Buying from a broad.

Quote: Originally posted by rtz

Who is customs saying you owed money to?

To the US government. It basicly says I'm a smuggler. I'm under the impression from my lawyer it's the same as smuggling drugs into the US in teddy bears.
If it wasn't for the stupidity of the claim I would have to move to Canada. All in all it's the fact that China is doing business with the USA and I get nailed for their corruption, deceit, and stolen ideas from our products.

Quote: Originally posted by abkayak

Everybody moving to Canada...it's so hot right now

Got to go before they build the wall.:D

You'll be safe here, but...
There's nowhere to buggy

Quote: Originally posted by BeamerBob

That's not right for the buyer to be responsible for how a foreign seller declares their product.

I am stuck on this also. How do You have control of how a dealer goes about shipping and labeling a product?

They can't be fining you for not turning the product back. Can they?

$32000 is crazy big for a fine and 1st time offence? You aren't suggesting that Peter Newpilot can expect a crazy fine like that for accepting a kite from Pansh? or https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4-line-Nasa-kite-sport-kite-...

I am afraid that even in Canada you will find people who care less about local / quality products and the research they put in. AS much as I hate to admit it, I have been sucked into the Chinese low cost lure. More than once! That may be My Scottish ( :bird: ) heritage winning out over my Canadian upbringing?

so much for pc around here...

Well I heard back from the lawyer,

For those of us that don't have a clue, I will share a bit of crap with you.
First a bit of info to set the stage.
I am going to use PKD kites as an example.
PKD designs a kite, produces a working prototype, they head of to China to talk to one of 3 manufacturers. They strike a deal with the largest kite manufacturer in the world (this company produces 80 to 90% of all kites in the world) after this company produces a working product that is exceptable to PKD they start production and PKD goes home to start marketing the new kite. The first shipment arrives and to the horror of PKD the kites are not perfect. In fact they are not good enough to sell, they are off just enough to NOT FLY.
Off to China to find out what the $"@& happened. The quality and the expectation of what PKD wanted and signed the contract for was not delivered. Start the process all over again, redesign the manufacturing process and wait for proof they are on the same page as PKD, again. Oh by the way the second shipment of the NOT ABLE TO FLY kites have left china and are on the boat to PKD. At this point what do you do? Tons of money has been spent and nothing but car covers to show for it.
China produces an item that costs literally a few pennies and PKD has to sell this product at a price to cover all the crap they went through and will continue to go through in order to stay in business.
Because of the issues of production and cost, not to mention reputation, PKD builds their own manufacturing plant and produces their own kites. All problems solved, better product, less cost, reputation intact.

Now the fun part. China sells the item as a toy. They can call it anything they want, it's China, as long as they label it a toy and not a power kite they get away with paying the least amount of taxes, duties, tariffs, and what ever else they can get away with to make more money.
Here's the problem at its best:evil:
For the second bit of info.
When I order a few buggies from Libre, the company sends me a few pull over shirts that are embroidered as a thank you. Great promotional idea.
I receive a notice from customs my shipment is at the airport.
I find a broker to help with the paperwork. This is required here in the USA.
The brokers job is to assess the order and determine the proper categories to put the items in so that the correct duties, tariffs, fees can be paid in accordance of the law.
The buggies are a complete item and the cost is dealt with. If I was to purchase buggy parts the fees would basically triple.
Now the shirts. (This is the easy process) I need fo find out what country the material came from. What country made the item. What country did the embroidery. What country produced the label to indicate the shirt size. What country sells the finished product. Now to calculate the cost of this free promotional gift, $129.00. Oh I forgot, there are two of the shirts.
Now if one of the items of the shirt is produced in a country thats on the BANNED list like Cuba the item will be seized and possibly the entire shipment. You still pay for the broker, and any other fees and you forfeit the shipment.
Bearings is one of thos items to stay away from........

So here we are to today. Because you ordered this item more than once, you get flagged and like the IRS you get audited.
The USA goes through your orders with a fine tooth comb and some pencil pusher determines whether you get nailed or not. Either way your screwed, now they dig up everything and send you a revised invoice of unpaid fines.
Nobody cares that you bought toys from China, you didn't sell them as toys. Did you catch that? So you sell these power kites as toys(to get out of paying the fees)and a 4 year old kills himself with a 12m power kite TOY.

I have my own personal feelings about the entire situation and I can't say it here. Lawyers have me bound and gagged for the most part.

Van and his USA buggy company, better than from overseas by a mile.
Pansh and there toys are not quality built kites, because they don't fly or work correctly, they are toys. If they were made with the entente of competing in the world market with the big boys they couldn't sell them as toys.
Buy American, support the home business and keep the money at home.

Ouch Sorry to hear this. Thanks for the warning.

BigKid has been importing a lot of stuff for a long time now. I hope to think his situation is a bit unique? Poor Jeff has moved a lot of product and I suspect made very little $$$ for the effort.

I kind of doubt the IRS is going to track down every American that has purchased a China kite? Still, there are a list of reasons to avoid China kites.

Reputable kite companies don't ship their product as toys so that shouldn't be a problem. Of course it seems they could come after you for the SWAG that they often include.

Just got off the phone with the lawyer.
Long story short, I don't have to pay any past duty or fines but the lawyer fee is going to cost me a left arm and my first born.
I don't like dealing with snail mail or emails, I want to talk to someone on the phone or face to face. Hell I've even flown to St. Petersberg Fl to have a face to face with a guy. It's much easier to get the point across to someone when you can raise your voice or start using your hands as an extra umph to your loud voice.
I AM NOT RESPONCIBLE FOR THE US GOVERNMENTS LACKEYS, and the absence of a non-educated pencil pushing brainless act of authority. I have been a person who has always asked why and then asked a few other in your face questions and then told the person they were a complete idiot without the ability to think on their own without repeating what some other moron told them to say or think. It has gotten me in a lot of trouble but it has gotten me a lot farther than those that simply surrender to "the man". I learned how to write contracts by being a General Contractor and watching how large companies like Bectel, Westinghouse, and others screwed the governments of the world for billions of dollars.
I document, get names, places, times, and a few recordings of transactions of most things I get involved with. Because I am an a$$ about the way something is said or not said, I have a leg to stand on. This is one of those times I crossed my "t" and dotted my "I", and got it in writing. All I can say is that if the new president has his way with government and business outside the US, I'm that much more ahead of the game. I will go without, before I buy from China or One of their communist run countries. Europe is not much better, they are a little bit more honest.

Buy from China? Not me. Buy from Europe? A few companies from a few countries. Fight with the good ole US of A? You bet. What else is there to do after retirement, go fishing?