Etsy Overseas questions

[LightBright]

So I have been looking at a piece on Etsy for the last five days. I’ve been communicating the vendor and it’s been a little slow. Each day the price has gotten higher and higher. US price went up $40 since yesterday. It is now $75 higher than the original list price.

Does the US price of an Etsy item based overseas fluctuate daily due to exchange rate? (Eg is it automatically calculated by Etsy based on list price, and automatically posted?).

Is it more secure to buy via Etsy than on the vendor’s own site?

Second, has anyone bought anything from Europe on Etsy? What is customs like for items from England or Italy? When the piece gets to my city, for example, do I have to go get it at customs?

How do I calculate cost of customs ahead of buying?

Sigh.

 

[Bron357]

Hi, first tip. The “converted” dollar price will change daily as exchange rates constantly change AND the price you actually pay is likely higher still.
eBay I know (and probably Etsy) use a mid point rate as an estimate, the actual exchange rate your transaction will process at will depend upon how you pay. If you use PayPal their rate includes 5% commission as will a credit card provider (Visa, American Express), even a bank transfer will involve a commission fee in the exchange rate. No one provides a currency exchange facility or international money transfer for free! A Bank provided rate will be better for you (less inbuilt fees) than PayPal or credit card providers rate.
Customs or Import taxes.
These vary dramatically between Countries and where it is coming from. Some countries have Trade agreements which reduce or exempt taxes / items. Otherwise countries have $ limits as exempt, others charge 10% or 20% and sometimes US States have additional taxes to pay.
As a buyer you need to check what these extra taxes and costs will be. There should be a Government website you can check. Payment / collection of any payable taxes and fees is before delivery. Depending on the Carrier, they may look after the collection of any duties or taxes, for a fee of course, and they contact you by phone once your item has cleared customs to obtain payment from you prior to delivery. Other delivery methods may involve the Post Office contacting you saying an item has been received and taxes are due. Again, check with the vendor as to what delivery options are offered.

 

[LightBright]

Thank you, Bron. This is great info.

Does anyone know what shipper I can suggest using that would be easy for the vendor and that would not require me to go in person to a post office? Is there a preferred shipper from England to the US?

Also, incredibly, I have not yet found a link where I can calculate customs on a package from England to the US. All the links I’ve found are commercial services. I’ll keep looking.

 

[LightBright]

I’m surprised this issue isn’t covered on Pricescope since we have so many international buyers? It looks to be extremely complicated to calculate import tariffs.

 

[marymm]

I've bought several times from the UK via etsy, secondhand jewelry items worth no more than $1000 USD probably ... there were no import tariffs or extra fees ... item was shipped via Royal Mail to USPS, or via DHL ... YMMV

 

[Deidre]

I ordered a necklace from Etsy, and the seller was based in Greece. He used expedited shipping through Fed Ex, and I literally received the necklace within a week from when I initially ordered it. I have ordered pieces on Etsy from sellers based in India, and using DHL/USPS, it took about a month to receive. With Covid, that could take longer. So, I guess it depends on the seller?