Why is the Cettire share price crashing 27% on Wednesday?

Investors are responding very negatively to a media report.

The Cettire Ltd (ASX: CTT) share price is having a day to forget on Wednesday.

In morning trade, the ASX All Ords stock was down as much as 27% to $3.41.

It has since recovered a touch but remains down 20% at the time of writing.

A woman screams and holds her hands up in frustration.

Image source: Getty Images

What's going on with this ASX All Ords stock?

On Monday, the company revealed that its founder and CEO, Dean Mintz, had sold $127 million worth of Cettire shares. This represented a sizeable ~7.2% of the company's issued capital.

Commenting on the sell-down, Mintz said:

Cettire continues to perform very strongly as demonstrated in the Company's recent H1-FY24 Results. In response to strong investor demand, undertaking this share sale provides enhanced liquidity and free float, improving the likelihood of achieving further major index inclusion over time.

It certainly was fortunate timing for Mr Mintz. At today's low, the shares he sold had a market value of $93.8 million. That's approximately $33 million less than he received.

But why is the Cettire share price crashing today?

Today's decline appears to have been driven by a report from the Australian Financial Review.

It tested the company's online luxury goods platform, spending $1,133.78 on several items.

It highlights that this figure includes shipping and taxes, but does not include the additional duties of $169.43 that were charged, bringing the total amount to $1,303.21.

However, the AFR claims that none of the duties paid as part of the order were handed over by Cettire to Australian customs officials.

The report quotes a DHL customer services officer, that said:

I can confirm that there were no DUTY/TAX charged for these AWBs and did not meet the individual threshold of $1,000.

Why?

The duties were not paid to customs because the goods were shipped individually and none of the items rose above the threshold where duties are enforced. Nevertheless, Cettire charged and banked the money.

Is that correct? The report also highlights that the Australian Border Force would consider the above purchase and delivery as a split consignment, which means that those duties are payable under section 68 of the Customs Act.

In light of the above, investors appear to be questioning how profitable the company would be if it were paying all its duties.

The company has not yet commented on the report.

The Cettire share price remains up over 120% since this time last year despite today's decline.

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia's parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cettire. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

More on Technology Shares

Drone flying in the sky.
AI Stocks

Buying DroneShield shares? Meet your new board director

Can the ongoing board renewal revive the plunging DroneShield share price?

Read more »

A woman looks internationally at a digital interface of the world.
Technology Shares

How much could the Xero share price rise in the next year?

Can Xero rediscover its lost mojo?

Read more »

Woman and AI robot working together in the office.
Technology Shares

2 ASX tech shares I think the market is underestimating

Could the market be too pessimistic about these two technology businesses? I think it might be.

Read more »

Graphic illustration of buy now pay later technology overlaid on blurred photo of businessman on tablet
Technology Shares

Tyro Payments vs Zip: Which ASX Payments Stock Wins?

Which ASX payments stock is a better buy right now: Tyro Payments or Zip? Here’s my verdict based on the…

Read more »

happy teenager using iPhone
Technology Shares

Xero vs Life360: Which ASX tech share has more upside?

Xero and Life360 are both struggling on the ASX, but one looks to have more potential right now. Here’s my…

Read more »

Drone flying in the sky.
Technology Shares

DroneShield shares crashed 52%. This new weapon could flip the script

Market wants evidence, not promises. RfRecon orders could deliver just that.

Read more »

A young man talks tech on his phone while looking at a laptop with a financial graph superimposed across the image.
Technology Shares

Dicker Data vs Megaport: Which ASX tech share has more upside?

I compare Dicker Data and Megaport shares for dividends, value and upside — here's which ASX tech stock I'd back…

Read more »

A man sits at a desk with a phone in one hand, his other hand on his chin and studies a computer screen in front of him with what appears to be cryptocurrency data on both screens.
Technology Shares

Down 5% today to a 7-year low: What is going on with Xero shares?

Are brokers still bullish that the ASX tech stock can rebound?

Read more »