The Customs Duty thread

[mathan]

I've learnt one definite fact after living in India for all these years - despite rules/laws etc, most regulations here can be worked your way depending on:
a. The roll of the dice by a higher being.
b. The ability to grease palms.

If point A is not an option point B always works and yes you can negotiate for Point B depending upon the value of the item.

 

[rwnano]

anyone who has ordered Fosi from abroad - I was thinking of the V3 monoblocks ??

 

[rgbbhat]

Just My 2 Bits here.
A. Got my son to bring a B7W HTM 71 S2 20 Kg speaker in Checked in Luggage - No Box - from Germany. He scrapped thru customs without paying anything. I had already sent an email to Delhi Customs ( where his international flight landed) and sought clarification. This was a fall back just in case.
The Bill mentioned 900 Euros ( roughly 81000). Duty on 81000-50000=31000 x39 %. Duty around INR12000- Customs Folks confirmed as Correct
But son managed to get it thru as there were multiple flights and the Customs Officer let him go as It was Only 1 speaker for Personal Use.
I did tell my son to directly go to Red Channel and self declare to avoid any confusion. Luckily worked in my benefit.
B. Bought an Emotiva 5 Channel Power Amp in Dubai and asked vendor to invoice at 2000 AED instead of 2300 AED. Got rid of the Box and bought in Checked luggage. Again no duty as Duty Office did not bother. In any case it was just 50k and in limit
In my experience, if you are getting something and sure of it, then Write to the Customs Folks and seek clarification. Then use the email as proof of your clarification.
email id - [email protected]
- [email protected]

Btw there was some slight cosmetic damage and the Seller in Germany refunded 200 Euros in 3 Hrs once i sent the pics.
Awesome Customer service.

 

[dashy]

Do they charge duty for small items like op-amps etc?

 

[hifimaddy]

Do they charge duty for small items like op-amps etc?

No, they don't ask for duty fees for small items. I have brought amps and speakers before, and I come out with no issues. They dont check for smaller items. They are mainly looking for gold, other illegal items, or maybe some big electronic items.

 

[aeroash]

Btw there was some slight cosmetic damage and the Seller in Germany refunded 200 Euros in 3 Hrs once i sent the pics.
Awesome Customer service.

Could the cosmetic damage have occurred because it was transported without the original packaging?

 

[rgbbhat]

Could the cosmetic damage have occurred because it was transported without the original packaging?

Hi No as it was bundled in a thick blanket inside a hard case. But it helped get the 200 Euros Back

No, they don't ask for duty fees for small items. I have brought amps and speakers before, and I come out with no issues. They dont check for smaller items. They are mainly looking for gold, other illegal items, or maybe some big electronic items.

agreed. Also they are more likely to ask if they the original packaging box. I got an Onkyo AVR and a Epson Projector from Germany and They asked for the bills. But I had the bills made in 2 separate names ( me and wife) so saved on the duty and I had clarification from customs so showed that to the CO in Mumbai.

 

[Sopra]

better to ship by post vs DHL or fedex, They customs by post doesnt attract any GST

 

[keith_correa]

better to ship by post vs DHL or fedex, They customs by post doesnt attract any GST

https://www.mumbaicustomszone1.gov.in/Info/PostalAppraising

 

[Sopra]

i stand corrected..but i always have lower to no duty when using postal services..maybe the others inflate it

 

[keith_correa]

i stand corrected..but i always have lower to no duty when using postal services..maybe the others inflate it

Duties are levied based on products slotted under a HSN code. Everything else being the same, if a product is slotted under the same HSN code by the Postal Customs Cell and "the others", the duties will be the same. No duty charged is at the discretion of the Customs appraiser/officer and it's the luck of the draw.