The Doll Forum

And I gather they go by what they know the doll is worth as well, right?

Booty Call Dolls wrote:And I gather they go by what they know the doll is worth as well, right?

Exactly Jeff.

That policy however is actually criminal theft. Now, I am no rookie Importer here folks, I have imported close on 15 dollies, and thousands of machine parts, instrument parts, and other aligned imports over the years, so been around the buoy many times, but I see custom representation and Freight company import brokers getting less and less competent every import, and becoming more customs/ABF subservient, and less for the customer they are paid to be brokering on behalf of

The legislation clearly references Free on Board (FOB) value, over ruling custom's estimation of customs import value

What this means is that if the importer can show FoB value (as in what the importer actually paid), beyond reasonable doubt, (such as transaction records, bank transfer, PayPal records and bills of sales invoices, etc), then the FoB shall be the declared value subject to the GST of 10 percent import tax, then another 5% tariff, unless exemptions to the schedule are valid.


Boarder Force (ABF) is now pressuring Freight company import brokers, to disregard much of the evidence provided by the the importer (for example , they say that if an invoice is not correctly laid out or itemized as specified in the various legislative subclauses it is not valid evidence, and such is to be disregarded totally, in lieu of customs estimation practice, when determining the GST fees assumed due).

so you guessed it, the customs estimation asks for the link to the vendor site and the product for customs value determination. They then assess against similar item and attempt an average of most expensive to least expensive. This is fraudulent and flawed i many ways.

Case study 1

So importer buys from Vendor X Dolly model Y on sale for say 1000 AUD, but 10 other vendors retail the non on sale same product for 2000 AUD (including shipping and insurance). So Customs totals the 11 prices, and divides by 11, So customs estimate value is now 1909. 10 AUD, despite the importer only paying 1000 AUD (FoB, and having evidence to prove it).

Straight up Custom declares 191 AUD fees owing, and if the schedule 9618 tariff exemption is also disregarded for dollies, they then add on another 5%, taking the fees due to 200.55 AUD, then sting 83 AUD hold and release fee, so now the cost to release the dolly from AUS customs is 283.55 (all for a 1000 AUD import that should have been only charged 100 AUD duty, when sold through the vendor, who is then required to on forward the tax component to AUST Home Office for GOV coffers).

it gets worse, if the shipping and insurance cost is not itemized in the import invoice, then Customs will apply an estimate1.31 coefficient factor to the value as well, so now the equation is calculated of 1909 x 1.31 , so the calculation is based now of 2500 AUD import, so you get were this is going.(all from a legit 1000 AUD import).

So this is AUS customs



Where I run into issues, with my current project, is while I have shown all the required schedules, approvals, transaction records, invoices and expenditure of project costs, because there is no link to a custom project I developed with SANHUI, My FOB declared value, is being challenged, so I am lifting off, here, as they claim customs estimate of 5000 AUD, which is nearly three times what I have invested. So I will Fick dem in die arse! for it. It is fraud , corruption and theft by a government agency.

To make it worse, since they held my Lorelei, they are now holding my violin, and instruments kit imports that I have shown that I have already paid GST and duty on, to try to sting me 82 dollars to release for each item because of a hold (that is illegal in the first place) and customs estimates on retail value, not what they owe me, so I am going to sue them for lost income!

Case study 2,

A guitar kit might owe me 300 AUD in parts, but they claim that once I spend 100 hours building it for resale, if I actually on sell, rather than collect it, that the guitar could reasonably be valued at 3000 AUD, so therefore I should pay more GST, 300 AUD instead of 30 AUD GST (that is the correct total I paid at time of sale, and I have all the records to prove this), plus 80 dollar hold and release fee for an illegal hold So like WTF AUS Customs.

Now here is the real ball kicker.

So I pay the GST and release fee, build the guitar for a friend and export it overseas as a gift. because the value is now customs estimated at 3000 AUD, I as the sender pay another 300 AUD export fee. Shit this is getting outfuckingragous.

But the next Ball kick, Say my friend sadly passes before me and wills the guitar back to me as the original maker, you blokes are fucking good..you guessed it, So say it is 10 years later, and I no longer have the records showing that I built that guitar in Australia, and the item is Australian made by me, and a returning item.Customs estimation of value then stings me again the GST and import fees all over again, for a guitarI bought, paid for, built myself, and had returned, as it is seen as a gift as over 1000 AUD FOB, so no exemption applies for imports that are gifts over 1000 AUD any longer! How the fuk is that legal, having to now pay close on a grand in taxes for Goods and Services, when I manufactured the goods using my own services, so paying 1000 for my for goods and services in GST, but the gov gets it instead, WTF is wrong with the modern generation and policy makers here!

So that is the mess we dealing with as importers.

So AUST readers, ensure your documentation is spot on, and you got all records of transaction, and screenshot your checkout page, and file away until dolly is safely unpacked!

Vendors exporting to Australia, take heed, as you now need to get everything bang on correct in your documentation, so your importer customer does not get screws unscrupulously at this end, by the FAT Sheriff! this is a result of the removal of GST exemption policy as at 01 July 2018. So new game in paly here folks.

Also, forget about trying to use an Alibaba wholesaler link for reference to these shitheads (unless your precise invoice also has an identical trader name as the link on it from Alibaba, even down to dots on I's and crosses on t's, and even logo, and then you got to go through hell, if the dolly in the link you send has different wig or eye color ). I am serious as cancer here folks, it is getting that bad.

Now the really cool thing, is when you are try to UN-fuck the mess by phone, you get to speak to a brand new and chrome shiny Australian immigrant affirmative action employee, who speaks 10 languages, and English is barely one of them, and that really helps get shit sorted

like I said, they are fucking out of control now. and I will have them

Anung!

Had a gut full of those pricks! Any questions

OK, well grumpy about the status quo, but before someone even goes there, as I know someone will

Random expert importer wrote:But Mr Anung, you can file a Form B653 - Refund Application for incorrect assessment and fees or duties paid for refund, form

Right, OK lets go there, have you sen these fuckin things.... https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/busi/duty/refu

It can take weeks to get these forms and attachments correct to the required acceptable standard for evaluation with all the perquisite documents.

That is the point, ABF and Home Affairs is playing percentages, that 99 out of 100 legit claims will find the application process too hard, and just throw in the towel and accept the costs (illegal as they were). This is why they make it difficult to meet the criteria, in the first place.

But here is the thing, the Subject matter experts are supposed to be the fuckin' import brokers we pay to sort this shit out (that is costed into our shipping fees folks, that is the service the shipping cost ALSO covers)

So Import brokers...Do the fuckin' job we the importer is paying your company to do, rather than

Freight Company Import brokers wrote:Oh it is too hard, let us just pass the customs determination costs on to the importer, as 99 out of 100 will just pay the bill

.

NOT Fuckin on your life, so the rest of you guys, represent, less nothing will change.

Anung...still well pissed off and Grumpy at the status quo of this system here,

and yes rule 10 boxes ticked here folks as well!

Why not show up as 'Hell Boy' and see how they soil themselves!

LDF wrote:Why not show up as 'Hell Boy' and see how they soil themselves!

ABF are starting to figure exactly who I am, I am will turn that right around, as I feel like "I am being sexually harassed and sexually discriminated against" by ABF.

That is the only judgement of proof required when a fem makes an allegation these days, so it would be discriminatory not to be afforded the same privileges.

Ergo, play them at their own game!

"I am a trans gen attack beer refrigerator with a passion for synthetic partners, so I am absolutely getting on the agenda motivated and empowered minority gig, but when it suits me that is, as being gender fluid as such, I reserve the right to pick and choose my traits and offenses regularly as it suits me!

Any who say otherwise, are harassing me and discriminating and will be refereed for treatment, management a administrative action that does not require any burden of proof for a Balance of probabilities bias assessment and determination accordingly. How dare the ABF harass and discriminate against me because of my passions"

and that's how it goes down in court, all the while blowing the on the BS customs value process and the policy of refusal of reasonable importer evidence, merely to generate more tax revenue!

Sometimes a limp stick dipped in honey (not the big hard one), is more effective than the carrot as bait

Anung

Just about every government sector has a strong scent of corruption in it these days.
Everyone's in it for themselves and whoever is lining their pockets.