Guide: Online Shopping Abroad & Customs Formalities

[Dr MUDHAN]

@Kichu

KOLKATA is the custom entry point in India and there after the items will be forwarded to the nearby custom office of buyer's address. Normally it won’t take more than two weeks to reach our hand once it is in the destination country. Sometime, if we are unlucky, during random check, if they keep at custom office for opening, inspection and repacking it takes around four weeks more.

They may or may not put custom duty. If the custom duty levied, the post man give you a bill, you have to pay and collect. If you feel unreasonable, you may go for reassessment, by telling the postman to keep it in the post office and you apply for reassessment. You can still reject and refuse to accept @ unnecessary custom duty and the items may or may not be returned to the seller and to be destroyed technically.

Refusing to accept just because the custom duty is exorbitant will not qualify us for refund. If you have not received the item within the guaranteed/extended time of the seller, you can raise dispute and get it refunded.

You have all the answers you require over this issue in this thread.
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-2.html#post345036
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-2.html#post345992
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-2.html#post349592

 

[Kichu]

You have all the answers you require over this issue in this thread.
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-2.html#post345036
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-2.html#post345992
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-2.html#post349592

Dear Dr Mudhan,

Actually its because of this thread I started purchasing from Aliexpress. Its really very informative. I successfully did 3 other purchases which costs less than $10. But the problem is, since its almost $20, I was bit worried about the customs. When I encounter a problem I was bit tensed and I failed to revise this thread and I directly posted the query overhere. I'm really sorry. Anyways thank you so much for your time to repeat the same thing for me. Next time I will be careful

Regards.,

 

[samiran2012]

Can we use debit card/atm as a pqyment mode to shop from aliexpress.com?

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

@samiran2012

I wonder, why do you ask the same question that you asked a year before in this thread which was also duly answered.

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-3.html#post386386

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-3.html#post386394
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-3.html#post387012
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-abroad-customs-formalities-3.html#post387048

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[Dr MUDHAN]

SOMETIMES WE MAY BE UNLUCKY!​

I would like to share some more recent experiences with the Indian Custom Authorities.

I have ordered a Car rear view camera (CCD type) which is not available in India as most of them here are only CMOS or CMD types.

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The packet was stuck at Chennai customs for more than three weeks and delivered finally ( AFTER 71 DAYS! ) levied with a custom duty @ Rs. 860/- and God only knows the percentage of CD applied over an item which was bought @ $ 11.99 dollars (Rs.760/-) only.

As I have already lost my hope and patience, I did not go for reassessment and accepted the same on extra payment.

This is to make you to have a mindset as this can also happen to any Indian buyer, as we are either to compromise by paying extra in case if it is really worth it, or to defend / to reject at a cost.

- Defending needs extra work of collecting the evidence / proof of transactions, wasting time in submitting either in person or corresponding with the customs authorities.

- Rejecting results in loss of money paid to the seller and puts a full stop to the transactions.

AliExpress is nothing to do with this kind of conflict and the buyer has to bear the consequences.

alibaba@notice.alibaba.com
to me

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response.

Please log into http://trade.aliexpress.com/issue/issueDetail.htm?issueId=60541130277060 to provide the evidence to AliExpress before the due date.


Dear Mu Dhanasekaran,

Thank you for contacting AliExpress. I am sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with your order 66691802767060.

According to the shipping information (tracking no. RI424150941CN, latest status:India, CHENNAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE, Send item to customs (Inb), Air, CHENNAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE), it is your local customs that hold this package and delayed the delivery. Normally it would be detained because:

1. Certain required document is missing, such as invoice, import license or certification etc.;

2. Penalty caused by wrong customs value;

3. Violation of intellectual property rights or counterfeit products;

4. Non-government institute detains the shipment;

5. Against of your local regulations;

6. Customs clearance delay.

Please notice that it is the buyer's duty to do normal customs clearance and pay the tax.

Since our meditation is based on the detained reason, please confirm with your local customs and provide official documents from them toclarify the exact detained reason to AliExpress within 7 calendar days by logging in log into http://trade.aliexpress.com/issue/issueDetail.htm?issueId=60541130277060. Thank you for your cooperation in advance.

Please be kindly noted that if you fail to provide the required document from customs by due date, we will release the payment to the seller accordingly.
P.S. If there’s any agreement reached with the seller before this case is closed, please let us know by logging inhttp://trade.aliexpress.com/issue/issueDetail.htm?issueId=60541130277060. Or AliExpress shall have the right to proceed to handle the Claim based on the evidence provided by both you and the seller.

Your understanding and cooperation will be appreciated.

Best regards,

AliExpress Case Management Team

Please note that when you cancel the claim, we will assume you agree to release the payment to the seller.

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[Dr MUDHAN]

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SHIPMENTS: CHINA - Vs - HONG KONG & SINGAPORE​

I share here my experience with different shipment modes when we order online and the time limit for receiving the same.

CHINA MAIL is the cheapest mode of shipment for any seller from China and it may take longer to arrive , usually takes 30 to 75 days to reach our hands in India.

The point of entry in our country is Kolkata and Kolkata customs simply forwards to the custom office near to the buyer’s place and there it may or may not be selected for inspection and then passed to foreign post office for further delivery. If it has taken for customs inspection at least 20 to 25 days are taken again and rarely the item purchased by us is ignored for custom duty and invariably added with custom duty at a rate , sorry, God only knows!

HONG KONG & SINGAPORE MAIL: We have to incur 2 to 3 dollars extra towards shipping cost, but, comparatively when shipment happens through these countries, the time taken by the items to leave the country of origin i.e., CHINA is very less and faster to reach the destination country, INDIA.

The point of entry is Mumbai and many times it reaches our hand within 15 to 25 days, except if we are unlucky and the item is subjected to customs inspection at Mumbai and further it takes 15 to 20 days to get cleared and levied with custom duty if any and send to foreign post office of the buyers place directly for delivery.

Certain things which we do not like… the Indian Customs Authorities never trust the Indian buyer and they always think that the values on the packet is shown less intentionally to avoid custom duty and unfortunately many Chinese sellers always mention on the packet as 'GIFT '. The customs never justify how the calculate the rate of CD and mostly as per their perception, even for non-electronic items.

Another issue, the way they handle our items and repacking same. It is really a crude way and they pack recklessly and tie the packet by jute and seal with cheap brown wax.

Recently I purchased via HK Mail one cover/case for Samsung Tab-S T805 and it was levied with Rs.415 tax at Mumbai custom (against the cost of Rs. 760/- (11.99 Dollars) actually I purchased). (Ordered Date- 01.06.2015 , Received Date- 27.06.2015 / Period Held At Customs- 17 Days)

But, the way they have handled and repacked the item damaged the case/cover and made it awkward to gift the same to my wife!

So, if you are in INDIA, always pray everything to be good….

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[vijay_968]

@ Dr MUDHAN
Yep, "God only knows" about the mindset of Customs guys. I feel, it's got something to do with the Courier too. I was asked to pay Rs 17K+ as Duty for a Lens costing ~ Rs 6K (about USD 80+ IIRC) on eBay. The Lens came from USA thro' DHL, just when DHL had massive problem with BLR Customs. I provided so many documents to DHL, including the screen shot from eBay Auction. As per my friend, who deals with Customs in my Office, the duty should be around 25% only. I felt DHL was messing-up things. After a loooong gap, one day it was ready for delivery. The delivery boy demanded 17K+; chuckling, I let go off my much anticipated Lens. There was a follow-up from DHL Mumbai informing me that they suffered 17K loss because of me; I said I lost a classic lens due to DHL. After this, I started requesting sellers not to send item thro' DHL. "Fedex, Japan Post, China Mail" are the best in my Opinion. Except this lens, I never had Customs related problem in receiving my other Five lenses, Six lens-mount-Adapters, Camera Cover, Spare Batteries+Charger, Remote etc (for my Camera Kit). All these items were shipped from from Japan, USA, China (all bought on eBay).

PS: Only on two two occasions, eBay listed items from China were not delivered. One was a $ 2.5 item in 2014 and the other, a lot of Six costing $ 18 in March 2015. I let go off the first loss but got refund from eBay sellers the 2nd time. Two items were delivered nearly 30 days after I got the refund. Scratched my head and kept them.

 

[allhyundaicars]

i haven't received 1 product even after 85 days from ali express. today i opened a dispute

what does this mean "If the seller does not respond by 4 calendar days 23 hour 53 minute 9 second , the dispute will be closed in your proposal"

will i get a refund or what ? i was in contact with the seller and messaged him to extend the time a little bit , he did but on the 80th day i told him to refund or i will open a dispute and he hasn't reverted back yet.

he used his own shipping method since item was less than 3$.i went on that site to track and it just shows some numbers. no city name , nothing.

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

It means your dispute is noted and forwarded to the Seller for his response and explanation within the stipulated time. It is the first step of action.

Some sellers will not respond as they may not be interested to continue marketing or indirectly accepting the grievance of the customer. In such cases, AE will close the dispute on our favor and re credit to our account within a week. We can check our credit card statement.

In case, the seller responds and if he is not agreeable to our claim or if agreeing for partial refund, AE will forward the response to us to know whether it is OK for us. If it is OK, the dispute will be closed to both of our satisfaction.

If it is not agreeable to us, we can escalate to AE special team for their intervention and arbitration, which would be final.

Generally , non-receipt ( tracking should indicate undelivered as against the guaranteed time schedule which includes the extended time) ) , counterfeit quality as against advertised, defective & damaged electronic items which we proved with photos will all help us to get back the refund. But, Custom holding, refused to pay customs duty will not help us.

If seller sends via standard mails like China/HK/Singapore, it will be a registered mail with proper tracking detail and you can check the status. The track page generally has both Chinese and English option for reading. In case if you do not find English option, if all look like alien letters, you can use Google translate to read in English.

Type ‘Translator’, get Google translator, copy and paste the contents in the tracking status, get translated in English to know the status.

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[allhyundaicars]

thanks a lot Dr Mudhan , i will surely wait for his reply and let's see what he has to say. will update in a couple of days.

 

[Ramdas]

Dear Dr Mudhan

I read in one of your post that you have ordered touch dvd avn for your city was through relative in Dubai.I am also planning to order DVD for my City with help of my friend in Dubai.He will returning home this month end..If I order one from aliexpress/alibaba how long it takes to reach dubai? Shall I able to pay for item from here and gave his shipping address.Is it easier? Please help

Regard's
Ramdas

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

Dear Mr Ramdas

It took 12 days to reach Dubai via DHL courier. The sellers send such big items only through private couriers.
But I would advice you to have atleast 45 days if it is China post.
There is no such Custom formalities / delay at Dubai.
Yes. I paid through my Visa Card here and for shipping address at Dubai.
It is easier and all the very best.

Regards
Dr MUDHAN

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

I repost one of the interactions posted in my primary thread

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...new-honda-city-white-albus-85.html#post480374

Which I feel will be useful to our forum friends who visit here.
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@ Jijomthw

Yes its android so I don’t think i get any problem with time zone, actually i was planning to get windows system one year ago but some other reason i give up that time, but later i thought my car need a navigation system, so i was looking in Amazon India but they are very expensive and not android, then I was looking on ebay.com and found some good android system, well Aliexpress price is really tempt me than eBay, i found a good seller there and had lot talk with him, he was answering well for my all question and he offered me a free night vision camera and 8gb IGO navigation card, again worried about Indian custom, i was calling to DHL customer care and asked them about duties, they said its almost 30% for Electronics. Again i contacted to seller and told him to put invoice 200$ because its better keep invoice something matching to real price cause showing very less price in invoice maybe chance to get a bomb tax, mostly Indian customs people knows the exact price, if you show them too less price in invoice for a costly item then maybe a chance to get more tax, because they don’t accept your invoice which you show them less price, so better always put invoice something who can accept.
Received my item after one week in my door with good packing.

Yes sure i will post the pictures once i installed my DVD.

Note: DHL people ask you KYC (know your customer) document for customs clearance, DHL send you a message to your registered mobile for submit KYC document, you can submit that on DHL site, they accept pan card copy ,passport copy or Driving license, should submit any of two documents.
If anyone plan to buy any item from abroad hope this advices will help, mostly they don’t charge any custom duties for small item like 10$ - 20$,i bought lots small item from eBay and Aliexpresses and never charged any custom duty, well maybe I am lucky yet .


@ Dr MUDHAN

Yes, I too have the same experience. It is better to declare a reasonable amount but unfortunately, most of the Chinese sellers declare the goods as ‘GIFT’. Sometimes we don’t know how much customs duty would be levied as it depends upon the officer -his/her moods. I have not paid CD for many of my purchases but had to pay 50 to 100 % to some non-electronic items like Tablet cover.

I have shared my experiences here and your information over DHL would be useful to our fellow forum members who visit my following thread - Guide: Online Shopping Abroad & Customs Formalities. I will repost your information and thank you very much.

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

Buying tips

ORIGINAL VS. COUNTERFEITS
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No doubt, Aliexpress or eBay or any another trusted online site has wonderful collections of items whether it is for automobile, personal or home.

The issue here, all are flooded with Chinese make and it is not that they are bad. Some of them are of excellent quality and definitely value for money.

But, when one Chinese product sells more online, another Chinese manufacture creates a counterfeit at cheap quality and ruins the innovation of the fellow Chinese manufacture and disappoints the buyer. This cannibalistic activity what is disheartening.

We not only pay for the poor quality item and if unfortunate, pay custom duty meant for the original quality as custom authorities apply the highest rate applicable after online searching.

The problem for the buyer that he has to carefully analyze, check with the seller before placing any order as sometimes we get disappointed.

Some sellers attract us by very less rate and some display the genuine items in their advertisement but send us cheap counterfeit ones. Fortunately , the dispute / grievance readdressal are good with Aliexpress or eBay.

So, please careful while choosing an item before placing the order and don’t be carried away only the cheapest rate and always analze the feed back and the number of orders processed by the seller. Don’t miss to note the advertised pictures also.

EXAMPLE I​

Recently I ordered - Car Door Stopper Protection Cover Fit for HONDA CITY.

Read below, how I am cheated.

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Seller’s reply is not acceptable to me and I have opened dispute. Fortunately, Aliexpress keep the origional order page as evidence

Continued ...

 

[Dr MUDHAN]

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Buying tips

ORIGINAL VS. COUNTERFEITS
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EXAMPLE II

I came across one discussion over this product in our forum –

Novatek Mini Car DVR Camera GT300 Dashcam 1920x1080 Full HD 1080p Video Registrator Recorder G-sensor Night Vision Dash Cam

I have also seen many people from INDIA placed order with the seller who sells the item for just 6 dollars. But on my analysis, there are two variant of products are sold online. If you are accepting that quality for a price of 6 dollars and that’s OK.

But, You have to be careful as you should not be not cheated after paying more.

Read and analyze the following advertisements and I am sure it will help you to decide.

ADVERTISEMENT 1​

This is the cheapest price available online. Note the sales number but no one single feedback. Is the seller intentionally hidden them?

Novatek Mini Car DVR Camera GT300 Dashcam 1920x1080 Full HD 1080p Video Registrator Recorder G sensor Night Vision Dash Cam-in Car DVRs from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

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ADVERTISEMENT 2​

Comparison original vs. counterfeit


Original Novatek GT300 Mini Car DVR Camera Recorder Full HD 1080P Dash Cam Night Vision G Sensor Car Black Box-in Car DVRs from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

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ADVERTISEMENT 3​

Even between NOVATEK Chips, the difference

Novatek 96650 Mini Car dvr camera full hd 1080p Parking video recorder registrator camcorder dash cam 170 degree Night vision-in Car DVRs from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

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ADVERTISEMENT 4​

Some sellers have different rates for different processing chips inside. Rate varies depends upon the chip / quality – SUNPLUS or NOVATECK SINGLE or NOVATECK DUAL LENS. ( NOTE THE PRODUCT LOOKS SAME!)

Original G30 Novatek 96620 & Sunplus Chip Full HD1080P 2.7" Car DVR Vehicle Camera Video Recorder Dash Cam G sensor Night Vision-in Car DVRs from Automobiles & Motorcycles on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

BE AWARE, DEAR ALL! ​