Crazy import duties

[aeroash]

If we are charged such high duties then we should get a computer printed recipt with proper price break up and rubber stamp of indian customs

They write all on a dirty piece of paper and that too in hand writing which is most difficult to understand

When ordered through EMS I've received the charges and breakup in the proper Postal Department receipts for customs clearance.
If you haven't received this, then it's suspicious.

 

[rikhav]

There are fixed charges, regardless of the value of the goods.

I agree on that but there should be clear rules so we know what will be final amount we pay.

I had ordered a class d amplifier from AliExpress around 6 months ago , size of a tiffin box. I had to pay no duty

I know I should be happy but if rule is to charge duty on everything then do it for all parcels and give all breakup and details of amount charged.

When ordered through EMS I've received the charges and breakup in the proper Postal Department receipts for customs clearance.
If you haven't received this, then it's suspicious.

Around 4 years ago I had ordered a diy preamp kit which came by Indian post.

They had a form like something which would be probably printed 10 years ago, front had my address and on back side they had scribbled different charges and mentioned total.

I

 

[aeroash]

I agree on that but there should be clear rules so we know what will be final amount we pay.

I had ordered a class d amplifier from AliExpress around 6 months ago , size of a tiffin box. I had to pay no duty

I know I should be happy but if rule is to charge duty on everything then do it for all parcels and give all breakup and details of amount charged.

I think that the sheer volume of goods that land up in the customs warehouses every day, that most of them pass up without being scrutinised. This could be a typical case of a government institution being heavily understaffed, or is just inefficient.

 

[tek]

On the other hand, had a record sent yesterday that was at the post office and they asked me to collect it.. thought they would ask for duty, but they just asked for my ID and I signed and they gave it to me without charging me anything Was relieved. India Post is definitely much better for deliveries than DHL. Even as a seller, I always ship via India Post. I recently sent some records via normal India Post which reached Europe in less than one week!! Not even Speed Post, just normal post.

 

[rikhav]

On the other hand, had a record sent yesterday that was at the post office and they asked me to collect it.. thought they would ask for duty, but they just asked for my ID and I signed and they gave it to me without charging me anything Was relieved. India Post is definitely much better for deliveries than DHL. Even as a seller, I always ship via India Post. I recently sent some records via normal India Post which reached Europe in less than one week!! Not even Speed Post, just normal post.

With DHL , FedEx you know for sure you have to pay duty.


With India post it's a lottery like system, there are 50 percent chances you don't pay

 

[arj]

Usually Duty charged on is invoice value + Freight...can you check that ?

 

[plasmoid]

Usually Duty charged on is invoice value + Freight...can you check that ?

Yep its based on declared value+freight 1505+318(calculated at 20% of DV) =1803

There are 2 scenarios that this could've happened.

1. The customs felt that the goods have been undervalued.
2. The article was not marked as gift. Only articles marked as gift under Rs. 5000 are considered being duty free.

Here's what the government is upto:

Customs duty on online purchases: India begins a major crackdown on Chinese ecomm players evading taxes

These cos were evading tax by shipping goods ordered by Indians to various cities claiming these were "gifts".

www.google.com

Just saw this : gifts are now charged at the rate of 77.28% regardless of value

https://bangalorecustoms.gov.in/pad_cont.php

 

[Vivek Batra]

Reading all this making me very nervous. Something high value is on my way via DHL. I have a day to check if ems is possible?. Should I insist on sending via ems?

 

[manav24]

Reading all this making me very nervous. Something high value is on my way via DHL. I have a day to check if ems is possible?. Should I insist on sending via ems?

MY experience with DHL has been good so far, they charge Duty but its on lower side but nothing better than Indian Post for cheaper items as no duty is charged most of the times.

 

[Vivek Batra]

MY experience with DHL has been good so far, they charge Duty but its on lower side but nothing better than Indian Post for cheaper items as no duty is charged most of the times.

Hi Mavav

I think it's not in the hand of the carrier to decide how much duty would be charged, but any extra expenses if there are any which DHL may have. Let's see what happens. I can wish for the best.

Hi Guys

I found this about EMS. The article says avoid EMS for anything above $30.

Never use EMS for shipping goods into India

The next time you choose free or EMS shipping method for delivery of products into India (from abroad) think again. Use free shipping or EMS only for

www.gogi.in

 

[plasmoid]

Hi Guys

I found this about EMS. The article says avoid EMS for anything above $30.

Never use EMS for shipping goods into India

The next time you choose free or EMS shipping method for delivery of products into India (from abroad) think again. Use free shipping or EMS only for

www.gogi.in

Weird thing is that I have always opted for ems and have never got charged by customs. Like an FM pointed out, this might be like a lottery 50% chance of going either way. I have another parcel coming in...will have to wait and see .

 

[frend2001]

I have imported 6-7 items in last 1 year.

The gist is first one was imported thru UPS. They communicated that item is held up as customs have evaluated it to be double of declared value.
(I declared actual money paid). So had to shell out extra. No govt. Documentation or receipt was provided even upon multiple requests.

They use third party vendors for clearance.

It is up to us to conclude what happened.

Second one was thru EMS, bulky n priced at 500 USD. Hassle free receipt. Duty was calculated at declared value.

Ditto for other consignments.

My conclusion : EMS is better when it comes to customs. Just their handling is not so good. Bit can be addressed by giving double packaging instructions to the shipper.

 

[Vivek Batra]

Anyone had issues like BIS certification? Do customs ask for this?

 

[sound and music]

I can also vouch that India Post is way cheaper (but cumbersome) than DHL when it comes to customs duty and handling.

I don't mind paying customs duty as per the law and always pay it for shipments or on at airports.

My experience with India Post just a couple of weeks was not good. The postman demanded a duty of almost 80 percent of the value of the purchase. Luckily, I was at home on that day. When I refused to pay this amount (by showing him the original invoice) and asked him to return the packet to customs dept so that I can contest this duty, he readily agreed on the spot to lower the duty amount to almost half, blaming customs dept for seeking such unreasonable amount.

Later on, I noticed that on the packet there was no slip issued by customs dept. seeking any customs duty. There was only a slip by India Post with a stamp and amount.

Based on this experience, my gut feeling is that some postman and their colleagues may be making money by pasting a handwritten slip on the packet with higher customs duty. So now onwards, I will always ask them to show me the customs dept slip and would not hesitate to return the packet if they demand an unreasonable amount.

 

[plasmoid]

I can also vouch that India Post is way cheaper (but cumbersome) than DHL when it comes to customs duty and handling.

I don't mind paying customs duty as per the law and always pay it for shipments or on at airports.

My experience with India Post just a couple of weeks was not good. The postman demanded a duty of almost 80 percent of the value of the purchase. Luckily, I was at home on that day. When I refused to pay this amount (by showing him the original invoice) and asked him to return the packet to customs dept so that I can contest this duty, he readily agreed on the spot to lower the duty amount to almost half, blaming customs dept for seeking such unreasonable amount.

Later on, I noticed that on the packet there was no slip issued by customs dept. seeking any customs duty. There was only a slip by India Post with a stamp and amount.

Based on this experience, my gut feeling is that some postman and their colleagues may be making money by pasting a handwritten slip on the packet with higher customs duty. So now onwards, I will always ask them to show me the customs dept slip and would not hesitate to return the packet if they demand an unreasonable amount.

The receipt I got from the postman was a printout but without a seal or any other form of identification. Anyone can do this in Microsoft Word. After you mentioned this, I'm doubting the authenticity.

 

[Vivek Batra]

Just saw this : gifts are now charged at the rate of 77.28% regardless of value

https://bangalorecustoms.gov.in/pad_cont.php

Thats right.

 

[Manoranjan]

Got a Message this evening from DHL Express for online payment of import duty/tax etc. to DHL Express amounting to 86% for a parcel from Mouser costing Rs. 14308.47 including shipping charge. More over, the online payment to be done through a third party site for which a Convenience/Processing Fee will be charged to my Credit/Debit Card, in addition to the Invoice Amount, for making online payment using the payment gateway services of a third party Service Provider.
Previously I had to pay @ 42% of total value at the time of delivery. This time the parcel left from Delhi to Kolkata at 6.21 PM after completing clearance process at 9 AM today at Delhi Customs and I got the message at 6.21 PM.
This is scary for the end user common people.

 

[Vivek Batra]

Got a Message this evening from DHL Express for online payment of import duty/tax etc. to DHL Express amounting to 86% for a parcel from Mouser costing Rs. 14308.47 including shipping charge. More over, the online payment to be done through a third party site for which a Convenience/Processing Fee will be charged to my Credit/Debit Card, in addition to the Invoice Amount, for making online payment using the payment gateway services of a third party Service Provider.
Previously I had to pay @ 42% of total value at the time of delivery. This time the parcel left from Delhi to Kolkata at 6.21 PM after completing clearance process at 9 AM today at Delhi Customs and I got the message at 6.21 PM.
This is scary for the end user common people.

You can check the bill.of entry on icegate website to know the exact amount of duty paid to customs by DHL.

 

[manav24]

Got a Message this evening from DHL Express for online payment of import duty/tax etc. to DHL Express amounting to 86% for a parcel from Mouser costing Rs. 14308.47 including shipping charge. More over, the online payment to be done through a third party site for which a Convenience/Processing Fee will be charged to my Credit/Debit Card, in addition to the Invoice Amount, for making online payment using the payment gateway services of a third party Service Provider.
Previously I had to pay @ 42% of total value at the time of delivery. This time the parcel left from Delhi to Kolkata at 6.21 PM after completing clearance process at 9 AM today at Delhi Customs and I got the message at 6.21 PM.
This is scary for the end user common people.

Similar experience here, Ordered couple of baby Teethers shipped through DHL total amount Rs3846, custom duty imposed Rs 3463/- paid online. if you want to save the processing pay through bank account option.

 

[Manoranjan]

Got a Message this evening from DHL Express for online payment of import duty/tax etc. to DHL Express amounting to 86% for a parcel from Mouser costing Rs. 14308.47 including shipping charge. More over, the online payment to be done through a third party site for which a Convenience/Processing Fee will be charged to my Credit/Debit Card, in addition to the Invoice Amount, for making online payment using the payment gateway services of a third party Service Provider.
Previously I had to pay @ 42% of total value at the time of delivery. This time the parcel left from Delhi to Kolkata at 6.21 PM after completing clearance process at 9 AM today at Delhi Customs and I got the message at 6.21 PM.
This is scary for the end user common people.
[/QUOTE

Final Assessable Value- Rs. 15052.36 including insurance, BCD @35%+SW Surcharge @10%+IGST @28%=Rs. 11632.47. Disbursement Fee 550+ IGST @18% = Rs. 649. Total amount paid Rs. 12281.47.