I'm sorry to bother you again, but I would greatly enjoy if you would not mislabel my packages.
Every other package I got before from Paizo was clearly labeled to contain books. My Dark Sun order was not. For my country, books with a value of less than 276$ are exempt from taxes.
As the total of my order was clearly below that, it would not have been taxed by customs - were it actually labelled 'books' like all the other packages from Paizo.
How can I prevent this from happening in the future? Do I need to write a note? "Please label this 'books' like all the other packages, and not differently?"
Gary: Oh. My. God. I am an evil genius!
Indeed. That's so...very...funny. :(
Edit: Of course I don't think it was done on purpose. Hanlon's razor applies, I guess.
Which order are you referring to? Looking at your most recent order containing Dark Sun products, the customs form we print out automatically would have been labeled "books".
What was actually printed on the customs form?
"Merchandise"
I can send you a photo of the note by email, if you want to.
Also, the sticker that's usually on the box is missing.
I called the postal customs department and explained the situation to them. The girl on the phone checked something on her computer, agreed that the money was unfairly charged, took my bank account number and told me they will send me the whole customs cost within 2 weeks.
So - it looks like I won't have to pay for your mistake, after all.
Senior Software Developer
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I can assure you that this was not a mistake on our part. We did not fill out your customs form by hand. These forms are printed by software licensed by the United States postal service.
We told the USPS that your package contained 12 books, and that the entire package was "merchandise". The other options are Gift, Documents, Commercial Sample, Returned Goods and Other. There are specific rules we must follow that determine which category a package fits into, and as this package contained merchandise, that's the category we put it in.
To be clear: We have zero control over the formatting of the customs form. We provided precise and accurate information to the USPS regarding the contents of the package. We have zero control over what foreign postal services or customs agencies are going to charge to receive a package, and our messaging during order checkout is clear on this point.
I can assure you that this was not a mistake on our part. We did not fill out your customs form by hand. These forms are printed by software licensed by the United States postal service.
We told the USPS that your package contained 12 books, and that the entire package was "merchandise". The other options are Gift, Documents, Commercial Sample, Returned Goods and Other. There are specific rules we must follow that determine which category a package fits into, and as this package contained merchandise, that's the category we put it in.
To be clear: We have zero control over the formatting of the customs form. We provided precise and accurate information to the USPS regarding the contents of the package. We have zero control over what foreign postal services or customs agencies are going to charge to receive a package, and our messaging during order checkout is clear on this point.
Ok. Well, you've seen the pictures I've emailed you - no 'books' to be found. And as I mentioned before, usually there's a sticker on the box, with the contents spelled out, which was missing this time.
But anyway, I'm sorry for blaming you if it was USPS' fault. Luckily, it looks like the problem is resolved and I'll just have to wait for the reimbursement.
Have a nice day!
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Senior Software Developer
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The sticker you're referring to is actually a different customs form. This package fell into a category that requires the "long white form" (2976-A), which is formatted differently from the "green form" (2976). We provide the same information to the USPS for each form but they get formatted differently.
I don't have a white form handy but I've asked the warehouse to notify me the next time they print one. That form is several pages long and it's possible the "12 books" notation is on one of the pages that the USPS takes when they process the package in their facility.
For more information about the postal regulations regarding customs forms, see the International Mail Manual.
The sticker you're referring to is actually a different customs form. This package fell into a category that requires the "long white form" (2976-A), which is formatted differently from the "green form" (2976). We provide the same information to the USPS for each form but they get formatted differently.
I don't have a white form handy but I've asked the warehouse to notify me the next time they print one. That form is several pages long and it's possible the "12 books" notation is on one of the pages that the USPS takes when they process the package in their facility.
For more information about the postal regulations regarding customs forms, see the International Mail Manual.
Thanks for the info, but I have to admit I don't really care for the details, at least as long as I don't have to pay extra.
Well, I'll see what happens if I ever get a shopping spree like that Dark Sun order again...and I probably will, it's very tempting, especially now that the low US $ makes everything so cheap, like 35% off everything - even shipping. Yay.
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Chief Technical Officer
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I can assure you that this was not a mistake on our part. We did not fill out your customs form by hand. These forms are printed by software licensed by the United States postal service.
We told the USPS that your package contained 12 books, and that the entire package was "merchandise". The other options are Gift, Documents, Commercial Sample, Returned Goods and Other. There are specific rules we must follow that determine which category a package fits into, and as this package contained merchandise, that's the category we put it in.
Just to be even more clear, "merchandise" and "books" are actually answers to two different questions. The first applies to the package as a whole, and the second covers the actual contents of the package. Every international package that contains a standard customer order from paizo.com gets identified as "merchandise," and then the contents themselves are identified appropriately (books, toys, clothing, etc.).
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Senior Software Developer
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I don't have a white form handy but I've asked the warehouse to notify me the next time they print one. That form is several pages long and it's possible the "12 books" notation is on one of the pages that the USPS takes when they process the package in their facility.
I have now confirmed that the "12 books" information is in fact included on 3 of the 4 pages of the long form which we included with your package. The page you saw is the fourth page which does not include that information. Presumably the USPS and your local customs agency takes those other three pages during their processing of the package.
I think it is pretty clear Paizo did things right on their end. IF not the customer would not have been able to get a refund on his end. Clearly customs did not correctly interpret or fully read over the accompanying paperwork. Fortunately when he called he got someone competent enough to find where the mistake was made and issued him a refund.
I don't have a white form handy but I've asked the warehouse to notify me the next time they print one. That form is several pages long and it's possible the "12 books" notation is on one of the pages that the USPS takes when they process the package in their facility.I have now confirmed that the "12 books" information is in fact included on 3 of the 4 pages of the long form which we included with your package. The page you saw is the fourth page which does not include that information. Presumably the USPS and your local customs agency takes those other three pages during their processing of the package.
Well, I only got 2 pages, the customs form and the Paizo sheet, both of which I sent you.
It seems unlikely that I would be charged for a different category than books if all the information was available to my local customs office. At least they were kind enough to agree to refund the costs, without me having to go through hoops.
But I get it - this time, it absolutely can't possibly be Paizo's fault. Not like with the damaged battle map. Or the wrong book. Or Liz' email. Or the prematurely ended subscription benefits. And I'm not even complaining that the Forest Maker box is crushed because of insufficient bubble-wrap.
No. Today, I'll simply be happy that I have those cool Dark Sun books.
Good night.