German customs nightmare..

[null_user]

@KingPokemon

@drazirahc

… Many of them through the international shipping program that Ebay has set up. All values are decleared and all taxes and duties are paid up front. I prefer sellers that uses this program, as it is less hazzle and no suprises.

Really? You may be in the minority. Any other internationals agree with this take?

GSP = Cancer

none of my money will ever go to a seller that uses that garbage

[pierce]

@KingPokemon

@drazirahc

… Many of them through the international shipping program that Ebay has set up. All values are decleared and all taxes and duties are paid up front. I prefer sellers that uses this program, as it is less hazzle and no suprises.

Really? You may be in the minority. Any other internationals agree with this take?

I don’t buy through GSP sellers & all my packages over the years are just childrens card games that cost like $50, nothing expensive or anything

[pichufan]

Was it declared as a sealed collectable?

[johto99]

Damn that sucks. I guess at some point it’ll just be worth it to do these deals in person or over a well trusted escrow with their own shipping system

[genosha]

By European Union laws, any country is allowed to open any product coming into customs that they have high suspicion of the content. Thus, shipping an item that weights 1-5kg and marking it way way down on value; like a $1000 booster box being claimed to be only worth $100 is 1) tax evasion, 2) your own god damn fault for trying to evade taxes.

Customs are god damn well aware that we, Europeans, do imports using false value declarations. A wrongly filled package slip is mostly the cause of this. Trying to think you can by-pass these trained professionals to win a few euro on import fees is tough luck and your own fault if you requested the seller to do so.

That said; File a complain, make sure you have a valid, clear invoice of the purchase and claim that the customs opening it has destroyed the value of the booster box. It’s worth a shot, but you never know with Germans ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[genosha]

@xzini

@chappo

I once had an italian Aquapolis box shipped from italy to germany and the german customs opened the package, but they did not break the seal of the box. Germans are very weird in this regard, they let in millions of strangers from the middle east into their country, but you can’t pay with a 10€ bill without them scanning the bill if it’s not counterfeit.

Germany seems to be very strict when it comes to this kind of stuff. What I’m going to say now is a bit off topic, but hear me out:

I just came back from holidays and I had a flight connection in Germany on both times, when going and coming back. The security was super strict when I was leaving the country and they wanted to inspect my carry on baggage. My carry on baggage had my camera and Nintendo Switch in it. My laptop was there too but I had taken it out as it’s required when passing security. Police was there and they made me open my baggage and looked in there and started to moan how I should bring a separate baggage for my electronics. Never heard of that before - I’ve always put my electronics in their own protective bags and then inside my backpack. For some reason in Germany it’s a problem.

Coming back I did this trick where I moved all my electronics in a separate shopping bag away from my backpack and they didn’t complain at the security, but they still inspected my body which has never happened in other countries where I’ve passed. In Germany they did it both times.

Also I bought Pokemon TCG product from Brazil and it was in my heavy baggage. Now… That baggage had a “Lufthansa checked x-ray” sticker when I got it back. So they checked it but they haven’t opened my baggage as everything was in the exact order I put them in. But I wonder if they were suspicious about that Pokemon product. It was a collection box though and not a booster box so it’s a bit different, but anyways… Every other EU country where I’ve passed seems just fine but Germany is over the top.

Slightly bounce on this one…
Customs on Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) and Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (ATH) are the same. All electronics larger than a credit card have to be put into a separate bin to be checked (so; phone, tablet, laptop, game console, dslr). Not doing so will trigger the employee that you’re doing it wrong. It’s not just the Germans. It are the Dutch and Greeks aswell, even if you’re never leaving Europe, they push these crazy post-911 TSA pranks on everybody.