Customs and duties are some of the most hotly contested topics on local blogs recently, and I can’t help but relate it to my (our?) hobby of amassing toys and CDs produced in Japan. I’ve been hit by the tax man pretty hard too, so of course I’d do everything legitimate in my power to save a buck or two.
If you’re wary of your parcels from online stores getting taxed, there are two ways to avoid them — however keep in mind that this isn’t guaranteed to work 100% of the time. One way is to keep your shipments small, at just under USD 50. These are considered low-value shipments and are less likely to be taxed. Another way is to have the parcel shipped via SAL — which is much slower and not trackable, but is also more likely to fly under the radar and reach your doorstep without getting taxed.
So how do you know if your parcel is being held for customs? If your parcel was sent via EMS and has not reached you three days after it was mailed out, then it was probably flagged for inspection. You can confirm this via three methods: 1) you can check the JAPAN POST or USPS website to check on your parcel via its tracking number; 2) you can wait for your claim voucher to arrive via snail mail; or 3) you can call the EMS call center at (+632) 854-3580 and give them your parcel tracking number for confirmation.
If your parcel is detained at the Bureau of Customs, you have to trek all the way to their office at the EMS Sorting Facility on MIA Road, Pasay City (MAP). Don’t forget to bring your claim voucher, or a printout of the page on the tracking website, and two valid IDs. Once there, you will be asked to open your parcel to determine the value, and then taxes and fees will be levied on the contents.
Generally, the calculations run like this:
[total USD value of parcel * 10% customs dues] + [total USD value of parcel * 12% VAT] + [PhP 750 customs miscellaneous fees] + [PhP 35 Philpost releasing fee]
So if your item is valued at USD 100, and assuming that the conversion rate is PhP 50 to USD 1, you have to pay: [USD 10] + [USD 12] + [PhP 750] + [PhP 35] = PhP1885. Good luck trying to fish that out of your wallet without weeping silently.
I know that it’s my duty as a citizen to pay taxes and dues, and it really wouldn’t be such a big deal if they weren’t so high. Also, I could live with myself better if I knew that the money was going to good use, like building schools or shoring up local businesses. Instead, they go to the pockets of corrupt government officials and greedy politicians.
It’s a lose-lose situation for regular folks like you and me 😦
Starting 31st December 2010, I may no longer be able to regularly reply to queries posted on this thread. However, most cases have already been tackled previously, so I suggest you read through the comments log to find your answers, instead of posting a new question. Thank you very much!
JPOP Manila 
I will never go with EMS. I’d rather take the risk with SAL or even better, registered airmail. It also helps if the seller is willing to under declare the value of the item.
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lol i prefer EMS for the security and peace of mind it offers me, but the taxes really have been a bitch lately and i have resorted to the more nerve-wracking SAL shipment method.
stupid “fundraising” for the stupid 2010 elections <.<
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I got sorely burned with EMS once, and I’m not going to do it again. Actually, my 20-dollar package from HLJ was taxed an extra 1,500 pesos thanks to awesome Customs numeral and monetary acrobatics…
In any case, I’ve taken the liberty to link to your blog (for quite some time now, actually). Incredibly relevant to my interests. This is the girl who bought both Yoshiko and Suu Space Invaders, btw. 🙂
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hi there mai 😀 thanks so much for dropping by 😀 i hope you’re enjoying yoshiko and suu ❤
anyway — i feel your pain when it comes to the customs office 😦 anything that comes in an HLJ, AMAZON, or MANDARAKE box gets them salivating.
i think i can only count on the fingers in one hand i got away with a parcel that wasn't taxed. it's so so frustrating XP
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I regularly buy @ YesAsia and always use the free shipping option. It never gets delivered straight to my home though. I always pick it up at Manila CPO.
I’m actually having problems with one of my packages, my 2nd order arrived here but the 1st one is missing T_T.
It’s been 5 weeks now. You think its time to report it? My kartero just keeps on telling me to wait for the white card (which I didnt get cause someone stole our house number!).
Its funny they were being rude to me at first but when they saw the package they were looking at it so intently. Salivating! Yes 😀
I did a little arte though..and said that I didn’t need the receipt. And all I had with me was 500php. Haha. I got away with 700php ^^
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hmm give it one more week, and then e-mail YES ASIA to report a lost parcel. they should be able to assist you with recovering or resending your parcel. good luck! 😀
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Im due to receive an item as well its a portable atomiser. Its around 20 usd includiny shipping. You think they’ll tax me for it? I used Ems. If so how much am I looking at?
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it depends first if the customs office deems your item taxable or not. if it is then the calculations start. it also sounds like you’re trying to import agricultural or medical equipment — if so then a different table of taxes will be applied. if it’s hobby-related (like an airbrush kit) the the usual taxes as calculated above will apply.
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so if i would like to buy multiple items from ebay…(the thing is i don’t have paypal)…then would it be more practical to buy one at a time?
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ah EBAY is actually less of a problem than online stores. if you are purchasing multiple items from the same seller, you can simply ask them to under-declare the value of your parcel (say USD 20 instead of the actual USD 60) and mark it as a gift. most sellers agree if you ask nicely. if they do both there is a huge chance that your parcel gets sent to you directly without having to go through the customs office 🙂 good luck!
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I ordered an item two weeks ago from china and it was sent through EMS… up to now my parcel didnt arrived… im from davao city and im just worried with my package. I used to purchase items from ebay using registered mail and im having no problems dealing with custom fees as they’ll charge me only Php 35.00. and all my items arrived less than 3 weeks, fastest was 8 days. I chose EMS shipping with my last order because i thought it will arrived within 3-5days… this is my first experience with EMS. 15 days have passed and still nothing. i used the tracking number on EMS website but it only stated the day it left china. I inquired with our local post office here in davao and they said they have not received my item yet. if all EMS shipment will be stocked at EMS office in Pasay, what should i do? im from mindanao.I dont know what to do now? help me pls….
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i think there is a different EMS depot for the visayas and mindanao regions, and i have no information on them so i’m afraid i won’t be much help. what i can give you though is the phone number for the metro manila depot (in pasay), so perhaps you can phone them to ask for additional information on the status of your davao-bound parcel? their trunk line is (0632) 8543580. good luck!
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Hi magnetic rose, My friend from japan sent me a parcel via EMS, I checked the tracking number and says departure from inward office of exchange (manila) since sept. 15, does it mean that it is already left pasay EMS depot and in transit to my address in laguna? I’m a bit concerned, why is it taking a long time to be delivered?
thanks
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EMS shouldn’t take more than seven working days tops; if the parcel is still not there please try calling the pasay depot to confirm that it has left there and is on its way to laguna. good luck!
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Update on my package
Received a notice from EMS brought by the kartero yesterday and I was told to claim it in pasay depot.
I called EMS pasay today (without telling that I received a notice) and followed-up the status of my package and was told it took a long time in customs and probably will be delivered tomorrow. I asked if I need to pay anything, replied not sure maybe upon delivery of the package I might pay some dues.
This people in EMS are really unbelievable, they really don’t know what is happening in their office.
Oh well I decided to wait until friday, if it will be delivered, if not no choice but to go to pasay and claim my package and hoping they will not charge me with a sky rocketing custom charge.
I will update this until my package is in my hand and I will share my misadventures with Philpost.
BTW: sorry for the rant.
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hi there magnetic rose, i recently bought an item at ebay which is around $90 including shipping expense and i used ems. do you think i’ll get taxed? the last thing i saw in my tracking number was it already “arrive at inward office of manila”. thanks
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i can’t really say — but it is a rule of thumb that that larger the parcel the more you should be worried. the customs office is more likely to keep an eye larger boxes and tax them than smaller ones (which does not mean that they don’t tax them — small parcels also get taxed, just not all the time).
for now all you need to do is sit tight. if the status of your parcel doesn’t change in the next day or two, go ahead and call up the pasay EMS facility to check if your box has been detained by customs. if they confirm that it is there, you can go ahead and claim it by presenting them a print out of the tracking website instead of waiting for the official notice via snail mail.
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thanks very much. its only a small box though, a box a figma. ^^ so i’ll be doing what you said.
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Hey, thanks for the informative post!
I recently took advantage of HLJ’s sale with free EMS shipping, and that map you have was of great use in finding the PhilPost CMEC for picking up the package. Also, that formula also proved helpful; the postage for the package I received was 3500 yen and I had to pay around 2000 pesos for customs and storage 😦
It is “interesting”, to say the least, seeing how they compute the customs charge… manually. When there’s a computer right in front of them 😛
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ouch — PhP 2000 for a JPY 3500 parcel?! hngh it’s christmas time and they must really be milking it for all it’s worth
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I guess I’m luckier though… the person who got to customs before me had to face a 17,000-peso fee for what seems to be a package of construction materials 😦
Also, since the EMS shipping was free, my budget for that simply just transferred to the customs tax. It would be a long while for me to order and ship through EMS again though lol, at least until my other shipment of Gundam markers and sandpaper come via SAL.
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Argh, wish me luck. I am going there later Orz *sigh* It’s a 76 USD package and it would cost me roughly 1,561PhP. I dunno, I might end up stocking up in someone’s house in Japan or Singapore until I know someone who’s going home to the Philippines to bring home everything.
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ugh — best of luck
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it’s really pain in the ass to ship here in the Philippines
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hello.i also used ems to my package from china.dec 10 when my supplier send the package.So 8 days na now, di pa nmn updated ung website ng ems everytime i’ll track the package. But my supplier from china said it’s already left to their country,What will I do?
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try to call the EMS office in pasay at 02-8543580 to ask for a status check on your parcel. have the tracking number ready when you call. parcels are probably delayed because it’s christmas and there is a huge volume of incoming packages from overseas, so the EMS sorting facility is taking longer to process them.
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I just ordered a toy from Play-Asia and it is scheduled to arrive yesterday via Fed-Ex but it didn’t. According to the site, it have CLEARANCE DELAY. And it’s worth $30.
How can I deal with taxes?
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your shipment is probably under inspection at the fed-ex facility; all parcels have to be inspected regardless of the declared value. now, if your fed-ex parcel has been held up by customs, fed-ex will take care of all the arrangements — all you have to do is pay them the appropriate tax so they’ll release your parcel to you.
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sis 27 na la pa rin dumrting pckge skin.10 days delay na. bkit kya? cnsgot nmn nung supplier ko despatch na from china nung 18.pg tumtwg nmn ako sa pasay main office,everytime bnbgy ko ung trcking no. snsbi nila no info dw.hai. bkit kya?
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hi — china’s postal system is notoriously unreliable so this is probably not the local EMS office’s fault.
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wat do u mean sis?
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Hi, as far as I know this is just a personal blog and I am certain that the owner is not working for the post office nor an affiliate.
Anyway, it would be much better if you type out your words more clearly. You are using a full keyboard, all the letter are there, please use them.
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sorry glaine but i’ve done all i can to help you. i really don’t have all the answers to your questions so i’m afraid you’ll have to figure this one out for yourself.
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ok.thanks
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I’m wondering if it’s ok to get my item shipped now? I got some free toys via HLJ and I will send it through Air Mail. Less fees, right?
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should be better now compared to the christmas season — but no guarantees of course because you never know what those customs guys are thinking on any given day >.>
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I AM LOOKING FOR MY PACK IT TAKES ALMOST 2 MONTHS FROM THE TIME THAT MY SENDER MAILED IT. HE TOLD ME IT WILL COME FOR A FEW DAYS BUT UNTIL NOW AND THEN I DONT FIND IT, I AM SEARCHING FOR IT DAY BY DAY BUT THE POST OFFICE HERE IS STILL WAITING FOR THE RESPONSE I CALL CMEC MANILA TO LOOK FOR MY PARCEL BUT THEY CANT FIGURE OUT WHERE IS IT.
FOR NOW I AM LOOKING FOR SOME HELP TO LOOK AND FIND MY PACK.
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hi there. unfortunately if the post office cannot help you, neither can i. i can give tips on how to claim your parcel, but tracking down one is impossible as i do not have access to the EMS computer system.
lastly, please refrain from using all-caps when commenting; it is bad netiquette and is the equivalent of screaming at someone offline.
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I have a package arriving using air mail and it’s probably going to be a bit big because it has posters (total value is around 6000 JPY). I am really worried I might get taxed.
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hi..i have a package from Thailand via EMS and I’ve been waiting for it for two weeks now, when I called up our local post office they referred me to EMS Pasay so I called them up, I gave them the tracking number and they said that it’s ready for pick-up but needs to go through inspection first..it’s just a bunch of binoculars and headwear with lights..do you think they’ll charge me for it?..it costs 54USD or 1550Baht..and also do you think I should tell them the amount in USD or Baht?..or there won’t be any difference at all..many thanks..I’m glad I found this site, really helpful..
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hi there — just declare the amount in baht first since the parcel was from thailand. in case they don’t have the daily conversion, they’ll ask you if you’re okay with the USD conversion instead.
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Hi, I just had my parcel shipped from China, and also just got a notice from EMS to claim my parcel at the Pasay Office. Would anybody know how much tax would they charge on a pair of shoes? The value of the shoes was $42 originally (Adidas) I don’t want to arrive there unaware.
Thanks!
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try the calculations described above, then bring a few hundred pesos extra in case they charge more.
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Thanks Magnetic Rose
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hi, I have a very big problem now. I am from La Union and I am expecting a packgae from thailand thru EMS. now, the package costs about 10000, how much will I pay then? oh noh! please someone help me.
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there’s already a sample calculation given above; i’m sure you know enough math to figure that one out for yourself 🙂
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do I have to go over to Pasay? to get the package then?
or they can deliver it in my house?
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if the parcel has been flagged for taxes, you have to claim it from the pasay depot. if not, then philpost will deliver it directly to the address indicated.
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Thank you for the info. I was planning to buy something @yesasia too but now, I’ll think twice. I’ve mailed some very important docs through EMS.It’s been 22 days now. My docs has not yet arrived to its destination. I’ve inquired @ my local postoffice as well as ‘that office’ in Pasay but they both can’t give me a valid response. I asked for a refund saying that it’s passed the supposed date of arrival but they said “Hindi sa amin may problema.Nasa ‘groundhandler’…” In short, don’t trust them.
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like i suggested in the main post (i hope you read all of it) you can go ahead and pick it up without the notice as long as you have the tracking number.
the calculation given above is for the tax bracket [TOYS and COLLECTIBLES], but it also applies to [CDs and DVDs].
as far as i know, personal electronics belong to a different class so although you have to pay the same amount for VAT (12%) and processing fees (PhP 750), the percentage for customs dues will be different.
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twenty two days is unusual. i used to receive EMS parcels in tokyo three days after they have been sent from manila. you should bring your concerns to the the PHILPOST main office, they may be able to help you there.
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Hi. I ordered a cellphone from china which costs $138. Its been over a month now so i called the EMS hotline and gave them the tracking number. They said the package is already there and i can pick it up. I told them i will wait for the notice. Should i wait for the notice or should i pick it up? How much should i pay them for tax etc. Is it the same as the computation above? Please help… I don’t want to be scammed by the people from the EMS office. Thank you.
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when reading through the comments, it seems we ALL have a problem buying stuff abroad. haay, sana naman kasi may nakasulat somewhere na madaling mabasa sa protocol nila noh…
i’m planning to order a toy camera from japan (shipped accdg to the seller thru EMS) BUT before i go through that, i have to clarify something. Not all packages get delayed and have to be picked up at the EMS office at pasay ‘di ba? Meron bang tinatransfer to the local post office? and are there instances where it would be delivered directly to your doorstep?
haay… pasensya na kung naririndi ka na sa dami ng nagtatanong 😀 thanks!
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yup — not all parcels are taxed. it’s like playing russian roulette with the customs people — sometimes you get hit, sometimes you don’t 🙂
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I just wanted to share how incredibly helpful this is (I searched the net for the specific location of that Pasay office to no avail) 🙂
So far with my EMS experience, everything was delivered to my doorstep within 3 days from Japan (they were one light doujinshi at a time from ebay, declared at Y500 and I didn’t even have to pay P35). Even small things using airmail got delivered to me without tax (even when one was declared Y2190), but when I had multiple small items via airmail I had to pick them up (for only P140 tax though). It really is important to declare them as gifts and keep them small.
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I stumbled upon your website because of fear for my next shipment though. The items are really small, but pricey (because they are two limited figures and two limited doujinshi, all Y10100 combined). I used a Japan shopping service this time, which is why they refuse to under-declare items. So, I’m in a pickle in deciding to opt for EMS or airmail, and to which items to lump together as a strategy to combine shipping.
Sigh the troubles of collecting DX
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hi laika — i’m so glad you found the post helpful. and i hope that your next parcel doesn’t get taxed, given how expensive it is >.> it’s so hard to be a collector in this country
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Hello po..
I have been receiving parcels since March this year from my aunt and fiancée from US and Australia, the custom’s office at Novaliches City charged us a fee of more than 1000 plus each for the parcels.. My aunt send me a box of medicine last two weeks and they were asking for another 2,500 pesos charge for that.. is it the normal process? I have some relatives from Tarlac City and they only pay 35 pesos for the same parcel sent by my aunt. Thank you so much for your help.
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there’s no hard and fast rule — sometimes they tax you, sometimes they don’t. if you’re having trouble with your shipments why not have all your parcels shipped to your tarlac relatives, and pick them up from there? at the very least you’ll save yourself two, maybe three thousand pesos…
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hi
this blog has been helpful. now i understand about all those tax.
is it better then to use fed-ex? cause if i have a tax to pay fed ex would pay for it, and i would pay it to them.
pasay is far from baguio.
my package was declared with a 26 usd will i get taxed?
thans
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as a rule, all parcels course through fed-ex that are sent from online retailers are taxed automatically, regardless of the declared value.
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This was really very helpful information. I ordered computer items from the US amounting to $300 including shipping via USPS. its been two weeks now and from their tracking website it only says it left the US april 1st. So i assumed that its already here and is being held by customs, called customs and was said to call the central post office, called them talked to a girl named catherine (who was really polite) and told me their really behind schedule since they manually search for each package (which got a huge laugh out of me). They would contact me once they locate it on monday. I’ll let everyone know what turns out and how much i would pay for taxes..cheers
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hi, as i read all the comments, i was so afraid for the tax. i don’t know how much i will pay once the items arrive. and also, i used ems as a shipping courier, baka maya ang tagal tagal dumating nun 😦
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Hi, Just found your site today due to my frustration as to why my EMS package still hasn’t arrived. Last time my order of Pinkys arrived at my door step without any hassle. I called them up and they said if it hade “held by customs” as the status you’d have to pick it up at their office. Tomorrow I’m on a march to a hostage negotiation to get my new Pinkys at that dreaded facility. The commute will be long and difficult, to top that all I still have work by 10am, good luck much indeed -_-;
Failippine postal system truly sux, does HLJ have FedEx? I’d be willing to pay those outrageous fees, given they deliver it to my house. If not they should at least be open on Saturday, even if only for half a day.
Is there a difference between SAL and airmail? I also order a lot of stuff from Play-Asia and I don’t have to go through this insane process at customs when using their free shipping method.
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lol i feel your pain >.> okay, let’s take your concerns one by one: 1) yes, HLJ now offers fedex; 2) the EMS sorting facility is, like all government offices, closed on saturdays; 3) SAL goes by ship so it takes much longer, about two or three weeks more; 4) PLAY-ASIA uses the hong kong postal system and ships in small packets which is why they are usually not caught 😀
i wish you all the luck in the world!
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