Customs duty when ordered from MP4Nation

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^ I noticed the same too, packages which came through DHL, Fedex, UPS etc was never charged customs even if it was high valued. Whereas cheaper items which came through normal Airmail by Hong Kong Post, USPS etc were charged customs.

I think its better to opt for Fedex, DHL eventhough it might be slightly expensive, you can save on the customs duty.
 
varkey said:
I think its better to opt for Fedex, DHL eventhough it might be slightly expensive, you can save on the customs duty.
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Define better ? No running around to customs ?

But how much more of a premium would couriers charge ?

1.5 times more ?
2 times more ?

A few hundred rupees in customs could be much cheaper in comparison.
 
spacenoxx said:
Ofourse its over and he will eventually stop thinking about it , smartass. What he is doing is to try and understand how the custom process works.

To the OP: I personally ordered a couple of items directly and never asked them to be marked as a gift or anything. Both where small items and neither got charged by customs. So like someone said, its probably random.

For small/inespensive items, its better to have them sent normally and pray they dont get charged by customs. For everything else, there is KMD :ohyeah:
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@spacenoxx - Thanks man! At least someone understood the point of this thread, rather than get into a ethics war! I would just like to know for future how this duty thing works!
 
blr_p said:
Define better ? No running around to customs ?

But how much more of a premium would couriers charge ?

1.5 times more ?

2 times more ?

A few hundred rupees in customs could be much cheaper in comparison.
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Better = Faster. 3-5 days International delivery compared to 7-infinite days delivery of EMS/Post.

How much more premium ? Depends on weight/ volume etc. Go to DHL /FED EX site and calculate and then compare it with the chart on Indian Post's site. You will get the exact figures that you need ;).
 
FaH33m said:
Better = Faster. 3-5 days International delivery compared to 7-infinite days delivery of EMS/Post.
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Faster is of low importance, this is hobbyist material anyway not for work or time critical. Would not mind waiting upto a month if it halves the delivery price.

What is important however is that the parcel does eventually arrive and not get lost. This would imply that trackability is critical.

The delivery price could further be reduced if trackability is left out, tho i'm not sure how wise that is.

FaH33m said:
How much more premium ? Depends on weight/ volume etc. Go to DHL /FED EX site and calculate and then compare it with the chart on Indian Post's site. You will get the exact figures that you need ;).
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No need for exact figures, you've ordered stuff from abroad so you must have noticed some sort of difference between the pricing for the same package. Under 5kg say.
 
I recently ordered a RAmos T11TE from MP4 Nation via EMS, but to my surprise it was stuck in customs for more than 2 weeks. So i personally went to there office and after a long neg i paid 500 rs to those babus :@

Again i have ordered something from MP4 nation lets see whats happens this time.....
Yeah and the value is below 5k for this item tho..
 
Usually I order from sites offering free shipping (Mp4 Nation).Shipped by EMS .Tracking is there but not very accurate and only to the point customs receives it .After that you are on your own.

Trying to save money by leaving out traceability is stupid ,IMO.Especially when you are ordering something worth 50$ + .Imagine the parcel getting lost and the company denies taking responsibility of it .:P

Even with EMS , traceable shipping is usually only 2-3$ extra when ordering from ebay sellers etc.

Private shipping companies provide with most accurate tracking and fast shipping + they take care of the customs etc.They are more reliable then the postal service ..When ordering expensive stuff its better spending extra 10-20$ for DHL/FED-EX etc for the peace of mind ;).
 
FaH33m said:
Usually I order from sites offering free shipping (Mp4 Nation).Shipped by EMS .Tracking is there but not very accurate and only to the point customs receives it .After that you are on your own.
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Sure, but that's all that is needed as the customs cannot say they did not receive it.

FaH33m said:
Trying to save money by leaving out traceability is stupid ,IMO.Especially when you are ordering something worth 50$ + .Imagine the parcel getting lost and the company denies taking responsibility of it .:P
Even with EMS , traceable shipping is usually only 2-3$ extra when ordering from ebay sellers etc.
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Yeah, i get the impression that if the post ppl in this country see a parcel is not registered in some manner then its free gift. This is why things get lost.

So the only way to keep them honest is by registering it in some manner, trackers I suppose might do this. Doing away with trackability is not an option in this country.

FaH33m said:
Private shipping companies provide with most accurate tracking and fast shipping + they take care of the customs etc.They are more reliable then the postal service ..When ordering expensive stuff its better spending extra 10-20$ for DHL/FED-EX etc for the peace of mind ;).
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Are you saying with a courier there is no need to go to the customs office to pick up the parcel, just pay the delivery person the amount ?

I thought the same applied even via the post office.

How is the tracking more accurate in this case ? was thinking from departure point to an entry point in this country, there would be no difference between either method, courier or post.

You see from where & when it left and where & when it arrived. What more is needed or missing in this picture ?
 
Personal exp. has thought me a lot. Let me break it down how customs work [well atleast the EMS office at Domestic Airport Mumbai]

Your package arrives - it will stay untouched for at least 2 days - Then checked by the official, almost every package gets opened, trust me, not only opened but tried and tested, i've seen video cameras and mobiles tried and tested in front of me - packages with 'CN' at the end of the tracking number are ALWAYS stuck in customs, why? coz they are from China.

Now after they have opened the package, they check the invoice, if any - then they google your product [i swear they use google for checking the price by clicking on the very first link usually] - Now if your product is undervalued or doesnt contain an invoice, you are at the mercy of the official and in most cases you will be charged at will.

Let me tell you some of the items that had been ordered internationally. [Ordered by a friend for himself i just accompany him]

Item-Postage-Value-Custom Charges-Bribe-Marked As Gift-From Country

1) HID kit 1- EMS - under 3k - Nil - 200 - Yes - China
2) HID kit 2- EMS - under 3k - Nil - 300 - No - China
3) Projector Lights- DHL - 5k - Nil - Nil - No - China
4) 7" LCD/GPS for car- DHL - 12k - 799 - Nil - No - China
5) 6GB RAM+some high end cooling- FPO - 15K+ - Nil - 1500 - Yes - Denmark
6) Car security system- FedEx - 14k - 3k - Nil - No - China

Other stuff that was delivered without any hassle include Shoes, Books, LEDs, mobile covers. [Usually marked as gifts]

In the case of 1 & 2- Whenever we've received items through EMS i.e speed post from china, they always end up at their office at Mumbai near The Airport. Like any other gov employees these guys are corrupt but with an attitude. At first they said goods are valued at 25k and then after a bit of googling and bargaining, we had to pay 200/300.
In case of 3 & 4 - opting for DHL has its ups and downs, if your package gets through it gets through or else you get charged without being notified.
In case of 5- This one was done professionally, gift wrapped with a birthday card and all that but since the package arrived at the Foreign Post Office near VT Mumbai and since the goods were high value we didn't want to take chances so we had it done through an agent we knew.
In case of 6 - A big mistake. FedEx never again. Traveling to mumbai and dealing with customs falls cheaper.

There are 3 ways to deal with this,
1) Always opt for DHL or the likes coz they handle the customs but you have no say once your package is charged by customs. You will have to pay the official charges [which are high] if any to get the package.
2) Head down to Mumbai EMS/FPO office like we do after 3 days from arrival of our package. Now it all depends on your explaining and bargaining skills.
3) Get hold of an agent who'll do all the dirty work for you. and mind you EMS and FPO agents will be different in most cases. and these agents generally accept a transfer into their a/c after we receive the package.

There is always the choice of wait-n-watch. But we'd prefer making a road trip out of it.
 
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