I can confirm what Psi-On writes.
So do I. In fact, when I reported it here last time, I got laughed at.
And the other way, free shipping, also doesn't help. My local customs does not believe in "free shipping". So they regularly assume an attempt to cheat.
And when they have reason to suspect a cheat they are legally allowed to estimate the value, i.e. they invent shipping costs which they then add to the value of the goods. They of course take the shipping costs of the really expensive carriers, not the magic discount shipping costs some sellers in China seem to get.
I therefore avoid sellers with "free shipping" because they cost me extra. I tend to use sellers where the cost of the goods and the separate shipping costs look reasonable in relation. Then, when customs stops the delivery, and they almost always do, due to the stupid fake "gift, $10 value" CN22 declaration, I can show reasonable values. They in turn perform a reasonable calculation of the duties due, I pay and be done with it.
This led many Chinese seller to declare a 30 Euros value for everything they shipped, resulting in annoying controls at the Customs offices (who are not dumb, in fact),
My words exactly.
with requests for original invoices, written in ITALIAN or another EU language (that these sellers usually do not provide), time lost in sending documentations and the item held in hostage by the Customs for months..
I usually manage to convince customs by showing them a printout of the eBay auction (and they do occasionally check the auction online to make sure I am not showing a fabricated printout), and a printout of the eBay payment page for that auction, with the sum, purchase data, my name and address on it.
What I have learned it that all they want is something reasonable, that doesn't insult their intelligence, which they can legally process, especially so their supervisors wouldn't scold them, and that doesn't take much of their time.
and the item held in hostage by the Customs for months..
I avoid having stuff hold by customs for month, because they start to charge for storage after a few days already. I often already have my application for release from customs and printouts ready before I get a note from customs.
Many Chinese sellers do no ship anymore to Italy (or other European countries, such as Spain).
I think this is because people are quick to open up an eBay dispute when they don't get the item, while the item is hold by customs. And then refusing to deal with their local customs, so customs destroys the goods. It is in fact their fault, but they want to get their money back from the eBay seller. Would I be an eBay seller I would also stop selling to those people.