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Help - Customs impounded my phones!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post 1 of 6
fhcubas
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Hi Mark im haveing problems because my suplyer in china that i found in alibaba(with trust pass) sent me around 50 pcs of cell phones by UPS of the company CECT, the phones are in mxican Customs right now but they stop them and are asking me for a free sale certificate from the suplyer (cect) that acredits me as a seller of this products, ofcourse i ask to my suplyer about this certificate and he told me that he can not get this certificate what can i do to resolve this situation. im really desperated 

Wteing for your answer 

Thanks and best regards

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23 Sep 2008 19:48
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Post 2 of 6
Egernia
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Are the products foreign brand name products like Nokia or Sony etc?

If so then you have no legal right to be importing those products which is why customs have stopped the shipment.

Brand name products are owned by the companies who own the name. You cannot buy another companies products and sell those products under that company's name without them getting any money for that.

The problem is that what you bought, whether you knew it or not, is not legitimate brand name product. It is counterfeit product made by non-legitimate suppliers of the brand name.

Unfortunately your phones will be destroyed by customs and you will lose your money. This protects the brand name company from people cheating them.

23 Sep 2008 23:21
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Post 3 of 6
fhcubas
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Quoting from [fhcubas]:

Hi Mark im haveing problems because my suplyer in china that i found in alibaba(with trust pass) sent me around 50 pcs of cell phones by UPS of the company CECT, the phones are in mxican Customs right now but they stop them and are asking me for a free sale certificate from the suplyer (cect) that acredits me as a seller of this products, ofcourse i ask to my suplyer about this certificate and he told me that he can not get this certificate what can i do to resolve this situation. im really desperated

 

Wteing for your answer

 

Thanks and best regards

 

 



Hi Egernia

Thankyou for your reply

 

This telephones doesnt have a brand name are from CECT company but does not have the brand name in the box or the cell phone or manuals some of them just have the model on the box like i9 p168 or TV-N99i but they never use the brand name in the market the people know them as cect products and in my country you can find them everywhereon the net as in US Southamerica Spain and world wide.

 

SoI dont know what kind of certificate they want if the telephone dosnt have any name of a brand in it?

 

24 Sep 2008 17:07
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Post 4 of 6
Aussie Moderator
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CECT is a leading mobile phone brand in China. They are one company in the Cosun group which is listed on the American NASDAQ under the tag "xing".  You'll find CECT only if you search for "CEC Telecom". My company does much business with the Cosun group in which respect we are the only authorised agent in Australia and one of few in EU.
 
About 30% of all CECT phones sold in the domestic market in China are fake (yes, the business of making and selling fake Chinese brands within China itself is quite huge).  
The only genuine CECT models which are exported are via a few licensed agents and also via direct sales to large phone Carriers. Pretty near 100% of all exports via traders of the sort you find on Alibaba are fake. On the lack of CECT labels, you have almost certainly bought fake CECTs.   
Fake Chinese made phones slip into foreign markets usually undetected in express courier bags such as DHL in small volumes of 1 to 6 per order. However, all phone companies work closely with Customs in every country to the effect that larger brand name shipments in non-courier bags such as your 50 phones are pretty near always impounded by Customs. 
While I have no sympathy for deliberate imports of fake brands and particularly brands I deal in, I can see you are an innocent victim here.  
 
Given the lack of CECT branding on the phone boxes and on the phones, your best shot is to try to convince your Customs that these are not CECT phones. You might start by getting your supplier to issue a fresh Commercial Invoice which does not describe the phones as CECT (complete with a letter stating that the previous Invoice was issued by "mistake" and that the CECT name on the AWB is also an error). Then hire a Customs consultant in your country to present that paperwork to your Customs. 
 
That's a long shot but it may just work. Otherwise my friend you are up the creek without a paddle. In other respects I'm happy to see that Mexican Customs are on the ball.
 
The lesson here is that brand protection units of all phone companies do not put resources into preventing the Alibabas of this world from publishing selling leads for fake phones. They put most of their resources into working closely with Customs in every country to impound non-courier bag shipments.

25 Sep 2008 15:01
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Post 5 of 6
Egernia
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Assuming that re-issuing the documents here does get the phones released from customs is that not just moving the problem from customs to the marketplace. They will still be fakes!

I am not familiar with these phones, but from what you write they are a Chinese brand name and that the supply at stake is more than likely fake copies bought outside of the legitimate supply chain. If so then they should be impounded and destroyed. That is unfortunate for any buyer who unknowingly buys fake product, but is the only way to effectively discouraging people from being careless.

26 Sep 2008 22:56
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Post 6 of 6
Aim Direct USA
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Overall Ranking MVP:2,736 Rank:136
You phones and money are gone. My bet is the Chinese supplier will not help you.
28 Sep 2008 15:03
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