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Buying from Japan on ebay,any extra charges beside shipping?

triple20

triple20

71 Cutlass S / Hurst wheels
Subscriber
I'm thinking about buying from Japan on ebay.
Besides the listed shipping price are there any other fees I will be responsible to pay when the item arrives in the US?
Import duties?
Customs fees?
Taxes?
I see on ebay they have a GSP, Global shipping program. The seller can use this or not. From reading there it sounds like if the seller uses this GSP, all extra fees are covered by the seller.
If they don't use GSP,ebay says I may be responsible for extra charges,they say to check with my countries Customs office.
This seller does not have the GSP in place.
Asking here is a lot easier then figuring out how to contact US Customs.
Thank you,
Walter
 
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If your purchase is under $800US, it is duty free. Above that, you will need to figure out if there is a duty amount applicable on it and that will depend on the item and country of origin.

With GSP the BUYER is responsible for all extra fees not the seller. That is why I do not buy anything from the US under the GSP, particularly small items as my final cost is usually double+ the shipping fee stated. It has been said that for large bulky items GSP can end up being less expensive, even with fees, as the rates are lower. I really do not know but I would recommend posting your question in the ebay.com buyers forum for input. Link below.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/bd-p/bidding-buying-db


triple20 said:
I'm thinking about buying from Japan on ebay.
Besides the listed shipping price are there any other fees I will be responsible to pay when the item arrives in the US?
Import duties?
Customs fees?
Taxes?
I see on ebay they have a GSP, Global shipping program. The seller can use this or not. From reading there it sounds like if the seller uses this GSP, all extra fees are covered by the seller.
If they don't use GSP,ebay says I may be responsible for extra charges,they say to check with my countries Customs office.
This seller does not have the GSP in place.
Asking here is a lot easier then figuring out how to contact US Customs.
Thank you,
Walter
Click to expand...
 
Ah,looks like I misunderstood when reading about the GSP.
I'll check out that buyers forum.
Thank you very much for the reply and info.
 
Slightly OT but my friend and I buy a good bit of watches from Japan. If the seller is educated then it is an excellent country to buy from
 
sixthday said:
I bought few $100-$200 stuff, never been charged customs or additional fees.
Click to expand...

If the seller ships to you directly you would not have any for that value. But this is through the Global Shipping Program, so the initial shipping quote does not have all the expenses shown.
 
I bought a Sansui AU-α707 MR for $1,200 from Japan off of Reverb this last early Spring. Free DHL shipping, but I paid $96 in State taxes. And that's it. idk. Maybe I skated.
 
Global shipping program is only available for US sellers. There is no eBay controlled international shipping service in Japan.

Luckyorleans said:
If the seller ships to you directly you would not have any for that value. But this is through the Global Shipping Program, so the initial shipping quote does not have all the expenses shown.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks to everyone for all the replies.
I've been doing some research and there is a lot to know about international purchases and shipping.
The customs web site has a lot of info about imports and a lot of it is not spelled out clear for a novice to understand.
I am going to have to keep researching and asking questions before I make a purchase.
 
sixthday said:
Global shipping program is only available for US sellers. There is no eBay controlled international shipping service in Japan.
Click to expand...

It is not just for the US ghough, I know the UK also has it for sellers. I assumed he OP had an item in mind and saw it was GSP shipping. If there is no GSP shipping from Japan, then it is a lot simpler.
 
toddalin said:
Did you know that Japanese equipment is typically designed to run on 100 volts and American voltage will kill it?
Click to expand...
Thank you
Yes I am aware.
There's a Japanese company named Nissyo that makes a transformer that converts 120 V AC to 100 V AC,it sells for $75.
 
Luckyorleans said:
It is not just for the US ghough, I know the UK also has it for sellers. I assumed he OP had an item in mind and saw it was GSP shipping. If there is no GSP shipping from Japan, then it is a lot simpler.
Click to expand...
The seller's item I was looking at does not use GSP.
According to ebay if a seller uses GSP there will be a logo pictured in the auction ad.
 
triple20 said:
The seller's item I was looking at does not use GSP.
According to ebay if a seller uses GSP there will be a logo pictured in the auction ad.
Click to expand...

AH, that is great. Just a matter then of knowing the actual shipping cost to you. If your item is under $800, you should be fine.
 
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