02-20-2020, 02:28 PM
The customs declaration should state the correct value. I think understating the value is a common practice in China so this may not be Pine64's doing but even if it is not I think they should talk to their suppliers to sort it out.
Undoubtedly having a $25 "gift" declaration can lead to products being investigated by customs upon import, which can lead to extra costs and delays for consumers. But there is no telling if that is the worst that could happen. There was a case in my country of a guy who was importing garlic bulbs but having them labelled as apples, which attracted a lower VAT rate. He was caught, prosecuted and sentenced to six years in jail, reduced to two on appeal. Of course, the scale of his activities was much larger (the value of the "scam" was reported by the papers as being about €1.6 million) but ultimately what he was doing was not all that different to what is happening here.
Undoubtedly having a $25 "gift" declaration can lead to products being investigated by customs upon import, which can lead to extra costs and delays for consumers. But there is no telling if that is the worst that could happen. There was a case in my country of a guy who was importing garlic bulbs but having them labelled as apples, which attracted a lower VAT rate. He was caught, prosecuted and sentenced to six years in jail, reduced to two on appeal. Of course, the scale of his activities was much larger (the value of the "scam" was reported by the papers as being about €1.6 million) but ultimately what he was doing was not all that different to what is happening here.
