UPS - Customs. Advise please!

[darth mond]

My sister-in-law sent an iPad2 as a surprise gift thru UPS however we got a notification yesterday from UPS asking us to pay Php 17,000.00!!!! :oWe told them that it is too much for something that is worth USD 600.00 and they just asked us to send a letter of appeal. Any advise?  

[daigoro]

That's high way robbery. the 70% of the cost of the IPAD 2.

[pekspert]

its actually not UPS but customs who is charging you (thru UPS).

Go to AMAZON and find the cheapest price of your item and print it. THen send it together with your appeal stating that it only cost that much.

[darth mond]

Just found out that there are 2 ipads in the package total declared value of which is USD 1300. Here is the breakdown provided by customs


AMOUNT PAYABLE TO THE BUREAU OF CUSTOMS                           
                           
   1. CUSTOMS DUTY                        
                           
      Transaction Value                 1,300.00       
      Insurance Premium  (USD)                 26.00       
      Freight Charges   (USD)                 55.00       
      Other Charges ( USD )                -         
      Dutiable Value   (USD)             1,381.00       
      Exchange Rate   (PHP)                 43.018       
      Dutiable Value   (PHP)                59,407.86       
      Rate of Duty            15%   
      CUSTOMS DUTY (PHP) 8,911.18         PHP 8,911.00
                           
   2.  VALUE  ADDED TAX  ( VAT )                        
                           
      Dutiable Value   (PHP)                     59,407.86       
      Bank Charge   (PHP)                  
      Customs Duty   (PHP)               8,911.18       
      Brokerage Fee   (PHP) CAO 1-2001         4,000.00       
      Customs Documentary Stamps   (PHP)        265.00       
      Import Processing Fee   (PHP)                   250.00       
      Total Landed Cost   (PHP)          72,834.04       
      Value Added Tax Rate                         0.12       
      VALUE ADDED TAX   (PHP) 8,740.08     PHP 8,740.00
                           
   3.  IMPORT PROCESSING FEE                PHP 250.00
                           
TOTAL AMOUNT  DUE TO THE GOVERNMENT      PHP 17,901.00

[oReOsHaKe]

You can have it returned to sender.. I would really recommend to use JAC when sending items like this..

[daigoro]

Believe talaga ako sa customs natin in their gall in pilling on charges. If I ever become a politician, my goal would be to abolish that department and just go a straight one time reasonable fee. Compounded pa yung charge nila

[darth mond]

They gave us three choices:
1. Pay the total due.
2. Return - Pay the total due and pay the shipping fee to the US
3. abandon the package

My sister-in-law had already sent the letter of appeal to UPS. Hopefully we get a reply soon. Babayaran na lang daw niya yung total due. Sana pala nag transfer na lang siya ng funds at bumili na lang kami locally hehehe

Would have advised her to send it thru JAC or just a balikbayan box had she told me, but it was meant to be a surprise to her sisters. She sent one as well to another sister in Qatar, no problems there .

[anya618]

saan post office yan sir?

[oReOsHaKe]

They gave us three choices:
1. Pay the total due.
2. Return - Pay the total due and pay the shipping fee to the US
3. abandon the package

My sister-in-law had already sent the letter of appeal to UPS. Hopefully we get a reply soon. Babayaran na lang daw niya yung total due. Sana pala nag transfer na lang siya ng funds at bumili na lang kami locally hehehe

Would have advised her to send it thru JAC or just a balikbayan box had she told me, but it was meant to be a surprise to her sisters. She sent one as well to another sister in Qatar, no problems there .

Ang alam ko if return to sender, you will not pay anything..

[TOY 01]

Ang alam ko if return to sender, you will not pay anything..

I agree. Dapat walang charge kung return to sender.  Tapos padala mo uli sa JAC $48 lang.

[oReOsHaKe]

I agree. Dapat walang charge kung return to sender.

I did that before, walang charge sa akin.. Pati UPS yan, responsibility ng UPS yan ibalik if hindi nakuha ng pinagdalhan..

[darth mond]

This was sent thru UPS sir, nung tinrack namin item is in Pampanga. That's what i thought too re: return to sender. Kaso ang sagot sa akin will have to pay pa din. Bad trip di ba? Whew!

[TOY 01]

Sir dapat walang charge yan kasi di mo pa naman na claim yun package or puwede din refused to accept.

[darth mond]

Thanks for the advise, guys. I called again and they agreed that I  do not have to pay any charge in case I return it. Complained as well that the person I talked to before informed me otherwise and they apologized.

Will be waiting for the response from the customs though.

[TOY 01]

Thanks for the advise, guys. I called again and they agreed that I  do not have to pay any charge in case I return it. Complained as well that the person I talked to before informed me otherwise and they apologized.

Will be waiting for the response from the customs though.

Baka gustong ibulsa yun return shipping...

[darth mond]

I'm sorry, we still need to pay the return shipping. yung customs charge ang hindi na.

[ALICE GO]

THATS not a  mis-print or an abusive charge, thats the tariff rule. You shipped the merchandise through UPS, its a given that this courier will have all shipments imposed a tariff by Customs because all boxes carries a "Commercial Invoice" tag. DHL and Fedex does the same. Wala kang mahahanap na remedyo to pull down the tax. If you have the gumption, ika nga sa Tagalog, "sikmura" and at least one whole day to waste, you go to Customs warehouse itself inside Santo Nino Paranaque. Bring the charges invoice brought to your doorstep by UPS and appeal to the people inside that you wanted the charge reduced. When you lend yourself to this recourse, thats where you'll be opened a large blue book where every imaginable electronic items meant to be imported are listed and categorized with corresponding Custom tax. For sure your item would fall under "computer electronics" which is bound to be levied by as much as 20%.

From a few folks' experience, these bureaucrats will not be easily persuaded to reduced the charge. They might, but is likely to lopped off only a few hundred pesos. On the event, you'll have the gumption to talk - get this - "under the table," you might advertently touched off a latent "crocodile nerve" but thats lining his pocket while depriving the famished government of fiscal life-support. Kaya sa matuwid lang tayo....

[oReOsHaKe]

I'm sorry, we still need to pay the return shipping. yung customs charge ang hindi na.

Dapat pati return shipping wala na bayad.. thats irregular.. In my case, I was texted by Fedex that I have to pay this much tax for the item I was sent by a friend.  I just texted them back that I dont intend to get the item and just send it back to sender.  No hassle.  My friend got the item back.

[darth mond]

This one we are charging to experience .

My sister in law decided to pay for the fees immediately since the items were intended as gifts.  She usually sends stuff via a Forex Box but got too excited and sent the items on a whim. Medyo nasira lang yung elaborate surprise niya but it still is a good one:).  Thanks for the inputs guys! 

[frootloops]

Tama sir ang computation based on the declared value. Yang 15% Rate of Duty, tarriff yan at hindi pwede baguhin, including the VAT. Lahat ng nakalagay na rate dyan naka format yan at hindi pwede basta baguhin ng Customs. Mabigat kasi ang VAT since after duty taxes naging P72,834 na ang landed price, dinagdagan pa ng 12%.

Pero from what I know....0% duty taxes dapat ang iPad at wala dapat na brokerage fee na 4K.

[Clondalkin]

This seems to be a good reference for future imports via courier service: 15% of total dutiable value + 12% VAT although I don't really get why Customs Duty and Broker's Fee would have be VATted as well - "tax on tax/duty/fees?".   Pero kung based nga sa "Landed Cost" ang VAT, kasama nga yon.

For a while I thought a safe reference would be like 30%-50% of the converted Peso value.   15% lang pala ang duty rate which is not so bad - yung VAT ang nagpadagdag ng fee but that's the rule right now.

I think if you refuse to pay the back shipping charges, that would be equivalent to either you abandoned the consignment, or, the sender would have to be charged the back shipping fee.

[Shakatak]

The best thing is not to send any items taxable or not thru any courier such as UPS, DHL and the like. Mas maganda kung gumamit na lang ng forwarder.

Regarding the payment UPS was asking, it is correct that Phil customs ang nagcha-charge thru UPS...

[nogie]

Meron din minsan sa forwarders especially for odd boxes that you cant hide inside jumbo balikbayan boxes pero malayong mas mura pa rin compared sa taxes pag ikaw mismo magclaim sa customs. A friend of mine paid only $400 dollars for a 55in. LCD TV thru a forwarding company. Sobrang laki ng box nun.

[Cosmic79]

They gave us three choices:
1. Pay the total due.
2. Return - Pay the total due and pay the shipping fee to the US
3. abandon the package

My sister-in-law had already sent the letter of appeal to UPS. Hopefully we get a reply soon. Babayaran na lang daw niya yung total due. Sana pala nag transfer na lang siya ng funds at bumili na lang kami locally hehehe

Would have advised her to send it thru JAC or just a balikbayan box had she told me, but it was meant to be a surprise to her sisters. She sent one as well to another sister in Qatar, no problems there .

Hi Sir Darth_Mond. Hope maayos ang problem with customs. Lately the customs people have been charging unreasonable taxes and they are also too "hot" on any Apple products. Yung second option given by customs-"Return-pay the total due..." is nonsense and just forcing you to to pay. Otherwise, if you're paying the due, returning the item is then pointless and might as well claim the item. About 2 years ago I was also being charged high taxes for a old books. I had the books returned and I did not have to pay anything on taxes.

My friend works on a local Apple Dealer store and he said lately they are having problems with the customs people under the new govt admin. Mahirap daw kausap and asking for many requirements whenever the would import any Apple spare parts.

[Waxx]

Hi Sir Darth_Mond. Hope maayos ang problem with customs. Lately the customs people have been charging unreasonable taxes and they are also too "hot" on any Apple products. Yung second option given by customs-"Return-pay the total due..." is nonsense and just forcing you to to pay. Otherwise, if you're paying the due, returning the item is then pointless and might as well claim the item. About 2 years ago I was also being charged high taxes for a old books. I had the books returned and I did not have to pay anything on taxes.

My friend works on a local Apple Dealer store and he said lately they are having problems with the customs people under the new govt admin. Mahirap daw kausap and asking for many requirements whenever the would import any Apple spare parts.

pa OT: dyan parin ako nagtataka sa customs people natin.. dahil alam ko may RA na books are tax free.

[scifi-fan]

If memory serves me right, Tax Free books only apply to educational content.

This was discussed some months back when Large Bookstore chains was questioned for not paying taxes for popular books like Harry Potter and Twilight.

[frootloops]

My friend works on a local Apple Dealer store and he said lately they are having problems with the customs people under the new govt admin. Mahirap daw kausap and asking for many requirements whenever the would import any Apple spare parts.

I may agree with you on this since friends of mine who has been working with Customs for so many years mentioned that only under this administration that their protocols were broken. Kanya kanyang diskarte na kahit mali, IOW, mas malala na ngayon ang patakbo. Mahirap kausap and maraming requirement does not mean they are doing their job right...no, mas matindi ngayon ang red tape dahil walang kinatatakutan sa itaas.

I also heard that a big number of employee's were forced retired and replaced with the kamag-anak factor. The problem is Cesar Purisima is not yet officially appointed, when Mar Roxas and his team enters the arena, ibang usapan nanaman yan.

[darth mond]

Just an update on what had happened on this shipment:

We got a reply yesterday regarding the appeal we sent. They waived some fees and we were charged Php 7,000.00+++. We do not know anybody from customs but sent the appeal anyway. Since it is within the threshold of UPS they delivered the package COD.

[Cosmic79]

Thanks for the update and the matter resolved. At least the fees were lessened. I probably would think twice in ordering items from other countries that would pass thru Customs as they are one of the most difficult people in the govt to talk to.

[daigoro]

That's great that they reduced the amount.

Customs has been like that ever since I was a kid. Just like the Makati police maintain their traffic traps, the customs people seem to always prey upon the unwary.