I too received an email from Pimax asking for an outstanding balance of $ 311.42 for my Pimax 8kx. The current rate for the VAT in France (TVA) is 20%.
How did Pimax come up with this high amount when I only paid $1059.00 plus $12.00 for taxes?
Total amount paid was $1,071.00 for a 8kx with the Deluxe Headphones, (which have yet to be delivered).
I did get a $400.00 discount in lieu of a replacement unit for my faulty 5k+ with the purchase of my 8kx.
Really need some clarification here.
Thanks!
Maybe you are being charged tax on the actual value of the 8KX rather than your discounted price.
1071+400=1471
1471x20%=294.20 which is not far from $311.42.
Has there been a shift in the USD/Euro exchange rate since you ordered?
My 8KX has been working only one day. So for the moment I think I will wait for Pimax to ship my replacement cable (no news since more than 3 weeks now) before doing anything.
Hi @Troz,
The actual purchase price was $999.00 after the $400.00 discount for the faulty 5k+. The total amount paid was $1,071.00 which included $60.00 for shipping. I do not believe that the shipping costs are to be included in the VAT. So the difference is significant.
I think shipping is included in the VAT. But anyways, Pimax is asking for every bit of fee, tax and charge that was acculumated during shipping, therefore this high amount is generated. And that was not part of the deal! I (silently) agreed to pay the VAT of my order, of course, since it is written on the invoice that VAT is not included. So far so good and everybody can calculate the expected VAT charge. But not all these additional fees!
but then, in the end? if pimax sends us this email (and not fedex) do we have to pay or are they just trying to steal more money from us? and if we don’t pay we face penalties? thank you.
Do you still dare to extract money from us afterwards (the wait, the lie, the vat hiding in the payment) and keep in note the rest of my order (surely our orders)?
Take my headphones, which I am sure are not up to expectations, along with my coupon, and be sure I will never buy a pimax again.
Again, Fed Ex fess are NOT chargeable to us customers - thesew are included in whatever Pimax did specify as “shipping charges” - if they miscalculated, it is their fault and problem alone. They are only entitled to recursively call in the tax, nothing welse.
I think at his point it is immanent to call in @PimaxQuorra, @PimaxVR for clarification on that matter. IF Pimax decides to forward anything else than eligible taxes I would have to immediately cancel ALL my oputstanding orders (including the 8KX currently on its way) for a full refund.
Everyone affected should open a ticket with Pimax immediately to clear this situation.
Yes, unfortunately they are. No matter how, with 20% VAT/EWuST in France this refelects 181,- USD eligible tax, or as they are calculated on import, roughly 154,- EUR.
As @Klaus has already explained in quite a detail all nuances of importing the goods into EU, I would just like to reiterate it in a “dumb” version:
There are two type of “taxes” which are charged on imported goods (into EU):
Import tax duty, which is harmonized across the whole zone and is charged according to the category in which the goods has been declared. It may be zero (for most computer parts, or consumer electronics, it is), but it always depends on how the importer (i.e. Pimax in this case) declares the goods. I am afraid that we have no idea, what Pimax declared.
VAT (value added tax for outsiders), which is a local (country governed) tax and is only based on the declared value including the shipping cost.
It should be pretty simple to calculate the second charge (VAT), because we should know in advance both the declared value and the shipping cost, as both has been paid at the time of the order.
If however, FedEx is charging Pimax also for the import tax (see point 1), and/or some additional charges on top of the originally declared shipping cost, this should be, at least, clearly explained by Pimax, when they make the claim for an additional payment. I do not think that a vague sum of an arbitrary amount (apparently different for each one) is acceptable.
And even if explained by Pimax, it is still question, if the customers should be the ones paying for it, as this has not been clearly advertised and agreed at the time of the order.
If Pimax logistic decided to ship via Fedex with “limited customs clearance” they knowingly (?) ticked the box that additional charges through FedEx would apply - that has been THEIR choice of the shipping method we already paid for and logically they cannot call in for those costs. E.g.did they pick DHL - be it direct or collect shpment to a warehouse and local forwarding through postal services, our shipments would either be delivered doorstep with tax plus handling charges payable to the courier or to be picked up at customs in person against payment of tax alone.
you refer to are actually duties/toll. This should be zero on the headset, no matter if they decleare it as a “gaming device” as per current HS 95 04 50 in use or “display” (HS code 85 28 52) what it actually should be (there is another elaborrate thread on this floating around.
Anyway and however, “Import tax” (Einfuhrumsatzsteuer) is identical to local VAT just for foreign goods. and floats somewhere around 12-20% for EU. And yes, it’s calculated at the point of entry, so if they would import through a French forwarder it would be 20 for everyone.
You are right, what I call “import tax” is actually “import duty”. I am going to fix it. Whether it is zero or not however really depends on what Pimax declared (there were reports of people who were charged for “import duty” as well).
rather simple: tax is collected by either courier at doorstep (usually you will get a authorisation letter in advance) or by customs on poersonal pickup. However, witht eh current shipping scheme this has turned out not to be correct (which effectively voids the purchasing contract by any international trad rules) as they choose a method where the tax is collected by the courier invoiced to Pimx and they in return ask it from the customer - so until corrected it should be read “tax plus fees added recursively”
I forwarded the document i got from FedEx with the (already payed) VAT and offered them to pay this (only VAT!) via the second option, i.e. “price difference” on the store page. At least i got control of the amount i am paying.
In contrast, the first option basically gives them permission to charge my FedEx account whatever they think is the right amount. Ehm, no thanks!
I also made the person i talked to (Tess Jia) aware of this thread. Maybe someone from Pimax wants to clarify it officially, how they would like to manage this minor issue dealing with hundreds of dollars in the future…
