Online Shopping, International Shipping and Customs

**kotiko** · November 13th, 2012 01:20 PM

Ganto (experienced all of them):

USPS EMS Shipping - Arrives faster (3-5 working days): Arrives in Pasay Postal Office. Long line, hassle puntahan, custom officers inspect and value your item, either you go away paying only the storage fee or pay for a re-valued tax amount.
USPS Priority Mail and First Class- Arrives 2 weeks or more in your local post office. Customs officer also inspects and values your item, either you go away paying only the storage fee or pay for a re-valued tax amount.

In both, I was able to go away and pay only the storage fee. Either my items were declared samples and have no resale value, or items didn't look too expensive enough (range of $100 to $150) to tax.

DHL - Arrives to your door 3-5 working days. They will call you once your package arrives in Manila, inform you about tax due, (which is MOST OF THE TIME OVERVALUED) you try to contest and it doesn't get you anywhere but not receive your package on time which is the reason you get that service in the first place. You end up paying their overvalued tax rate when they deliver it to your door.

I always choose Priority Mail since our local post office guy is less of a threat in charging tax, and there isn't usually a long line. Problem is, you'll anxiously wait for the notice letter because there isn't any tracking. I'd avoid DHL and FedEx. They have in-house customs officers who always overvalue the item you're bringing in and you'll end up paying more tax with little chance of contesting it.

**shadow** · November 13th, 2012 01:22 PM

baka mail order groom sites yan C4Y...padalhan mo na lang ng ticket yun kano mas mabilis baka ma question sa post office meron tao nasa box

**CVT** · November 13th, 2012 01:35 PM

I have not tried shipping the items directly here Sis.CFY. I've heard some horror stories on that.

I usually have the items shipped to one of our friends/colleagues in the US. Then, when I visit our HQ/US or someone from our company visits our HQ/US or customers, or my American boss visits us, then I/they/he handcarry the goodies for me...

The items that I buy are mostly electronic items... They're 30% to 70% cheaper there...

17.3K:date:

**_Cathy_** · November 13th, 2012 07:17 PM

Thanks everyone.

Sobrang hassle pala talaga magpaship sa Pilipinas. Hassle na mahal pa. I forgot to take into account yun tax. Normally kasi negligible amount ng tax, even better sa Amazon walang tax. Even if the shipping were free, it would still be cheaper for me to buy the item here. The best option na pala to ship to a US address.

Eto total cost ng item:

Item: PHP8,620.00
Shipping: PHP1,808.00
Duty and VAT: PHP3,834.00
Order Total: PHP14,262.00

Almost 45% yung TAX!!! Here I was thinking Rustan's mark ups were immoral eh mataas naman pala talaga tax pag dating sa Pilipinas.

That specific item costs P10,950 at the store. If I pay in cash, I can use my discount card na 10% off so it would only cost me PHP9,855. Wala lang kasi yung kulay na gusto ko dito sa Pilipinas!

**uls** · November 13th, 2012 07:20 PM

pinakamura parin magparating via balikbayan box

bad trip lang yung waiting time

kung gusto mo mabilis you gotta pay the price

**boybi** · November 13th, 2012 08:07 PM

Problem with Amazon is most of the time, they ship your orders separately. And they put your small items in a very big box. So when you ship it through Johnny Air, ang laki ng volume weight computation nila.

**Monseratto** · November 13th, 2012 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by uls

pinakamura parin magparating via balikbayan box

bad trip lang yung waiting time

kung gusto mo mabilis you gotta pay the price

Baka by the time the item arrives via balikbayan box, laos na sa fashion...

**Monseratto** · November 13th, 2012 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by boybi

Problem with Amazon is most of the time, they ship your orders separately. And they put your small items in a very big box. So when you ship it through Johnny Air, ang laki ng volume weight computation nila.

Minimum charge for a packet from Amazon is already Php 700++ sa Johnny Air...

**_Cathy_** · November 13th, 2012 10:33 PM

haha! Sobrang fashion forward mo naman *Monseratto. 30 days lang naman waiting time.

Aside from clothes, shoes and bags, mas mura kasi sa US supplements, snacks and toiletries. That could wait for more than a month naman.