Have had an almighty row with www.shopbop.com.
I had ordered some earrings as presents for about $103.
They give three options for shipping.
- You pay Shopbop for dealing with customs and taxes up front
- You get express delivery but you deal with any customs and taxes on delivery
- You use regular post and again you deal with any customs and taxes on delivery.
My order was only $103 so I thought I would take my chances on customs. I read the small print carefully, and the only liability being presented was for customs and taxes.
My order arrives with UPS who not only seek the customs and taxes from me but a brokerage charge of €14.50, (I'm in Ireland). I had to pay it to get the delivery. It was listed as "other charges".
I then went back and read the small print again. I took up the issue with Shopbop and eventually they agreed to refund me the brokerage fee. Took a lot of argument though and referring them back to their own small print.
So beware. If you are importing with Shopbop and you are not using ordinary post, then use their up front option to avoid the sneaky brokerage charge by UPS.
Talk about sharp practice. I was outraged! I buy a lot from the net, including outside the EU and I've never had that problem before.