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 not available in France. But shopping on foreign websites 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 “.fr” 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 of application. In the event of repair, will it be necessary for example to return the product abroad?
Buy on a website in Europe
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 established a prototype customs tariff simulation for various products (costume jewelry, perfume, shoes, etc.). 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 invoices after the package has been delivered, deferred. The standards differ from country to country. Some products may therefore be incompatible with French standards: Qwerty computer keyboard, electric charger with an American plug, smartphone incompatible with the French 4G network, car not in compliance 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!
