FYI international buyers cannot expect full refund from Lightbox Jewelry

[pearaffair]

“I would first like to state again that as per our terms that is stated on our website, the duties and taxes are non-refundable. This is noted so in the case of a return, our customers can expect this.

Nontheless, we reached out to our third-party shipping partner when you first reached out to try to get this sorted for you.

Unfortunately, they were unable to provide the appropriate information. I apologize for this inconvenience.

The reason we are unable to refund duties and taxes is because we are unable to claim it back ourselves.“

So after a bajillion emails with lightbox, this is an excerpt that I thought you might be interested in. I’m not interested in pursuing it further, I just wanted to give this FYI to international buyers.

 

[DejaWiz]

Unfortunately, this is a common clause present in many retailers T&C that ship internationally.
If I understand customs, duties, and importation nuances correctly, then refunds for those government-instituted fees are refundable only if goods received are proven defective or incorrect.
If that applies to your circumstance, then you can file a claim for a refund of those fees with your local tax and customs offices.

 

[musicloveranthony]

Curious what the cause for return was. I haven't seen a lightbox stone in person. Was the quality less than you desired? They're on my radar, but I hate the idea of not knowing exactly which stone I would get, nor what to expect it to look like

 

[Friendly]

I was going to respond that, in general, vendors do not recieve the import, VATs, or any other fees assessed by government agencies, and simply could not provide a refund for money they did not recieve - but @DejaWiz is on it! If you go to most websites, they will cover this in the return policy. Best wishes.

 

[pearaffair]

Curious what the cause for return was. I haven't seen a lightbox stone in person. Was the quality less than you desired? They're on my radar, but I hate the idea of not knowing exactly which stone I would get, nor what to expect it to look like

It was a 1ct cushion necklace, it was stunning, but the diamond faced up so small I was like “meh” and returned it.

 

[pearaffair]

Curious what the cause for return was. I haven't seen a lightbox stone in person. Was the quality less than you desired? They're on my radar, but I hate the idea of not knowing exactly which stone I would get, nor what to expect it to look like

PS I later ordered a 1.5ct round regular stone and had it set and I adore it.

 

[pearaffair]

I was going to respond that, in general, vendors do not recieve the import, VATs, or any other fees assessed by government agencies, and simply could not provide a refund for money they did not recieve - but @DejaWiz is on it! If you go to most websites, they will cover this in the return policy. Best wishes.

Ok good to know! I think I’m this case they were unable to tell me the amount of duty that was paid so I was not able to request it from the border services agency who needed more detail from me.

 

[pearaffair]

Unfortunately, this is a common clause present in many retailers T&C that ship internationally.
If I understand customs, duties, and importation nuances correctly, then refunds for those government-instituted fees are refundable only if goods received are proven defective or incorrect.
If that applies to your circumstance, then you can file a claim for a refund of those fees with your local tax and customs offices.

Good to know!

 

[pearaffair]

To be honest I’m not too choked about it, just wanted to make sure international buyers knew this.

 

[dk168]

I import from abroad all the time, blings as well as non-blings like Hawaiian shirts from Hawaii and household items.

I have always accepted the transactions are one way, in that import duties and custom charges are my responsibility, and the seller will not reimburse them to me should I wish to return the goods for whatever reason(s).

Hence I seldom return anything.

The last time I returned some goods, they were not the ones I ordered, and I insisted on returning them out of principle. I lost the postage about 11.00 GBP for international track and sign, as I was tricked by the seller who said they would pay for the return postage, and did not.

DK

 

[chere]

@pearaffair what country are you from? I just returned a couple of pieces and I'm waiting for my refund.

 

[icy_jade]

the duties and taxes are non-refundable.

This is fairly standard for any international purchase and no fault of the vendor since they don’t touch the money paid to the government office or whoever the taxes goes to.

Also if 3rd party shippers are used, the seller usually can’t provide details to enable claims (if the govt has an avenue for that). That’s just how it is from what I know in my country.

 

[pearaffair]

This is fairly standard for any international purchase and no fault of the vendor since they don’t touch the money paid to the government office or whoever the taxes goes to.

Also if 3rd party shippers are used, the seller usually can’t provide details to enable claims (if the govt has an avenue for that). That’s just how it is from what I know in my country.

Yes, it makes sense and I don’t blame them! I saw on a different lightbox thread that someone commented it would be illegal for lightbox to not refund duty or provide that info… haha so I wanted to make sure everyone on PS knew that they were well within their rights! Which is fine; just don’t want anyone to get blindsided by this.

 

[pearaffair]

@pearaffair what country are you from? I just returned a couple of pieces and I'm waiting for my refund.

Canada. You?

 

[chere]

I'm in Canada too

 

[Bron357]

Customs and taxes levied by the “buyers” country upon importation are always the sole responsibility of the buyer. The seller/ vendor has no part in the amount charged.
Depending on your country, as a buyer, you might be able to claim back the taxes (except for processing fees) upon providing appropriate documentation but it is a painful and drawn out procedure.
Another thing to be aware of, depending on your payment method, there may be costs not recoverable ie deducted from your refund as well.
PayPal for example now keeps their merchant fee irrespective of the reason for the refund. So the seller actually receives an amount with PayPal fee already deducted. The seller used to be able to claim the PayPal fee back in the case of a return / refund, but not any longer.

 

[chere]

Lightbox collected duties and taxes on our behalf at checkout. The amount of duty was included the sales price and taxes was a percentage of the sales amount. They are claiming they cannot refund duties and taxes when we return the item.

As a CPA, I find this very odd. I’m not a tax accountant, but I’m fairly certain taxes are remitted monthly, quarterly or annually and calculated based on net sales. And my package didn’t include any custom documents that I can reference if I want to submit a claim with my government for a duties and tax refund.

Duties are as high as 8.5% on jewelry and my sales taxes are 13%. A 21.5% "restocking fee" feels high.

 

[chere]

@pearaffair I found this site. It's the invoicing vendor that's on Lightbox receipt. I am going to contact them for my duties and tax refund.

https://service.global-e.com/Categories/i-want-a-refund-of-the-duties-taxes-paid-for-this-order

 

[chere]

Well, the Global smart cross lead was a dead end. My inquiry got bounced to Lightbox and they replied with their generic FAQ that they cannot return taxes since they can’t recover it themselves. They are reaching out to their shipping partner to get me a copy of the customs documents. They could only find the commercial invoice for my orders.

I’m going to be persistent. I know DHL has a copy of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) B3 Canada Custom Coding Form. And the duties and tax refund claims process is easy. It’s just a long wait to get a cheque in the mail.


Fill out the form, print off these documents and mail it in.

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/forms-formulaires/b2g-eng.html
1. The original import document (The commercial invoice and CSBA B3 form for courier packages)
2. The order invoice that states the amount of taxes paid.
3. The return shipping label with the waybill tracking number.
4. The refund confirmation with the refund amount.

 

[chere]

Lightbox sent me the B3 custom form associated with my orders this afternoon. I’m going to print them off and wait for my tax return.

Good luck everyone! I hope you get your taxes back.

 

[diamondyes]

Lightbox sent me the B3 custom form associated with my orders this afternoon. I’m going to print them off and wait for my tax return.

Good luck everyone! I hope you get your taxes back.

Oh that’s amazing! Way to go! Crossing my fingers for you that it all works out.