the pitfalls of buying abroad

Certain merchant sites based abroad make it possible to do good business, with prices lower than those of France. Buying abroad also allows you to get products unavailable in France. But the shopping on sites Internet strangers can also hide unpleasant surprises. Here are the pitfalls to avoid.

Tips for buying online from a foreign site

• First of all, know that you can't buy anything! The importation of certain goods is totally prohibited, such as tobacco and counterfeits. Others are subject to specific regulations (animals, medicines, foodstuffs …).
• Be careful to check the geographic location of the website or the seller as well as the country of shipment of the products. A ".com" site is not necessarily published by a French company. Similarly, a website located in Italy can ship your order from Hong Kong.
• The rights of protection on electronic commerce (right of withdrawal, commercial and legal guarantee …) only apply to professional sales sites. Exchange platforms between individuals therefore do not offer these guarantees.
• The law that applies is in principle that of the country of the professional, unless the site explicitly targets the French market (for example, if it has an interface in French while his country is not French-speaking): c 'is the French law which prevails.
• Carefully read the general conditions of sale (CGV or " Conditions of Use and Sale ", In English) and check the legal notices, compulsory for any commercial site.
• Find out about the existence of any warranty (legal and / or commercial) and its conditions ofapplication. In the event of repair, will it be necessary for example to return the product abroad?

Buy on a website in Europe

• European consumers benefit from the same rights as in France, thanks to the Omnibus directive published in December 2024. This notably requires marketplaces (Amazon, Cdiscount, ehealth.com, etc.) to display certain information, like the name of the third-party seller, if the seller is a professional or an individual … It also frames the prices personalized by algorithm and discounts. Note that the United Kingdom, which should leave the European Union (EU) soon, continues for the moment to apply these rules.
• As VAT is variable in the different EU countries, the seller must in principle apply the VAT of the destination country when it exceeds a certain turnover ceiling in this country (between 30,000 and 100,000 euros). A product displayed 219 euros in Germany, where the VAT is 19%, will thus return you to 220.84 euros in France, where the VAT is 20%. Beware: the bad surprise is often only displayed when you finalize the order.
• Certain products are subject to taxes specific to each country. When you buy a storage device abroad (key USB, memory card, Hard disk, DVD…), you must for example pay the fee for private copying. This requires filling out an online declaration form available on the site Copieprivee.com. You will also have to pay additional customs fees beyond a certain volume for spirits, wine and beer.

Buy on a website elsewhere in the world

• When you buy in a country outside the European Union, you no longer benefit from European consumer protection rules, in particular the 14-day right of withdrawal. Also be aware that in the event of a dispute, your remedies will be more complicated and less likely to be successful.
• The 20% VAT is in principle paid by the seller, but in reality this is rarely the case. You may therefore have to pay it when the package passes customs.
• If the value of the order exceeds 150 euros, you will have to pay any customs duties. The official customs website has produced a prototype of customs duty simulation for different products (costume jewelry, perfume, shoes …). Shoes displayed at 300 euros will thus cost you between 372.60 and 421.20 euros. Please note: some companies send their VAT and customs invoice after delivery of the package, in a deferred manner.
• The standards differ from country to country. Certain products may therefore be incompatible with French standards: Qwerty computer keyboard, electric charger with an American plug, smartphone incompatible with the network 4G French, car not in accordance with community rules …
• Delivery times often reserve unpleasant surprises. Allow one month on average for a package from China and two to three weeks for a package from the United States. Some carriers offer faster shipments, but delivery costs may increase. For a puzzle displayed at 16.99 dollars on a Canadian site, the delivery costs amount to 17.61 dollars!