Issue with shipping valuable book to USA for consignment - Advice needed

[T-Dogz_AK47]

Hi Guys,

I have an ongoing issue with shipping a valuable book to the USA for consignment, and would appreciate some advice....

I was advised by a US bookdealer that my double remarqued and inscribed S/L edition of A Book of Horrors could be sold on consignment within his online store for $4,000 USD, but I would need to bear the cost of shipping the book to him for consignment, which I agreed to do....

As the book is valuable, I paid for it to be fully insured (at great cost) when posting internationally and had to declare its value on the customs declaration form....

However, the book is now held at a FedEx facility and they won't release it for delivery until the bookdealer completes a CBP 5106 form issued by US Customs and Border Protection, in order to verify his impoter ID and registration.

See images below...

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a622/T-Dogz_AK47/Screenshot_20171115-111453_zps8zpspjxp.png

http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a622/T-Dogz_AK47/Screenshot_20171114-233931_zpssrm09na5.png

Is this a common occurrence when shipping valuable books?

I have contacted FedEx who have confirmed that no customs duty is to be paid on this (books are exempt) and that they only need the importer's registration/identification number for clearance.

However, the bookdealer is refusing to complete the CBP 5106 form and stated the following in an email to me....


Tim,*
Please retrieve your package and send it again without the need to fill out any forms.
Thank you.

As the book is addressed to the bookdealer and is currently held at a FedEx facility within the US, it is impossible for me to retrieve.

Is the bookdealer's refusal to complete the CBP 5106 reasonable?

Should I have waived the insurance and declared a lesser value on the customs form when posting the book and risked it being lost or damaged?

I have tried contacting the bookdealer, but he has so far ignored the email that I sent...

I now have a book stuck in delivery limbo and don't know the best course of action....

Any help or advice on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. :smile:

[webstar1000]

I have NEVER run into this... I insure through a 3rd party company too. Strange situation man. I sure hope it works out


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Ben Staad]

I know you stated that the book is in limbo however has Fed Ex indicated what scenario is available for the book to be returned to you?

[frik]

Never ran into this either - sounds like an impossible situation.
The solution lies with this bookseller, I feel. He refuses to fill out this CPB form - any idea why this is so? And no, I think his refusal to do so is far from reasonable.
He's ignoring you e-mails - so very unprofessional.
I would try to get him to tell you why he refuses to cooperate - if not via e-mail, by phone.
If this does not work, I would get in touch with FedEx and have them return the book to you. After all, it's your book so how can they refuse to return it.

Good luck, Tim.

sk

[webstar1000]

Who is the dealer Tim?

[WeDealInLead]

Get FedEx to send you your book back and post about the scumfuck book seller's name in "sellers to avoid" thread. No mercy for people who play games with your time and money. The worst part is that he's ignoring your emails after you spent your own money to send the book securely to him.

[webstar1000]

Get FedEx to send you your book back and post about the scumfuck book seller's name in "sellers to avoid" thread. No mercy for people who play games with your time and money. The worst part is that he's ignoring your emails after you spent your own money to send the book securely to him.

WHAT HE SAID^^^

[T-Dogz_AK47]

It cost me over £150 ($200 USD) to send the book fully tracked and insured.

Refusing to complete a CBP 5106 seems a bit shady to me, seeing as there are no costs involved - especially for someone running what is supposed to be a very fine business with very fine customer service.

The bookdealer is Emmanuel Manetakis at Veryfinebooks. :pullhair:

[webstar1000]

It cost me over £150 ($200 USD) to send the book fully tracked and insured.

Refusing to complete a CBP 5106 seems a bit shady to me, seeing as there are no costs involved - especially for someone running what is supposed to be a very fine business with very fine customer service.

The bookdealer is Emmanuel Manetakis at Veryfinebooks. :pullhair:

WOW. Another story about him. I will NOT DEAL with him on any book every again. However, I shall not derail this thread from you but I would be FUCKIN PISSED TIM. Has he not given you a reason?

[Randall Flagg]

The likely reason the bookseller doesn't want to fill the form out is that they can be held responsible for State (possibly Federal) taxes on the declared value of the item. As soon as he gives up his SSN, or Taxpayer I.D. the info goes into a database that all US states, and the Feds access.
I had to pay state sales tax on the Crimson King statue I purchased from Rachel Readman. Very similar situation. I received a notice months after I received the item. As you can see, it is the state of Tennessee that is requiring the info.

There has to be a way to have Fedex simply return (at your expense) the book.

There are no ways that I'm aware of to avoid this type of issue once insurance is purchased and a large value is declared.

[webstar1000]

The likely reason the bookseller doesn't want to fill the form out is that they can be held responsible for State (possibly Federal) taxes on the declared value of the item. As soon as he gives up his SSN, or Taxpayer I.D. the info goes into a database that all US states, and the Feds access.
I had to pay state sales tax on the Crimson King statue I purchased from Rachel Readman. Very similar situation. I received a notice months after I received the item. As you can see, it is the state of Tennessee that is requiring the info.

There has to be a way to have Fedex simply return (at your expense) the book.

I can see that... HOWEVER... why not just say that instead of being a dick and ignoring his customer without explaining that possibility?

[herbertwest]

Very unprofessionnal, and in the end it would cost both the shipping + the return because the guy do not want to claim give his tax details??
He knew very well that the book is valuable, so what did he expect?

[Randall Flagg]

FYI, in Tennesse the state sales tax is 9.75%. They want their pound of flesh. Whatever you declared the value to be (example: $4K x 9.75%=$390) is what the recipient is expected to report and pay for. If not, the state will notify them and hold them responsible for the tax.

[Randall Flagg]

I can see that... HOWEVER... why not just say that instead of being a dick and ignoring his customer without explaining that possibility?

Not sure. That is a question only he can answer.
I suggest Tim tell VFB that if he is taxed, Tim will pay the tax. Yes Tim is out another $390, but Fedex might want $200 to return the book, thus the true additional out of pocket is $290. Take it out of the significant profit from selling the book. This is an unexpected situation and calls upon compromise from one or both parties.

Of course even if Tim offered that as a solution, VFB must see your offer, accept, and respond.

[webstar1000]

I can see that... HOWEVER... why not just say that instead of being a dick and ignoring his customer without explaining that possibility?

Not sure. That is a question only he can answer.
I suggest Tim tell VFB that if he is taxed, Tim will pay the tax. Yes Tim is out another $390, but Fedex might want $200 to return the book, thus the true additional out of pocket is $290. Take it out of the significant profit from selling the book. This is an unexpected situation and calls upon compromise from one or both parties.

Of course even if Tim offered that as a solution, VFB must see your offer, accept, and respond.

Too bad this has happened. Good idea RF... still sucks either way. I hope it works out for you Tim. Let us know.

[T-Dogz_AK47]

I offered to pay any charges that could be levied, but his response was for me to retrieve the book and send it to him again without the need to fill in any forms....

Like I'm going to fork out another $200 to do that!
:dick:

[webstar1000]

I offered to pay any charges that could be levied, but his response was for me to retrieve the book and send it to him again without the need to fill in any forms....

Like I'm going to fork out another $200 to do that!
:dick:

wow. ANother reason to not deal with that guy...

[T-Dogz_AK47]

A quick update:

I just telephoned FedEx but they won't recognise me as being the customer....

As I originally posted the book through ParcelForce in the UK, and it was subsequently transferred over to FedEx when it arrived in the US, FedEx will now only recognise ParcelForce as being the customer for this shipment and point blank refuse to discuss the issue with me....

I will have to contact ParcelForce in order to ask them to contact FedEx.

This has become a clusterfuck of epic proportions! :doh:

[amd013]

Yeah that sucks. Seems he has been in the business long enough that he should have given you explicit instructions on shipping to avoid such issues.

[St. Troy]

"If we simply make it difficult enough, he will lie back and allow us to fuck him without mercy."

...seems to be the philosophy at work here for everyone involved who isn't T-Dogz.

[AKC]

Don’t post much anymore but, for what it’s worth, Emmanuel is a stand up gent and has helped many of us with our collections along the way.

Working with him now on a traycase. Going above and beyond to ensure it is of the highest quality.

Hate to see a guy’s reputation smeared over 1 transaction with a slight bit of trouble.

Best of luck to both parties, am sure all will work out.

[stroppygoblin]

Also adding to the above comment from AKC

It seems we are very quick to judge here sometimes, especially when not all the facts are known.

As I recommended VFB to Tim for consigning his book to them, I feel I have a personal interest in getting this resolved and have been in contact with Emmanuel directly. This is the first time they have ever received this type of request from US customs and they are actively trying to resolve it to the best of their ability. The message to Tim to resend it was the simplest solution albeit it didn’t take in to consideration the apparent costs involved.

Rather than beat a good Book dealer up, let’s chill out and give them some time to work it out.

Tim, PM me if you want to discuss my conversation with Emmanuel...

[Alec]

I know Emmanuel and Tim's good name precedes him.
They will work the situation out I am certain.
However this site was not put here for people to speculate and then judge.
Two people have the facts, that is all that's needed.

[Randall Flagg]

This site was put here for Stephen King fans, and we specialize in information on all things regarding the collecting of King books/items. Vendors/publishers/book sellers are encouraged and paricipate-but will always take second place behind our members.

That being said, it was probably a bit early to have mentioned VFB's name.

BTW, I may have speculated (with what I'm reasonably certain is the answer why the form must be filled out), but I myself didn't judge.

[Johnny007]

So...a member asks other members for some help on an issue he is having. Instead of trying to help the chap, people with no ability to help start chiming in and help to facilitate a mess... and, besmirches a dealer who's been a help to many of us here (me included). So if you can't help, why even post???

I have experience in this so I feel that I can offer some background and help. In order for ISIS and its predecessor (and others) to fund their war efforts, there was significant money laundering throughout the world. Money laundering is not new but intelligent showed that a significant amount of money ended up in the hands of ISIS -- from the usual bad guys directly but also from 3rd/4th parties in NATO countries. That means the US, UK, etc.

The US Treasury and counterparts in other countries are trying to combat the money laundering by setting up at database of people/businesses, that receive insured goods (over a certain value) from other countries. The delivery company charges a small amount of the insured value. I don't know what that fee covers nor do I care. For 99.99999999% of the members here, having your name on this database should mean nothing. There should NOT be any tax repercussions to either a business or a person.

Within the last 18 months I bought two lots from the UK. One was insured for $7K+ and the other was about $5K+. I paid about $50 on the higher valued item and about $40 on the other. The first time I was called by FEDEX and they explained that my package was available as soon as I gave them my SSN or Tax ID and confirmed my address. I was a bit confused but they explained things to me. I believe I paid with a check to the driver when they delivered (same day). All in all, NO BIG DEAL.

Emanuel, if you are reading this, you do NOT have to fill out the entire form. A quick call to FEDEX should resolve this issue and you can make some money on the consignment.

Tim, you should not spend any money to get the lot returned. Just have a little patience (unlike some members here) and things will work out.

Best,
John

[Randall Flagg]

Filling out the form (if required) is easy for a private party. Of course it's even easier if one can simply provide their SSN to Fedex and retrieve the package. The person may still be held accountable at a later time for the state sales tax.
Take a look at the form, it looks more confusing than it really is.
Here's what a Private Party needs to do to complete the form:

If you look at the form, all they really need is your name address and SSN.

I believe box 1 is left empty.
Box 2B would contain your SSN. Since you gave a SSN, box 2C would be checked on "I have no IRS Number".
2D is left blank.
Box 3 is your name.
Boxes 4 and 5 are left blank.
Box 6 is checked "Individual".
7-10 are self explanatory.
Leave 11 blank.
12-15 are a repeat of the info provided on the previous boxes, just fill the info in.
16 is left blank.
Box 17A and 17B would be checked "NO".
Box 17C is left blank.
Box 18-21 are self explanatory.
Box 22 is left blank.

[Johnny007]

There is no tax for receiving goods to resell. There are no customs charges. And you are right "all they really need is your name address and SSN." You are one of the only ones who provided help (above and earlier).

John

[Merlin1958]

Sad fact is that it really doesn't pay to insure the books. Even in the case of such as expensive one described herein. After several incidents in my own experience its almost impossible to get the insurance company to pay. Especially, when shipping international as in this case. If your book had been lost or damaged the UK shipper would have thrown blame on Fed Ex and vice versa. that failing they would through all the red tape fuck you around on exactly who is able to actually make the claim. The shipper (Tim) or VFB. By the time you've gone through all the hoops would probably try to put the fault on the actual local deliverer or some shit. All in all, IMHO it just doesn't pay to fork over the money in the first place and just ship the book and cross your fingers. Fortunately, the odds of a safe delivery are pretty good in your favor.

All of which is to say that if you avoid the shipping insurance in the first place you likely avoid any tax/tariff issues, Probably better to insure the book in your collection locally and if damaged in transit make claim against your local insurance firm. You could make an insurance claim for water damage or any excuse and get reimbursed locally if you see what I mean. Just my three beans on the subject of course.

I hope you are able to resolve this situation to your satisfaction. For what it's worth, this sucks, buddy!!!!

[T-Dogz_AK47]

I am pleased to say that Emmanuel at VFB, completed the customs form and has now taken delivery of my book. :rock:

I am very grateful for all the help I have received in bringing this matter to a successful conclusion. You guys ROCK!!! :clap::clap:

[frik]

I am pleased to say that Emmanuel at VFB, completed the customs form and has now taken delivery of my book. :rock:

:thumbsup:

sk

[darkseer]

I am pleased to say that Emmanuel at VFB, completed the customs form and has now taken delivery of my book. :rock:

I am very grateful for all the help I have received in bringing this matter to a successful conclusion. You guys ROCK!!! :clap::clap:



:clap:

[jonp]

Great news, Tim. I hope you sell it quickly as well.

[Randall Flagg]

I'm glad we can put this behind us. If any lesson(s) can be learned from this they are:
Don't be quick to reveal a highly regarded bookseller/private party. Community help can (and did) provide advice that ended up getting the issue resolved.
Don't be so quick to disparage-particularly in graphic terms someone. Give them a chance to respond, either publicly or privately.

Hopefully we can put this behind us, and be confident that VFB did the right thing, and thus maintains a rather stellar reputation.

[Johnny007]

+1