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 
…Sorry for the double post.
Forgive my mistake in the previous post. Checked the English site again and it said:
Jun 2 Absence. Attempted delivery.
So ご不在 is correct. 持ち戻り probably just meant they sent it back to the office.
Am I right to assume they sent it back to the center in Pasay? In a few weeks, my package should be celebrating its “monthsary” rotting in their storage. I’m also a bit concerned about that since they might charge me for storage charge… Why don’t they just send out notices faster in the first place? =_=; This country’s procrastination system is really driving me nuts.
P.S. Your blog’s really helpful 🙂 Thanks for putting up tips for dodging the customs.
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sorry — i misread 在 (不在 — not present)as 住 (不住 — no address). anyway, if you’re absolutely sure that your parcel is with the pasay ems sorting facility and not sent back to the sender, you can simply drop by their office with a print out of the tracking page and two valid ids.
it does take a long time for the post office to send out EMS notices (about a week or so) so they will process the releasing of your parcel even without the notice — as long as your IDs are in order.
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hi. iLL be ordering a dozen of CDs from Korea. I’m undecided whether to ship them via EMS, air parcel or balikbayan box. According to my seller, it will be cheaper if i choose balikbayan box for bulk orders, it will cost around 60 USD. But since I only have a few orders, what do you think will be the best option? will shipment via air parcel also be taxed by custom? thanks.
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if the customs offices tags your parcel, then yes — you will be taxed. as a rule of thumb — the bigger the box or the more expensive looking the item, the customs office is more likely to hold it for taxation. if you want to be inconspicuous, go for the balikbayan box — but ask your shipper if they can go for a smaller box and not opt for the giant boxes we’re more familiar with 🙂
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Hi everyone,
it’s been a frustrating week for now. I’ve been waiting for my parcel for almost a month now. my friend send me a Guitar from UK. He go with Courier “Parcelforce”. it’s a express delivery, so it should be a 3-5 days delivery. everything has been okay, all documents have been paid , even with they so called “import duty” my friend paid it for £260 (shit). i’ve been tracking it online, and it’s doing good for the 1st week. after that, it’s just stock in customs clearance.
what should i do now? i’ve been contacting the parcelforce, and they say said they have here an agent that will investigate for my parcel. and still nothing is moving. Damn Philippine Customs. it’s really frustrating cause my friend paid for huge amount of money just to send here my guitar. and it’s not just a Guitar. it’s a special one…
hope someone could help me…
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hi reinier. the thing with taxation is sometimes it occurs at both ends of a shipment — both the shipper and the recipient have to pay certain fees. to claim your parcel, print out the tracking page and bring it with you to the ems sorting facility in pasay along with two ids. hopefully you’ll find out why it hasn’t been released yet, and you can sort out the taxation problem with the shipper in the UK.
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thanks magnetic_rose. =)
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no worries — good luck!
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hi magnetic_rose.
this was actually the first time that i made an international purchase, an old school Nokia 8910 from hongkong. it was $80.
if i had earlier read this thread, i might have probably opted not to ship it through EMS. anyway it’s done.
my question is, it says on my tracking that the package was “handed over to the customs”. what does this mean? do i already have to pay additional taxes? if yes, how much would that cost me?
another scenario is that, in case they decided to forego and rather send me the package here in Malate, what will happen if no one is around at home? all of us living in the house are students so no one is left behind.
Thank you very much in advance!
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hi jp! if your parcel has already been handed off to customs according to the tracking site, you’re pretty much out of luck and you have to pay the taxes to get the parcel released. the amount will be close to the calculation matrix shown above, give or take a few hundred since your item falls under the category “electronics” rather than “toys”.
if you’re lucky enough to have the package sent directly to your home without having to pay for taxes, but unfortunately no one is home when the mailman gets there, you will receive a claim voucher with instructions on how to claim your parcel. you either have to claim it from your local post office — or, in a worst case scenario, get it from the pasay EMS office. good luck!
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so should i call the pasay EMS office and ask if they do have my package in custody? or wait for a few days more (a possibility that the status from the tracking will change)?
is the office only open between 8AM-5PM? Or is it possible to ask for a transaction within the time frame? that’s because I’m a med student and is pretty much busy everyday.
thank you very much! you’re really a big help! 😉
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you should make arrangements to claim your package ASAP because they will charge you a storage fee if you take too long.
also, because the customs office is a government agency, they only entertain transactions during business hours (8AM to 5PM). sorry but that’s the way it is 😦
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that was a fast reply! haha.
anyway, i already saw the map of the location posted above, is there a way for a commuter like me to reach the place without taking a taxi? that would really help a lot in minimizing the milking process of my wallet.
and yeah, if i do call the office, will i be given the tax that needs to be paid or will it be computed right there and there? thanks!
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if you want to commute there, take a bus headed to MIA BACLARAN, tell the bus driver that you want to get off at 611, and they will drop you off at PARK & RIDE. you can walk to the EMS office from there.
the tax will be calculated by the customs officer when they open the parcel, so the call center has no idea how much it will be worth — it’ll be no use to ask them how much it’s worth via phone.
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Hi, I saw this post while I was searching for links about EMS Phils.
I had my friend in Japan to send me some cosmetics that’s about 1500 yen only. I am currently in Davao. I checked the ems website and saw that my packaged arrived on July 2,Friday in Manila. I received my package right on my doorstep, July 6, Tuesday.
I was charged 40 pesos for my package and since I have been reading a lot of posts that they were charged for taxes etc., I felt a little generous and gave the delivery guy 70 pesos hehe. At least I got my package and my peace of mind. What’s 30 pesos anyway. The guy gave me a receipt too.
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ok. thank you very much for the info, i really appreciate it.
i just got a mail from the seller that she just placed $40 as the price of the parcel and was labeled as an electronic (gift) and was placed in a really small box..
but still, my packaged was withheld. 😦
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my friend send me a package through USPC via register mail..Im from Bulacan Philippines and its 1 month now but i havent receive it..Im wondering where does it go?Do u think its lost? I went to our post office already and they told me it should be on my hand now because 1 month is too long to wait.
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registered mail takes far longer than EMS — sometimes up to two months. and since you can’t track it unlike EMS, all you can do is wait. good luck with your parcel!
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i just got my parcel without any additional taxes, that’s after 1.5hrs of waiting for those irresponsible customs officers not tending the people waiting in line. they’ed rather talk, talk and more talking to their fellow officers.
and i shouldn’t forget to mention that i did CUT my morning class just to get the package.
**sigh** only in the philippines talaga!
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true — only in the philippines >.> anyway, just count your blessings — at least you didn’t get taxed an extortionate amount, right?
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My package from HLJ just arrived here in the Phils. It says on the EMS tracking website, “In Customs”. Should I wait for the claim voucher to arrive here or just pick it up from Pasay office without the claim voucher?
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you can go ahead and claim it without the voucher if you have a print out of the tracking page made out in your name, plus two valid IDs.
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Okay. Thank you for your immediate response.
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Quote from Ragna The Bloodedge (gamingnewslink.com)
People with packages coming from Japan can now breathe easily. Starting July 1 the J-ASEAN FTA has been implemented. One of the major things in that thing is that anything under “Category A” will have Customs Duties eliminated from it, so all You have to pay is the 12% eVAT that is still applicable on your Orders.
The link below tells of the FTA coming into force last July 1, 2010.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2010/6/0616_01.html
The link below says that (a)
Click to access part8.pdf
“Customs Duties on originating goods classified with “A” shall be eliminated as from the date of entry into force of this Agreement;”
Which means anything that falls under Category “A” wouldn’t be subjected to Customs Duties and will just be charged the regular 12% eVAT.
And the link below is the guideline on which items are classified under Category “A”.
Click to access part8-2.pdf
hope this help. I hope it will help me showing these to the EMS Pasay this week.
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thanks al and best of luck to you! i remember when the book blockade was lifted several months back, the customs office at EMS did not immediately implement it and there was another row between them and the book buyers on who had whose authority on their side.
another concern would be the the classification of the toys you have imported. i checked the list you provided, and toys like action figures and gunpla models fall under category B10. only toys under category A are exempted from being charged customs fees, and these are mostly educational toys and scale models of real things like trains, tanks, and battleships.
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Went to EMS Pasay this PM. Boy, they were so slow! took me almost two hours to get my stuff from that place.
Regarding the J-ASEAN FTA as expected they won’t recognize it. I just came back from EMS pasay and as the customs officer finished computing my 8,000 peso watch from Japan, I told her: wasn’t it suppose to be that my watch be exempted from duties? Wasn’t it Phils and Japan had signed an FTA agreement and effective July 1 all under category A goods from japan exempted from duties and just 12% VAT will do?
She asked me, are you a japanese national? I said no. She said that only japanese nationals are exempted. I was about to argue more because it is not how it is but I refrained myself and I know that they will not admit it. No need to confront her more and besides I’m happy with her computation on my taxes which is only 1,900+ pesos for an 8K watch. Very reasonable. Based on my own computation its more than 2,500.00. Siguro tsambahan lang din sa customs officer na titingin sa gamit mo.
As for me Im not going to use EMS to ship my things anymore! that place sucks! I saw two frustrated korean nationals who shout at the customs officers, for being so slow and maybe they were charged big too.
Grabe sa loob ang dami nang taong nakapila at naghihintay makikita mo nagkukuwentuhan ang mga officers at naninigarilyo pa sa loob.
Habang chinecheck ng customs police yung mga papers ko sinabihan ko na, Ang bilis nga ng parating ang tagal naman ng proseso.
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ugh — i was expecting the customs people to play dumb or invent loopholes about the new j-asean agreement, and i am so disappointed that i was right >.>
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I am about to get my parcel amounting to 90usd tomorrow from China. Does the physical appearance of the adressee affects the taxes given? I mean, pupunta ako dun ng naka-shorts lang..
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no, it does not matter what you wear when you go pick up the parcel.
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i’m here in taiwan and sell basketball shoes in the phils through my brother. i sent my first set of sneakers through registered airmail and it arrived in 10 business days as advised to me by the local post office here. but then i used ems for my next parcel since the price difference weren’t that much and transit time is really fast. when i got home from the post office and read some forums about ems, my BP of 120 rocketed to 220(just an exaggeration)i was so afraid that my parcel worth 600USD might be taxed since i was so dumb to declare the actual value for insurance reasons in case it gets lost(theft was my fear before not tax). i immediately called my 65 yr old dad to expect a significant amount from customs since i don’t want to give him the 220 blood pressure. i didn’t tell him it was because of phil customs corruption. but luckily he called me 4 days after asking me y he was only asked 35 pesos. i felt so relieved that i dated my wife to a 100USD dinner and she was surprised(i always date my wife but i don’t spend that much all the time). sent another parcel again thru ems only 2 pairs this time and declared the value at 30USD and labeled gift like before. i have been using the LBC which takes 3 weeks but safer since they advice that only 12 pcs of the same item is considered commercial. my question is, i don’t hav any worries about registered airmail security but is it as scary as EMS in terms of customs tax? or is it safe to consider ems to provincial addresses are safe (i sent a 30x20x12 inches box) since it’s too far for a recipient to travel. i can go with registered airmail all the time since the post office is only a block from where i live and only takes 10 days to arrive. this forum is the best of all the ones i’ve read. more power to you and God bless!!!
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the main difference with EMS and registered mail is speed; security and taxes are about the same. the local post office is woefully inconsistent so you may get taxed one time but not the other.
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this thing is seriously bad for business. i’m actually planning to shutdown my online business because it’s difficult to rely on these inconsistencies. too bad most of us pinoys can only afford the cheap good stuff sold online but only to be charged more by the customs people. anyways keep up the good work!!!
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so sorry to hear that — i wish you the very best of luck with your shop~
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I bought a CD and a Book from CDJapan.The Customs taxed me 2901.75 pesos.. my order was only 2475 YEN.. and that’s in YEN.. it’s like 150% tax for me.. VERY CORRUPT
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The item I bought is like 1200+ if converted to pesos and they expected me to pay 2901.75 as tax
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that’s inconsistency (corruption) by the philippine government at work 😦
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😦 just wanna ask some sorta frequently asked questions. last july 26, my friend sent me a parcel from japan via EMS (including ipad, ipad case & chocs) 1.8 kilos that cost 3240 yen ($37). july 29, i tracked that it already arrived at Philippines and the status says that it is on customs but no zip code. my friend told me that it will be delivered at my door, i kno its not yet time to panic bout the “delayed” of the parcel. i just wanna kno if this parcel will be taxed & still be delivered at my door.?.. naaahh.. hope to hear from you.
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like i keep saying over and over again (next time please read all posts before asking a question — it may already have been answered), if the parcel is in customs according to your tracking page you have to claim it at their pasay facility by paying for the calculated taxes.
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is it possible they will tax me for some magic cards and a playmat? i am planning kasi…. to buy and shipped it here using ems….
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if the value of the parcel is less than USD 50 the parcel will very likely not be taxed. anything higher than USD 50 and you will be in dodgy territory.
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Hi…I would like to know if they accept credit cards as payment?
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they don’t — all transactions are in cash only.
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@rose
last time i bought an item i got taxed for a 30$ item with a 60$ shipping and it was about 1200 php. the only thought passed trough my mind that i told the truth and said i bought it online..
My items are covered at 45$ plus 73$ shipping 😦 when i calculated it, its around 1700 php :((
Would it help if i just said “i do not know that i am going to be taxed, and this is the only i have in my pocket.”
its only a gift? How can i say? could i have less tax and no reciept? XD LOL i dont wanna get taxed that much.
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unfortunately, the fact that you have been asked to claim your parcel at the EMS office means that you have to pay taxes — ignorance will not be taken as an excuse especially by the customs officers. if you attempt to claim the parcel without sufficient funds, the customs officer will tell you to come back another day with the complete amount. claiming that the parcel is a gift will also not work since gifts are also taxed. as for paying less taxes with no receipt, that is tantamount to bribery, and bribery is against the law.
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just got backed from EMS, sadly i got charged 2k php tax.
The item declared was 45$, and she insisted that it was more than that. sadly i under declared the value of the item and had no proof that it was only 45$.
For 3 gundam models
She charged me the following:
10% duty
12 VAT
265 CDS
250 IBF
God thing that i she bought that it was only worth 60$, or else i have paid for 105$ of goods.XD
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hello,
i’m planning to buy an ipad from ebay costing $675. the seller is willing to declare it $20 and as a gift. I’m using USPS EMS shipping company. question: would i be tax so high like others? will my item be at risk (stolen)? thanks for the reply.
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if you get flagged by customs you will be taxed the full value of the item purchased (USD 675) because it is glaringly obvious that an iPad is not worth just USD 20.
all parcels are at risk of being stolen unless they are sent by courier like DHL or FEDEX, and even then some parcels are still lost.
if you declare your item as having just a USD 20 value and it gets stolen, EMS insurance will only refund you USD 20 as declared on the shipping manifesto and not the actual value of the item at USD 675.
in the end, it’s up to you if you want to dodge taxes but risk losing your parcel, or getting the parcel delivered but have to pay customs fees.
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so should i declare it $675 but declare it as a gift?
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I saw this site when searching for info about customs. This is very informative regarding EMS.
But regarding SAL, are there any instances you might get taxed when used the said shipping? Because my October pre-orders seems to be the most expensive and all (OK, just two PVCs) of them might fit inside a SAL package.
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s for i stimbled on this site looking for a way if a parcel from EMS is in customs status
in anycase i ordered 2 artbooks thats ef-the fairy tale of the 2 master visual works and MGS4 master art collection.
if the calculation above applies i calculated the value at actually 127.10 USD 10,900 JPY
calculated customs value is 2017 php do i need to bring more or just what i assumed to have calculated… im assuming i would probably bring 2500 in anycase… and also i need to know the exact address of ems pasay after all im in QC <_<
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@jared
It doesnt matter if it is declared as a gift, because they would still tax you anyway.. you are better of buying it here. or make someone come home and buy it for you.
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@jared gifts are also taxable.
@jr based on anecdotes, SAL shipments are less likely to be taxed compared to EMS, but that’s not to say that they are not taxed 100%.
@algester the address is already up there, plus a map. good luck!
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ouch… its actually quite far from la salle-csb @_@… hmm so i can only go there on workdays and assuming i only have a school ID with me so yeah this is hard…
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Hi Rose! Google led me to your blog again! 😉
I recently preordered a concert DVD (230g) from CDJapan and it will be shipped this September 15 (its release date). It’s 5,071 yen including the shipping fee via EMS (3971 yen subtotal + 1100 yen shipping fee). I’ve been reading horror stories about EMS and the monsters behind it. And now I’m very worried. It is my first time ever to purchase online.
How much do you usually pay when you order DVDs from Japan? Would you suggest to just change my shipping method to SAL?
Thanks a bunch again, Rose!
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since your parcel is under USD 50 it’s highly possible it’ll fly below the radar and get to you without being taxed. the taxes for DVDs is the same as toys. please see sample calculation above.
the disadvantage of SAL shipments are the lengthy waiting times and the lack of insurance — if your parcel gets lost, it’s gone for good.
it’s really up to if you’d rather get taxed but get your parcel 100%, or try to dodge taxes but stand the chance of losing your parcel in transit.
good luck!
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i sent my mom a textbook for college (she is currently trying to get a degree in respiratory therapy) along with some baby clothes for my cousin and a couple school supplies and the BOC is holding it hostage until she pays Php 1900… corrupt motherfuckers! i hate the corruption. they all need to GO to hell.
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oh no…im worried about my package from China. EMS tracking says as of 8/17/10, it was handed over to customs. Worth is $181(including shipment cost) contains 2 items, replica of gucci bag & shoes. do you think customs will tax it based on the price of the original products? i think i need to pray a lot…
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well, if they tag it as original and not faux, they will tax you at full amount. now if they declare it as faux, there are two things they can do: they can either tax you at the value they place on your items, or they can confiscate it since it is in violation of intellectual property and branding rights…
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Hey, so, if the seller declares it as a gift…
The item wont end up in customs & I won’t be charged for tax?
[sorry if this question has been asked & answered before,
but, come on, there are One Hundred and Ninety One comments already ~_~;]
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patience is a virtue.
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I have another question! 😀
Do you think it’s a good idea to ask a seller to under-declare a $150 item to $40?
Thanks ^_^
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you can ask the seller to under-declare your parcel, but if your parcel gets lost the insurance will only cover the declared USD 40 amount and not the actual USD 150 value.
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Sumimasen! More questions ^_^
“May 25th, 2009at 23:48(#)
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 <.<"
If i asked the item to be delivered via SAL?
Will I avoid being taxed?
Shitsurei Shimasu ^_^
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「you can ask the seller to under-declare your parcel, but if your parcel gets lost the insurance will only cover the declared USD 40 amount and not the actual USD 150 value.」
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Hooo! Quite risky ~_~;
But, based on your experience and from your friends’s experience, have you lost a package [when delivered via EMS]?
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1) SAL parcels are less likely to be taxed because they do not go through the EMS sorting facility (which handles mostly air freight).
2) EMS parcels are tagged so they are very rarely lost in transit. SAL parcels do not have a tracking number.
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Items sent via EMS are safe, no doubt,
but with SAL
[despite the risk of losing your precious model
& have to wait a wee bit longer for it to be in your longing arms]
one could save a bit on the shipping fee & could avoid being imposed with tax.
Man, I’m really considering a SAL shipment.
So, I’m just curious, on your experience with SAL shipments,
have you avoided being imposed with tax every time?
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yes, i have. but i also have friends whose SAL shipments were taxed on arrival.
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Lucky you 😛 Your friend, not so much ~_~;
Ei, so, can you count how many times have you relied on SAL shipments?
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