Double tax on item bought in China

[Franc1]

All,

I bought an electronic item, a NVR for my cameras on Alibaba of the value of 120€. It was shipped from China. The invoice from the seller had the following items listed

1. NVR Unit price 120€
2. Shipping Cost 47€
3. Tax 38€

Total.... 205€

The package was shipped by the seller with Fedex after I paid the invoice.
Yesterdy (two weeks after I received the package at home) I received another invoice from Fedex

1. Import tax 35€
2. Disbursement fee 10€
2. Import Duty 0€

Disregarding the disbursement fee, I wonder if it's normal to be taxed twice ? I already paid the seller 38€. With the added unexpeced tax from Fedex it was still a bit cheaper than buying the same exact item, same make, in a few places in the EU, but it's probably not worth the hassle buying it in China just to save 25€ or 30€ especailly in relation to warranty etc... I didn't expect this second Fedex bill.

Thanks
Francois

 

[ClubMan]

Are you sure that the seller on Alibaba is actually legitimately charging and remitting tax?

 

[Franc1]

Hi ClubMan
I wouldn't even know how to check that, I would probably need to contact Alibaba. I saw that the reseller had very good reviews, the price was competitive so bought it. I bought it using the Alibaba platform not directly from the seller

 

[ClubMan]

It's possible that is a mistake but when it comes to buying from Alibaba/AliExpress/Banggood and the like, it's a bit of a lottery when it comes to the tax/duty issues. Even if the seller claims to include them in the price. You could query it but I suspect that you'll eventually just have to chalk it down to experience and decide how/where to buy next time.