Today I got a letter from Pimax saying that I need to pay 124.85 in VAT to FedEx.
Well we don’t pay VAT here in USA. Also I received the HMD more than a month, called FedEx and nothing shows that I need to pay. @PimaxQuorra
Our records indicate your order, Order Number: (xxxxxx) was shipped and has likely been delivered.
This letter is in reference to FedEx Tracking No. : xxxxxxxxxx
To ensure fast and smooth delivery FedEx has delivered your package with limited customs clearance but it is important to note that your package has generated a VAT Tax and as a result has an outstanding balance in the amount of $(124.85).
(FedEx Service charge and exchange rate fluctuations are involved & it is noteworthy that the final tax bill amount is subject to the customs bill provided by FedEx, please do not be surprised if FedEx’s notice of the same order comes later）
P.S. Please inform us about your payment if you have paid to FedEx (better and prefer to ) or Pimax.）
Therefore, you must make one of the following arrangements for payment of the outstanding duty balance.
1.Direct Payment to FedEx
I was reading all the people having the same issue (sad for a company to do this). Let me ask you, do you paid them “Pimax”, because I’m not going to. I check with FedEx here in the states and is nothing pending. Like all of you I paid what was asked and that is all. I’m thinking on quitting doing business with Pimax you never know what is going to happens.
I haven’t payed anything yet. I created a support ticket and stopped to chat with the person (Tess Jia) that contacted me via the store, since it was clear that this person does not know about anything.
I will take actions after things are settled and we got an official response on that matter.
There may be taxes and import fees, but not VAT. Customs stopped my Pimax 8kx during import and requested more information, then released it after getting that information without any fees/taxes and it was delivered. If there were other fees, they’d have been collected at that time before releasing the headset. Having Pimax suddenly send an email saying they are owed is amusing at best, possible fraud at worst.
special taxes like on tobacco, alcohol or sparkling wine
(in germany we still have the later one that was introduces over 100 years ago to finance the battle ship fleet of the Imperial German Navy, later ww2 in good tradition used for u-boot development - god know what happens now days with that money - clearly really hard to foresee that as there is no logic behind this and it might depend on tradition and history of a country)
the other is for importing to a different trade area like the european union called “protective tariff” (atm very popular in the trade war between US and the rest of the works, especially china)
VAT is to pay any way, 2nd and 3rd depends on the country and trade area and how the goods are declared (value, kind of goods), doing a “unclever” or sloppy declaration might result in unneeded payments and it need knowledge and experience to do it the best way possible
beside this we also deal with fees FedEx presents to the one handling the customs bill - that kind of hidden bill is one of the things a customer does not like to see
edit: and there are numerous and interesting evasion tactics too - i do remember one where goods from a common wealth country (like canada) where free to import into the uk and uk as (now former) part of the EU could then internally distribute inside the EU without extra taxes
There is sales tax and Duty. If for example you go to border there is a “Duty Free” shop where you can purchase things like alcohol. Customs tax is seperate from Sales tax. For example my Backer box packages had a customs fee plus a sales tax fee. Here our Harmonized sales tax in Nova Scotia is iirc around 13%? So my 2 Backer Boxes plus HT declared Value of $220 would be less than the $59 at that tax rate. However the customs fee is on top of that plus a Fedex handling fee. Where others have just received 1 Backer box at an extra cost of $16 which is jusr over a quarter of the $60 declared value.
I believe that the link @Skidrow posted relates to VAT and its equivalents. My remark about it was that “Sales Tax” in the US is equivalent to VAT in EU (to certain extent). It is calculated from the value of the product and it is paid when you buy the thing. Then the merchant forwards it to the state treasury.
The difference (between the sales tax and VAT) is in that in EU all prices for consumers must be advertised with the VAT, while in the US the prices are advertised without the Sales Tax. In both cases however you eventually pay it.
Duty (Free) shops are working around the import duties, which is something different, because you pay them only when bring something onto market from abroad.
Indeed. Now if you go into a liquor store here the tax is included in the price you pay. Which is really how it should be. No need to figure out how much more you need in your wallet to buy something.
This amount according to PImax is to pay FedEx, well here in the states will be like skeez said “Customs stopped my Pimax and requested more information , then released it”. It is been more than a month I called them and is nothing pending so you tell me what is all about. Also I have several drones and gimbles imported from another Chinese company “DJI” and never had anything like this at all.
There may be taxes and import fees, but not VAT. Customs stopped my Pimax 8kx during import and requested more information, then released it after getting that information without any fees/taxes and it was delivered. If there were other fees, they’d have been collected at that time before releasing …
Difficult to say. In theory Lighthouses is a yes. Backer stretch goals maybe not as someone pointed out this ahould have been marked “gift”; however can imagine word gift would be abused if so simple to avoid taxes on an item.
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border there is a “Duty Free” shop where you can purchase things like alcohol. Customs tax is seperate from Sales tax. For example my Backer box packages had a customs fee plus a sales tax fee. Here our Harmonized sales tax in Nova Scotia is iirc around 13%? So my 2 Backer Boxes plus HT declared Value of $220 would be less than the $59 at that tax rate. However the customs fee is on top of that plus a Fedex handling fee. Where others have just received 1 Backer box at an extra cost of $16 which is jusr over a quarter of the $60 declared value.