The "Return for Scrapping" declaration explained
Let me explain the legal entrapment created by the EU to discourage businesses from trading with countries outside its jurisdiction.
As US customs explained to me in a heated phone call: "Uncle Sam knows the value of everything you sell, because Uncle Sam has the internet, and can see your website."
So, in fulfilling orders outside the EU, we have to declare the value of what we are sending. We could decide to tell lies, but we could suddenly find our goods blocked, and carriers refusing to provide us shipping services.
Now, in sending things back to us, people will argue the "return for scrapping" declaration is our "get-out." It isn't. It is the official line from HMRC (the UK government revenue and customs department) for where the EU paper-trail gets broken.
Because we don’t put things onto air cargo ourselves (which is only what massive exporters can do), we are unable to obtain the paper-trail to declare that the goods left the UK in the first place, and have already been duty paid by the customer.
In fact, in some cases, the customer didn't pay any duty, and that is down to the "blind-eye" often used at busy times by carriers.
So if you send a product back to us from beyond the EU's reach, for reason of repair, warranty, unwanted goods, etc. and you declare its value, we cannot prove the duty was already paid by you. In fact, we cannot prove we sent it in the first place, simply because there is no carrier paperwork to show it left the country.
We can show HMRC our accounts, invoices, shipping invoices which are specifically detailed in every way, but that does not count.
So, we ask if you send things back to mark them "return for scrapping" so it doesn't raise import duty that we would have to pay.
If we have to pay to get something back we are either refunding or repairing, where do we get the money from?
The answer is you!
We are very sorry for this state of affairs, but the EU and their attitude is to blame.
Once the UK leaves the EU (whenever that is), we do not expect the situation to change, but then the "return for scrapping" requirement will apply to every customer residing outside the UK.
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That none should be able to buy or sell without a smartphone and the knowledge in how to use apps
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