Customs on hand carrying 11 channel AVR from Singapore

[Donivlapog]

Hi all,

I just am exploring the possibility of buying a second hand or new 11 Channel AVR hand carried to India from Singapore. Will there be customs issue even if i am able to show it as second hand? Or is there an anti dumping of old electronics that will entitle confiscation of such products at the airport?
Will the customs and igst working out to 29.5% roughly be based on the price tag at Singapore shop or equated in Indian market rate? And will i be able to get it serviced out of warranty, for a reasonable price if i buy it overseas with no indian warranty?

(The reason is, in a couple of months i am going to Singapore for a week and since electronics especially AVRs are cheaper there, i was thinking i could indulge in something like this for a dedicated AV room i could build later as an outhouse. Just an idea flashed to me.

 

[arj]

Hi all,

I just am exploring the possibility of buying a second hand or new 11 Channel AVR hand carried to India from Singapore. Will there be customs issue even if i am able to show it as second hand? Or is there an anti dumping of old electronics that will entitle confiscation of such products at the airport?
Will the customs and igst working out to 29.5% roughly be based on the price tag at Singapore shop or equated in Indian market rate? And will i be able to get it serviced out of warranty, for a reasonable price if i buy it overseas with no indian warranty?

(The reason is, in a couple of months i am going to Singapore for a week and since electronics especially AVRs are cheaper there, i was thinking i could indulge in something like this for a dedicated AV room i could build later as an outhouse. Just an idea flashed to me.

dont say used...say demo/discounted. there is an anti dumping and you dont want that trouble.

 

[mail2sumanth]

Most common is to say I used it there and I am carrying it back with me. But keep the Bill handy.

 

[Donivlapog]

There is a catch 22 with a 7 day tour. If the bill dates 6 months in the past and is a personal use case, it is condoned by customs. But clearly a 7 days trip cannot substantiate that scenario either. CIF or cost+insurance+freight value is considered for customs they say for new products (here hand carried discounts the freight component) and is it mandatory to have an insurance done for the product? But they can also have the Indian MRP taken into consideration(anti dumping protocols comes to my mind). I therefore request some with prior experience with airport customs to shed some light please

 

[keith_correa]

Customs duty is exempt for goods carried till a value of INR 50000. If value is greater than 50k then duty (38.5%, i think) is applied on the difference of the value minus 50k. No, insurance is not mandatory.

 

[Donivlapog]

Customs duty is exempt for goods carried till a value of INR 50000. If value is greater than 50k then duty (38.5%, i think) is applied on the difference of the value minus 50k. No, insurance is not mandatory.

So if the product value is about 1.25 lakhs INR in SGD(lets say as an example) then the customs would be for the 75k 38.5% which is close to 30k. If the product costs 3 lakhs in Indian market, i pay 1.25 lakhs plus the custom duty of 30k anx can bring it with me. So if the total cost of my trip is 1.5 lakhs without electronics purchase, i save that with this manoeuvre or notionally atleast. Only thing i need to grind is lack of indian warranty and a caveat emptor if the product is not genuine and is a duplicate in legitimate or authentic looking packing.

 

[keith_correa]

Only thing i need to grind is lack of indian warranty

You mean like batter for dosa's or idli's?

and a caveat emptor if the product is not genuine and is a duplicate in legitimate or authentic looking packing.

Have you ever seen or heard about imitation AVR's?

 

[DB1989]

Hi all,

I just am exploring the possibility of buying a second hand or new 11 Channel AVR hand carried to India from Singapore. Will there be customs issue even if i am able to show it as second hand? Or is there an anti dumping of old electronics that will entitle confiscation of such products at the airport?

dont say used...say demo/discounted. there is an anti dumping and you dont want that trouble.

Whoa! This information puts a spanner on certain plans I had. I wasn't aware older electronics were prohibited. The anti dumping I was aware of is a tariff measure but this seems to be a non-tariff one i.e. a TBT measure or at a stretch, perhaps SCOMET?

Any leads on what Act, Rules or Regulations govern this aspect of the import of older electronics would be really helpful.... to find loopholes!

And generally, for people who wish to transport back vintage gear.

 

[Donivlapog]

Efernand fm has discussed about this topic years ago. That thread seems truncated and is not in line with today's rules and regulations or updates. Hoping to find answers myself and for some who have similar ideas.

 

[greenhorn]

please go through the older posts. How much will this item be worth?
Once I went through chennai customs with a vintage TT and an amp - it was borderline above 50K (the actual costs were next to nothing, but i had valued them at typical ebay prices which were a bit inflated). I had filled up the form and enquired at the red channel and was shooed off.

You can bring used stuff if you have had a long stay. I was in the UK for a year, and US for 4 years, both cases bought my setups back with me. I think I have enough here now - probably the next time i go abroad, will take something from here!

Of course have heard of FM's with bad experiences too. I would say declare the items, fill up the form, and if your bag is not marked, they'll probably tell you to get lost at the red channel

 

[Bizi05]

If you carry an item which you have purchased 3 months ago or even a month ago then there is a possibility of escaping without paying the Custom duty. But if the item is recently purchased and the item is huge (like TV or Amplifier) then there is possibility of paying custom duty.

The current custom duty is any electronic Item Value more than 5000- INR will attract duty. The duty and GST will be charged based on the below calculation:
(Item value + 16 % Custom Duty) = X amount

There will be additional GST charged based on the below calculation.
X amount + 18% GST

But if you get an old, out of warranty item then there is a possibility the custom official may sieze your item as per the Anti Dumping act or even charge approximately 62% duty .

 

[DB1989]

But if you get an old, out of warranty item then there is a possibility the custom official may cease your item as per the Anti Dumping act or even charge approximately 62% duty .

Can you help ascertain which law/provision governs this "Anti dumping" act? All my searches for anti dumping are leading back to tariff based duties under the customs tariff act.

 

[keith_correa]

Can you help ascertain which law/provision governs this "Anti dumping" act? All my searches for anti dumping are leading back to tariff based duties under the customs tariff act.

AFAIK, there is no "anti dumping" act. But there exists a nonsensical provision that states that imports of used electronics is only allowed on registration [whatever that means!] with the BIS.

 

[Bizi05]

Can you help ascertain which law/provision governs this "Anti dumping" act? All my searches for anti dumping are leading back to tariff based duties under the customs tariff act.

I don't have the site details handy where you can find the Anti Dumping act information. As India is the e-waste dumpyard, few custom officers have ceased old or vintage electronic items in past. Even I have lost one of the item, i.e. a vintage Radio due to this reason but the only difference is I was not hand carrying it rather I opted for shipping method. However many importers successfully imports used items like vintage turntables and amplifiers without any issues. Personally I know one guy who is getting stuff from Japan.

 

[aeroash]

Can you help ascertain which law/provision governs this "Anti dumping" act? All my searches for anti dumping are leading back to tariff based duties under the customs tariff act.

I had a quick glance at this.

Indian Customs - Anti-Dumping, Duty Introduction.

Indian Customs - Anti-Dumping, Duty Introduction.

www.eximguru.com

My impression is that it is intended to safeguard domestic industry from import dumping by undervaluing the items.
This makes sense for large-scale imports, not for a single hand-held gadget.
At first appearance, it doesn't appear to distinguish between "pre-owned" and "brand new" goods. I'm not sure if the clause is somewhere in there.

 

[DB1989]

I had a quick glance at this.

Indian Customs - Anti-Dumping, Duty Introduction.

Indian Customs - Anti-Dumping, Duty Introduction.

www.eximguru.com

My impression is that it is intended to safeguard domestic industry from import dumping by undervaluing the items.
This makes sense for large-scale imports, not for a single hand-held gadget.

Thats correct.

Anti-Dumping law is a "duty of customs". In other words, it is a tariff based measure in addition to customs duties that can be levied on any item that is being imported into India. Being a tariff based measure, there isn't any possibility of seizing the goods if anti dumping duties are paid.

Unlike customs duty which is the prerogative of government policy (cough cough ), the process leading upto imposition of anti-dumping duties involves an adversarial process, much like litigation, between an Indian Domestic Industry on the one hand (in most cases it is RIL - no wonder they are killing it) and importers/exporters/users on the other.

The domestic industry manufacturing any article in India has to petition for the levy of anti-dumping duties before an investigating agency - the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (in India). The conditions that must be fulfilled for its imposition are that there must be dumping (export of an item below its normal value) and consequential injury to the Domestic Industry manufacturing a like article in India. Once these circumstances are established, India can levy anti-dumping duties over and above customs duties.

As @keith_correa pointed out, it could be under the BIS act which provides for such technical barriers to trade (TBT).

At first appearance, it doesn't appear to distinguish between "pre-owned" and "brand new" goods. I'm not sure if the clause is somewhere in there.

That's right. Irrespective of the age of the item, anti dumping law does not prevent the import of an item as long as the duties are paid.