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What the hell were you thinking? Shipping at 0.01 cent?

ExhaleGamesExhaleGames Posts: 7Member
in General Discussion
Hello,

I am unsure how many other people are effected by this blatant ploy by OUYA to save on shipping or taxes that now like a number of other friends and associates my unit is being held indefinitely by customs or worst case shipped back. 

"
Further Detail: 
Shipment is held pending clarification of goods valuation
Next Step:
A DHL representative will attempt to contact the importer for further clarification or proof of valuation if required by Customs.
"

This unit has been in my market now since last week while many other developers here in my geographical location have their units. I am exceptionally upset and I believe that OUYA has the responsibility to take care of this problem for us supporters. Now here I sit to having to waste busy time out of my schedule to follow up, to make calls and try to sort out a problem that never should have happened. A problem that should have been thought out by OUYA not by a supporting developer. 

In good faith we all coughed up at the 700$ or better level and I believe that it isn't up to me to have to further spend additional funds or time trying to solve this problem for you. Now I have no idea how to sort this problem out and of course no one seems to be at the end of any telephones to help move me through the system to get this taken care of which means most likely I will have my unit returned to Hong Kong and then will be out of the running in my opinion. The whole concept of buying into the OUYA was to have a head start. By the time I will receive my unit now it will be closer to release date and this makes me exceptionally disappointed and frustrated in your organization and its ability to properly and without shady dealings perform any kind of effective logistics.

I feel for all the rest of the people in Germany and other countries that frown heavily on shipping fraud or the inability of exporters to properly label or value their products. The OUYA units have a market value of 99$ this is the value put on the shipping labels and not listed as being only 0.01 cents. Simply crazy and quite unfair of the OUYA folks to do to the rest of us. 

I am just glad that some units are slipping through. 

Can we have some kind of movement on this? Can I receive anything that I can give my customs agents here that will in some way prove how much this unit is so I can get it out of lock down before it gets shipped back? The OUYA units are not 700$ they are 99$ the additional 600$ was a premium paid by supporters to gain early adopters access to your hardware. You really shouldn't have screwed over your loyal supporters like this trying to save a few bucks.

Thoroughly disappointing.. Please I implore you to do something about this please, asap!

Comments

  • ClowenClowen Posts: 46Member
    First, I'd like to say that I understand your frustration. However, I don't think OUYA is doing anything shady here.

    As part of Kickstarter's setup any rewards don't have a real monetary value. You did not buy an OUYA or even buy the right to early access. You supported an idea and they are thanking you with a reward.  I don't know if there's a potential bigger issue of posting a valuation of the rewards, imagine the potential of invalidating all of the Kickstarter funds.

    All of that being said, I would say it's best to email [email protected]
    They've responded to everything I've sent into them.  I've also just sent in a email to them noting this forum post.
  • PuzzlPuzzl Posts: 98Member
    edited January 2013
    ExhaleGames,

    Tell them (DHL/Customs) that this is a sample unit, as described on the commercial invoice that they have. You do not have to prove anything on your end, as long as the commercial invoice they have describes the goods as a sample (which they do).

    Don't be mad, don't mix up things and price you paid - this is a sample unit. The value @0.01 is symbolic - we all usually do like that for samples, we cannot put 0, so put the smallest denominator possible to get on the system. The fault comes from DHL/Customs, not OUYA.
    Post edited by Puzzl on
    www.puzzl.com
    www.yummycircus.com
  • ExhaleGamesExhaleGames Posts: 7Member
    Thank you. This may become a problem at customs as they are only concerned with the amount of money I paid. The only receipt is the 700$ donation which values the contents at 700$ USD. 

    I was a bit hasty in some of my presentation I do apologize and I do appreciate the recognition of my frustrations. I have been on the phone with DHL and customs to try to come to a conclusion on this issue so I haven't contacted support directly (thank you for the email link) and will do so right after I post this comment.

    My experience with shipping is that you have a value in every box you send. Regardless of ours being donations to a campaign does not negate the money and paper trail that suggests the package is worth 700$. If anything the cost of hardware in the box should have been observed opposed to declaring the internal value as 1 cent. So I mean even if the console was worth 50$ and each controller was worth 15$ (arbitrary values for example here only) and this was on the box I would have had no problems receiving my OUYA. 

    In addition I know a number of others in other countries that are having the same problem as I am having. Might I ask though is this some kind of typical practice for shipping things within the USA? 

    In conclusion I apologize for my over-all tone. I was exceptionally frustrated at that moment. 

    Thanks again Clowen for the email I will head there now.
     
  • ExhaleGamesExhaleGames Posts: 7Member
    Your response came in right before I hit post Puzzl. Thank you for that bit of information. I will hit the phones back and see where I get with that. I really appreciate this one.. Cheers!
  • ClowenClowen Posts: 46Member
    USA shipping and tax enforcement seems to me to be much more lax than a lot of other places.  We don't even charge tax for packages shipped between states (technically depends on the company).
  • DreamwriterDreamwriter Posts: 768Member
    Yeah, in the US the only time we have to put a value on what's shipped is when buying insurance on the shipped item.  The OUYA dev kit is a really strange thing to put a value on, because it's not something that is bought or sold - like Puzzl said, it's more of a sample than anything.  It's like if you built your own little one-off electronic gadget, and shipped it - what would the value be?  Maybe the cost of the materials...
  • utack2utack2 Posts: 16Member
    edited January 2013
    Normal backer from Germany here.
    ExhaleGames it is quite common that customs here like to make trouble.

    However if you figured out how to do the calculation tell me please.
    I did not directly buy the Ouya for 99$(or 150$ in my case) as Clowen said, I would really like to legally avoid any extra payments here! Probably it will come up sooner or later for everyone, I will definitly argue with customs that it was not a classic bill to pay!

    @Ouya: PLEASE add a "CE" sign or the German cusoms will go mad and send the units back or trash them


    Post edited by utack2 on
  • ExhaleGamesExhaleGames Posts: 7Member
    edited January 2013
    The current status as I was instructed by Puzzl. I have called DHL and explained this to them so they have sent me a copy of the weigh bill and told me to go into customs in person to explain that it is simple a sample device. They seem to think this will clear it all up. So I will have more information tomorrow for you utack2. DHL on the phone seemed to accept my reasoning, however they are not the customs officer that has chosen to tear apart my package.... 

    Thanks for the positive feedback everyone.. Hopefully this will be resolved tomorrow best case or I guess the unit gets sent back... :/
    Post edited by ExhaleGames on
  • PuzzlPuzzl Posts: 98Member
    You are welcome :) "Sample" is the keyword.
    www.puzzl.com
    www.yummycircus.com
  • PuzzlPuzzl Posts: 98Member
    edited January 2013
    @utack2: no need of CE label, as it is a sample, a sample needed for CE :)
    Post edited by Puzzl on
    www.puzzl.com
    www.yummycircus.com
  • RogerLRogerL Posts: 4Member
    utack2 said:

    @Ouya: PLEASE add a "CE" sign or the German cusoms[sic!] will go mad and send the units back or trash them
    A lot more to the CE sign than just adding it...
    But I guess you are doing all required evaluation before you ship it as you do not want the final product to cause radio interference...
  • digitalirisdigitaliris Posts: 11Member
    edited January 2013
    I had waited a long time as well, but mine finally arrived.  Thought it was because I had ordered 2 extra controllers, but instead my packaged arrived, looked a bit kicked around with a half dollar sized hole punched into one side, and with tape around the box stating that it was "Opened and Inspected by US Customs".  Everything was opened inside.  Felt like I was opening a box from a rummage sale instead of a new item.  I'm glad to have finally recieved it, and think everything was there.  Also, I understand the need for safety/security, but the whole experiance just sucked.
    Post edited by digitaliris on
  • digitalirisdigitaliris Posts: 11Member
    I was told by a friend that works in import/export, that customs is usually over cautious when dealing with new companies that have new supply chains attached to them.  He said even when the new companies follow all the right guildlines, just because they are new, the shipments are generally inspected more throughly/more often.
  • BovineBovine Posts: 81Member
    @ExhaleGames how did you get along?
  • BovineBovine Posts: 81Member
    Our OUYA arrived today just battling with getting our Unity project to build for it... £16.64 in customs charges, not so bad.
  • HeavyoakHeavyoak Posts: 7Member
    edited June 2013
    digitaliris said:
    I had waited a long time as well, but mine finally arrived.  Thought it was because I had ordered 2 extra controllers, but instead my packaged arrived, looked a bit kicked around with a half dollar sized hole punched into one side, and with tape around the box stating that it was "Opened and Inspected by US Customs".  Everything was opened inside.  Felt like I was opening a box from a rummage sale instead of a new item.  I'm glad to have finally recieved it, and think everything was there.  Also, I understand the need for safety/security, but the whole experiance just sucked.
    mine was handed to DHL, which handed it over to the post office. not once was the outer box opened or damaged.

    i'm fairly sure you are missing something, and you should contact OUYA support with pic's and a list of everything that you did receive.
    Post edited by Heavyoak on
    image
  • ItsJustACItsJustAC London, EnglandPosts: 66Member
    Yeah, paid my £16.64 last Friday got the console on Monday. Haven't had much time with it but the piece of hardware is lovely.
  • LasshiLasshi Posts: 3Member
    my console was held at finnish customs for over a week, but it got threw with just about 20€ of taxes, im getting my console in next 1,5 hours (missed my first chance yesterday, was in touch with DHL and they said  they will try again today 14-16). Last time finnish customs held my package was because i ordered it from US and there was some robot parts (arduino etc). That time they called my dad (i was 15 and parts were paid with my dads mastercard), and asked what kind of bomb he was building, cos with parts that we were getting he wouldnt get that far. I quess they were messing with my dad, but he didnt really like it :D havent been buying electronics with his credit card since xD

    and as i was writing this post my OUYA arrived! time to play :D
  • PiersPiers Posts: 680Member
    Customs is just one of those things and there's no company that can really get around it.  Your experience may be amazing, or horrible, but usually it's in the middle.  Glad you got your OUYA :D
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