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Alibaba question
 

I am a bit new to alibaba, do any of you know how import tax works if you pay through alibaba?

Re: Alibaba question
 

DHL sends you a bill about 2 weeks after you get the order, if the declared value is over $400

Re: Alibaba question
 

Taxes are not paid through Ali, and import taxes are paid regardless of how you pay your supplier.

Re: Alibaba question
 

So strictly payment for the goods are made through ali, and to figure out import tax I would need a logistics specialist/ import broker correct?

Re: Alibaba question
 

Last time I used Ali they didn't even have their own payment processor, but I think they do now. I usually just use W/U. But yeah you only pay for the product you're ordering.

I'm assuming you're talking about an order coming by air, right? Unless you're bringing in stuff by the container load, the only logistics specialist you're going to need is DHL or UPS. 95% of small orders coming from China by air are shipped with DHL. And DHL does a great job with customs clearance for their customers.

DHL gets the order through customs for you. They pay any taxes due at the time of importation, then they bill you a few weeks later and tack on a "convenience fee" since they fronted the tax money for you.

Re: Alibaba question
 

You can use websites online to figure it out. No broker/specialist required.

Payment of goods through supplier.

Payment of tax, you pay just prior to delivery or after delivery - varies.

Re: Alibaba question
 

Thanks, so usually dhl will bill me for the import costs post delivery?
How would one go about figuring out the import duty costs though?
I tried a couple websites but the figures I got were not accurate.
Can I simply call dhl and tell them the goods I will be purchasing and the value and they can provide a customs tax quote for me?

Re: Alibaba question
 

FYI Retailer, import taxes are incredibly low for us (compared to UK, apparently), and your Chinese supplier will under-declare the s*** out of your order. I have a pretty good idea what you're trying to import, and you'd likely have to order $2k+ in merchandise for your supplier to declare a value which you would need to pay taxes for.

Re: Alibaba question
 

Yeah, DHL could probably tell you.

It usually comes up to about $20 after adding up DHL's fee and the original import taxes for an order with a declared value of $400.

Oh, and not usually, they will always bill you after delivery. They make money off the fees.

Re: Alibaba question
 

Thanks Phaz0rz,
I just thought if I went through a customs broker they may be able to save me some $ on the freight forwarder services compared to dhl cost,

but if were talking about 1 couple bucks its not worth it and I will just go through dhl

Re: Alibaba question
 

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend going through the extra trouble until you're bringing in stuff by sea. That's when things become complicated, because then you're responsible for customs clearance rather than the shipping company.

@Play - I wasn't trying to ruffle your feathers. Just adding that clarification since OP is stateside :)

Re: Alibaba question
 

Apologies, you said UK, and all of a sudden I forgot OP was in the states. :doh: Post deleted :)

Re: Alibaba question
 

Phaz0rz how do you manage finding the import duty costs before you purchase?
I just dont want to be surprised with the dollar amount when dhl bills me for the "convenience fee"

Re: Alibaba question
 

It won't be much, I can promise you that.

You can PM me now if you want.. I had you blocked from that time your flaked out on me a few weeks ago ;) (no offense, I just don't have time for that ish)

The only sure fire way for you to calculate the taxes would be to ask the supplier what value they are going to declare. If it's under $400, you won't have to pay anything. I had to pay DHL "re last week for a dac order, which my supplier declared a value of ted" for.

Oh and for the record, DHL's fee is usually about 1/3 of whatever the taxes were. Never adds up to much. DHL usually calls me when I have 4 or 5 invoices due, and it usually costs me "also redacted"

Re: Alibaba question
 

Are you going to make sure to check the quality of the items before committing to purchase and later listing on ebay?

:comp5:

Re: Alibaba question
 

Yup, always order samples first