Anyone have experience ordering vinyl from HMV Japan? What are the duty charges like for India?

[Nitin K]

I think you can still get an ICE code for some money. @liverpool_for_life any ideas?

True, anyone can apply. But I am not sure if it can be used legally in a personal capacity, though it could go through without any questions.

 

[sktaliyan]

True, anyone can apply. But I am not sure if it can be used legally in a personal capacity, though it could go through without any questions.

IEC code Registration Online | Fees, Documents, Renewal

Import Export Code or IEC is a 10 digit Lifetime valid code provided by DGFT, Directorate General of Foreign Trade. This is a mandatory license for every commercial importer or exporter.

www.professionalutilities.com

 

[ajuvignesh]

True, anyone can apply. But I am not sure if it can be used legally in a personal capacity, though it could go through without any questions.

It is legal.

 

[reubensm]

Not sure this is a good idea. Back in 2020, I had visited the FPO (Foreign Post Office) in Bangalore to dispute grossly overvalued duty on a record - that visit ended well for me. But coming back to marking a purchase as a gift, this is what I saw pasted on the wall:
View attachment 76666

This is very true and the timeline of implementation seems to tie up with the make-in-India mantra. It's just not commercially viable anymore to bring something into India via shipping. Remember, there is GST on duty as well. Personally, I have started looking at it this way, if an item including shipping costs $50, I have to work with a budget of $100. Another factor is that there is no clarity on the valuation process. It may make sense to buy something brand new from recognized sources like amazon.com where the appropriate purchase value and shipping costs are provided upfront accurately, versus purchases from eBay for example wherein customs officials may or may not accept the value (+ shipping) per the eBay invoice. A friend of mine had this experience wherein he purchased a cd player from ebay.de which was faulty and sold as not working, for parts. He paid 52 euro (incl shipping) after winning an auction on eBay but ended up paying Rs.22,350/- as customs duty additionally, via DHL.

 

[Nitin K]

This is very true and the timeline of implementation seems to tie up with the make-in-India mantra. It's just not commercially viable anymore to bring something into India via shipping. Remember, there is GST on duty as well. Personally, I have started looking at it this way, if an item including shipping costs $50, I have to work with a budget of $100. Another factor is that there is no clarity on the valuation process. It may make sense to buy something brand new from recognized sources like amazon.com where the appropriate purchase value and shipping costs are provided upfront accurately, versus purchases from eBay for example wherein customs officials may or may not accept the value (+ shipping) per the eBay invoice. A friend of mine had this experience wherein he purchased a cd player from ebay.de which was faulty and sold as not working, for parts. He paid 52 euro (incl shipping) after winning an auction on eBay but ended up paying Rs.22,350/- as customs duty additionally, via DHL.

Very true, it's difficult to anticipate an accurate cost when getting stuff from outside. Amazon does a good job in providing an estimate before buying.
Other weird aspect I could never understand is, why does the duty calculation include insurance and freight & not the invoice amt only which seems logical. Strange rules..