Good news (or bad news, depending on how you look at it) to Japanese toy collectors, manga fans, cosplayers, and every other person who has imported anything from Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and everywhere else — the Bureau of Customs of the Philippines has made improvements to their parcel claiming system.
The two most noticeable updates to the system are the creation of an online Customs fees calculator (which takes the hocus pocus out of the calculations), and a new inspection system that aims to give claimants a degree of safety and privacy from unscrupulous elements (unless the unscrupulous elements are the Customs people themselves — but moving on).
The new online Customs fees calculator helps you come up with a ballpark figure on the amount of taxes you have to pay for your parcel. It is still just an estimate as fees are calculated based on the exchange rate of the Philippine Peso to the US Dollar, and rates change every day. To be safe, get an estimate via the calculation tool, and bring a few hundred pesos extra just in case.
The new inspection system on the other hand tries to prevent theft and loss of privacy for parcel claimants. Instead of opening the parcel in the warehouse floor in full view of other claimants, your parcel will now be opened behind closed doors with the owner in attendance. Supposedly, this is done to protect the parcel owner — however, I can’t help but feel that this will be used in the usual customs shenanigans 
So, have you been to the Customs office lately? Share your experience via the Comments box 🙂
With reporting from Nina of Just Wandering.
JPOP Manila 
Ah, sorry! Forgot to tell you, it’s a room with a huge glass window, so the people in the waiting area will see the proceedings inside. At times, there can be up to 2 or 3 packages getting inspected at the same time.
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Thanks for the clarification, Nina!
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I’d like to make a clarification. The Postal Office “Storage Fee” has been recently hiked from 50 pesos to 100 pesos. However, there is silver lining of some sorts (though we might have to wait.) A politician had filed a bill hiking up the deminimis imports to 10,000 pesos including online purchases (I refuse to name the politico lest I be judged as a supporter, which I’m not):
http://www.senate.gov.ph/lis/bill_res.aspx?congress=16&q=SBN-2373
http://www.interaksyon.com/business/95269/advisory–phlpost-to-raise-ptcc-100-effective-sept-15
(On the other hand, other than an error in marking the tarriff rate in the customs calculator, it works perfectly. I just did that having shipped some CDs from Japan again a few days ago.)
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Hi
I’ve read your post in 2009-2010 about buying online and customs. I’ve been buying since 2006 and fast forward to 2014, I’ve experienced so many changes including the fact that October this year, I’ve started to notice delays. Max was 3 months – a small cheap $10 item stuck @ philpost customs for 3 months then transferred to our local PO with an almost 2k tax. Unlike before when you can bring a paypal invoice and they will recalculate or if it’s less than $50 they won’t charge you tax, now they’ll tax almost everything and obviously everything gets delayed because they seem to be holding more and packages for tax calculations. I’m expecting 3 more small and cheap packages which are all held and their agents can’t help. They can only say one thing – you have to wait for customs clearance. But since November, they’ve been unable to contact. Phone lines cannot be reached. Anyone else who has experienced this?
Thank you so muh for your very interesting and helpful blog! xx
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Hi H — I haven’t had a parcel stuck in customs in a long time, so this trend of holding up and taxing even small parcels is a new thing. Maybe they are trying to reach their quota this upcoming Christmas season?
Anyway, the best thing you can do I think is to divert your parcels to a different post office (for example if you are shipping to your office in Makati, have it shipped to your home in Cavite or Bulacan) instead.
Or, avoid having any parcels shipped in at least until January to avoid the Christmas season entirely.
Sorry I can’t be more helpful. Good luck!
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*WARNING: long comment*
I’ve had a couple of terrible experiences with PhilPost and Customs. It used to be that when I received a package via PhilPost, the only thing I’d pay for is postage fee, which is a measly amoount. Then my boyfriend decided to send me a box of chocolates, some candy, and an envelope with a Valentine’s card inside.
The box had been “eaten” through, and so was part of the envelope, by what look like rat bite marks. Funny thing is the package did not smell like anything but torn paper and plastic at all, and no droppings or anything gross, and the chocolates only had a few pieces missing. The candies were untouched. Note that the box was sold packaged in a way that it had been sealed in plastic. One more thing to note is that if the rats smelled the chocolate and ate through the box for that, then why eat through the envelope too? Were the rats checking for cash because they misread the declared value of 200 SEK as 200 USD (the lady at the post office said this, commenting on rats and saying that the value was 200 USD)? Thankfully they didn’t charge any customs fees. This was around early summer this year, March I think.
And then I started purchasing items online from a shop in China, and things started getting even uglier.
The first two or three purchases went without a hitch. I’d read on a blog that apparently as long as you keep total value under 50 USD they don’t charge customs, so I made purchases that were up to around 30 USD. They didn’t charge for that. Then, I made a pretty heavy order of ~60 USD, which was only that high because I had it sent through DHL express (the person who wanted the stuff wanted it quick) and DHL ends up charging me 500 USD. Of course I don’t like it, and I decide I’m never using DHL express again.
Then just a couple of months ago I decide to purchase online again, total amount including shipping (via China Post, which goes through PhilPost) being ~46 USD. The customs officer charges me ~20 USD for customs and even provides me with a full receipt with all the computations for it. I ask about the 50 USD ceiling, and he declares there was no such thing, that they were required to apply customs tax on EVERYTHING. I didn’t trust myself to argue reasonably with him, so I decided to just go ahead and pay and maybe try DHL again.
Here’s something funny though: since the China Post option takes about a month to ship, I had ordered another couple batches of items from the same online shop. They all arrive at the same time, and while individually they didn’t cost much, they totalled around 30 USD in value. I went to pick them up, fearing the worst, but guess what – they released my items to me without charging anything aside from the tiny postal fee. The difference? The customs officer was not present.
Now I’ve tried DHL express again. For a 43 USD package I’ll be paying P1,682.
I wonder if the Christmas season has anything to do with it.
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Hello 🙂 I see that the blog posts and comments usually refer to packages sent through EMS, but can I ask if you’ve had any experience with registered airmail? I had some manga shipped through it, and someone told me they don’t deliver airmail to your door and always have you pick it up? Is this true? Thanks 😀
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Hi Lia — yes, all Registered Mail parcels must be picked up from your local post office. Yoi should be getting a white postcard sized notification if it’s ready for pick-up. Most of the time — especially if it’s a small parcel, you can get away with the PhP 50 holding fee. Good luck!
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It’s no longer 50 pesos. It’s already 100 pesos.
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UGH that’s highway robbery! >.>
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Regsitered AirMail can be held in Customs for a very long time (usually a month) even if you end up just paying for the postal fee. It’s better to use Registered SAL or Registered SAL small packet ( <2k, and total dimension <90cm) as it usually takes only 5 – 10 business days for the item to arrive in the local post office (at least here in Cavite in my place). Additionally, SAL has the least chance of avoiding customs tax especially if you can somewhat 'optimize' the declared value of your item. Also SAL still have a tracking number (at least for Japan Post) though it's only updated up to the point when the item left the country of origin. Same with other government postal service (EMS, AirMail), if it's a parcel, you need to claim the item from the nearest post office.
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My first post seems to have gotten eaten up, so I’m posting this again: I see that most of the posts and comments are about EMS, but can I ask if you’ve had any experience with registered airmail from Japan? Does the post office really not deliver them and require that all airmail be picked up at the post office? Thanks 🙂
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Hello po, Ms Magnetic Rose =) Can I ask po, I had a small packet airmail sent from Japan, and it showed on the Japan Post tracker that it arrived last Feb 18 (arrival at inward office of exchange, Manila CMEC). But when I checked it on the Philpost tracker, up until now po, dispatch from country of origin is still the last status. Should I be worried po? =( Thank you for any help po.
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It might be held for customs inspection already — sorry about that 😦
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Don’t use Registered AirMail if you don’t want your item to be held in customs for a long time (usually a month). Even if you don’t need to pay any taxes, parcels sent through AirMail usually takes 3 – 4 weeks to be delivered to the local PO. Use registered SAL or registered SAL small packet (for parcels <2kg and total dimension L+W+H <90cm) as it usually takes just 5 – 10 business days to reach the local PO (at least here in Cavite). Additionally, SAL has a higher change of flying below the radar of customs
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I have lost one package using SAL and that was a chipipay magazine that I could no longer buy used so I’m not using it. Nice that SAL is never lost there when being used as a method of delivery because it’s a Russian Roulette sometimes.
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I’d like to post this just to let you know that there were a lot of things that had changed since the last article about the customs office.
I ordered a BD of Japanese Idol Sasaki Rikako (~Greeting~ Sasaki Rikako, UFXW-2002) which is worth 5000 JPY in CDJapan last March 2. A friend of mine piggybacked with the order so with the shipping and all, I was expecting the entire package to be 11,100 JPY with the shipping included. As this is a high-risk, customs duty worthy purchase, I did my best to time my purchase just because customs duties payments are such budget wreckers. Unfortunately when it arrived yesterday I saw the dreaded “In Customs” status in Japan Post’s EMS tracking page.
As I trooped my way to the Pasay CMEC office I prepared for the worst. Based on my calculation, I will be paying 1,500 pesos above in duties and I was thinking if ever these wota pursuits of mine will lead me to financial ruin. But after all the checks and the final calculation laid out for me to see, I pursed a smile as I gave 1,112 pesos for it.
Here are some changes:
1 – I have posted before that the single biggest impediment that makes the entire customs duties payment unfair is the customs document stamp and the import processing fee which milks the customs office easy money (easy 515 pesos) however, this has been abolished and they had singled out the payment into the BIR Fee of 15 pesos instead, which to me, is a really fair deal. The entire calculation they do when they calculate the customs duties still stand, however, while trekking to Pasay is a hellish ordeal (with the Skyway currently in construction as of this writing) knowing that they had simplified and lessened the payment to a mere 15 pesos is a big, BIG sigh of relief for us.
On a side note, remember that kid who bewailed because his handheld was not released on Christmastime 2014? Turns out that info they upped on the Wheninmanila article, which is the article I first knew about this change was true after all.
2 – I’m not sure if this tidbit is known but if there are multiple packages coming to the country with several tracking numbers, they will all bundle the packages into one and charge just 15 pesos for all of them. However, customs calculations still apply and a separate postal fee is allocated for every package.
3 – I think it is known that they now charge 100 pesos for the postal fee.
4 – They are still a bit dodgy with questioning.
5 – They now handout these flyers about customs duties and laws which you can get for free or read in their office.
Unfortunately, all of this information is not updated in the government webpage. While we have a long way trudging through the red tape and unwieldiness of the government, I think these changes are a big step from when you first wrote the article nearly six years ago. At least we won’t be that worried when some of our packages land in CMEC.
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Thanks for the detailed update, ooioo!
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Is the 515 fixed fee really abolished? Can you cite some official reference regarding that? I have some recent courier deliveries (DHL) last month and I believe they are still charging that.
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Yes. It is already abolished. Refer to the top comment in the Wheninmanila article below by Ms. Charo Digamon Logarta.
http://www.wheninmanila.com/crying-kid-leaves-post-office-without-gift-package-from-dad-due-to-high-custom-fees/
Sadly sinira ko na yung resibo ko.
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There are a lot of great changes under Pnoy. I know this is out of topic but this is true. I’ve experienced the changes mentioned above firsthand. Dolls from Juniemoon via PO (no tax just 100 fee) and via EMS (500). 🙂
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I won’t credit him for it; other countries have this deminimis value applicable for any trivial package coming into their countries, meaning to say, if the value of your package is below a certain threshold for customs duty, you won’t pay for it. However, countries like ours where smuggling is abound has to be a tad bit strict on enforcing customs laws.
However as what I’ve mentioned above, the 15 peso fee right now is way fairer compared to before.
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Well, people don’t credit him for a lot great changes that happened because that’s how we are. But I do give credit where credit is due. Before he took over, I experienced and witnessed PO/EMS staff asking for under the table fees and not giving receipts etc. Ive experienced calling EMS customer service and was given a personal mobile number so she can help me get my parcel with low tax she said. I’ve experienced beinh charged a hefty amount of customs tax, too. But these have changed and the changes happened under his admin. Yes of course you can’t abolish the fees but they made certain changes to at least minimize costs on our end. I’m not complaining about 15 or 50 or 100 to receive a package from the PO. It’s mainly EMS that hit us with high taxes anyway.
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Hmm, EMS is only a way to ship the items to the country. You can only blame EMS if your package does not come to your country and the local post if it never arrives to you. The one that hits us the high duty values is the customs people itself. As much as I would like to credit him for it, I have the belief that some of the heads in Customs now should take some credit for it especially the current head.
I’d like to write a guide about importing/shipping/ordering from Japan and I hope I can email that to you webmaster.
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I just claimed a parcel at the local PhilPost last March 25 (2015), right after receiving the notice. I paid the usual P 100 fee, AND still the customs document stamp and import processing fee of P 250.00 + P 265.00 = P 515.00 and of course a portion of the declared value. The item was just a bike accessory worth below P 1000 pesos.
Are there exceptions for the new system of P 15 BIR fee?
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I just claimed a parcel (ChinaPost) at the local PhilPost last March 25 (2015), right after receiving the notice. I paid the usual P 100.00 fee, AND I was made to pay the customs document stamp and the import processing fee of P250.00 + P 265.00 and of course a percentage of the declared value. It was just a bike accessory worth under P 1000.
Are there exceptions to the new system of P 15.00 fee? Even people before and after me were also charged the P 515.00
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When you said local Philpost, did you claim it in CMEC or in your local post office?
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Thanks for replying.
From a local (Pasig) post office.
They did give me a receipt stating the 250 and 265. I’m just curious what if it was an organized forgery. If it were then I’d just never use their services.
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It looks like you were royally ripped off. I think what you need to do is to report this to CMEC/Customs. CMEC already gives out handouts which recognize the 15 peso BIR fee in print and you should no longer pay the 515 pesos.
This is one of their handouts which is posted within the premises:
Sorry if it is a bit blurry but you can clearly see the 15 pesos there.
Also, another recent comments from someone who went to CMEC and was charged 15 pesos only:
http://www.tipidpc.com/viewtopic.php?tid=208993
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Sorry for the late reply. It seems that my post yesterday is not approved yet just because there were links in it. again sorry for the late reply.
Yup. It seems like you were royally ripped off. But I won’t say you must not use their services because EMS is still a good alternative (other than DHL or those big-ass couriers, whom I heard you had to prepay customs duties) I suggest you report this to customs/CMEC pronto with your receipt in tow.
Disclaimer: I do not work for customs.
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Yes you’re right. I used it once for a relatively high value item and it turned out better than the nightmares I’ve read online.
People should come really informed so they won’t have the same experience. I was stupid. Thanks OOIOO.
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Sorry — that was Akismet kicking in; your comments should’ve gone through without moderation.
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Hi there. Can I ask for help?
I’m expecting a (small) EMS package from Japan which was posted last Friday. Last tracking status is it left Japan already/dispatched, and there have been no updates hence. I’ve gotten prior packages within a short time, but right now I don’t even have an additional update on the tracking, without even a note that it’s arrived anywhere. It’s still on dispatched status, and I doubt it takes so long for a plane to fly from Japan to here.
Should I take this a cause for concern already? I use EMS because of the assurance of its tracking, and now that I can’t access it it feels like I suddenly went blind.
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Hi Yunee — the only (painful) solution is to call the local EMS dispatch office in Pasay City to check if they already have your parcel in their warehouse. Like 80% of the time, delivery delays are caused by them holding on to your parcel for Customs inspection 😦
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Thanks for your answer.
Can I call them even when the tracking hasn’t indicated the package landing here yet? Wouldn’t they at least indicate on the tracking if it’s been held for customs inspection?
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I’m sorry for throwing out so many questions. I’ve read your other entries for the past years on the topic and the comments there, but I was not certain whether I can still take them for how customs and the post operate presently given the gap in time.
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If you don’t mind me asking, where in Japan was it shipped from? Is this the first time you used their service? Too bad we can’t post tracking numbers here. I would suggest you email EMS instead because their trunklines just take time to reply. Their Email is ems (dot) cs (at) phlpost (dot) gov (dot) ph.
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No problem. It was shipped from Fukuoka. And yes, this is my first time, although I’ve accompanied my aunt before to claim her package from Pasay CMEC.
Thanks for the tip, but I’ve read that EMS is pretty unreliable with replying. Have you emailed them before, and if you did, can you share any tips in case I don’t get any reply? I have half the mind that people there must still be basking in some aftermath of the long holiday and are a little too unwilling to set off to work again. /sigh
On a side note, it seems the ever (un)reliable PHLPost tracker is down (again). What a good start for their 23rd anniversary.
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I have shipped packages from Japan (most usually from Osaka and Tokyo) and packages from Osaka would take 3 business days on tops, Tokyo would take 2 business days so coming from Fukuoka it shouldn’t take that long. And usually the Osaka origin would usually update that it had arrived on the Philippines on the 3rd working day, the day it lands on the Philippines.
Let me illustrate the flow of how EMS works in my case:
Posting – This is the first path, means that the package is posted on the Japan Post website. In CDJapan’s case, it would usually take the next business day before it updates to…
Arrival at outward office of exchange – This is the second path, it had arrived the airport and will be up for Customs inspection in Japan’s customs.
Dispatch from outward office of exchange – This means the package had been okayed by customs and is ready for shipping up till which we’ll be waiting for a few days.
Arrival at inward office of exchange – When this appears, I would suggest you call our local EMS at this number: 854-1461 (or was it 854-1641?). At around 8:00 AM-12:00 NN the day this notice appears, customs will inspect the packages (in my case) and what packages will be deemed to stay in CMEC or not. I would suggest you email them; they reply really fast. Also, as a tip, you may want to ask the number of the postman who will drop by your place so you’d know when he’s coming.
In Customs: You have to go to CMEC.
Retention: Usually if you’re not at home, or the package is slated for provincial delivery, this is the status.
Final Delivery: It’s in your hands.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks for the info. The “Arrival at outward office of exchange” is what I’ve been waiting for but hasn’t appeared yet on my tracking. I sent the email add a message, hope they reply. And do you mind if I ask if the 3rd business day estimate counts from day of posting or day of dispatch?
Any idea whether the PHLPost’s track-and-trace being down is the culprit to why my tracking in JapanPost hasn’t been updated yet? Although I’ve assumed they operate independently system-wise…
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Nope. It shouldn’t be the case; EMS Japan will still update your status location and in case, they’re even faster in the tracking than PHLPost’s.
I hope EMS replied to you already. It’s strange really.
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(I had forgotten to post a follow-up here, sorry) My first package managed to reach my house after around 5 days from leaving Japan (and ems replied to my email around late morning the day after I sent the message). I’m expecting a second EMS package (thought I might as well try it again), and yesterday afternoon, I saw the update that was “In Customs.” Does this really mean I will have to go all the way to Pasay? (Ive heard stories about people getting their packages released and delivered some time after so…) Also, if ever I go there, is it alright to go ahead without the notice card, or do I really have to wait for that to be delivered to my home first?
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Well at least the first one arrived from Japan pretty safe. About the second one, yes, you have to go to Customs in Pasay and you can do it without the notice card, just give them the tracking number and some legal IDs.
About some people getting their packages without providing the customs duties, it’s still a mystery. I’ve heard some who got their packages in time without paying the duties but I’ve managed to hear it from some who lived in the province.
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I’ve heard the sad news today that John Sevilla, the current customs commissioner who initiated major changes in the bureau of customs had already resigned from his position. With this, I hurriedly paid off the shipping of my goods not knowing how this might impact customs calculations as well as how this spells for the upcoming 2016 elections. I’ll be ordering stuff online still a few months from now just to monitor how the agency fares and how the new commissioner will manage the agency. I hope he/she maintains it and does things for the better.
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I head about that too! Just when things were starting to get better at the BOC 😐
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I had 2 packages that I had shipped via registered airmail (it’s pretty small, actually, considering one of the two is just this lip balm-tint type thing) and the shop where I got this said it would take 9-13 days since its from Korea. I have their tracking numbers and the last thing I saw was that it arrived at the inward office of exchange here in the PH. When I check on the PHLPost side, no record. I was supposed to get it last week. : Actually the other 2 packages that I ordered (all of which are pretty small and are via registered mail) have also arrived here already but are still at the inward office of exchange here too.. It’s already been 2 weeks.
Does this mean I have to wait until next week for those to arrive?
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From my experience, airmail takes me 3 weeks at least, two weeks upward from that “inward office of exchange” update, for the notice to arrive. There were people who suggested I head straight to the PO and give them the tracking numbers if it takes too long, and I’ve done that and almost always, my packages were already at the PO. You can head over to your PO with your tracking numbers and try it out, since it’s been so long already.
You can also try tweeting them: https://twitter.com/Ppostofficial . Replies can be erratic sometimes, but it’s worth a try. 🙂
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Ah, I will do that, thank you 🙂
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Hello, how long did it take for you to receive your parcel from the date of ‘Arrival at inward office of exchange’? 🙂 Thanks!
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Hello Marie 😀 After seeing the “Arrival at inward office of exchange” status, it only takes 2 days for my parcel to arrive at the local post office (in my case, QC Post Office).
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So here’s my experience for anyone who might find some use for it:
I picked up my package earlier this week. Went there at around 7 in the hopes of getting out early. While Phlpost itself opened on time and started handing out numbers at 8, it took an entire hour for the customs office to open, making it a 2-hour wait before anything moved. A lot of people were pissed, of course, including a rather old foreigner, whom some PO employees tried to assure again and again that package releasing was going to start soon (for an hour). (It took me 3 hours from my lining up to finally getting out of the compound. To the PO employees’ defense, they themselves looked confused why the customs examiners were taking so long to arrive.)
Ultimately, while the customs tax is the usual complaint I see when it comes to stories about EMS, it came out as the least frustrating element of my EMS trip. I got taxed around 20-25% of my package (which is already a breather from the horrors of 50%+ tax I heard from other people). The things that I found made it annoying was the waiting time for customs to open (it says 8:00 am on their notice card, mind you) and the general tense atmosphere (people complaining about unfair taxes – though I can’t say for certain if it was unfair or if it was the result of a lack of knowledge regarding duty and tax computations – although I would have to say that there were people too who quickly lost their cool even over having to pay just the P100 postal fee).
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PhP 100 is a small blessing IMO >.>
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I also have a shipment via registered mail. I got an update 3 days ago that my parcel already arrived at Manila CMEC. Unfortunately, no updates were reported since then. Do you suggest that I should go to CMEC? Or should I wait for the customs clearance status update? Thanks!
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An update on my parcel:
I was able to claim my parcel earlier than expected! ^_^ Before heading to CMEC, I tried calling their office and was lucky enough to get through after 1000x tries! The CSR said that my package is already forwarded to QC Post Office and I just need to bring 2 valid IDs to claim my parcel. That was really a relief because Pasay is really far from home.
I didn’t expect the shipping to be this fast since the Japanese supplier told me that it might take 10 days. I received my order within 5 days and another surprise was that I wasn’t taxed for a 100 USD parcel! I just paid 100 PHP for the postal fee.
My order was shipped via Japan Parcel Post Airmail and I guess I will use this shipping method again in my future orders.
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Hi. good day! i ordered a vr googles from ensogo.ph and then i didnt know it was from vietnam. and the onlineshop told me that the shipping will be handled by the merchant. few weeks after i made the purchase they sent me an email saying that the package is already here in the philippines. i would just like to ask if should i wait here or should i go to the customs because the package is on office of exchange. and the thing is. i lived in surigao city (mindanao) and the customs is in manila. idk what to do. the googles costs only 800 pesos (on sale) and i added 400 pesos shipping fee.
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Just want to share my experience with Caloocan Central Post Office: I preordered 2 Japanese albums worth 7140jpy including registered airmail shipping at CDjapan. It was shipped on July 25 and arrived at Philpost CMEC Pasay 3 days later, July28. Upon tracking the parcel, it was sent to CCPO on July31, a sunday. I tried my luck claiming it without a notice yesterday, August3. I came prepared with cash for the taxes. Arrived at 8am and paid the postal fee of P112. I had to wait until 9am for the BOC staff to arrive and they didn’t. Luck was on our side I guess. So,the kind philpost staff just released our parcels (there were 4 of us waiting). Tips: claim parcels early and keep your parcels small. They are likely to just release them without a hitch. Also, paying a little more for registered airmail for small purchases are WORTH it. 🙂
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Charles, I hope you got your package already.
I just want to share my experience with Caloocan City Central Post Office where I claimed my parcel. I preordered 2 Japanese albums of my favorite band and paid 7140Jpy (58USD+13.60USD) including registered airmail shipping. It was shipped on July25 and arrived on July 28 at Philpost CMEC in Pasay. Upon tracking, I found out it was sent to CCPO on July 31, a sunday. I tried to claim it without a notice card yesterday, August 3. I went to the post office early at 8am (there were 3 persons waiting before me) and the employee, a kind lady assisted me well. After I paid the P112 postal fee, I had to wait for the BOC employee to check my items. Come 9am, still no BOC employee in sight, the kind Philpost employee decided to just release our items. Tips: claim your parcel early even without a notice card and just give them the details of your package. Even if registered airmail shipping is costly, it is WORTH it. I came with cash to pay for taxes maybe I just got lucky yesterday.
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So here’s an update from the past year. I was about to add this comment in your website but then, the domain name was not renewed. You might want to update this bit of writing for this year as good news for some of us Japan importers since there’s some sort of fair “vindication” that has finally taken place.
Effective October 25, 2016, the Customs office had finally released their memo stating that “[n]o duties and taxes shall be collected on goods with freight on board (FOB) or free carrier (FCA) value of P10,000.00 or below.”
After, maybe, 2 years of importing goods, probably more for you, and some strong words left online on customs duties and taxation, we have finally seen some progress in terms of customs duties/taxation. About 2014 earlier, we have been woed at the awful basis of being “taxed” on because of that stinking fixed 500 amount that makes taxes for small items unfair. Around 2015, this has been improved when the 500 pesos became 15 pesos, and we have a better and fairer tax basis for the items we bring in the country. Things just got better recently with this new directive.
And to make things more streamlined, the Philpost office has also communicated this in their website.
Since this will take effect on October 25, 2016, I will make another comment regarding this matter by next week when the law will take place and will test this new scheme thoroughly since I’ll be expecting a package in Japan. Cross fingers that the law will now take its course.
All it takes right now is to be more honest with regard to our dealings.
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Hello! My package was sent via registered airmail. the last status is “for custom examination”. Does this mean i have to go to pasay to claim it even though it’s only registered airmail? Or should i wait for the next status
Or for the package to be sent to my locat post office to claim it?
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Just wait for the next update. For Registered Airmail, it is always sent to the post office nearest to you. For Quezon City, it is the one located at NIA Road near Centris Quezon Avenue.
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Hello!
I just wanted to ask because I ordered a package from japan via registered airmail. The package was sent on Jan 10, 2017 and the latest update I got was that it had “Departure from inward office of exchange” last Jan 19,2017 and now its already Feb 2. I’m really confused why its taking so long and I’m worried that I won’t be able to receive or claim it.
Thank you for your help!
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Hi
I want to share my experienced sending package through EMS with a tracking number. My parcel arrived in Pasay” held at custom” Feb. 16 thursday til now its stil says “Held at Custom” . I even send them a message through text asking them why theres no update for Feb. 20 its already 3:30pm after few minutes they updated the tracking status. I found out that someone call my family in the Philippines in Bukidnon that they’re package arrived already but at the customs for inspection and told them to prepare money. Then they called again asking for more papers until my sister told the Lady she didn’t know just ask the sender which is me and they ask for my email coz they said they ask me for more requirements. Is this normal? I declared $100Canadian dollar for my parcel but its a used 2 phones 5C with 2 after market charger inside my parcel.
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