Has Anyone Imported Sunglasses? (Drop Ball Test Paperwork)

[SweatyPenguin]

I was looking up the duties on sunglasses, and there was a notice that the FDA requires imported sunglasses/eyeglasses to carry a form stating they passed a "drop ball test" to ensure their safety (basically they won't shatter and blind someone.)

I'm new to all of this, so I'm just using Ali as my supplier for a small order to do as a test run. I doubt anyone on that site is going to have that paperwork available (still waiting on responses.) I know dropshipping would get around this, but its a seasonal item so I don't want customers waiting, and expedited shipping on single items would be cost prohibitive.

Does anyone here have any experience with this?
Would my package actually get held if the paperwork were missing?
If I'm buying in small batches (5-10 pair at a time) for under $200 in value each, should I just ask the seller to have it marked as "gift" so that there isn't any issue?

[jakobrockz]

IMO, if you are buying *unbranded* sunglasses you should be fine as the supplier has probably gone through problems with the paperwork or whatever and does the needed stuff without even telling you.

If you are buying phake items, same story but you may run into some other problems and I don't suggest going with phake products.

[unkown5454]

Ali is not synonymous with "formality". And like jako said, if they are bran.ded, you might as well be throwing money to the wind.

Keep in mind, many sellers on these wholesale sites are just resellers themselves, just like buying from some random person on EB. Pumping and dumping products as fast as possible to n00b westerners.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by unkown5454

Pumping and dumping products as fast as possible to n00b westerners.

Way too true.

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by SweatyPenguin

Does anyone here have any experience with this?
Would my package actually get held if the paperwork were missing?
If I'm buying in small batches (5-10 pair at a time) for under $200 in value each, should I just ask the seller to have it marked as "gift" so that there isn't any issue?

AND open your delivery up to being checked as it lands in the USA?

NEVER make an effort to avoid due taxes. It back-fires.


Try to do everything correctly if you want to have success.

[SweatyPenguin]

Originally Posted by GreenBean

AND open your delivery up to being checked as it lands in the USA?

NEVER make an effort to avoid due taxes. It back-fires.


Try to do everything correctly if you want to have success.

I was under the impression that you don't need to pay duties/taxes on shipments valued under $200, though I could be horribly wrong on that.

The main reason I wanted to avoid duties isn't that I don't want to pay them (its only 2% on sunglasses) but rather that I'm still new to all of this and don't know how/when you actually pay the duties and didn't want a shipment delay due to it.

Either way, I'm still not gonna bother importing them if they'll get stopped just for not having the paperwork attached (no idea how strict customs is going to be over an FDA rule on eyewear.)

[SweatyPenguin]

I have got that "pump and dump" impression from a lot of stores there, so I have now been doing my filtering on highest seller ratings, rather than price or anything else. I can't say that method will be fool proof, but its the best I can think of to avoid getting screwed over as I learn.

[GreenBean]

Sunglasses are overdone....

You are going to have hassles with drop-shipping glasses without knowing in advance what the quality might be.

Trust me here.

[rsot]

Originally Posted by SweatyPenguin

I was under the impression that you don't need to pay duties/taxes on shipments valued under $200, though I could be horribly wrong on that.

You might need a shipping broker or accountant to go over policies with you