200% Customs Tax, Only in the Philippines!
March 12, 2010 170 Comments
I hate to be branded anti-nationalistic but I cannot believe what has just transpired within the past two weeks:
A friend and I decided to do online selling of accessories. We searched the web and found one reputable supplier in China. She sells the products for about 1 to 2 bucks a pop. We ordered a hundred pieces and she sent it via DHL. The package came to Manila in less than 48 hours. Impressive.
After a delay of 48 hours we called DHL. Customs was holding my package. No report as to what they were doing with it.
After 5 days, we were pissed. We live in Olongapo. The Customs office in Pasay was like 4 hours away. We could have easily have picked it up but we were optimistic that the package will be delivered to our door. After the fifth clearance delay on the DHL tracking site, we finally received an email:
Value upgraded from USD 51.50 to USD 346.00 by customs, please provide purchase order or telegraphic transfer if not agree to customs assessment.
WTF! Upgraded to 346 USD! What the hell did they see in the package? Last time I checked, I didn’t order half an ounce of gold to be shipped to me. Customs must have taken a peak onto my package and tought that they were real pearls and real stones! 346 USD!
The email contains an excel worksheet which reads as follows:
| INFORMAL COMPUTATION OF DUTY AND TAX | ||||||
| COST | 346.00 | |||||
| FREIGHT | 21.00 | |||||
| Insurance & Other Charges | 2%(cost) | 4.00 | ||||
| DUTIABLE VALUE USD | usd | 371.00 | ||||
| x rate of exchange | 46.023 | |||||
| DUTIABLE VALUE PHP | php | 17,074.53 | ||||
| X rate of duty | 10% | |||||
| CUSTOMS DUTY Php | php | 1,707.45 | ||||
| TAXABLES | ||||||
| DUTIABLE VALUE PHP | 17,074.53 | |||||
| CUSTOMS DUTY | 1,707.45 | |||||
| BROKERAGE FEE | 700.00 | |||||
| CUSTOMS DOCUMENTARY STAMPS | 265.00 | |||||
| excise tax | 3,414.00 | |||||
| IMPORT PROCESSING FEE | 250.00 | |||||
| LANDED COSTS PHP | php | 23,410.99 | ||||
| x vat rate | 12% | |||||
| VAT | php | 2,809.32 | ||||
| SUMMARY | ||||||
| CUSTOMS DUTY | 1,707 | |||||
| VALUE ADDED TAX | 2,809 | |||||
| EXCISE TAX | 3,414 | |||||
| IMPORT PROCESSING FEE | 250 | |||||
| TOTAL DUTIES & TAXES Php | 8,180 | |||||
| DUTY HANDLING FEE | 280.00 | |||||
| INFORMAL ENTRY DECLARATION | 298.60 | |||||
| STORAGE CHARGES | 448.52 | |||||
| COLLECTORS CLEARANCE | ||||||
| TOTAL FEES Php | Php | 9,207.12 |
A tax and charges equivalent to 200 dollars! I paid my supplier 100 dollars and the PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT charged me for 200% what I paid for it! This experience is a rarity. TAX A PHILIPPINE DOCTOR 200%. And I was only trying to venture into business for the 3rd time. I got scammed twice. Now that I finally thought it was finally going to be a big break, i get scammed by MY GOVERNMENT.
What does “INFORMAL” mean? Why inform me after 5 days then charge me for 5 days? Informal Entry declaration? Import Processing Fees?
I informed my supplier right away. She told me this was the first time her products got taxed that high. She was apologetic but really she don’t need to. This kind of things happen ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES!
About Zero MD
President, Mella Antenor Cruz eCommerce, LLC
Have you talked to the customs officials? I suggest go pick it up on the said place and asked those officials why they asked you such amounts.
Oh we just got the news today Jeff. I was pissed at DHL. We sent the supplier’s invoice and a copy of my paypal invoice as per requested by DHL. The DHL representative told us by email that the customs officials regarded it as “USELESS! WHEN THEY UPGRADE THE PRICE THEY DONT CHANGE IT” Those were the words. I’ll be there personally by tuesday to yell at them. They upgraded the price based on what? The supplier gave us a good price and if we ask for a bigger bulk in the future, she was willing to discount it. So I’m now afraid if I order more, I pay more… in taxes. How am I suppose to try and start a business when my markup has to make up for the 200% tax! I was counting on being a discounter for the said items! Unbelievable Jeff.
My sister and her co-workers based in China decided to combine shipping of their Christmas Gifts, 18 mobile phones all in all. The value of the CHINA CELLPHONE is about USD$720. We were so shocked that CUSTOMS (as per UPS) decided to upgrade appraisal into $4,000. and that is 400% UPGRADE! and they are asking me to pay P22,515. for this 18 Mobile Phones. The sad part is that these phones were supposed to be gifts for the Christmas Season and some of the relatives of my sisters co-workers can not come up with the amount. HOW CRUEL AND HOW UNFILIPINO IS THAT?
Someone tipped me that UPS and DHL actually hired people from the customs to facilitate efficient service to their clients yun pala “BANTAY-SALAKAY”. I was curios why this UPS officer who supposed to be helping me out since I am their client, is giving me no other choice or option but to pay the 22K. He kept on painting a bad picture to me, “items forfeiture”, “ntc non approval” blah-blah-blah. I proposed to just send it back to sender, but he said another shipping fee and tax assesement will again be computed.
Surprise surprise, I googled this person’s name and saw that he passed his license in 2008 as CUSTOM BROKER, so could it be na siya na ang taga UPS siya pa din ang CUSTOM OFFICER na nag-assess? I want to go to the roots of this problem and I am doing an indepth investigation before going to media.
I tried DHL before that, but they slashed the side part of my box and got one cellphone inside, and thats another story!
FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT! Either the customs are playing a game on “guess who can place a high tax on imported goods!” Wow you just topped my thread. Christmas sharks I would say. This is getting bad. Life ain’t fair but this is ridicuolous. E-commerce cannot happen here in the Philippines if they keep doing what they are doing. You guys got it worse. I think I already know what happened after, they asked you to come down to their office to complain right? And they told you a sobber little story about how they might have made a mistake and would release your package for half the price?
You have a package you really want, they are the middle men and they won’t give it to you unless they get something for it.
And then they will tell you about “excise tax on cellphones” just like they told me about “excise tax on fake jewelries.”
Well I’m just guessing, please do continue your narrative for all the world to hear…
This is how the low paid people in Philippines customs raise their pay to become rich/well paid, and also it is just a way to meet their revenue budget. A recent poll of Filipino’s shows that customs bureau is the most corrupt dept in the philippines, even more than the BIR.
The politicians are in on the action, and it will not end until a cultural revolution occurs in the Philippines. One on the order of what Mao did in China, but of course less murderous, but just as sweeping and dramatic and penetrating into to corrupt institutions, politicians, and careless unthinking people (by better educational expectations, etc.)
Marcos was a dictator that just lined his and his cronies pockets for decades, and proved able to fool most of the people all of the time — as those who i talk to here still think he was a great leader. He set the Philippines back 20 years, and fooled them all. So Lincoln’s saying is proven (you can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all the time, etc.). As well as the expression that people get the leaders they deserve. Because so many of the people here are uneducated, unthinking, and easily fooled, and/or bought off for P100, you quickly understand why only a sweeping purge by a stern but benevolent dictator will change things. Don’t hold your breath.
My name is Piter Jankovich. oOnly want to tell, that your blog is really cool
And want to ask you: is this blog your hobby?
P.S. Sorry for my bad english
Yup. Thanks Piter
hello, i was just wondering what happened to the end of the story? I sent my sister a laptop (a secondhand one) but i sent it with all the box and accessories. Its in a relatively good condition so people might mistake it for a new one, thus, taxing it quite high. Did the customs official accepted your receipt and proof that the declared value of your seller was true? I hate this. I never experienced anything like this before.
Oh I forgot to follow it up. I’ll post it today. Thanks Kristina for reminding me. When you send something like that, place that you will be sending the items as a gift to your sister. You usually don’t get to pay taxes. Nuff’ said check the post.
your wrong sir….a bf of mine send me lappy, notebook (brand new one) even stated there as gift…yet customs asks for PhP 3,700.00 they call it tariff
when my bf sent me again shoes….another tariff..another payment…
see? thats how wonderful and gorgeous to money our customs are!
so degrading…
Hi there. I find this blog interesting coz you may have some answers I’m looking for. I’ve just opened a paypal account for the sole reason of purchasing a watch at nzwatches.com. It suddenly hit me that purchases like that will go through customs. Now I did my research and found out that, at the bare minimum, they will charge you 50% more the price of your item.By the way, would customs take the payment from the credit card you paid the item/s with or do you have to pay them directly?
No. You can’t use your credit card. In our case we paid directly to the customs official at DHL. All our shipments from FedEx were paid at FedEx. DepEx shipments were not taxed, however few stores use that carrier.
It is all part of the pocket emptying corruption of the Philippines. Just don’t bother sending things there as it triggers a whole line of leeches taking money in the name of ‘import duty tax’. It sucks and the government need to put a stop to it. A friend of mine ordered some books and ended up paying 100 percent again for them. It is disgusting and morally wrong. Fed Ex are the biggest rip off merchants going – do not send ANYTHING through them from your country outside the Philippines.
It’s a wonder how big companies deal with leechers? I recently got another parcel “ripped off” and it wasn’t through fed ex. They got all sort of nasty calculations to show me. All the while, I was laughing inside wanting to tell her “Ulul, ako pa niloko mo (You think I’m dumb)?” And the best part is, NO RECEIPT. Hahaha. This time it wasn’t called “Import Duty Tax” it was called “Excise Tax.” You have excise taxes on fake jewelries? I thought tobacco and alcohol had excise tax because of the nature of their effect on the Philippine economy and overall health. Amazing. That’s why there are customs brokers but if I only know how to handle this, I wouldn’t be blogging. I just wish they do a crackdown on this thing. Damn it.
hey Zero, i have experience too with customs brokers, who are almost as uniformly corrupt as customs. The typical customs broker is a close relative or connection to the top brass at Customs Bureau and they are partners in crime. It is common knowledge among just about anyone doing business in the Philippines.
i suggest you ship it to lbc…
I’m from the Philippines, I’m planning to buy an item through the internet… I just want to know how much would i pay for duties and taxes for a $60 item? Will I be the one to fetch it on the main office of the BUREAU OF CUSTOMS? Or it will be delivered to me directly on my address? I can’t buy that item because I’m afraid I can’t pay the amount that the CUSTOMS will put in my item… And I’m far from MANILA, I’m from BATANGAS how can this be???? Please answer… ASAP
P.S I would also like to know how the BUREAU of CUSTOMS (PHILIPPINES) put an additional amount (taxes) to the imported goods…. Thank You!! Hope anyone there knows the answer…
Ok, having bought thousands of dollars worth on the internet I think I could help you.
First, you have to be sure the site is secure so they don’t scam you. Even if you purchase on Ebay, they can still scam you. Email the merchant about the item you want to purchase. Most of these tax duties, you can ask them. I know because I’m a merchant too. I have to be able to get my merchandise across my customers in the least complicated way as possible. Having heard from most merchants and suppliers, I have learned that in Southeast Asia, the Philippines is not ecommerce friendly. Be friendly with the merchant, they want repeat customers. Trust me.
Second, know the courier. Fed Ex is highly reliable and will hold your parcel at the nearest Fed Ex site closest to you for pick up but the tax is hardly negotiable. Once the Customs people call it, you have to pay the amount. So if it’s worth 100 – 200%, you probably won’t be able to haggle the tax. Our experience with DHL was the worst. We had to come from Olongapo and wait till closing time to talk to the Custom’s official about the incredible 200% tax! That means you probably would have to do it to. Other minor couriers offer great ways to negotiate the tax. Apparently, customs don’t usually give them the scrutinizing eye. You may even get your 60 dollar parcel through without a hitch. You have to talk to your merchant about this as most of them don’t offer other courier services other than DHL, FedEx, or UPS. As for UPS, we haven’t got any parcels delivered from them but as I understand it, they also use freight forwarders so it may be as easy to talk about your tax with the Customs people. You may ask your merchant to label the items as “personal effects” or “gift” so the inspectors don’t rip off the package and scrutinize it.
Third, the valuation of your tax is highly dependent on the inspector. You will never get his or her name which is why we don’t really trust the system. It sounds like a dart board system with nobody taking responsibility. They will always tell you that the inspector is highly trained and knows how much to value each item scrutinized. Right. They valued our alloy fashion jewelries as 16 karat gold items! So I believe that example should tell you how high a training these “inspectors” got. If you’re buying electronics or jewelry, print those receipts! They don’t like (or probably don’t understand) the security of digital PDF versions. If you have printed receipts to show them, they would never question their validity.
Tip: Ask your merchant to lower the receipt value. Also, if possible, ask them to not print them in US Dollars. They really like looking into stuffs with dollar signs on it.
Fourth, Negotiate and Don’t Argue. Arguing will get you into trouble. They will put so many things like storage fee, excise tax, and so much input and will give you calculations that you don’t really give a damn about. They know that and they will try to confuse you. It’s just a show. There is no pre-determined tax table for the customs officials. If there was they would have shown me. This is why there are customs brokers. Customs brokers deal with customs officials and they always haggle for this so-called taxes. As for the 60 dollar item in question, it is really hard to tell you the exact amount. We had $500 receipts charged for $10 dollars and $100 receipts charged for $60 dollars tax. There is no consistency! But they will always make up some incredible calculations for you.
Fifth, always follow-up the status of your parcel with the carrier. If it’s in Manila, they start charging you storage fee by the time it arrives. Incredible! You never asked them to store it, why would they hold it. They just do. If you don’t follow-up, they’ll call you a good 3-5 days after arrival from Manila and you have to pay the storage fee.
The bottom-line is, the concept of international door-to-door is not a reality here in the Philippines. Big couriers try their best but in the end, Customs will always hold your parcel and charge you a hefty fee. Of the dozens of shipments we had, only 1 was not taxed and 2 of them were fetched at the courier offices at the airport. Another fact, we were told that customs officials do RANDOM inspections. 99% of our parcels were scrutinized and taxed. Also, we were told (by US merchants) that the customs tax or part of it is supposed to be REFUNDABLE. Up to now, we still cannot find a way to refund all our taxes.
’m from the Philippines, I’m planning to buy an item through the internet… I just want to know how much would i pay for duties and taxes for a $60 item? Will I be the one to fetch it on the main office of the BUREAU OF CUSTOMS? Or it will be delivered to me directly on my address? I can’t buy that item because I’m afraid I can’t pay the amount that the CUSTOMS will put in my item… And I’m far from MANILA, I’m from BATANGAS how can this be???? Please answer… ASAP
P.S I would also like to know how the BUREAU of CUSTOMS (PHILIPPINES) put an additional amount (taxes) to the imported goods…. Thank You!! Hope anyone there knows the answer…
HI! I’m a Licensed customs broker, just came across your blog and wanted to help. I was a practicing broker but I transferred to an importing company cause I can’t take dealing with customs (you know why). Anyway, what happened to you is normal. They even do that to companies but taxes are not always 100-200%. It depends on the value and the kind of item you are importing (ex cement – 3%, mixer-1% etc). Jewelries and other items considered as non-essential has an excise tax, but fake jewelries – NO!, brokers supposed to know the law but sometimes they are the ones who fools people (because you are not familiar with importation) to also get money from you, so you have to find a broker that you can trust. Also, after payment, you should get a copy of the “Informal Entry Declaration” or what we call entry. At the back of the entry, you will see who your customs examiner and appraiser is. All couriers have their own licensed customs broker and sometimes your fate depends on them. If you have presented proof of payments (invoice/paypal payment/bank transmittal etc), it should have been enough not to upgrade the value of your shipment. Even big importations (container vans) presents proof of payments and just like lawyers, you have to have a good broker to defend your position. Regarding the tax refund, customs duty is not refundable. In other countries (US/China) there is what they call an export drawback – an incentive for exporting – ou will be able to refund 10% of your invoice value. In the Philippines customs duty is an outright expense, but if your company is registered Vatable, the import VAT is not an expense and can be used as an input tax. International door to door is a reality here in the philippines, i dont know why you are doing the pick-up of your goods. However, my stand is that DHL/Fedex should not charge their fees like processing fee, clearance fee etc. because the freight paid is door to door and all those incidental expenses should have been included in the freight. They should only be collecting duties & taxes that they advanced. This is the proper way, and you should pay it upon delivery (because you do not have an account with them). Fedex/DHL and TNT charge storage fees, this is legal, but UPS does not collect storage fees. That’s why we like using UPS, the customer service is efficient, they do not charge processing fees. they will only collect receipted duties & tax. Also, you are right, to avoid taxes declaration should be “personal gift” or “Free of charge, value for customs purpose only” or NCV – No commercial value”. but it will still depend on the quantity, it its more than a dozen, they will still assess taxes. There is an easy and cheap way to ship goods into the Philippines that only few people know. Charges for this kind of shipping is on a per kg or per cbm basis. Door to door including taxes. So for example charge is P600/cbm, you just pay 600 from pick up to delivery d&t included. regarding your question of consistency, there really is no consistency because the total tax does not depend solely on your value, it also depends on what kind of product you are importing and from what country (they add the freight in the computation of taxable amount). to haggle, this what you should do, get the computation as per your invoice value and the computation of the upgraded one. Get the difference then multiply the difference to 20%, this is what you should give customs as “bribe” for them to adapt your invoice value. So instead of paying the whole difference, you still get to save cost. But if you dont want any of your money in their pocket, then pay the upgraded amount, in importation, customs always has the last say but you should have a knowledgeable broker (or even you) because once customs know that they can’t fool you, it would be easier to haggle and sometimes you’ll be able to get away without any additional payment at all. This is the downside of international trading here in the Philippines, especially if you do not have a customs broker.
It’s all greek to guys like me. That’s why we need services like yours! Thank you for sharing it with us and because of this we would like a way to contact you regarding our parcels. Are you owner of a firm or do can we contact you through a brokerage company?
hi Ms.Joy,i saw your comment here and i have the same problem too.I am selling fake jewelries or fashion accessories and i purchased them from China,but the thing is every time the package arrived in the customs they charge me a lot usually 100 to 200 %.I really need help but i don’t know who i am going to ask for this.I hope you can help me.
thanks,
Beth
I also blame the BOC for the need to have a collections target. What if importations did slow down? So the alternative is to artificially inflate the declared value?
hi!
i also had an experience with the customs..
i purchased 3pcs nikon lens thermos mugs from ebay.. i bought it for 60usd..
the tax computed in front of me was 40usd !!! more than 50%!!!
but then, it was my first time.. so i didn’t know how much to bring.. my money was only 1500php then, and they were charging me 1800php.. so i asked the guard there if where is the nearest ATM.. and the nearest ATM he said, was not near at all! so i asked if if there is anyway, that the tax will be lessened..
that’s what you call “UNDER THE TABLE”..
they charged me 1300php instead.. i got my package but they didn’t give me a receipt…
now, im planning to purchase cosmetics from ebay.. as christmas gifts for my friends and family.. but im still not sure if ill pursue with that.. im still searching for how much the customs may charge me for cosmetic products (though, it is indicated in the shipping details that i will receive my package in my home). shipping via UPS..
do you think the customs will hold it if the courier is UPS?
thanks!
Mark Evan G. Mogueis
Clearance Support Agent
R5 Maintenance Base Complex
Andrews Ave., Pasay City
Contact# (02) 552-8888 loc 8103
Fax# (02) 5528424
Email:markevan.mogueis@dhl.ocm
CONSIGNEE roden manarang
HAWB NO. : 9142772516
INFORMAL COMPUTATION OF DUTY AND TAX
COST 259
FREIGHT 55.00
Insurance & Other Charges 2%(cost) 5
DUTIABLE VALUE USD usd $319.18
x rate of exchange 42.516
DUTIABLE VALUE PHP php 13,570.26
X rate of duty 5%
CUSTOMS DUTY Php php 678.51
TAXABLES
DUTIABLE VALUE PHP 13,570.26
CUSTOMS DUTY 678.51
Excise Tax 0.00
BROKERAGE FEE 700.00
CUSTOMS DOCUMENTARY STAMPS 265.00
IMPORT PROCESSING FEE 250.00
LANDED COSTS PHP php 15,463.77
x vat rate 12%
VAT php 1,855.65
SUMMARY
CUSTOMS DUTY 679
exise tax 0
VALUE ADDED TAX 1,856
IMPORT PROCESSING FEE 250
TOTAL DUTIES & TAXES Php 2,784
DUTY HANDLING FEE 280.00
storage fee 0.00
COLLECTOR CLEARANCE 100.00
INFORMAL ENTRY DECLARATION 298.60
TOTAL FEES Php Php 3,462.60
Note: DHL WILL BE IMPLEMENTING STORAGE CHARGES AFTER 3 DAYS UPON OF ARRIVAL OF
SHIPMENT WITH MINIMUM OF PHP 448.52 EXCLUDING WEEKEND AND HOLIDAY.
STORAGE CHARGES = (Number of days x 1.76 x weight ) + VAT
ARRIVAL DATE 11/12/2010
No Account
CONFORME:
Signature over printed name
With Account
ACCOUNT NO: 7 DAY TERMS ONLY
CONFORME:
Signature over printed name
PLS. I NEED HELP !!!
i had also experienced one of those incidents.i bought an item from ebay.it cost 80usd and delivery only available in the usa.so i decided to address it to my relative in usa in order for me to get the item i purchased.then they send it thru ups.i was expecting it to be delivered right at my doorstep but instead they came and gave me a notice saying i have a package to be pickep up in pasay city,philippines.it was my 2nd time picking up a package.i usually receive a package right at my door step.specially from dhl(45 working days) and pay no tax at all.what makes it worst aside from not delivering it to the exact address,they charged me 2 kinds of payments(1 from package handling and the tax which cost 1400php)i dont know how in the hell they came up with that computation.i wasnt ready then(i dont have enough money to pay the tax) due to my ignorance i guess.but i think its not an ignorance because,this is not my first time piking up a package.the incident of my 80$ purchased in ebay had another incident before(3months before this tax issue) which i didnt pay any tax at all.that was when i purchase a bracelet worth $30 and i picked it up in pasig postal office.i am confused and about to curse philippine goverment!
why is it different way back then?why did they impliment such law which is not helpful to people who are below mid class?how can low class filipinoes purchase cheap products online if they charge us aside from shipping,theres another confusing computation in tax?
well,the best solution i guess for this problem is,only give tax to bulk of items(10 identical and above).these are meant only for import companies and businessmen.but for personnal purchase or 9 identical and below items should not be taxable(anyway,personal is not meant for business)
my question is,is there any way the goverment should not collect tax from us or is there any shipment company who delivers package directly to the address and collect no tax at all like it was before?if there is,i will tell my relatives out there in usa to patronize the shipping company where i wont be bothering how much i will give money to those corrupt officials/representative of customs here in the so called land of the most corrupt goverment?what good words can i describe to my land?only pacquiao,charice and good athletes raises our name…how about the goverment?our status?why people of the philippines are dying just to scape from this prison and continou their journey in other country who dont practise philippine bad image?sorry for blogging these…im just carried away…’just couldnt believe why philippines cant be like usa/japan/europe or any better country?
Good thing i was able to see your blog before making a purchase online
i’m planning to open an online shop which sells apparels from Korea,China,Japan but i’m worried about how much Customs will charge me. Maybe i should not pursue my plan. Besides, i don’t have that much money to pay them. I’m just a freshman college student looking for an opportunity to earn money.
Good thing I was able to read your blog before making a purchase online
I was thinking of buying from a China wholesaler to start an online shop. But then i was worried of how much Customs might charge me. I guess I should not pursue my plan anymore, since i’m only a college freshamn looking for an opportunity to earn money. My parents might kill me if they’ll see the charges from Customs 
Low risk, low return. You should still try. Don’t give up. The Chinese go too far to avoid customs by going to China and buying them there and then going back by plane carrying them at the airport. They find it cheaper.
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Hi,
I need your help. I am thinking of putting up an online business that will entail a high amount of capital and a very slow movement of inventory. The products can be classified as luxury goods. My problem is, that our dear country does not produce these goods and while there are sellers of these, they are not visible enough. In the near future, I might need to find a broker who can help minimize or at least give me the correct amount of taxes I should pay.
Please recommend ethical customs brokers to me. Thanks!
As of the moment, we are looking for a reliable broker. We are not located in Manila so it is very hard for us. We have one contact but is in the pier area. They deal in container vans (thus transported by sea and takes a longer time). So while our business is still small, we have not been able to utilize our contact. They are a family friend and are more than 20 years in the business. They are highly reliable. I know about eCommerce and I have been trying to move stuff into the country from the US. It’s a complicated process and if you will deal in small amounts, a very expensive process. There is the option of balikbayan boxes in the US if you have relatives there. If your suppliers are asian, I suggest you either travel as hand carry luggages are not taxed (that is if your luxury items are small) or if the items are too bulky, you need to establish a relationship with either a broker at the airport area (that is where our friend is pointing us to search [along Paranaque]) or with the couriers themselves. Beware, our items were taxxed because customs tought they were luxury goods.
Hello, I work at the Bureau of Customs for almost 15years and rose from the ranks until I became an Investigative lawyer of same agency. Like others came across your blog and wanted to clarify some things.
First of all. the right of ownership enshrined by law are products and properties produced or originated from our country. thus Importation or receiving properties (even gifts or donations) from any foreign nation is a matter of privilege not a Right. Second, You are being charged with customs duties and taxes, not a price or service fee with are regulated by the Depart of Trade and Industry.Taxation is an inherent power of the state to levi money or contribution from its citizenry and inhabitants for the operation and continuity of its government. Third, there is a principle in law specifically Taxation that you cannot be a party in interest unless you have paid under protest. Lastly, in order for you to be somewhat assured always ask of an Official Receipt by the Government and never give in to any offer or arrangements with government officials. if so you have become part of Bribery and the ultimate carrier of the social disease of corruption.
If you have an Official Receipt you could always go to our main office and ask for a re-computation of assessment. If the assessment is found to be erroneous then you will be entitled for a tax refund and the official charged with administrative and/or criminal case.
Comment: I have been sent to other countries for seminars and conferences on the World Trade Organization, World Customs Organization and International Harmonized Tariff Agreement and surprisingly the Customs of other Nations charge more than we do…like the members of The EU which has an average of 15-30% VAT or Latin America which has an near 150-200% Customs Duty aside from other charges yet I hear no complaints nor read reports (not a single one) from the Filipinos living there.
hello gimmel, nice to hear from you. My dad retired from the Department of Trade and Industry, maybe you should take a query. The only help or advice was to just negotiate with customs. As for the protest, we have been looking forward to filing one. Unfortunately, these customs people target startups who cannot afford to really pay the taxes of 100-200%. Second, we want a door to door service! Our company has been paying taxes with no protest since I started this thread and no customs official has ever signed a receipt and gave them to us even with request. Do we have to go back down to Manila just to ask for a receipt every time and protest the taxes personally? Maybe you should try it yourself and buy an item from ebay worth 50-100 dollars and be anonymous. Just a tip, send it via DHL or FedEx. See if you get our point or if you get a receipt from your bureau.
Hello Zero MD. congratulations on your dad for retiring as a government employee I believe he did a great service for our nation. as to my point DTI can regulate market forces but has no power to tax and the issue at hand is about the alleged unscrupulous means of imposing tax on packages. I was once a messenger, clerk, inspector, boarding officer, warehouseman, examiner and appraiser before I got to this point and yes, i was also assigned at the PhilPost, FedEx, DHL and Air21. Believe me… I know whats going on. I’ve done it and doing it still…receiving and paying tax on my packages/parcels.
Unlike with our local PhilPost where the customs officer is always standing by at the Parcel Section armed with an IE and Official Receipt (which the required field on the form and OR is filled out by hand) Private Currier Service like DHL and FedEx also has an assigned Customs Officer which assess the tax and the tax to be paid is included on the breakdown of payable charges and fees on the transaction document given to you by DHL and FedEx. These Private Currier Service then remits the collected tax revenues directly to the Account of the Bureau of Customs at the LandBank.
Your transaction document with DHL and FedEx has a corresponding reference no. matching with our database which we audit weekly. Your transaction document will serve as your Official Receipt and your basis for filing a request for re-assessment and ultimately for a complaint.
To give you an idea on the formula of assessment:
1) Add all the dutiable values (cost of acquisition, shipping, handling, royalties, insurance) then covert the sum into Philippine Peso. 2) find the Tariff code and Rate of duty of your article. Ex. “Shoes; sports, athletic with rubber sole” 62.03 -15% under the Tariff and Customs Code 3) Extract the corresponding rate of duty (percentage) to the sum of all the values. 4) Add the Fixed Customs Charges like Import Processing Fees (IPF) Customs Doc Stamps (CDS) and BIR Doc Stamps. THEN you have the Total Payable Customs Duties.
Now the second part is the Expanded VAT (No Thanks to Sen.Recto)
Again do Step 1 and add the Total Payable Customs Duties (plus excise tax if any) then extract 12% from the sum. THEN you have the Total Payable EVAT.
Before when I started from the Bureau of Customs we were only imposing Customs Duties.
Now with the legislation and Implementation of the EVAT… Tax on packages/parcels seemed to blew the burden on the tax payer into epic proportions…Our Employees Union fought the EVAT on Imported goods legislation in Congress…obviously we lost. That’s why I strive to become a lawyer instead and got myself out of Customs Operations.
NOW YOU KNOW THE REASONS WHY FILIPINOS AVOID ITS GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE RUNNING FROM IT! Just read the above passage. Sana maatnaggal ka sa gobyerno para maranasan mo paano maghabol ng pera. Masayado kayong pasarap sa gobyerno.
Hi, Just came across this blog and just wanted to ask people who export items and if incase their items were sent back will they need to pay another tax? Note that the item was sent back to the shipper and my courier is telling me that it will be taxed? It left and returned the country so I dont know why should it be taxed again. Thanks for the reply.
Oof. I have no personal experience in this…
( Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines. Sec. 100 – Imported articles subject to Duty )
“ All articles, when imported from any foreign country into the Philippines, shall be subject to duty upon each importation, even though previously exported from the Philippines, except as otherwise specifically provided for in this Code or in other laws ”
Hi!
I need help, i’m planning to ship my personal effect to IloIlo, Philippines door to door (20ft 1 container – used household) on may 2011…im working here in Abu Dhabi UAE for more than 6 years, as OFW should i pay any tax in customs…please advice me…thanks a lot!
i don’t think they charge tax for balikbayan boxes. usually the fees you pay the courier to ship those boxes already includes the custom fees.
Do you have any idae about balikbayan boxes from CHINA? Can anyone help me on this?
hi im from alabang and most of the time my parcel arrives at alabang post office…(and im happy with that)
but just recently one of my parcel needs to be claimed at las pinas post office…i’m wondering why las pinas???
i double checked my postal address and zip code and i didn’t see anything wrong as to why it will be delivered in las pinas…(really freaking me out) knowing las pinas post office for their notorious “extra charges”…i just hope that things will be ok…i’m claiming my parcel tom…and may i ask if silver jewelry is identified as an expensive jewelry and requires higher tax? though the value of the said item is only $10usdlr but i bought 6pcs…thanks so much for this blog….=)
hi i know this reply is late but i also have the same situation as you. i also pick up my parcels in alabang but some wind up in las piñas. the reason is that alabang post office doesn’t have a custom officer to asses the items in for custom & duty taxes. so if your parcel is shipped using a registered mail or ems it will most likely end up in las piñas because these items have declared values for insurance purposes, which means its important so they send it to las piñas to be assessed. most of your items that you picked up in alabang are shipped using a regular air mail without any tracking number. i’m sure you were taxed for the items you bought since you bought 6 silver jewelries for $10 each, this will sum up to $60, they will definitely charge you for the tax. usually you can get away with it if your item’s cost is less than $30 based on my experience with las piñas post office. by the way, alabang post office already have their own custom officer so i doubt any of your future parcels will be taken to las piñas anymore which is a good thing because it’s just too far to go to las piñas post office. the down side is that all parcels that you will pick up in alabang will now be opened for inspection and can be subjected to tax.
Pls help. How much would be the tax and duty of sending a “gift” like cellphone valued at $500 to my brother in the philippines?
When customs will let you declare the contents of you package to determine which items which you could validly claim that which belongs to you for the purpose of taxation and filter out regulated or prohibited items. thus “GIFT” is not a declaration but rather an intent. please refer to the formula on my earlier post.
Hi I just want to know would I be charged tax if I send a used laptop about 2 yrs old? Also I am planning on sending a non-working laptop would I also be charged for that?
Anyone who knows the answer kindly respond, thanks so much.
Gimel, our friendly responder in the Bureau has elaborated on this topic. Anything that comes to the country gets taxxed. and in our newest reply, it should be at least 20% of the value. So if it’s a used laptop, it should have a declared value.
hi! i’m not taking the side of customs here, but fyi, fake/costume/imitation jewelry IS subject to excise taxes:
“SEC. 150. Non-essential Goods. – There shall be levied, assessed and collected a tax equivalent to twenty-percent (20%) based on the wholesale price or the value of importation used by the Bureau of Customs in determining tariff and customs duties, net of excise tax and value-added tax, of the following goods:
(a) All goods commonly or commercially known as jewelry, whether real or imitation, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones and imitations thereof; goods made of, or ornamented, mounted or fitted with, precious metals or imitations thereof or ivory (not including surgical and dental instruments, silver-plated wares, frames or mountings for spectacles or eyeglasses, and dental gold or gold alloys and other precious metals used in filling, mounting or fitting the teeth); opera glasses and lorgnettes. The term ‘precious metals’ shall include platinum, gold, silver and other metals of similar or greater value. The term ‘imitations thereof shall include platings and alloys of such metals; x x x ”
you can read the rest of the provisions here: http://www.bir.gov.ph/taxcode/2083.htm
btw, i do sympathize with you and with everyone else who’s had to pay a large amounts of customs duties because i’ve taken a couple of hits myself.
Tax is not a problem. We all want to pay our duties to the country. Excessive, yup. Somebody should make them read the tax code again. 20%, not 200% pare! And even if they do make the mistake of assessing materials imported, they should know we bartered for a low price for this goods so they don’t have to upgrade the prices to more than what is being sold at the market.
hi,
I have a package sent from the US by a friend, declared as gifts:
purse $35 (used louis vuitton)
Watches $40 (used gucci watch)
Book $2
Kids clothes/shoes $10
total of $87
I just checked Fedex and the status is “Clearance Delay”. What will happen next?
Is Customs holding my package? Will I be required to pay taxes even if these are just gifts from a friend? Will they upgrade the price? Please, i will appreciate your reply.
Thank you in advance.
Clearance Delay sucks. They hold your package for a certain amount of time until customs clears it and taxes your package according to THEIR valuations. You pay for the storage fee while its there.
Hi I am a Licensed Customs Broker here in the Philippines just want to tell you guys that in order to make sure that someone takes care of your shipment you might want to try the services of a Customs Broker, we actually act as your lawyers to make sure you are charged on duties and taxes correctly.
Email me at jenny@widelinkportsolutions.com.ph
@ arnel no you should not be taxed again if your item was returned to supplier because of product fault, however you should have made the proper declaration with the bureau of customs before exporting/returning the product to your supplier. The when it enters Philippine port again it should be free.
Email me for further details jenny@widelinkportsolutions.com.ph
sad to say the best PO ever in Alabang will now be charging customs tax.
its the same customs officer in las pinas that will be “computing” the taxes.
either pay half (without receipt) or pay full (with receipt)
goodbye ebay for me… xD
i suggest that you go to the boc office and talked to them, there. the official will definitely explain to you, why there are so much taxes, duitable value, duties, import proceessing fee and so on and so fourth. there is a basis why the computation of their duties, taxes was get overboard. because of the tariff. our tariff commission imposed price twice the value of your import thingsto protect most espw
ecially our local brands, consumers
This blog helps me a lot,thanks.The same thing happened to me,well the story goes like this.My friend in japan sent a 10 cups of ramen noodles and 5 burn cds 2weeks ago…all in all it cost 28dollars.As the day passes by we were wondering why the package didnt arrive yet and voila!the next day i recieved a letter saying that the customs hold my parcel and i have to pay taxes…i mean taxes for what!I dont have any idea what they are talking about,its just a noodles for christ sake.So anyway,confuse..i still went to the paranaque post office to pick it up.Then when i arrived there they show me this crazy computation..i am not good in math but i know that computation is ridiculous.So anyway,i asked the fat officer”ok,so how much is the total?and he said Php1400.My jaw just dropped!Php1400 for a noodles!ai naku..nagtaray talaga ako.And some of the officer lumapit sa amin,kung mga makatitig sila grabe..sabi nung isa’ ganda mo maam’.The nerve!nabuwisit talaga ako.Kung di nga lang nagpuyat yung friend ko dun sa burn cds i wont pay for that.heck! i can buy 10 noodles here without reaching a 100 peso,why the hell will i pay for 1400?And then,i ordered clothes in hk amounting like 80 dollars courier of dpex few days ago and now they called me saying that our dedicated customs charged my parcel for Php1500,and Php 500 for storage fee.Andami talagang corrupt dito satin!nahighhighbllod ako..i hope aquino will do something about this.Actually yung order na yun is order ng young sister ko..inipon nya yun galing sa allowance nya for few months para mabili lang yung mga dress na yun.And now i cannot even tell her na nahold nga baka umiyak pa,so aabonohan ko na lang.kainis!!
Dapat post mu ung pic ng gintong noodles mu! Para mapakita natin sa buong mundo magkanu tax pag pumasok ang noodles sa bansa!
Lol.can i post it here?tlgang ipopost ko.Andto pa rin,sa buwisit ko di ko kinakain.
alam po ninyo, medyo mataas nga tlga babayaran sa customs when doin stuff like importation. but i think that is the way of the government to protect those local entrepreneurs manufacturers who are selling also the similar stuff you are importing. because kung lahat po ng products are not subject for proper customs duties, matagal na pong patay ang ating local economy because of importations. well i guess dapat po cguro hanggat maari ung mga gawang pinas ang tangkilikin ntin, to nurture the economy, to provide jobs. salamat po.
Hi! Im a licensed customs broker and newly accredited early march this year 2011 now im looking for an employment as signing broker. for those interested to me just call or text 798-26-82/09192079343.. or email me at k27_aurellana @ yahoo.com. bago lang ako wala pa ako pinipirmahan before, or any bad records with reagards to customs broker profession and to the BUREAU OF CUSTOMS.
need i say more?? lol
I ordered clothes in china amounting to 6k.. and dhl called me i have to pay 2020 pesos for tax and duties.. wow… im reconsidering importing clothes.. business sana na panimula, ganun pala ang kalakaran.. 2020 pesos tax? to think na i already paid couriers fee of 3k.. oh well.. buntung hininga na lng..
Hi i’m new to this blog, after reading all the comments, i’m just wondering if there is someone who can actually take all these concerns (curruption/scums) to the top autority, a way in reporting/investigating the so call tariff/taxes/duties and thier cumputation/calculation. I have the same experience and am looking for an answer, like you guys have been ripped off. I sent a small package 5kls via EMS to my family in Masbate City, we paid $89.00 Australian dollars equivalent to 4,005 pesos. This package containing vitamins and minerals for my mum and my sick brother who just been diagnosed with TV and diabitis. My niece went to the PO in Masbate to see if the parcel had arrive. To her surprice, she was asked to pay 2,488 pesos and when she question them why she has to pay so much money, she was then given a form indicating the amount that she had to pay to collect the parcel. She was told that the charges were for customs collect. What is customs collect i dont understand what it means! My niece was shock at the charge of 2,488 pesos she was very upset and left the PO without the parcel, to my family that is a lot of money and they don’t have that money. Im thinking about approaching the red cross here in Australia and see if they can help. inside the parcel was a written instruction how to take the vitamins plus a withdrawal slip of 6,000 pesos sealed in an envelop to help my brother for his treatment. I dont know what else to say but I’m agry and annoyed, I quest curruption is everywhere. I’m just hoping that someone out there can help us expose those scummers!!!
Hi, I’ve had the same experience as you from customs officials at Pasay. I was frustrated when I found out I was going to pay 200+% tax for 100pcs. goods I bought from China. But after reviewing their computations and asking my mom’s broker/accountant friend about it, I found out that what they are charging is right and not conjured from greedy pockets.
First is that goods at commercial quantities have a different system of taxation especially for businesses without license. If your business is licensed, you will pay less tax the bigger the quantity you order. You need an importing permit for this. This is done to protect local business since ordering goods without appropriate permits and taxes is akin to smuggling. Second, appraisal of value of goods is based on Philippine selling price and not abroad. . This is for people who have declared values much lower than actual. Better to buy here and support our economy than overseas.
I can recommend to those who order online A) Order goods below commercial qty. (less than 10-12).
B) Bring your online receipt when you claim your package to avoid “haggling” with customs official.
C) Know the tax code of the item you are ordering to ensure that appropriate tax percentage is computed (this one is hard because you will need the help of a broker).
D) Be nice to the people there and you will be treated nicely! The lady officials people call hags and vultures are hardworking public servants. I’ve seen them make computations all day and making copies of it all written by hand. No computers and printers. They just need to be talked to politely and they will even help you save on taxes without under the table dealings.
2 more tips: have you package delivered by registered mail not EMS. Transit will depend on how efficient your local post office is at sending out notice cards but you get the convenience of not going to Pasay.
Here is a helpful site/blog: http://customslittlehelper.blogspot.com/
From,
An experienced online shopper
No way connected to Philippine Customs/Philpost
Regarding D)
The handwriting thing is done on purpose to make it seem like they are essential to the system. If they had computers and printers, it would be more cost effective and efficient (i.e. some of them would lose their job), but that isn’t really their goal. They don’t want to be good at what they do.
That’s corruption. Deliberately trying to be inefficient costs us money.
Corruption is not the imposition of Tax but the misappropriation of tax.
(Principles of Law) Taxation is the Rule, Exemption is the exemption. those who are claiming for exemption has the burden of proof to substantiate such claim… the same is applied for a lesser tax.
All complaints concerning tax measures are only actionable upon payment under protest. (Bow)
check
Tax is the Life Blood of Government… thus any tax measure necessarily is construed to in favor of the state. The citizens of other nations like the US and EU doesn’t complain about Tax even if they have a higher tax rate than ours but they do complain about the services rendered by their governments.
I guess you’re right. If the Philippines looked like Sweden none of us would complain about our taxes. But it doesn’t look like Sweden. So we complain.
hi all
my experience with custom taxes were never consistent, which then surmounts to being irritating only because customs people were never really honest (you can see it in their eyes) and you can bribe them. sorry but that’s the honest truth.
the first time i bought items from amazon.com (worth php2,000) and shipped through local post, which i had to pick up at the QC post office, i had to pay about php35 only for processing fee. the 2nd time, i paid nothing. the 3rd time i purchased from amazon.com worth php5,000 (5pcs of shirts) and shipped the same way, the customs at the post office taxed me for around 1,700. the computation was dubious and i expected the inevitable milking, so i tried to feign ignorance of the process and told them 1,700 might be too high for taxes. the people at the counter then asked me how much i was willing to pay! haha. i told them i only had around 700 with me (i actually had more) and they said they were fine with it. so i handed over my 700 and went my way. i then tried fedex for around php 2,500 worth of underwear from australia and customs charged me 100% of taxes! naging diamante bigla ang worth ng undies ko. crazy.
i hope somebody would comb through the current situation and see how to inform people, improve customs and importation taxes and change the system. i dont like being told that i can get lower tax charges if i know some broker or have contacts in the system. gaguhan? i understand there is a law and that taxes are ever present. if only there wasnt so much bullshit in the computation and the appraisal (only because 100% of taxes is really exorbitant) and how these customs people deal with us, then we wouldnt feel so bad paying our taxes even if it is twice or thrice the amount of our purchased items! honesty begets honesty.
clarification, items were bought in the US via amazon.com, sent via USPS
Somebody from the government is reading ur post. Ain’t that right Gimmel? My post just turned one year old and its still generating bad vibes. Makakarma din tong mga nangungupit. They’re just very hungry. I just learned some aren’t just from customs. Gumagamit din ng mga taga parcel para may kahati. If they think you’re selling the stuff from the US, they want a piece of your pie.
oh, i do hope the government is reading this. and maybe we can start hoping that blogging things and raising our concerns on public forums online could generate enough willpower to make the government work for the people and not against them.
awtz..ganun pla katinde sa custom…:( so sad.. i thought i can use them to start a small business….
Everything has to do with your profit margin. Nagkataun lang ito at iba pang mga instances sa pagangkat ku ng items from other countries na ganto ginagawa ng customs. You need a man inside. There are brokers who posted their email on this thread. Feel free to contact them. Don’t be disheartened. Start a business. “The World is Flat” according to Thomas Friedman. This means that you have the same chance as the giants of the economy because of the net.
That’s right ZeroMD! someone from the government is reading this thread. If I may I would like to present a perspective on the matter. 1) An ordinary customs officer (like the one’s at the post office) Examiner with Salary Grade 16 or 16k / mo less withholding tax (income) less GSIS, Philhealth, Pagibig, Provident Fund, Union Dues ( not to mention if they have a pending loan to settle – less that too) so it leaves the poor guy with roughly 10k. If the guy is married with children or worst has an illness that requires medication to be maintained. Then no doubt customs officers are in a tight spot and can rely on their salary alone. 2) Lateral Attrition Law requires that all Customs Officers should meet their respective Revenue Collection Target or Quota or else he/she will be dismissed from the service – added pressure to impose tax even at the post office. 3) Proudly Philippine Made and Local Industry Issue… whatever it is you are claiming its origin is still outside the country thus its classified as an Import as opposed to products made here or imported by companies which pays duties and taxes for such kind of product, item or gift. You don’t hear people complaining about buying gadgets like IPhones or IPads from an Apple Store in a Mall no matter how expensive it is considering the price is tax inclusive yet they lash out on the poor customs officer at the post office when they are charged on their gadgets bought online. Part of my work is to investigate customs and yes we do police our ranks…I have a soft sentiment on customs officers at the post office. I even had a complaint coming from the office of PiNoy a certain claimant at the post office questioning the legality of the tax imposed and wants the customs officer to be dismissed outright because of a Victoria’s Secret Undergarments.(the officer has been in the service for 18 years, head of the family and near retirement..come on give these guys a break!!!. I have yet to investigate the real culprits on how Ghost Rider’s Motor Cycle was able to be smuggled in the Philippines. The customs service at the post office contributes about 15million in tax revenues, they’re doing their job…some of them may have an attitude problem or so but still they’re doing their job despite all the things that are being hurled at them on a daily basis. again if you’re serious and legalistic then PAY UNDER PROTEST…. affiant sayeth none Bow
We have to pay our government employees more. I agree. But we should hire disproportionately less. Most government offices I’ve been to are so obviously being deliberately inefficient. What this means are more incompetent and underpaid people. There should be less people, paid at their equivalent in the private sector (or more!), but demanded more from.
It’s not the heroism of our public employees that I question. It’s that why do we need them to be heroic? Why create a situation where they need to be tested regarding their honesty? Would you pay a normal employee the minimum wage if you ask him to be your treasurer? No, you pay him a treasurer’s wage, enough that he doesn’t even get tempted.
We don’t consider normal private employees heroic, cause we pay them well and expect them to do their job. If they don’t they get fired.
my friend send me a package from the us and it contains 1 used laptop,1 used cellphone,3 watches, 1 game gadget for kids,a remote control car and some food stuff..do i need to pay taxes for them before i pick it up? but before my friend send that package..they said there that that package will deliver into my house..so does it mean that those people in the us who accept the package to deliver in the philippines are not telling the truth? why they dont even informed the person who will sending packages that when it arrives in the philippines, the receipient will pay taxes before they receive it?
Hi there. Thanks doc for starting this thread on importation duties and courier services. Two questions that I wanted to ask you and our resident broker turned lawyer:
1.) I bought an item abroad, now why are there extra freight and insurance charges included in the dutiable cost? I only paid for the item and shipping (door to door) and did not ask for insurance. Its like paying the 30% mark-up price for the item I did not buy.
2.) Is brokerage fee really necessary? For an item so cheap and small, how come I am being charged a whopping 700 pesos for a service so routinary that can be done by almost everyone. Plus I did not seek for their brokerage service, so why charge me?
3.) What are these after-taxation charges: Duty handling fee and informal entry declaration?
Regards,
Noy-fee
I’m not really an expert on this subject as I was surprised myself. There are a lot of fees involved when you send something through the airport. This explains most of the fees you are inquiring. It’s mostly dependent on the size of the package and customs hold them for a certain amount of time until they inspect the contents of your package. Through this thread I was able to learn that if someone sent you a package from anywhere in the world, it is considered SOLD to you. They will then tax you DEPENDING ON THE CURRENT PRICE in the Philippine market. So it doesn’t matter if its a donation, a second hand item, or brand new. They will value it depending on their PRICE TABLES (which you are not allowed to see). Once its in the airport, they act as your brokers, hence the fee and you pay for the storage, also hence the fee. According to our friendly government blogger, this is required by law to DETER US FROM BUYING OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES. You got it easy. 30% is low. One blogger here got taxed for Red Cross Donated Medicines. Somebody got taxed 400% for Japanese Noodles. Sadly, the solution from customs is apparently to PAY UNDER PROTEST and file complaints accordingly.
A relatively slow solution for you is to send your items to a relative abroad. He/She will then send it to you via Balikbayan Box. There is a 1 month waiting period. It’s hard to hire a broker in your case. You can also try ebay.com.ph.
Ahemmm I’m not a broker turned Lawyer….I’m a customs operations officer promoted to customs lawyer.
Hi Zero MD/Gimel,
Please give me your inputs about my situation. My employer in UK sent me a laptop that I can use while working as his virtual PA. It’s a used machine and shipped via DHL . It’s on its first day of clearance delay in Manila right now and when I contacted DHL, I was transferred to another guy (he confirmed he represents DHL) who starts quoting me about the tax that I need to pay. He says that the sender indicated a GBP2,000 value on the laptop (true, for insurance purposes) and that I have to pay about Php18,000 for tax alone based on this value. I told him that the item was not sold to me and that it is just being lent for work purposes and that Php18,000 is huge because I did not pay for that unit in the first place – I coudln’t even afford to buy my own computer locally. The DHL guy said he will put this under the “gift/used” category but that he CAN’T guarantee that the tax will be lowered. Further, he will send me an affidavit that I should approve of in order for them to release the package (I still don’t know if they’ll deliver it to my doorstep afterwards).
You mentioned that once it is declared as a used item or a gift, no charges or taxes should be paid. What do I need to tell the DHL guy to make him waive it? I’m afraid he’ll twist my arm just to pay for something I didn’t not buy or order – it’s just being lent to me. My boss is not willing to pay the tax and if I can’t afford to buy a computer, how can I even afford that Php18,000??? I hope you can help me.
This is exactly my point, I got taxxed the same amount as I paid for it online. I also don’t have that kind of amount just lying around. It’s absurd. Every day, the custom will be charging you storage and brokerage fees until you pay for it.
By the way, you’re not alone. The government wants you to pay for it and file the necessary complaints. If you ask me, my advice is, go to the DHL office at the airport. You will be told to wait until 5pm so it’s no use if you go early. Plead your case at the highest Customs officer there and tell your boss next time to hand carry the damn thing next time. It turns to gold once it arrives in the Customs office. Door to door is not a 100% reality here in the Philippines.
Aaaargh! This is so frustrating. I got an affidavit from this DHL broker guy and it states that contents in the package are personal items blah blah blah – true – but the last statment says “That I am executing this affidavit to comply with the requirements of the tax, in order that the assessment may be properly made, considering the value thereof; Further affiant Sayeth Naught.”.
When I clarified the last statement, he said it’s only so that the customs will “consider” putting it under the used/gift category. What? To support this, he sends me a copy of Article 105 which repeatedly says that conditionally-free importations only include items that amount to Php10,000 – this means that the laptop (which is declared at GBP2,000 value!) will still be subject to tax. The guy is just getting me to sign an affidavit – that’s my gut feel.
Zero MD, what was your experience in appealing with the Customs Officer? My boss is willing to send a letter confirming that the laptop is just being lent to me but I don’t know if that will help. Did they reduce the tax?
There is a spectacular part 2 to my story, read it here: http://zeromd.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/200-customs-tax-part-2/ It was basically hilarious but they still taxed us at about the same value I bought the items. That’s a 100%. Customs value your item as if it was brand new. Do not talk with DHL. I repeat, Do not Talk to the DHL representative. They can’t do squat. Go to the Customs office at the other side of the DHL airport branch. They are the ones you have to bargain with. Tell them the software is broken and it is basically worthless (or some other stuff you can come up with). If they won’t listen, go higher. As my dad pointed out, do not shout, be pleasing but aggressive. Half tiger, half chihuahua. If all else fails, the Gimel solution will prevail then: Pay under protest. Find the reply thread from Gimel soriano in this post.
Hey there. This post has been very helpful. My fiance that lives in the US is going to send me a gift through FedEx. I just want to know if I’ll have to pay any fees for RECEIVING A GIFT. He spent over a hundred dollars on those gift items and I do not have 200% of that amount. I’m really worried because I really want to get those gifts. Those are for our anniversary. Please help. Thanks.
It doesn’t have to be 200%. I think he has to declare the items there and tell Fedex the cost. He’ll have to fax you the receipt in order for you to file a complaint whenever the package comes to the Philippines. The correct tax is supposed to be not more than 20% of the amount plus the charges. You can contest it with FedEx later if it is too high than expected.
Hi Zero MD, I just started with my online business last month and I am planning to buy US branded cosmetics in Ebay on thursday. but because of the duties and taxes that I am about to face regarding importation, I do not know exactly what courier service to use. I am in need of a recommendation from someone with experience in importing goods, then I found you blog. I hope you could help me with this. Thank you.
Btw, I do not want to use EMS anymore, I purchased items from China and it’s been 3 days since it was held in customs. I haven’t receive any notice from them as well. What should I do? I am from pampanga by the way.
You have to call EMS. Ask about the delay (“clearance delay”). You will be paying tax and import duties. Please beware, they will tax you based on the CURRENT BRAND NEW RETAIL PRICE in the Philippines NOT THE SUPPLIER PRICE. If I were you starting a business from the states, I would really pick Balikbayan Box services. No tax. It doesn’t pass customs. So it is of no use to bargain at eBay if you will not be get taxed CORRECTLY. I suggest you mail it to a family member or friend there at the US and have him/her send you a Balikbayan Box. wait for your box to arrive. It’s longer but cheaper. I cannot guarantee safety but its the only way you can avoid taxes. Good luck with your ecommerce business.
oh my! i keep ordering online and customs always over charges me..now im not sure what courier to pick.. will depex be okay?
Hi Mia! I’ve tries EMS, DHL and DPEX and so far sa DPEX I wasn’t taxed yet and I hope this continues. With EMS if the items are over 6pcs they tax it talaga, 100% or even 200% of what the items are really worth. Try mo DPEX, its a bit expensive than DHL but just imagine the tax you’ll be able to save. Good luck girl!
Hi Joy! How many items did you ship via DPEX? I was going to have around 30-40 items shipped via DPEX but was advised by the wholesaler that I should choose EMS, instead? Huh.
I’m not sure why but they seem to think we’ll not be taxed much through EMS. Anyway, I don’t believe in their suggestion. In that note, may I know how many items you’ve shipped through DPEX without incurring taxes? I’m planning to break down my items by batches. Maybe then they will make it through.
I think the difficulty is the inconsistency. If we all new that ALL products in a certain category will be charged accordingly at least everyone can make a better business decision. This is important for business and especially for small entrepreneurs where budgets are tight and cash flow needs to be managed properly.
I understand the plight of a government employee but we’re all trying to make a decent living and I too have a family to feed. Small entrepreneurs should not be asked to play Russian roulette and the government should encourage and help and not just pay lip service for small businesses to flourish as a way out of poverty (and not other stupid means like pop control).
Kudos to those who follow all requirements. And to those who don’t, I can’t blame you either.
jap
PUTANG INA NIO MGA TAGA CUSTOMS KAYOP WALA KAYONG MGA KWENTA! MGA BUWAYA PUTA KAYO MAG SIMATAY NA KAYONG LAHAT SIRAULO! MGA MAGNANAKAW!
Catharsis, yeah keep it up. I don’t think they would listen to you though. Rudeness isn’t key to solving problems.
hi!
i was really wondering how much would customs charge me for my purchases in china thats why I bumped into this blog. I am selling online and im really new in importing stuffs. I purchased 156 GAP pajama sets for US $701.45 plus shipping fee of US $30.92 thru UPS. Please help! Im thinking of not going thru with the transaction if il be charged for 200% of my total based on what I read here. Can someone give me an estimate on how much would I pay at customs?
Thanks!
I’m not from customs but from what I got it goes like this: Since you’re dealing with GAP pajama sets, they will charge you taxes based on the max retail price here in the Philippines, not your supplier price. The tax is somewhere between 25 to 30%. So if you got those sets via supplier price and they are worth 30% of the current retail price here in the Phil, you will get charged 100% because they will charge 30% of the retail price. Gets? Welcome to eCommerce Pilipinas, where customs is a big wall to profits.
Hello Zero MD, customs is a big wall for imports not profits…if you go for export then by all means the customs will support you. Importing products is another way of fueling colonial mentality. And to whoever that person whose so pissed at customs…Its a clear sign of intellectual bankruptcy. there are other ways to manifest Catharsis constructive ways…you should delete that post…filled with profane language without even an explanation on what caused his rage… Unjust Vexation is punishable by Law.
Small sellers can’t compete with big industries because of their purchasing power and their ability to lower their prices despite a big overhead. They can import large amounts of high end products such as iPads or other electronics not currently produced here and sell them with low margins but with an overall big profit. Small online businesses like us can’t compete with that. We look for untapped niches (the long tail according to Friedman) and start there. Unfortunately, our big problem is we have to accept imports are taxxed. At 26% of the supplier’s price, we can live with that Patrick. But the tax imposed on the product is, according to customs, the current price on the retail market. If a shop sells at 400% markup and everybody else does the same, we end up being taxed 100-200% of the price we bought them at the suppliers abroad. We either end up looking for other niches or giving up ecommerce entirely.
As for the really uneducated post I approved earlier, I was just amused at the guy. Unjust vexation is punishable by law, unfortunately your criminal left a fake yahoo mail: hilwewe@yahoo.com and an IP address of 119.160.156.36. It’s for you if you want to decide to pursue a subpoena an anonymous online person.
We’re the diplomats trying to create a forum and this guy shows up and throws fist in the air without even trying to listen. It’s just amusing that single-sided narrow-minded people like that do exist. It’s been a year or more since I placed this post and comments continue to pop up like mushrooms. By the way, I’ve already solved my problem with customs and I’m still dealing with them on a monthly basis. I marked up prices and I am continuing my business. Ecommerce is barely surviving in the Philippines. Exporting products is currently new to me. Expect me to come to trade shows this year. I am looking for things to export.
Greetings Zero MD,
Gimel is a letter of the Hebrew alphabet which repents zeal given to me by my superior when I was still a novitiate of the Jesuits. (now you know who I am)
Christus Vincit, Christus Reignat, Christus Imperat.
ZeroMD,
Greetings
I am writing you from the States, I came across your site just today. I need some help or suggestions.
I have a low end product that I want to have assembled in Olongapo. It is my hope to have this done by those whose needs are the greatestest. I hope to give them an honest income and in return I will have a low cost overhead to my product. It is very light piece assembly work. I want to help as many as I can receive some source of income.
Do you have any experiences with Customs as far as things being shipped out of the Phillipines.. That is specifically from Subic Free port Zone to the USA.
My email is scopeits@yahoo.com
ps. if any others can email me with their experiences good or bad in regards to EXPORTING FROM SUBIC BAY to the USA, Please write..
Thank you, and God bless all those who want to make the world a better place through kindness and Love !
Stephen H.
And then you showed up, almost like clockwork Stephen. Check your mail. I am all ears. Beware.
Hello I just want to express myself saying how corrupted is and still will be Customs in the Philippines I bought something on-line and the price it was 5 dollars and the hipping charge it was 25 dollars that it was split it with the seller and now DHL came to my house with a bill of 1,339.60 pesos for 5 dollars?? I can not believe this I when to Customs before to claim a package that it was 51 dollars and 50 dollars shipping and they charge me 1,197.00 pesos and DHL wants to charge 1,339.60 for 5 dollars cost? and 25 dollars shipping? c’mon DHL they said it is Customs really??? I dont believed that Customs is charging that big amount of money of course DHL has agreement with DHL that why they over charge…. thats why Philippines are where it is because when Philippinos go abroad they are treated so bad… I hope tyou guys improved… this is a robbery!!!! with authority!!!!!…..
Edgard
Hi. Like many of the people reading this blog, I am planning on making a purchase online. I acknowledge the reality that I WILL have to pay custom fees in the end. What I’d like to know is if my understanding is correct in saying that no matter the means of delivery, i.e. whether it be DHL, Fedex, etc, the item won’t be delivered to my doorstep? I still have to go to Pasay and pay the fees personally?
Nope. It just happened to us because we complained. We were being charged exorbitantly. DHL was not cooperative at that time and we wanted to talk to people in charge. FedEx lets you pay at your nearest FedEx station if you have a high fee. Other, ahem, lets you pay over the counter at their personal bank accounts. I suggest you get a broker if you have a lot of items and if you’ll be shipping frequently. If its a one-time only eBay thing, just try not to be angry (especially if you buy electronics).
well it’s a one-time transaction, but I might shop again if things turn out ok. I’m ordering from taobao through an agent.
just made my order, and the agent just had it shipped tonight. it was supposed to be through EMS, but they gratuitously upgraded it to UPS due to a “history of tracking issues to your country using EMS”. I think we all know what that means
let’s say i purchased a $5 or a $10 item online and the shipping is free, will i still be charged for customs tax whatever the item is?
Whenever it comes from another country, you get taxed.
this blog i really helpful…
im planning to try an online business that caters hair accessories … “small time” business lng muna but i haven’t think about this taxes thing… i just thought after paying the supplier from china, eh yun na yun… meron a pla itong mga taxes etc… OMJ!!! basing it on the posts here, im hesitant to try that small online business that im thinking…
so far whats the best and cheapest courrier DHL? UPS? depex? or anything else?
also, if there are kind CUSTOM BROKERs who can help us and who’s reading this… if you can post ur contacts so we can ask help na hindi kami ma over ng taX… hehe…
THANK YOU =)!!!
This is shitty. This is really getting on my nerves, Can’t noy noy do something about this? senate? congress? anyone? IT and ecommerce is the way to go on this computer age but WTF.
Can they tax an Item Marked as GIFT? I was taxed twice on two separate items – China touch screen tablet. I wanted to sell this ones and make a business selling this gadget stuff. But This shitty called customs is really annoying and fissing me off. I am really a calm person naturally and never say bad words but this is an exemption. Mga PI kayo customs – mga BUWAYA – Nilalapa nyo mga kapwa nyo Pilipino. Sorry I really had to flush that out on my system…. But this is reality. I hope noy noy like what he promised that he clean this Bastards and put them to JAIL.
Ever since my dad was head of the import division in the DTI way back in the Marcos era, this has been a real problem to startups. He told me that it’s the Philippines’ way of strengthening local business by taxing imports and promoting exports. Most big businesses create loopholes in this tax system by importing raw materials and assembling and marketing them here in the country. That’s why you see most of your shampoos as made in Mandaluyong or somewhere else and that they cost less than Imported goods. It’s very hard to start small here in the Philippines. The problem is we small businesses have no big capital or credit to start big. We don’t have that capability or technical know-how to import raw and process them.
The tax is too high. They should just tax us on the amount we bought them so we can rake some profits and eventually grow. I am sorry but I can offer you very little advice. My partner and I have tried doing the same thing you did or haven’t yet done. We told our suppliers to mark them as GIFT, personal belongings, change the dollar amounts to indian rupees, and have the receipts posted on the side of the package. It’s no use. They inspect your package, count them, put a price tag as if you bought them at your local mall, tax you, and duct tape the hell out of the box.
There is by the way a ‘chinese’ way of importing items, you should ask them. I don’t like to go into details as I may be wrong. But haven’t you noticed that there is very little difference on the online price and the price they sell those Chinese tablet PCs in divisoria? Just a penny for your toughts jayson.
Lesson learned today:
* You don’t have to pay import duties & taxes for anything below $50 but a processing fee of Php45
* Anything higher than $50, be prepared to get taxed 100-200%. This is the law of the land. Go and lobby with your favorite lawmakers to have this removed or amended if you want to lower the taxes for imported products.
* It’s useless to file a complaint for an item worth $100 or less. I mean, c’mon. Do you really want to pursue a complaint just to have the duties & taxes re-computed? This is okay if you have the luxury of time and you have money to spend on following up your complaint.
* If you’re into the importing business, better get a good broker to ensure the tax computation is correct and accurate and you pay the correct taxes.
Actually that’s the problem, we got taxed irregardless of the price. 2 days ago I talked to a broker (not mine). She told us that what customs are doing is outdated. People should be taxed according to the transaction price not the published price. We have done a lot of transactions and we are always charged based on the published price. Customs keep telling us that they tax based on current market price, which is what published price is about. Why do we need brokers when customs can just do their jobs right the first time?
If the item imported is marked as gift, that means the worth is essentially zero. Why get taxed on those? It’s lame but we play along because as you pointed out, it’s not worth the hassle of our time and money.
In hindsight, the people who crafted this law might have thought some people might abuse the system that’s why these things are in place. For example, if it was transaction-based, the seller can connive with the recipient and lower the transaction price thus lowering the customs duty.
I think it would make much more sense if the they would base their rate on the impact it would have to the local economy. For example, if the local economy is highly dependent on clothes then imported clothes should be levied higher than, say, electronic items. Another example, if I were to buy an iPad from the U.S. then the levy should be lower than clothes since we don’t have a local product equivalent to the iPad that would get “hurt” if import duties are lowered.
FYI, Licensed Customs Broker is a professional individual who has all the knowledge regarding customs clearance. The story that you are stating here is actually your fault, why? because you have engage into importation of goods which are intended for business without even researching what are the steps to undergo. Lack of knowledge is not an excuse to the law. You should know first what things are to be accomplished or secured prior to importation procedure. And again for your info, commercial goods before it’s customs clearance in the philippines, the importer or owner like you needs to have an accreditation from philippine bureau of customs that you are allowed to import commercial goods, as like what you said earlier, these goods are intended for selling. Again this is not a fault of anyone other than YOU.
absolutely. I learned that the hard way through this little experience 1 year ago. Hey nobody told us. We have no background, and nobody seems to be helping and pointing at the right direction. Nobody told us that you can’t import without a license. Sheesh. If somebody did, we wouldn’t have spent all those pesos under the table. So Mr Ruben would you like to elucidate your point and tell all ecommerce wannabe’s how it is to import products in the Philippines? Of course you wouldn’t. You’re also busy pointing that little finger back at me. I got a friend from cargo companies who told us all the right directions; we’ve been doing it for a year. Also FYI, licensed customs brokers did not tell us all about why we have import duties and how it is computed. They did not tell us why we need a certificate of origin from the seller. THEY DID NOT TELL US WHY THE TAX WE HAVE TO PAY FOR FAKE JEWELRIES IS UPGRADED INSTEAD OF ZERO (as indicated in their books which I happen to see [10% max only if without COO]). So if they are so knowledgeable, why were they not professional enough to tell ALL OF US. They keep giving us scare tactics and whispered under the table deals instead of teaching first time importers. Actually, individuals are allowed to import one time without the proper accreditation from the BOC (a first and last time rule as I understand).
Same problem with all of you. I even presented sales contract from the US Manufacturer. According to DHL if di ms skikda an yung MBA mango voting sa bureau of Customs is to file a payment in protest. Please do not succumb to these crooks. Pay the tax and ask for the receipt but make sure you put paid in protest so you can dispute the tax they levied on you.
Wag Na kayo g umasa Na aaksyunan Yan ni P-Noy. It would be easier to file your protest and let the Court of Tax Appeals deal with it.
So I pay 10,000 for something I bought worth 5,000 in protest. How about the people who don’t have an extra 10k? If they have to find other ways to come up with that money, their storage fee rises. The problem does compound itself.
It’s easy to say but very hard to comply to.
hi ZERO MD…
i read all the comments on your blog…
i do experience that shitty taxes over the customs…the first one i encounter when i get a USED PALM CENTRO to my cousin which they asked me to pay for a 4,280php…then secondly my cousin sent another a USED laptop for my brother.. ..she declared it as a gift…as i check it on EMS website its already in PASAY…so me and my younger brother rush to PASAY to get it…but i am already aware they will charge me…but not that 100-200% of tax…. they charged me for almost 8,440php for the USED laptop…thats stupid…the laptop is a 4 years old then still just add small amount u can already buy a new one..thats suck…
and now i am wondering again…how much do i need to pay when my husband send me the USED ipod nano with chocolates and figs bar….:( i just hope CUSTOMS know that the we work hard the money we pay to them…
Hi Zero MD,
I have this going on right now! I’m so worried, it’s my first time to resell items I bought from Chiina. It’s worth USD840 including shipping, now I’m so worried on what they will bill me.
My problem is I still don’t have the items since they say that the Commercial Invoice is not there. It’s been with the customs office since Friday (Aug. 19). Will my PayPal receipt suffice? Will they charge high for slippers/sandals?
Really appreciate your comments. Thanks!
Almost a thousand dollars worth of goodies! I officially welcome you to the eCommerce Philippines! Call your courier. Ask for the clearance delay and how it is going. Yes, we used the Paypal receipts. I just wish they don’t have stones in those slippers/sandals or that customs will regard them as next to Spartan slippers in value. I wish you the best. Just a tip, don’t shout if it’s too high a custom’s tax. Act like you’ve done it before. Breathe in and no expletives. Just negotiate. If it will be the first time that customs will see your name, relax. You’d probably get through without a tax (some of us did). Let us know what happened. We’d love to hear from you.
hi everyone,
i’m also an online shopper and i’m really addicted with shopping online =). i always seem get away with the customs & duties tax with all the things i bought online and i realize it was because most of the items i bought are of lesser values as in less than 30 dollars including shipping that’s they don’t bother computing for the fees at least that’s what the employee from the las piñas post office said. that was until i bought a phone, of course we all know that no electronic items can escape the customs so they made their computation, the phone was declared by the seller for 100 pounds and 11 pounds for shipping after they made their computations i was being charge for 2200 pesos, so i haggled. i read in ebay forums prior to picking up my package that you can do that but their will be no receipt. so my 2200 pesos turned into 1500 pesos which is ok i guess. compared to being charge for 200%-400% of the actual price i guess my situation was more acceptable. by the way, the custom officer was from las piñas post office and not from the 3 couriers. after that i realize i don’t want to be caught in the same situation again, i have read a lot of experiences from people online telling about how the customs over charge their fees and i just couldn’t help but think that i can also happen to me sooner or later but i won’t stop from shopping online i just need to be smarter than they are. i have learned a few tricks to avoid the custom fees. first is that keep the amount low, it’s the safest way to not get taxed. but if you’re buying bulk items like apparels and accessories from china or hong kong, always contact your seller to lower the price declaration, they are always agreeable to that. i bought several apparels before on china fashion website for 60 dollars inlcuding DHL shipping, i asked the seller to declare the price as low as they can and they did, they placed each item at $2 each piece =). if you have to pick it up in the post office they will ask you for a electronic receipt from paypal, (yes, they’re that smart) so make sure you edit that receipt as well (yes, i did that too. you can find a way to edit it if you want to). next is to find other means of shipping because if you buy a lot of items in bulk or electronic items or branded & signature items, you can’t really escape the custom & duty fees. find a courier company, (a legit one of course unless you want your stuffs to get lost) that does balikbayan box shipping and express air cargo to the philippines. and have your items shipped thru them. recently i bought a lot of stuffs on ebay like branded shoes, perfumes, cosmetics and branded sun glasses, i have them shipped to my mom’s address in queens (that already saved me from international shipping) and she took them to a courier called johnny air also in queens. they charge per lb. express envelope is $7.50 (min 1 lb) and transit time of 5 days, they also express cargo at $5.50 per lb (min 2 lb) and 5 day transit time and regular cargo at $3.50 per lb (min 6 lbs) with 8 day transit time they also have one for highly taxable item and electronic items at $7 per lb and 7 day transit time. all transit time are for manila office pick up but are all inclusive of custom tax. i picked up my items at their buendia, makati branch after 5 days when it was shipped. i if you don’t have any relatives in usa you can still get their service by having all of your online purchases shipped in their address and then they will be the one to send it to you to the philippines but of course you need to contact them first regarding this. you will pay the shipping fees here in the philippines when you pick up your items at their office of your choice, you will receive a call from them once your stuffs has arrived. i hope this helps!
Just a question: what if I buy something that is handmade? Something that cannot be bought in the Philippines. Will it be taxed by 100%-200%?
paying of customs duties and taxes are lawful.mandated by law. corruption is when you pay something without O.R. under the table. but when does under the table begins? when the importer doesnt want to pay his duties and taxes. when he tries to negotiate the charges.it is when importers doesnt want to follow the law. when importer wants to fool the government and got pissed when caught.
you can buy the books Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines volumes 1 and 2. also Fundamentals of Computation. these books are self-explanatory. you will find the basis of computation. it might help you understand and lessen your hurt feelings. ask the legislators to change or amend the law.
as mentioned earlier, tax and duties are used to raise revenue and protect the local industry. motor vehicles abroad are way way cheaper than our local cars. if car importations will be liberalized or become freely importable item, no one will buy our locally made cars. what will happens now to the local car industry?
there are rules on the methods of valuation. learn the rules and laws first before concluding that customs people are corrupt.
I was one of those people who thought of starting an online business by importing stuff and reselling them here. I did some research first and found out about the huge customs duties I might need to pay. So I scrapped that idea. And decided to never buy anything imported online ever. At first I thought the amounts they were asking for was unfair, but after a while I realized that it was for the good of the country so now I’m all for it- as long as it’s lawful and logical.
Also, as long as all Chinese businessmen here who are importing tons of Chinese products are paying the same amount of taxes we do. Really, if anybody’s hurting our local industries
Now, I’m planning to make an online purchase from abroad for personal use so I’m doing a bit of research again on what to expect to pay before I actually buy anything. I used to go to Ebay’s forum look up the formula for the computations but somebody made a calculator of it:
http://triviasofsubstance.blogspot.com/search/label/Calculators
hope it helps.
What were the items that you bought? That is a relevant piece of information since all computations will be based on the value of your item.
From what you posted, the computations of duties and taxes and other fees are in accordance to law. The question is how much is your item worth? If I got your post right, you paid USD 51.50 for your item but it was assessed by the BOC as USD 346.00. As notified by email, you may present proof of the amount paid (either purchase order or telegraphic transfer) if you dispute the assessment.
Everything is then computed based on the assessed value of the goods. May I refer you to the BOC website on the Fundamentals of Computation of Duties and Taxes for Imported Goods: http://customs.gov.ph/taxcomp.php
It might also be helpful to read the Frequently Asked Questions of the BOC website: http://customs.gov.ph/faqs.php#1.1
On a more personal note, it is really not advisable to use express couriers for items which you intend to sell since express couriers by themselves are really expensive. Remember that the freight cost is added to the amount that would be the basis for the computation of duties and taxes.
Before I became the Commissioner of Customs, I also used to order goods online. In my first order, I also had the same shock as you had, but after getting the explanation, I realized that express couriers are not the way to go for an online business. They are only good for businesses or goods that are time sensitive or of high value such that it will still be worth it to include to sell at a mark up price which includes duties and taxes.
There are other means of ordering and getting your goods into the country at a lower cost. Just not the courier services.
IF you insist on using courier services, there is one way to cut down on cost, even just a little bit. Do not wait for it to be delivered to you door to door. Try to pick it up on the day it arrives. It is they who charge extra and exorbitant storage fees for your package/cargo, not Customs.
Finally, as long as everything is receipted, it is legal. What is illegal and therefore a scam is when there are no receipts and the amount is subject to haggling.
Thank you very much!
I’m going to buy 6 pairs of shoes from china online worth $70.00USD. I am going to choose the cheapest courier which is chinapost by sea and the shipping fee would be $20.00USD. It would take 50 to 80 days for me to receive my parcel. I would like to know where am I going to pick up my parcel if it wont be delivered to our doorstep (I’m from Cavite). I also want to know how much would be the customs tax.
Philippines Customs Rip OFF
Yes i just ordered a package… 5 head sets.. they are VERY expensive head sets… total order cost $2000.00… so what does customs do… they said the value for 15 head sets is $6000.00… wtf? are you kidding me… what a joke. This country needs to address their customs issues… clearly someone i putting a lot of money in their pocket off of this as it certainly isnt going back into the economy.
Customs will think you are selling them here. They will upgrade the price apparently according to their “cheat sheets.” You will get taxed based on the selling price here. Even if it is just your personal collection, it’s actually quite cheaper to buy here than online. You also have to file a complaint with the BOC AFTER you paid your tax. Or you can show them also a printed copy of your online invoice which may have a chance of decreasing your tax albeit a tiny chance.
I live in England and i sent a small package to my bird who lives in Cebu. The parcel was fine as it was cleared through Germany and HK and now its been delayed by customs since Friday 18th November for 2 days.
Its not like there is anything dodgy or valuable in there. 2 soft toys and 200 odd photographs of me backpacking in Asia.
If these bastards in the customs office want more money to send the parcel on its merry way, they can quite clearly RACK OFF!!
I’m pissed about this and wont bother sending anything to her anymore as i know the parcel will never arrive. This is the 2nd time for me sending the same parcel, the previous way was the normal postal system.
I’ll just take a 3 week holiday next year and hand deliver my gifts to her. A pain in the arse, but can’t be bothered with corrupt people in this day and age.
Pissed of Englishman.
Keep us posted! We’d love to hear what happens to your “golden” parcel.
Hi,
I order in Ferrari online and I bought 1cap, it cost €22.50, now, fedex deliver it to my house and said I need to pay php 2,226.00 for tax and duties. How come that tax and duties are more expensive than my purchase order?
Pls. advice….
This is a big hassle for everybody. Customs price it differently which is why people get flustered over how customs do the taxation. You have to complain and show a proof of receipt. Just print the electronic invoice and fax it over fedex. There is a 100% chance it will get rejected and you have to go through the slow and costly process of filing a complaint with the main office of BOC. Sorry kid. Apparently that’s how it goes here in the Philippines. It’s very discouraging to buy online on other countries!
Hi Mr. Zero M.D.
Thank you for your advice, I talk to the fedex today and they telling me that they will ask the vendor (ferrari) if will gonna shoulder the expense and they will notify me, I hope that they will help me to shoulder the overcharged duties and taxes. I am still waiting for the reply, my Ferrari suppose to be gift for my husband in upcoming Xmas, are still in fedex right now.
Hi,
FYI,
How come my dutiable tax becomes php 5,261.21, the value of the cap is only €22.50?
Sent from My iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: “Jessica Cal Wenceslao”
Date: November 24, 2011 5:30:38 PM GMT+08:00
To:
Subject: Pending Shipment – Awb# 795416595312
Dear Ms Jaravata,
Good day!
We apologize for the inconvenience that is has caused you but all charges imposed on this shipment are beyond Fedex control.
Below is the detailed computation of the duties and taxes imposed on your shipment.
FOB 30.10
Freight 90.39
Insurance 0.60
Dutiable Value $ 121.09
Rate of Exchange 43.448
Dutiable Value Php 5,261.21
Rate of Duty 0.15
Customs Duty 789.18
Dutiable Value Php 5,261.21
Customs Duty 789.18
Brokerage Fee 700.00
Customs Documentary Stamp 265.00
Import Processing Fee 250.00
Landed Cost 7,265.39
VAT RATE 0.12
VAT 871.85
SUMMARY
Customs Duty 789
VAT 872
Import Processing Fee 250
TOTAL 1,911
The P315.00 is for the Custom Form and Stamps which is a fixed charges for filing the entry to Custom.
The breakdown is:
Stamps 265.00
Form 40.00
Notarial 10.00
Kindly see the attached scanned copies of duties and taxes paperworks from Customs for your reference.
Hope this helps.
Thank you,
Jessica Cal – Wenceslao
FedEx / Airfreight 2100 Inc
A/R Trace Specialist
(tel.) 632 8794571
(fax) 632 8794432
3F Cargohaus Bldg, Brgy Vitalez
NAIA Complex Paranaque City
Philippines 1700
They upgraded the value of the cap to 121 US Dollars! That’s why. Send them your invoice, a printed one, fax it to them.
hi,
fedex email me it goes…..
Ma’am Florence,
Good day!
Per Philippine Customs law, all imported items whether personal effects, gifts or samples are subject to duties and taxes regardless of the declared value.
Section 101. Imported Articles Subject to Duty. — All articles, when imported from any foreign country into the Philippines, shall be subject to duty upon each importation, even though previously exported from the Philippines, except as otherwise specifically provided for in this Code or in other laws.
For more information regarding importations, please refer to http://www.chanrobles.com/republicactno1937book2title4.html.
Customs used the declared value of EUR 22.50 or USD 30.10 as the basis of their computation. Plus the freight cost based on IATA (International Air Transporation Association) and 2% insurance (declared value).
FOB 30.10
Freight 90.39
Insurance 0.60
Dutiable Value $ 121.09
Rate of Exchange 43.448
Dutiable Value Php 5,261.21
Sec. 201. Basis of Dutiable Value. — Whenever an imported article is subject to an ad valorem rate of duty, the duty shall be assessed upon the market value or price at which, at the time of exportation, the same, like or similar article is freely offered for sale in the principal markets of the exporting country for exportation to the Philippines, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade (excluding internal excise taxes to be remitted or rebated), plus ordinary expenses prior and incidental to the lading of such article on board the vessel or aircraft at the port of export (including taxes or duties, if any) and freight paid as well as insurance premium paid covering the transportation of such article to the port of entry in the Philippines.
From the dutiable value in peso, customs used the duty rate of 15%, arriving to Php 789.18 (5,261.21 x 15%).
A value added tax of 12% is computed. 7,265.39 x 12% = 871.85.
A fixed import processing fee of Php 250.00 is included in all inbound shipments.
Here’s the complete breakdown computation from Customs:
FOB 30.10
Freight 90.39
Insurance 0.60
Dutiable Value $ 121.09
Rate of Exchange 43.448
Dutiable Value Php 5,261.21
Rate of Duty 0.15
Customs Duty 789.18
Dutiable Value Php 5,261.21
Customs Duty 789.18
Brokerage Fee 700.00
Customs Documentary Stamp 265.00
Import Processing Fee 250.00
Landed Cost 7,265.39
VAT RATE 0.12
VAT 871.85
SUMMARY
Customs Duty 789
VAT 872
Import Processing Fee 250
TOTAL 1,911
Here is final charges billed by Customs office:
The total billing charges include the fixed customs form and stamps of 315.00
Stamps 265.00
Form 40.00
Notarial 10.00
Total amount due is Php 2,226.00.
Hope above info helps and clarify how customs arrived with the final amount.
Thank you,
Jessica Cal – Wenceslao
FedEx / Airfreight 2100 Inc
A/R Trace Specialist
(tel.) 632 8794571
(fax) 632 8794432
3F Cargohaus Bldg, Brgy Vitalez
NAIA Complex Paranaque City
Philippines 1700
—– Original Message —–
From: Florence Jaravata
To: Jessica Cal Wenceslao
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2011 9:38 PM
Subject: Re: Pending Shipment – Awb# 795416595312
Hi,
My package is below $50 how come I pay for duties and tax, as far as I know if your item is below $50 you are exempted to tax and duties.
Sent from My iPad
On Nov 24, 2011, at 5:30 PM, “Jessica Cal Wenceslao” wrote:
Dear Ms Jaravata,
Good day!
We apologize for the inconvenience that is has caused you but all charges imposed on this shipment are beyond Fedex control.
Below is the detailed computation of the duties and taxes imposed on your shipment.
FOB 30.10
Freight 90.39
Insurance 0.60
Dutiable Value $ 121.09
Rate of Exchange 43.448
Dutiable Value Php 5,261.21
Rate of Duty 0.15
Customs Duty 789.18
Dutiable Value Php 5,261.21
Customs Duty 789.18
Brokerage Fee 700.00
Customs Documentary Stamp 265.00
Import Processing Fee 250.00
Landed Cost 7,265.39
VAT RATE 0.12
VAT 871.85
SUMMARY
Customs Duty 789
VAT 872
Import Processing Fee 250
TOTAL 1,911
The P315.00 is for the Custom Form and Stamps which is a fixed charges for filing the entry to Custom.
The breakdown is:
Stamps 265.00
Form 40.00
Notarial 10.00
Kindly see the attached scanned copies of duties and taxes paperworks from Customs for your reference.
Hope this helps.
Thank you,
Jessica Cal – Wenceslao
FedEx / Airfreight 2100 Inc
A/R Trace Specialist
(tel.) 632 8794571
(fax) 632 8794432
3F Cargohaus Bldg, Brgy Vitalez
NAIA Complex Paranaque City
Philippines 1700
–
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I got all cross-eyed and unable to believe that what you buy outside the Philippines is multiplied 2x because of whatever dutiable value you have to pay. I really don’t need to go down and sieve through the details. I mean would you want to?
This is how it works here. Sadly, there really is no free trade and true online shopping is a far from real here in the Philippines.
Hi Zero MD,
Just today I got my 4 packages, it delivered by postman, i pay per package php 40 each so all in all php160, Thanks God atleast now its not that expensive. The package includes wallet from u.s, watch from Hongkong, clear screen and back cover for my Ipad.
Hi,
I got a post mail letter just today for my different transaction, the postman gave me letter that I should get the item in pasay, because the custom hold the item, I think it just a casio watch from hongkong that I buy in eBay, what would you think, am I going to pay for the tax and duties again? The watch is just below $50 and free shipping from shipper.
Please help, this is my first tym.
I could imagine how you feel right now because you’re going to the same process I did. Let me guess your courier is DHL?
hi,
my courier is fedex
Although understand the needs of the custom workers, I don’t agree with Gimel Soriano’s sentiments, here’s why..
1. If you think your salary is low, quit and find another job. Nobody, specially the government has the right to get extra income from other people. If a Jollibee worker’s salary isn’t enough, for his/her family and extended families, would he/she take it from the clients?
2. Quotas only work if the one who imposed it can see that it’s achievable. If custom workers in general couldn’t reach the quota, the quota will be lowered.
3. Teachers earn the same amount of money, but they impart knowledge compared to you working in the b.custom, to earn extra they would sell something and not take it from the people.
So lazy government staffs complaining about salary rate is bullshit, they should be dismissed from service. When you work with the government, you should know that it should be almost pro-bono, it is a calling and not a profession to get rich fast.
NO TO WITHHOLDING TAX! DO NOT LET THE GOVERNMENT SPEND YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN.
I’m not really opposed to tax. I just want to be taxed correctly. If there are special procedures needed to import items, why not teach first time online buyers.
I agree with you Zero MD
I really hate the custom. Imagine they declared 1,747 php tax for my bag?! WTF! I only bought 1,100 and then I need to pay 1,747??? SHIT!!! I dunnoh what to do now
Coz I was really surprised when the DHL told me that I need to pay Php 1,747 for the tax and etc. 
goodpm.
we would like to ask if someone can give us information what the procedure is and howmutch tax we need to pay if we buy cars or motercycles secondhand in holland(europe)
we can get those items for a verry small amount compare then buy it in philippines
hoping for a reaction
best regards
bert leffers
general santos city
you need some sort of import permit or license. Price is 15 thousand to be able to do it multiple times. if it’s a one time deal you can get away with it. My broker told me to get a certificate of origin. Get a good broker so you don’t pay a big amount if they get shipped here.
Hi, I would just like to inquire about this particular problem of mine. I’m suppose to receive a camera from South Korea and it was shipped via Fedex. According to the tracking system of fedex, the item arrived last december 22 and the status is “clearance delay”. This is my first time to encounter a problem like this. I called the local fedex office and they said that they will call their main office in manila and update me on the matter. Todate, I haven’t received any call from them. This is my first time to receive something via fedex since i usually receive/send via DHL. This is not the first time i’m receiving a camera from overseas. I’m expecting to pay custom duties for this but was wondering why the delay this time. What should I do? any advice? Thanks in advance
One advice, call fedex main, inquire about your tracking number. Shipment delay is due to customs checking your package. get ready for the tax.
thanks for the advice. i actually called up fedex main office this afternoon and they said that they need something from the shipper and that they emailed the shipper regarding this. will try to follow up tomorrow on the status. i wonder what they need from the shipper? The shipper is Samsung Korea. Anyway, i’m just hoping i could receive my package soon. Funny thing is, my package was sent at the same time as the recipients from USA and Italy. All of them received their package within 2 days. While in my case, it only takes around 8 hours for my package to travel from Korea-China- (inclusive of customs clearance in both areas)-Manila, and its been almost a week and i still haven’t reached me. so much for efficiency.
hello doc… i would like to share my online app:
http://app.jamesbanogon.com/import-tax-calculator/
i’ve been using it to calculate my duties and taxes when importing items from other countries.
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interesting blog ZeroMD. Thanks for this! I read 90% of the messages on this page. As I go along, I can feel the frustrations and more fear on starting small ecommerce business
I understand the encouragement of exports from the governement. I want to explore that options too, but for the timebeing, I can only afford and do small time buyandsell online. I am an OFW, and just wanted to guide and provide a small business to my un-employed College graduate brother who sad to say cannot land any job in the Philippines. Anyway, I was thinking to import second hand laptops. I found a good source online from US, luckily I check first what could be my excise tax, customs duty etc… any chance of seeing the “cheat sheet” ? Surely I want to pay tax, but I dont want the business to flap due to very high mark-ups too.
Mmm.. i am interested to know the chinese way, maybe you can share it to me via email? sounds cheeky, if it is legal why not, if its illegal then I pass ;p
Hi ZeroMD,
I’ve read all of the messages here and quite frankly, I’m disgusted on how our local government deals with this kind of transactions. I strongly agree that the whole point of taxing items coming from diff. countries is to discourage Filipinos from buying imported goods vs locally made ones. And yes, from taxes our dear country gets money which our leaders use to run and “beautify” Philippines. (but unfortunately that’s not the case) We can go on for 10years posting our hatred towards our law-makers and politicians here in the internet but I’m sure none of these will make an impact. So I’d rather not…
Anyways, my main concern is about several purchases I “WILL” make online. It’s really tempting to buy imported goods since they are cheaper compared to items being sold here, another thing, is we have more choices when we shop online. Plus the term they say “FREE SHIPPING” is really alluring. One might think that you’ll just have to pay $50 for a pair of shoes and that’s it, it’ll be delivered right at your doorstep. (Atleast that’s what I thought long time ago)
So before making these purchases, I made an effort to read dozens of blogs and other articles regarding “Importing goods here in the Philippines” . That’s how I got to your blog. I’ve cherry picked a couple of good courier services too. My plan is to send it to my brother who lives in New York, or to my cousins in LA and have it shipped to me here in the Philippines by Johnny Air or Forex. Now, it gave me several questions left unanswered: Now that these products will be shipped to USA, and they’ll send it to me with a balikbayan box. Will it be delivered at my address? or do i need to pick it up? will it undergo customs’ appraisal/checking? do I still pay taxes? fees? (PS these are Nike shoes and some other branded sneakers)
Also, I have another purchase, and the seller is just in hongkong. it’s a watch worth $80, I’ll get 3 of those. Since the seller is just near us, I think the most logical thing to do is to have it shipped directly to me versus the plan stated above. But after reading posts from diff. people stating problems they’ve experienced in BOC and Fedex and what have you, I got scared and plans on sending it to the US as well. What do you think? Guys please help me as I”m really interested in shopping online just like the rest of you guys. (Also, if this goes smoothly, I might as well venture into eCommerce business) Wish me luck!
Thanks!
hi, i have been an online shopper for quite some time and i have learned a lot thru my experiences in buying stuffs online. if you have your items shipped thru a balikbayan box, it will be delivered directly to your house and you no longer have to deal with customs checking because the courier will be the one taking care of the clearing. you made the right decision to send the items to your relatives in the u.s.a. and use other means of shipping because all the well known courier (fedex, ups, dhl, etc.) do not inlcude the customs clearing in their services. you will surely get a 200% charge from your items like everyone else. i have been using johnny air to ship my items coming from the u.s.a. and i can tell you that they really have a great service. i often use their air cargo service for as low as $ 6.50/lb minimum of 2 pounds you can get your items in a week, but you have to pick it up in any of their branch of your choice. if you use the balikbayan box service, it will take 45 days for your it to arrive but it will be delivered right to your doorstep and you have an entire box to fill without any weight limit. both of these service include the customs clearing already so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.
regarding your watch, it’s best to send it to the u.s.a. as well. your items will arrive their faster even if you just use a registered air mail rather than shipping it here with so many delays. i know these because i bought items from hk and i use an ordinary airmail service, it took about a little over a month to arrive. i bought another items in hk and send it to u.s.a. and guess what? shipping was free and it took only 10 days via ordinary airmail. if had it shipped here, i have to pay for shipping and wait for more than a month plus not to mention customs inspection. even if you use fedex, dhl or ups your item would stil be delayed because of the customs clearing plus not to mention the over the top charge. don’t get me wrong i have nothing against being charged by customs tax as long as it’s reasonable. i have been charge with customs tax a couple of times before when i have my items shipped thru air mail. and i think that compared to using fedex, dhl, ups. it’s easier to deal with the customs officer in the post office. because at the post office they will only open your package when you claim it any they will base the price with the electronic receipt that you have with you and that’s the only time they will do the computation. unlike with the couriers, they will assess the amount of the item not on the price that you bought it for but on its current value here, so that’s kind of unfair already.
anyways, i hope this helps and good luck to you! =)
OMG i was unaware and i bought 2 3ds consoles with games about $350
, also a BB playbook $430
any idea how much i need to pay and tips how to save? :’(
I have 2 nintendo. 3ds console with games ready for shipping amd also abb playbook.. Would like to ask for any tips, its currently on global express and they say they deliver the package on what i want, they can even say its used, $50, and as a gift. But pls i need tips coz its my first time and thinking about tax i might pay php10,000 tax from a total purchase of $700 shipping not included, is websites like myshoppingbox any good? Im currently dying seeing 99.9% negative feedbacks
Hi Mitsuki! Thank you very much for your reply. Now I know exactly what I’m gonna do whenever I purchase something online, send it all to my relatives in USA and make them stuff it all up in one big balikbayan box. I can wait 45 days if it means less the hassle and the best part is they don’t have weight limits? SWEET!
Anyways, I’ve made a stupid decision of “Testing the waters” by purchasing a watch from Singapore (But accdg. to the seller the item will be coming from Hongkong post ofc.) and have it shipped directly here in the Philippines. I just wanna know how much will BOC charge me and how long does it take, (matigas talaga ulo ko hehe) But for the other items which is more expensive, i have it shipped to USA, so etong watch lang na worth 80 USD ang hinihintay ko ngayon, the item was purchased last January 17, 2012 so mga 8-15 working days pa. Gusto ko lang ma-experience yung hassle kahet onti para lang alam ko.
) But everything else was purchased and shipped to USA.
Thanks again! Have a great day
hi, i got the same bit of experience here in pampanga. A friend sent me a ring via post (gold with a diamonds). Diamonds not real. And bought it at 70 percent off sale. But the local post asking me for almost 400 dollor custom tax! I was so shock i could collapse right there and there. Its like paying for two more rings
this is the first time. What do u think i could do about it? Was it customs or the freaking people at my local post office?
My friend in US send me a phone using priority mail international on January 3, 2012 but until I did not received it. my local post office here in Roxas City Capiz my package is not arrived yet. My friend ask USPS employees and they said package arrived last 2 weeks and held in foreign custom. Why until now custom hold my package? It’s almost 1 month now since my friend post the package. somebody help me here is my cel # 09215799155.
Hi there!!!
After reading all your posts, I started being paranoid.
I ordered SECOND HAND ITEMS from a friend in Malaysia. It’s just a book (http://www.yesasia.com/us/the-beginning-fahrenheit/1021372801-0-0-0-en/info.html) and some action figures (http://www.yesasia.com/us/fahrenheit-mini-figures-limited-edition/1005097285-0-0-0-en/info.html). I used to order the same book 3 years ago thru books.com.tw and I was never charged of anything. Now I’m really wondering why my package status is Clearance Delay, to think na dumaan na ng HK yung package before arriving here in PH. What pisses me is I’ve read that Customs charge 100-200%! Grabe naman yun! Is there any way for me to prevent it from happening?
Btw, have you tried reporting it to media? I think that’s the only way we have para matigil na overcharging ng customs.
A representative from Brigada Siete already contacted me, which means they were reading the blog. Unfortunately, they dropped the subject after they had a talk with customs. They did not speak to me again.
There are some legitimate reasons why they pose so high a charge but it’s really unfair to people who seldomly use the courier services. The only way we found to work is to setup a business entity and deal with brokers. Otherwise balikbayan boxes offer a longer alternative.
If you read through the comments though, you will find unfair use of customs power. I guess the media doesn’t think it worthy of their time to investigate.
Hi. . My bf will send me a used iPhone as a gift for valentine’s day. I’ve read that it’ll be taxed even if declared as gift. I’m wondering if how much will it be taxed? Any advice on what I should do and how I should plead my case @ the customs? Any courier you would suggest from Taiwan? Would really appreciate any help/advice as I don’t have a job right now and couldn’t pay a big amount. Thanks in advance.
No courier suggested. Either he or somebody else can hand carry the iPhone at the airport for you. Customs seems to like electronics so much. I wouldn’t risk it, especially if its an iPhone.
WOW-what experiences. Lets see if Germany tops this.
Sent a small package to Berlin with a baby outfit for the new baby-nothing else.
The green customs form was filled in and attached to the front.
I get notice, that the package is held by Customs in Berlin- supposedly the form was missing.
So I faxed the info they wanted and they claim,they did not get it.
So I sent the info to my niece.
Customs said, they will release the package to DHL for sending on to my niece in Berlin.
Next thing we know- the package arrives Back here in USA with me.
Are they totally bonkers.
And the Post Office wonders, why they loose customers- WOW-
and not DHL or USPS will do anything about this.
may courier ba na hndi dumadaan sa customs o lahat dumadaan.. bumili kc aku online tas sabi sa tracking “handed over customs” kailangan ku tuloy hintayin dito sa post office namin since taga pangasinan aku.. sana hndi malaki ang tax.. may courier ba na hndi dumadaan sa customs? sbi kc door-to-door ung sakin pero wala rin naman.. bakit dati nag-order aku ng same item ganun din pero dumating door-to-door hndi siya dumaan sa customs?? anu ung pinipili ung lalagyan ng tax?
All items brought to the country goes through customs. It seems that the first time they see your name import an item, they let it through. The second time, they think you’re an opportunistic importer and they let you have the tax. You see, they want you to be a registered business and conduct importation through a broker. It’s the only way.