Shipping Glass to Brazil

[TxSilver]

I know that there are a few glass sales people in the group, so I thought I would write a little bit I am learning about shipping to Brazil. Lately I have been selling a few glass pieces a month to people in Brazil. Often I am asked to provide false information. The import taxes in Brazil are very high, so it is understandable. Anything that cost over $50 is subject to a 60% tax, plus other customs and handling fees. The final cost to the buyer can be 100% the purchase price! I wish we could have free trade in collectibles. Unfortunately, it is illegal to give false information on customs forms, so I won't do it.

Some buyers may ask that, if you must report the true amount, then don't include an invoice or packing slip. The problem with this idea is that Brazil customs will often hold packages that do not have an enclosed invoice or packing slip until the buyer can provide an invoice. I worry that the item would be lost in the wait.

Some people recommend writing "used" on customs forms because it may make the taxes lower. "Used" things cannot be sent to Brazil, so the word will probably cause the package to be returned in a hurry.

Something I learned today concerns me. If something cost over $50, it cannot be sent first class international. I recently sent a couple of things to Brazil that cost over that amount and the buyers chose first class. If I had only known...

I crossed Brazil off of my sell-to places because of the potential problems. I thought I would write something here because it may be useful for other people in the group. I would love to read information about shipping to other countries with unusual requirements.

Anita

[fossilfly]

I ship frequently overseas, more now than ever since the dollar is weak.
I can't say I have shipped to Brazil though, mostly UK, EU and Australia.
However, I have shipped to Singapore and would up getting scammed, same with Indonesia, and my favorite, Nigeria.

I can't say that I have had issues with customs, except shipping to Canada via UPS. The customer would up returning the items as the customs was unreasonably high. Shipping internationally via UPS is not worth the effort. The customs forms and clearance fees they charge, even for a small package are onerous.

[TxSilver]

I haven't shipped to any of the African countries except Egypt. I don't think eBay even has the continent as an option, maybe because the problem a couple of the countries have with internet and mail fraud. Nigeria is definitely a problem.

I have sold a few paperweights to people in Singapore. No problems so far, but I am always concerned, given the reputation of the city/state.

I've never heard about how much the import taxes are in Canada. I know that they are high for many things shipped from the states. I have been looking for legal ways to ship things to countries that can help lower the import taxes. I've read that sometimes using a certain category or descriptive words can make a big difference in the taxes. The trouble is wading through the rules for all the different countries. There's only 10 countries I ship to very often, so maybe it won't be too difficult to find some legal loopholes.

Anita