Has Any One Bought Anything From E Bay ?

[rameez]

thanks ...but my utmost desire is to get a shave from a foreign item............. .... and besides the price here is quite huge. when you add shipping and price at the current exchange rate most of them are below 1500 LKR, i have no idea how much will be taxed though and need to see on trial and error. How much do you think will be taxed.if i can pay 300 as tax even then it sounds like a good deal.........

Edited May 26, 2010 by rameez

[Pericles]

thanks ...but my utmost desire is to get a shave from a foreign item.............

They don't make them here, they just sell them here My shaver is supposedly made in the US, tho I got it from MC

[Pericles]

thanks ...but my utmost desire is to get a shave from a foreign item............. .... and besides the price here is quite huge. when you add shipping and price at the current exchange rate most of them are below 1500 LKR, i have no idea how much will be taxed though and need to see on trial and error. How much do you think will be taxed.if i can pay 300 as tax even then it sounds like a good deal.........

Ah, well, I paid about 3k for mine. Still, more than paid for itself in all the trips to the salon I've avoided over the years.

[SeanD]

I generally use my debit card (issued in S'pore) though not sure if SL has debit cards..

For those still looking:

Based on my own experiences, I would not recommend using a debit card for any online transaction if you have the option of using a credit card instead. There's lots of reasons, but one of the main reasons is that an online transaction places a hold on your credit card for the amount you're being charged, and these post as "pending" until it is cleared by the merchant, the bank, and the card issuer.

At times, if there is some error in the merchant's system, your card may be declined, but there can still be a hold placed on your account for that amount. Of course, these will fall away in a day or three as the merchant and issuer cannot complete the transaction, and you will not be charged anything.

If you have a debit card, on the other hand, this is not just a hold but actual cash that you will not have access to. So if, for example, your transaction of, say, $100 was declined twice over on a website (Eg. Amazon - this has happened twice to me when their billing system was being "maintained"), your credit card may still have a hold for 200 dollars (both declined transactions) that will sit there until the bank realizes that these transactions were not completed by the merchant.

On the other hand, if I had a debit card with 250 dollars in my account, that's 200 actual dollars I don't have access to anymore, which can take anywhere from one to ten business days to fall away. And if it's a fraud transaction, I know it can take weeks to get the actual money back even if the transaction is reversed, and only with a lot of hassle.

Also, at least for US held cards, the rules with refunding customers who's debit cards/numbers have been stolen is complicated and time consuming. It once took me 3 months to get my funds returned after my debit number had been stolen and account had been overdrawn in the US (made worse by the fact I was in SL at the time, good luck explaining that to the outsourced "customer service agents"). On the other hand, when this happens to a credit card, whether or not the payment has posted, it was a hassle free process to get my credit back and transactions reversed, and I am not responsible for them. On the other hand, if it was my actual funds from my debit account, I would not have that actual cash until whenever it was refunded by the bank.

In general, it's suggested to use your credit card for online transactions, as well as in restaurants, petrol stations, supermarkets (and anywhere your card goes out of your sight at all), and then pay it off as soon as you like with your debit account or whatever other way you pay your card. This way, actual cash stays within or between banks, and you only need to pay your credit card issuer. I think this is good practice whatever country your card is issued from. I know there are debit cards in SL banks like Sampath, though credit cards are more popular. I imagine the debit cards work the same way worldwide.

Edited May 26, 2010 by SeanD

[SeanD]

random hacker and the origin was from the us.

Now these things are somewhat rare but a few years back sometimes you get these insane deals for "but it now" option coming from sellers with 100% feed back.

There was this one instance when i was interested and email the seller regarding shipping only to get an email from ebay saying the said account was hacked and all the listings were false.

I suppose whoever hacked the account wanted to sell things that didn't existed and somehow get paid for it

It's less to do with the 100% feedback than the number of buyers leaving feedback. If it's less than about 20 people leaving feedback, I'll click on as many of their profiles as I can to see if they're all legitimate reviewers, or whether they were created specifically to leave false reviews after making false transactions. This is generally safer.

On the other hand, I've had an occasion where I got one of them "insane deals," off a seemingly legitimate account, which mysteriously shut down as soon as the money went through. Thankfully, I got the items the same day as I had decided to file a complaint with paypal Looks like they sold me my item and then shut up shop.

[rameez]

Ah, well, I paid about 3k for mine. Still, more than paid for itself in all the trips to the salon I've avoided over the years.

Pericles......I hope you got yourself a shaver and not a hair trimmer,,,from what you say it more sounds like a hair trimmer which they use in salons these days. But then again it is a challenge to cut your hair with that damn thing ...right . My friend tried that stunt and ended up bald headed.......

[Pericles]

Pericles......I hope you got yourself a shaver and not a hair trimmer,,,from what you say it more sounds like a hair trimmer which they use in salons these days. But then again it is a challenge to cut your hair with that damn thing ...right . My friend tried that stunt and ended up bald headed.......

I was talking about the hair cutting thingy... Well, I use it for shaving my head, hence shaver Bald is my preferred look anyway. And there will someday be a day when that look is non-optional so might as well be used to it

[rameez]

I was talking about the hair cutting thingy... Well, I use it for shaving my head, hence shaver Bald is my preferred look anyway. And there will someday be a day when that look is non-optional so might as well be used to it

Does that do a good shave of your face as well. I mean if it can cut hair then it could easily shave right...........might as well get one of those then you can forget about the saloon as well.

[outlander]

Does that do a good shave of your face as well. I mean if it can cut hair then it could easily shave right...........might as well get one of those then you can forget about the saloon as well.

I think the hair cutting matchin can not be used to shave... the minimum we called note "0" is the shortest the cutter can go, it means it can cut ur hair damn shorter... but not good for shaving...

Shall we start a new thred named "SALOON"

[lasi]

Has anybody purchased a DSLR camera lens from Ebay?

How about the custom clearence issues and type of shipping service used?

[Watchman]

Has anybody purchased a DSLR camera lens from Ebay?

How about the custom clearence issues and type of shipping service used?

Best is to have it shipped to someone in the US and have it brought down manually. Safer.

Safety aside, the usual fear of being taxed is no longer around as I hear as taxes on Cameras and related items have been taken off. In which case DHL, UPS, FedEx should eliminate any worries you should have.

[jehan80]

.

Edited February 15, 2011 by jehan80

[Sylvi]

Members,

I use FEDEX,UPS, Aremex for most of my imports small parcels up to 2 kilograms. when you get the air way bill you can log on to their Tracing parcel Site with airway bill number and watch the shipment when the parcel is due 1 day before contact relevant office at Colombo Airport of the particular Currier give the airway bill number and arrange parcel will come home without giving letters to say the goods are for your personal use only thing you have to share something with the cost of small amount will be negligible.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

[rangerover]

Well abt a year ago, a friend i know got a lense down and got taxed severly on it. With the revision on taxes i don't know how ur exposure would be now. But as mentioned previously its all a game of chance. Your parcel get detained u will have pay taxes applicable.

[rameez]

If i get down a laptop for about 35000 LKR how much will it be taxed here, i am talking of a used laptop, will it come by post .Anyone who has got an idea about this ....

[The Don]

You'll have to pay VAT. I don't think there are any import duties on computer equipment (I could be wrong).

[fuzzo]

duty on PC is either 2.5 or 6 percent. there is no vat but the other taxes apply.

[LaZyBoY]

Thinking of buying a phone online and having it shipped here (the seller will use EMS), it's a smartphone, so has GPS etc. have the rules changed now or do the restrictions on importing phones still apply? Got one down a few years ago and it was the biggest pain in the ass to get it cleared, that one didn't even have GPS.

Have any of you guys done this recently? Interested to know what your experience was like dealing with those goons at the PO,

[terrabytetango]

I got down a new phone 7 months ago through a courier service. I had to pay a little something to get it cleared, but that was only because it was a personal favour. If detained by customs, you will need to obtain TRCSL approval for your phone in order to clear it.

[Nirosha]

I got down a new phone 7 months ago through a courier service. I had to pay a little something to get it cleared, but that was only because it was a personal favour. If detained by customs, you will need to obtain TRCSL approval for your phone in order to clear it.

I am waiting for my phone too. Will receive in this week. How to get that TRCSL approval? Also I am receiving the phone through USPS Express Mail International (from US). Any one have experience with this service? Should I go to customs or will they send it to door step?

[kalana]

I am waiting for my phone too. Will receive in this week. How to get that TRCSL approval? Also I am receiving the phone through USPS Express Mail International (from US). Any one have experience with this service? Should I go to customs or will they send it to door step?

i have imported my galaxy s through the USPS and it took 6 days to come here.when the phone comes to the central mail exchange, they will ask you to come there and clear your package.so when you collect the package, a custom officer will open the package in front of you. so if he sees something that can be taxed, you will have to pay.and as i have heard, rules for the phones and communication stuff has been increased.

[terrabytetango]

USPS is the American equivalent to our Sri Lanka Postal Service. UPS is the courier service. Since you're getting yours through the former, it will be coming through the regular postal service and it will probably be buried under a mountain of back log. As of today apparently there are ~1.8 million articles of mail still waiting to be processed. Last time this happened, it took 6 months from the posted date for them to find and notify me of my package.

Edited November 21, 2011 by terrabytetango

[Nirosha]

i have imported my galaxy s through the USPS and it took 6 days to come here.when the phone comes to the central mail exchange, they will ask you to come there and clear your package.so when you collect the package, a custom officer will open the package in front of you. so if he sees something that can be taxed, you will have to pay.and as i have heard, rules for the phones and communication stuff has been increased.

How much did you pay? and what was the price for it? or just let me know the percentage of the tax you pay.

USPS is the American equivalent to our Sri Lanka Postal Service. UPS is the courier service. Since you're getting yours through the former, it will be coming through the regular postal service and it will probably be buried under a mountain of back log. As of today apparently there are ~1.8 million articles of mail still waiting to be processed. Last time this happened, it took 6 months from the posted date for them to find and notify me of my package.

GOD... I think only thing now I have is just praying...! GOD...

[Nirosha]

I got down a new phone 7 months ago through a courier service. I had to pay a little something to get it cleared, but that was only because it was a personal favour. If detained by customs, you will need to obtain TRCSL approval for your phone in order to clear it.

How to get that TRCSL approval?

[Sifaan]

How to get that TRCSL approval?

actually getting TRCSL approval is a PITA (we had to do it for some telecom equipment we imported).for phones by post, paying a little something to the dude at the mail exchange somehow makes TRCSL approval irrelevant. probably they will declare it as something else on the form that they fill to charge duty (didn't really bother reading it)