foreign orders, customs seize, & protecting against chargeback

[yoderfarms]

Lets say....

I sell a product thats legal in the USA.

Someone from Japan buys it with their VISA card

I ship them the product

It gets seized at their customs because its not allowed in Japan.

The buyer issuers a chargeback.

What could I have done to protect myself and make a chargeback impossible? Are there any laws or VISA policies regarding disclaimers where users are forewarned that refunds wont be issued when they order a product not allowed in their country? If I have email documentation of the uer ensuring me the product is legal in their country would this be enough to prevent them from issuing a chargeback? Can I have them fax a waiver or something? The foreign markets are very lucrative and I'd really appreciate advice on this.

Yours in ecommerce,

Dr. Yoder

[Dogza]

I believe you, as the shipper, can actually get into some trouble if you ship items to a country that are not permitted. I would stay away from this practice completely. It is the Shippers responsibility to know what is / isn't allowed to be shipped.

But to answer your question anyway, No there is nothing you can do to protect yourself from a chargeback. If the customer doesn't get the merchandise the credit card company will side with them.

[RailMan]

>>I sell a product thats legal in the USA. ... its not allowed in Japan.

>> The foreign markets are very lucrative

any form of smuggling should always be done in secret and in cash - just pretend is heroin or cocaine or something :)

[Patrick Taylor]

Related to this, I'd be interested to know what the outcome would be when the item is legal but there are customs duties payable and the customer refuses to pay them.

If the seller can show published terms and conditions of sale that place the onus on the customer for customs duties, what can the seller do when a chargeback occurs?

Is there any way that the seller can approach the credit card company to demonstrate that he/she complied with a contract and have the chargeback reversed?

[RailMan]

>>I'd be interested to know what the outcome would be when the item
>>is legal but there are customs duties payable and the customer
>>refuses to pay them.

this is a risk you take if you want to sell internationally
it's YOUR risk, nobody elses
make yourself aware of any issues with customs etc
prepare for problems and chargebacks
if you don't want the chargebacks, don't take the risk
is the little profit per sale worth the hassle and risk?

>>Is there any way that the seller can approach the credit card
>>company to demonstrate that he/she complied with a contract

yes - you can do whatever you want to

>>and have the chargeback reversed?

probably not - the cc companies don't have to listen to you
at the end of the day, if you gamble, prepare to lose

[Patrick Taylor]

Well, it is obviously possible to demonstrate that the customer actually received and signed for the goods. From what you're suggesting it sounds as if, even then, there is nothing to prevent a successful chargeback, as a credit card company needn't listen to anything except what the cardholder is alleging.

[Corey Bryant]

You said that it is legal in the USA which leads me to believe you know it is not legal elsewhere. If not, you need to read where you can and cannot sell your products.

Think of it like this - you own a liquor store and sell to someone under 21. You don't expect to get your money back. You will get a fine, maybe have your license suspended, etc

-Corey

[plumsauce]

why is this not being caught at the EXPORT documentation stage? if the documentation is not being filled out correctly, then you might face bigger problems than a chargeback.