I used DHL for my shipments. They are the best and the fastest. I get stuff delivered from Germany within a week, even after customs clearance. I have already submitted the mandatory KYC documents to DHL and that helped. Customs clearance happens in a day. I also tried FedEx as well. They are not as efficient as DHL but are less expensive. The shipment reached me in just over a week. Again I sent them the KYC documents in advance and also ensured that the Kerala Value Added Tax Form (Form-16) was provided in advance. DHL and FexEx use their very own delivery in India. When I used services of Royal Mail, UPS, etc, their India delivery partner was India Post and goods took almost upto a month to arrive. In all cases, customs duty is collected by cash, from doorstep at the time of delivery. India Posts will not deliver the parcel at doorstep if its something the postman cannot carry.
