Buying AV Equipment from Europe to India

If you are innocuous enough u can come through customs without trouble. I was able to carry through my Primaluna bought from Singapore last year without hassel. Mind you the box weighed around 34 kgs , the customs at Chennai just queried what it was and let me through....
 
Last edited:
If you are innocuous enough u can come through customs without trouble. I was able to carry through my Primaluna bought from Singapore last year without hassel. Mind you the box weighed around 34 kgs , the customs at Chennai just queried what it was and let me through....
Lucky you. I was just checking Primaluna prices in Dubai. Very cheap there.
 
Some 5 years back i bought a basic avr - denon from sim lim square - singapore. At that time the price difference with the indian market was approximately around 50% (price on amazon). Maybe it was cheaper with the local dealers. Not sure about it. Carried it home without paying any extra duties or excess baggage. It is still working perfectly fine till date.
As it wasnt very expensive, that negates the absences of the Indian warranty. If you are looking for high end stuff i still fell that the availabity of warranty is a very big factor.
Regards.
 
Dear FMs

I have spoken to a dealer in Belgium who ships internationally without any additional cost via FedEx or TNT when the order is > 3000 euros. Just want to check if any one has experience importing the stuff via FedEx/UPS or any other company. My main worry is custom clearance. I tried my best to find information on internet and even contacting TNT and FedEx but no reply.

How the custom clearance works in case something is imported via courier. I know that FedEx/TNT provides services of custom clearance and so are others. But I have no clue whats required from my end. I just want stuff to be delivered at my door step without me going any where and all the expenses/duty paid.

You feedback will be highly valuable to me.

Thanks a lot.

Regards
Vivek
 
You will have to take IEC code number in the importers name

Please contact an agent for this If you need to

Then you can authorize the courier to clear it and deliver to you

They will charge extra for this service
 
You will have to take IEC code number in the importers name

Please contact an agent for this If you need to

Then you can authorize the courier to clear it and deliver to you

They will charge extra for this service
Who will be the importer? I guess my self?
 
Yes

Or

If you import in the name of your company then your company...
I just checked the IEC website to apply for IEC code. There is no option for an individual to apply for the code. The closed option is "One man company". Lets see I'll try to contact customs office too.

Thanks.
 
I just checked the IEC website to apply for IEC code. There is no option for an individual to apply for the code. The closed option is "One man company". Lets see I'll try to contact customs office too.

Thanks.
You can apply as a sole proprietor. I got my IEC in that manner. Also, check with FedEx what the documentation requirements are .
When I imported , I was told GST registration is required. I am a salaried employee and hence had to get registered as a casual tax payer . This registration is valid only for three months.
Without the GST registration, the courier refused the ship the goods in my case.
Also, you will require C&F agent for customs clearance. As a first time importer, you will require to register with the customs before your first goods get clearance. It takes couple of days for this registration. The C&F agent will charge you about 3-4K for this.
If you have proper documentation, the goods will come to your place without much efforts.

The process seems a bit daunting but it is not so actually. After all, our love for this hobby drives you to do so many things. You can add one more to this list.
 
Customs will be a huge hassle if you import electronics... Any electronics... BIS is mandatory for all electronics imported into the country and the customs will hold your shipment costing you a very decent amount as bribes for the clearance... I imported my Tannoys through Fedex a couple of years back and the customs held up my speakers for 12 days citing BIS even though they are passive speakers... I had to go to customs myself on which they opened the box in front of me and then cleared it charging demurrage fees as well...
 
You can apply as a sole proprietor. I got my IEC in that manner. Also, check with FedEx what the documentation requirements are .
When I imported , I was told GST registration is required. I am a salaried employee and hence had to get registered as a casual tax payer . This registration is valid only for three months.
Without the GST registration, the courier refused the ship the goods in my case.
Also, you will require C&F agent for customs clearance. As a first time importer, you will require to register with the customs before your first goods get clearance. It takes couple of days for this registration. The C&F agent will charge you about 3-4K for this.
If you have proper documentation, the goods will come to your place without much efforts.

The process seems a bit daunting but it is not so actually. After all, our love for this hobby drives you to do so many things. You can add one more to this list.
Thanks buddy.

I will wait for a couple of days, if I hear back something from FedEx. I am in your category so will explore how to register with customs and GST.

Thanks for the info.

Customs will be a huge hassle if you import electronics... Any electronics... BIS is mandatory for all electronics imported into the country and the customs will hold your shipment costing you a very decent amount as bribes for the clearance... I imported my Tannoys through Fedex a couple of years back and the customs held up my speakers for 12 days citing BIS even though they are passive speakers... I had to go to customs myself on which they opened the box in front of me and then cleared it charging demurrage fees as well...
Dear Pandit Ji

Sad to hear this. In my case it will be purely electronics. :(
 
In that case, Fedex and TNT will simply wash their hands off the customs clearance once the goods are held up...It will be upto you to clear the goods and for that you will have to employ an agent who will charge anything from 5k-10k for clearance...

Depending on your item value, the customs would need to be handled accordingly...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
After you get all your paperwork done like IEC code, etc, you will end up paying 42% plus some other handling charges, as explained by Panditji. The Belgium dealer, to the best of my knowledge, will not under invoice. So if it costs USD 3000, add at least another USD 1500 to it as your landed cost. Also another problem is once it’s presented to the customs, you cannot return the item back. It can get into a complete mess. I almost lost an amp in one of these deals.
 
After you get all your paperwork done like IEC code, etc, you will end up paying 42% plus some other handling charges, as explained by Panditji. The Belgium dealer, to the best of my knowledge, will not under invoice. So if it costs USD 3000, add at least another USD 1500 to it as your landed cost.

+1 to what Prem says... And even if you under invoice it, the customs will ask a proof of the money transfer to show the actual amount being transferred as verification... Not worth the hassle for anything less than 3000 Euros... importing single units of equipment makes sense only on high value items...
 
After you get all your paperwork done like IEC code, etc, you will end up paying 42% plus some other handling charges, as explained by Panditji. The Belgium dealer, to the best of my knowledge, will not under invoice. So if it costs USD 3000, add at least another USD 1500 to it as your landed cost. Also another problem is once it’s presented to the customs, you cannot return the item back. It can get into a complete mess. I almost lost an amp in one of these deals.
Yea thats true. No question of under invoicing. He will just waive off 21% VAT from the MRP and no shipping cost. I tried to find some links to calculate custom duty and that was close to 35%

( A = 10 % on CIF value of the product + B =(10 % surcharge *A) + C = 18% GST * (Cost + A+B).

Don't no how accurate or reliable is this.
 
Vivek, it comes to around 42%. If you add custom clearance fees, handling fees, and BIS charges, it will go to over 50% at the minimum.

Also as Panditji explained, you will need proof of payment from India.

Vivek, in the past 2 years, I have bought 5 expensive items. Every time my landed cost has varied from 50-60% of purchase price.

If for whatever reason they hold back your item for like a week, you are dead. Holding cost can be as high as 20000 for a week
 
Vivek, it comes to around 42%. If you add custom clearance fees, handling fees, and BIS charges, it will go to over 50% at the minimum.

Also as Panditji explained, you will need proof of payment from India.
Proof should not be a problem I guess. I am going to make an online payment using my card. Again I am in dilemma by reading all this, actually I got prices from India and compared with Europe, its huge difference. For instance Primaluna/Luxman/McIntosh. This is holding me back to decide upon.
 
You will need an IEC code without which it’s very dangerous to buy from abroad. Once you have an IEC code, it’s best to transfer from your bank.
 
Which is why it's best to buy electronics from there and carry it back..IMO

Which is why Dubai Audio becomes an option for you.. They deal in PrimaLuna and may have NOS

Good luck !
 
The Marantz PM7000N offers big, spacious and insightful sound, class-leading clarity and a solid streaming platform in a award winning package.
Back
Top