I cannot say I disagree and I am far from defending it, but I think I can explain it. Similar things happen in countries that are strapped for hard currency and try to limit the currency leak by making import as difficult as possible.

Having grown up in one such country, I have been burnt a couple of times too, both as an importer and as a sender of packages back to relatives at home. It does not affect me any more but, having learnt my lesson, I always subconsciously think about similar issues whenever I send or receive packages to or from abroad although I can understand that someone without similar experience may naively write a full price in the package's customs declaration.

Cepi should have warned justadude about the issue and justadude should have declared the package a gift or a lower value. I do not know what communication exchange was going on at the background but if what is visible publicly in this thread is of any value, there has been a severe communication issue throughout by both parties. Cepi with his lack of presence gave an impression of someone who did not really care for the phone and was only doing HtheB a favour by accepting it and justadude's silence with no updates for a month did not give a good impression either.

Of course it is. That is what happens when people are left in the dark. They start speculating. I tried calling for more transparency earlier in the thread for exactly that reason but it was apparently misinterpreted as questioning justadude's motives. Which, I can assure you, has never been the case.

There is still a chance that justadude may manage to get his phone back. I sincerely hope that it will happen. HtheB will definitely lose out although he was the least to blame for things going pear shaped and for that alone, I am happy to split the bill with him as soon as the phone is returned.

Let us hope that everybody will learn from the experience. It is up to everybody what lesson they want to learn from it. Mine is NOT "never again", but "better communication next time".