Many foreigners like to purchase things from China because of their low price. And they would usually require the seller to write a lower amount on the invoice than the amount they really have paid. In this way, they would not need to pay the tariff when their custom house checks the products.
However, this is not always the case. One of my Japanese customers asked me to write the correct amount on the invoice and he told me a story about why he did so.
His wife has been longing for a Panerai watch for a long time. And when she got a chance to visit China, she bought a Panerai watch at 50,000 Yen. As my customer once told his wife that he has a classmate who is working in the custom house of Japan. So, his wife thought when she passes for checking in the custom house, she can ask for this friend’s help. Without any further thinking, she asked the seller to write a lower price on the invoice.
Things went on just as his wife estimated. His classmate checked the watch and asked his wife, “Did you really get it at 20,000 Yen?” (So was it written on the invoice.) “Yes.” His wife reply a little bit nervously. Without too many troubles, his wife got this watch pass the checking.
In order to thank his friend for the help he has offered, he asked his friend out for a dinner. At the table, he said, “Thank you so much for the help. My wife really appreciated that.” His fried said, “If your wife really got it at 20,000 Yen, please do remember not to tell her that it is a replica Panerai watch, not a genuine one.”
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