International or Global Express Guaranteed (never used either one and don't really know how they work). This is starting to worry me, I want to make sure both of us are protected. $450 is quite a large amount and if anything happens to the package I don't want any issues to come up over who is responsible for it.
One additional question - these are OOP figures that probably cost around $250 when purchased many years ago, but since he is paying around $450 for them, I would assume they should be insured for $450 (if we decide to insure them). He said we would only be able to insure them for their original cost (and I am not even sure how we could verify that). I personally think that if you are paying $450 for them you should insure them for $450, I don't see how the insurer can tell what the figures originally cost if they were last manufactured in the 1980s - but I could be wrong.
Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated! I just want to make sure both sides are protected in this deal!

IMO, the most important thing you can do is protect yourself. The second most important thing you can do is protect your trading partner. Obviously, if he's a newb, they might be of equal import. Otherwise, if he's experienced, he should know enough to cover his own butt.

The issue you run into is that, in BTown's eyes, the sender is responsible for making certain that his portion of the trade arrives appropriately to the recipient. This includes insurance. Many buyers don't want to pop for insurance. Same goes for many international traders - for reasons you explained (excessive customs).

If I were in your shoes, I'd offer him 3 options (in no particular order).

1) Cancel the trade because neither of the other options is satisfactory.
2) Send with tracking and full insurance. He can just pay the customs fees (which are usually not charged if you mark the package "used toy models").
3) Send with tracking, valued as he asks, and no insurance (or only up to the claimed value). If this option is chosen, however, he accepts full responsibility for anything that happens in transit. You will provide all of the information as appropriate but, if the package is damaged, lost, etc. in transit, it's his loss.

If he wants the deal and finds his request to be reasonable, he should find option 3 reasonable, as well. Just make sure that he acknowledges that your responsibility ends when the package leaves your hands, provided you've tracked (insured, etc. - whatever you decide on) as agreed upon.

Eric

You can ship using priority mail, which is cheaper than Express or guaranteed express mail and send it registered.

Falsifing a customs form with the intent to defraud is a felony in the US, and is alos illegal in UK. It's the same as tax evasion.


Got to www.usps.com and click on calculate postage. Box up the minis and weigh the box. Then you can get a good idea how much it'll cost for all of your choices.
Some of the options include a certain level of free insurance.

Guaranteed Express guarantees when it gets delivered. It also runs $50-75 for smaller packages. I think it has a low level of included insurance.

Express mail gives an approximate delivery day. It's cheaer than Guaranteed express. It has a low level of included insurance, varies by country.

Priority mail, slower and cheaper. No insurance included, but it can be added. You can also add registered mail. Which is slower and can be insured for a higher dollar amount that normal insurance. There is a specific way the box must be sealed using a specific type of tape.

I'd say be wary, why is he willing to pay or trade so high an amount for oop minis? He COULD be setting you up for a scam.

kturock wrote:Falsifing a customs form with the intent to defraud is a felony in the US, and is alos illegal in UK. It's the same as tax evasion.

Oh, err, yeah. Then there's that. Forgot about that for a moment.

Eric

Hi everyone, thanks for all the advice and information, amazing how much knowledge there is here on Bartertown! The price for the minis is about what I have been getting here on bartertown so I think it is reasonable, I am leaning toward priority mail, full insurance, and put the full value that he is paying for the figures on the customs form, thanks again!