Re: question about shipping beads on ebay

Do be careful about understating the value; you can ship in seperate packages if need be, to keep the value of each package below a certain amount, but the fine if you're caught actually falsifying customs documents is STEEP. Plus possible jail time. The best way to go to CYA is to include the actual receipt in the packaging and state the purchase price exactly.

If you're doing this as a hobby it's not as big a deal, but if you're trying to operate as a business and the government catches you cheating on customs forms (unlikely, but it can happen) they *will* close you down. That's one reason it always upsets me when someone asks me to ship their goods as a "gift" or misstate the value; *they* can't get in trouble for it, but *I* can lose my livelihood. I think it's a very unethical thing to ask of someone, especially since many sellers don't know the risks and will go along with it without even realizing the penalties if they get caught.

Invariably, the response I get when I post something like this (which I feel very strongly about) is "Oh, but it doesn't hurt to ask". Except it *could* hurt someone very much, and they could get hurt by doing someone a "small favor" without ever realizing the potential penalties until they've been hit with a $50,000 fine and told they are no longer legally allowed to conduct business. The risk may be very low, but could say it's worth it?

jesse wrote: 
Well, now through the help of everyone, I will be able to ship future
beads for much cheaper and more effeciently.  And I will make sure to
keep the value lower on the customs forms.  I just shipped some beads
to Israel and she asked that I kept the value low so she doesn't get
charged a lot for customs fees.

I'm so glad the beads found you and that you love them. I am hoping to
list more over the weekend. I just got a new batch from Dominic and
they have a similar theme to the one you bought (not the black and
whites, the other one).  So, be sure to check it out early next week.

Thanks again for all your advice!


--
-Kalera
http://www.beadwife.com
.

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