Online shopping and getting stuff into India (Customs)
Well it is an important question in the world of today, more and more Indians are purchasing stuff online and importing it into India. But the question most people ask is the same. What about the customs duty?
Well to be frank with you, anything you have bought abroad and are bringing into India is chargeable as far as custom duties go except some duty free items like IT Products (Digital Camera, LCD Monitors,RAM,Processors etc., confirm the list though).
Seasoned ebay sellers and other online stores try to ensure that loyal Indian customers aren’t forced to shed customs at all. Remember you don’t need an IEC number to import stuff for personal use.
Here is what most companies do so that you don’t have to pay customs for importing stuff into India :
1. They mark the product as a gift on the customs declaration form of the package. This is illegal by the way , but there is no way to detect whether the thing is a gift or not. Unless the other person leaves an invoice inside the so called gift 😛
2. Even after declaring the commodity as a gift, Indian customs will still charge it if the price is above Rs.10000 , so these ebay sellers under-declare the value of goods. This is a double edged sword, as if the product is stolen it would mean that you would not get the right price from insurance, so this can lead to losses.
Now both these steps do save duty to the importer, but you should realise they are probably illegal and be ready for consequences. Also keep in mind the more expensive the courier, the more closely the customs will examine your package. They know that EMS and DHL aren’t used for low value items, hence these packages are scrutinised more than others. On the same time Airmail and Registered Airmail is more prone to theft especially in India.
Now the fact is most genuine importers don’t mind paying a little duty on the products they are importing into India, but the customs are so notorious that most try to circumvent them, because they know if their package is caught by Indian customs, there will be a lot more paying up to do! Also if you are importing in bulk and you don’t have an IEC, you are in big trouble.
Another question people have is what happens if the customs find your item chargeable, dont worry no one will send you to jail unless you are importing prohibited stuff. If your item is found chargeable, your package will be seized by customs and you will be sent a letter usually asking you for purpose of import etc. Be truthful while replying. If customs are satisfied with your reply, then they will calculate the appropriate customs duty and send the postman to your home who collects the duty and delivers your shipment. As easy as that. There is a small fine too for mis-declarations. Frequent mis-declarations will get you in trouble though. So be on the right side of the law. In case you have questions, feel free to ask via comments. Also this is not legal advice, hire a lawyer if you need legal advice.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
i purchased a mobile phone from aliexpress through swisspost but my parcel is now in the custody of the customs and they are asking to pay higher amount of fine and postal charge..
why is my parcel handed over the customs???
what can i do next??
please reply..
Hey wisetechie!
I just bought PC components worth $3000 from the Usa.
Now, some of my family members are coming from the USA to Mumbai, so do I ask them to carry it on them in person or do I ask them to ship it over here?
Your guidance would coo greatly appreciated.
Thanks
@Ojas, carrying them in person is obviously better since you won’t have to pay customs on personal belongings. Note that if you are bringing more than one laptop or tablet, then your family would have to pay customs.
Sir
i order electronic semiconductor like transistors from china arround 70usd how much custom duty it will be charged
Thanks
Geetesh Saxena
A AM IN ABROAD .I WANT TO SEND 1 GALAXY S6 GIFT TO SOMEONE BY DHL IN INDIA .AS ITS GIFT I HV TO PAY DUTY IF YES SO HOW MUCH
Usually how many days package will sit in customs at chennai.?
I ordered a mp4 player which is at the customs from 8 days, i worried about the delay so please tell me how much time it will take to come out of customs at chennai.
Hi,
Keep up the good work which u are doing.
I have a question and i hope u will be able answer it. I had odered some fancy items from china thru ebay. the total cost was 8$. its been more than 40 days since i placed the order but i havent received it still.. Whom should i contact, chennai customs or chennai post.
My friend had sent me his iphone 6 from china through registered mail. He had hidden the apple logo by some sticker and sent me only the phone (without accessories) in plain box. Unfortunately, the phone had been stopped by cutsom department. My friend also had written the invoice value of 40 USD & specified product as MP4 player. I got the letter from the custom. Please tell me what to do so that I could release my phone from them without penalty.
sir i want to buy a mobile cover of price less than 10$ from aliexpress.com China.How much custom duty should I have to pay?
@ Piyush, You have several ways not to pay duty
1. Ask the seller to send without tracking (ex: YanWen)
2. Even if send with tracking never use premium services such as FedEx, DHL, TNT etc.
3. In any case ask the seller to provide the value less than $8 and mark it as a gift.
Imported almost 50 mobile covers without paying a single penny.
Hello sir, i booked nike shoes from aliexpress. In tracking its shows like “sent items to customs mumbai on 27 may 2015”. Till date its showing the same message. i raised the issue in aliexpress, seller offered the half price. I escalated the issue to aliexpress team. now they are asking for official documents from customs to clarify the exact detained reason with in 7 days, else they will consider it as accepted. How to get that documents with clarification from customs?. i really don’t have any idea how to do. please help me in this.
@ Ravikumar,
I propose that you ask your seller to first extend the purchase protection and then you ask the courier company for the where-about of the goods.
Dealing with Indian customs:There is a world of difference between customs at Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. Second, the day of the week the goods arrive is equally important. Goods that arrive , say on Friday or more on a Saturday run lower risk at Customs. A normal simple parcel clears customs in Chennai the same day- in most cases with in 3/4 hours., If it dosent, then it means the customs is opening up the parcel for examination/Value assessment etc. You will normally get a notice with in next 3/4 days. , asking for invoice copy, payment details and whether for personal consumption.
Irrespective of your reply, they would want to do what they want. , unless you have ” AN AGENT”!!!!. This is the true story.
i want to import an i phone from honk kong.for USD 226, please tel me what will be the best procedure to import and what are the steps to be followed.
Regards
Gurvinder Singh.
+91-9416551839
Hi I had ordered a watch from Wish App ships from Singapore.I had paid 8$ for it including shipping charges.Now I get a slip from the post man saying amount due is Rs.445 to be paid to customs.Which makes it more or less the same amount I had paid for the watch.My question is I did some research and found that customs duty is 28.85% for wristwatches but they have charged me like 100% for this.Can you let me know why?I really don’t understand.
Dear Friend,
I have ordered recently a camera lens from B&H photo US based website – they have charged me $200 for lens and $50 for express shipping = $250 in total – what will be expected excise duty am supposed to pay – the package will contain invoice and real value of the lens will be stamped on the package – so will I be charged 29% of $200 or $250 ? – kindly do help – give me some clarity
Thanks
Vinith GR
Hi,
I bought a parcel from Germany. They are all aquarium product. The ips Web Tracking is saying the following:
6/25/2015 6:57:00 PM Germany NEUMARK Receive item from customer (Otb) Air MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE
6/26/2015 10:54:00 AM Germany FRANKFURT/FLUGHAFEN Receive item at office of exchange (Otb) Air MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE
6/27/2015 8:03:00 AM Germany FRANKFURT/FLUGHAFEN Insert item into bag (Otb) Air MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE
6/27/2015 11:35:00 AM Germany FRANKFURT/FLUGHAFEN Send item abroad (EDI-received) Air MUMBAI FOREIGN POST OFFICE
Please advise me what I have to do next.
I have not bought anything via India post till now.
I live in kolkata But the parcel is coming in Mumbai. Please advise me on that also.
Thanks
Suman
dear sir
i am purchasing a video glasses from amazon.com usa product rate is 786$ and amazon.com also charge me 60$ for duty so please tell me any extra duty i will have to pay in indian custom or any extra charges or tax
this is my personal use and this product shipping in dhl
please tell me complete information because this is high price product so any problem with this high price
i m planning to buy cosmetics from amazon.com reside in delhi , india ,costing around $35 , doubtful about custom clearance. nd duty charges. please help
I have been buying small things from aliexpress. A couple of them didnt reach me. i was able to track it in China, but the moment it entered India, it just shows customs and then nothing. I have again ordered some small items…nothing more than 10 dollars each. How can I track items once it enters India?
I do not know it it disappears at customs or in my own State.
Hoping for a reply.
Thanks
I had ordered dress worth Rs 800 from aliexpress on 23rd May 15 but still not received. Last details i have is it has reached Kolkatta customs and sent for sorting. How do I track parcel in mumbai customs.
Hi am sharath
I want to buy Apm2.6 flight controller with GPS and a Telemetry system from aliexpress… i want to ship it from hong kong air mail to india. So the cost of the whole package is 4900 rupees… how much will be customs and is it safe to get through Hong kong air mail??? Will customs allow the parcel?? i don no whether these products are prohibited or not! but its for my personal use for project….
i heard i need some type approval for getting few things i don know whether its required for personal use or not…
Am totally confused please help me??
please Guide me???
My uncle leaves in Virginia and comes after.a year if he says that this sealed ps4 is a gift then what will be the total of duty and customs he Does not come with any other electronics I have heard that no customs will be applied please reply on pratikvora1999@gmail.com or on the given mail .
Hi
I am a Importer and I feel I can give few tips.
As per the rule any online shopping Item is subject to Duty even if it is as low as 10USD.
Yes many a times customs do not look into small value packets and you may be lucky.
Whether you choose EMS/Fedex/jcex/dpex/chinamail there is no fool proof way out.
Thanks.
Hi
I had ordered some makeup products worth 4500 from a UK based website . Today a post man visited my place asking me to pay a customs duty of rs. 3044. I asked if he would give me the original receipt so that i have a proof of paying.
As per what i gathered i learnt that a product is sent out of the delhi airport only once it has cleared customs
Amd as you said if the post man delivers it there should be some receipt. But charging a 3044 for 4500 rs. Products is insane. Please please help. I need products for my personal use. And had been relying on them. Please help
I intend to but an Optoma DLP projector from the US costing US $ 1500/=
through Amazon. What will be my import duty? Will I be certainly charged?
Hello sir I buyed camera worth 30k from foreign and it is hold by customs in India and buyer is asking me extra 30k to clear it from customs…
How long the customs will be holding it with them
@Srikanth, most likely it was a scam and there is no camera and nor is it stuck in customs. The seller will probably keep demanding more and more random fees and then disappear with all your money. Is there any proof that your package was shipped and had a camera and is indeed stuck in customs? If yes, you can get it released from customs yourself, the seller doesn’t have any special privileges to do that.
I am trying to import men’s watches from china to India through alibaba.com. They have said that shipping would be through EMS or Aramex, also they are charging me the shipping cost i.e 25 USD rather than product cost. And they are making me sure that product will be delivered to my door.
So my question is would there be any custom charge or any other tax. As i am a newbie importer pls help me out this dilemma.
Reselling small sized items from aliexpress which are priced no more than 15 dollars each (all items are legal in India)..please tell me the procedures to follow..another thing is can I order it from someones (a friend) IEC number? as a re seller I don’t want to go through any illegal procedures so as to not get involved in any kind of problem..Please help me out!
Hi
I purchased a I phone 6PLUS from US.
The problem is I ordered 1 unit but they sended Me 6 units.Know the good Is stucked with Delhi custom.what to do ND the person I purchased he says to pay me 1k ND take 6 units but am not interested in it so help me out with this.
@Ash Seems like a scam. If the phone is stuck in customs, the seller cannot do anything about it, regardless of what he claims. There is likely no phone and he is simply trying to milk more money out of you.
i am receiving asus memopad 8 as a prize from taiwan to chennai through dhl courier and the value of the product is 8,990 how much import duty should i pay can u say me plz
Hi. I have bought a headphone from v moda worth $300 which they have sent via USPS. Its lying with delhi custom from past 8 days. Do i have to pay duty? How to contact them.
Hi. Im planning to buy a Slip-on Exhaust for my Bike. It is costing me $293 and i will be ordering through MyUS.com.
Feels like a genuine site to get your stuff from USA to INDIA. What i wanted to know if the shipper declares the true value of my consignment, how much customs i need to pay on the above amount? And is it worth the effort as im also paying courier charges additionally.
Thanks,
Ronit
Hi,
I had ordered a pair of earrings from amazon. However they are now stuck at Customs. Can you please tell me how to go about clearing it
Somebody in UK has sent me parcel of gift items viz jewelle, laptop, diamond ring etc worth rs 150000/- but the courier company asking me rs 320000/- for tax & other charges
hi
i wish to order 10 action camera (like gopro) single unit cost is 5000 INR.
when I ordered single unit there was no custom duty. what will happen if i order 10 unit of such camera in single parcel via china post as declared as gift
the Indian custom limit is 10000 INR under gift value. so how this is considered.
the parcel containing multiple unit should has single unit value less then 10k
or
the parcel value should be less then 10k whether it has single or multiple units (5k/unit price).
Hello,
I am buying lumia 1520 from ali express, the seller is asking for declaration value, how much do i declare such that i can ship my product??
I ordered two products via aliexpress. Both are from separate sellers. It’s value is less than ten thousands ( both ) . it’s almost 15 days my packages at chennai customs. Now aliexpress asking me to contact customs. I don’t know ti whom I contact and how get the staff from customs. Both are it products only.
I ordered a watch via aliexpress.. It value around one hundred and fifty dollars. it’s almost 15 days my packages at Bangalore customs. Now aliexpress asking me to contact customs. I don’t know whom should I contact in the customs.
Usually how many days it I’ll take to clear a product by Indian customs
I have a relative coming to india and i have requested them to get a dslr!
Can they show it for personal use and not getting papers.
is it stil taxed?
I’m in USA and I’m moving back to my home country I have box of used craft supplies still I be liable to pay duty tax for it?
Hi,
I am from India and would like to buy a RC helicopter from http://www.aliexpress.com/ The price of the product is $400. I have never bought any item online from outside India, so would like to get an idea before I make the purchase. Please excuse my silly questions. ;)
1. What would be the estimated custom duty I have to pay in rupees for the product of $400?
2. Are you sure that the product will be delivered to me and at the time of delivery I would have to pay the custom duty? I mean, its not like that the product got stuck in custom check and I have to go to the airport or somewhere and settle the custom duty?
3. Are the online stores like http://www.aliexpress.com/ or http://www.banggood.com are reliable?
Any suggestions for me? Talked with the customer care of couple of websites, they are ready to mark the product as “gift” and can lower the invoice value. Should I go for these options?
Thank you.
I woukd like to Update you all .
There is import duty on each and every product you import ,ranging from 15% to 100%.
Even if the value of the product declared is 10$ ..still you may be charged appropriate duty .
Not to forget each shipping company charged you custom clearance charge ranging from 200-400..which is over and above duty .
And then these chinese websites mostly send you damaged products ..and you cant do a shit.
Shipping it back is costly so they will then refund you 15% -20% of the cost .
Dont indulge in Aliexpress ..its a waste ..
Hi
I wanted to buy some shoes from china through a site called repkicks.cn i know they are fake and they total for about a 100$ will there be any problem from indian customs? And how much import duty am i entitled to pay (if any). I know you are not much into shoes and stuff but your article on importing stuff was ptobably the best article i have read until now!
Edit- The site owners say i do not need to pay any customs! Is this so?
Hello sir,
I ordered DIY stuff OBD 2 scanner and now the tracking shows “Held by customs”, I could not understand what to do and how do I pay and what amount I have to pay and where as a custom duty or a tax.
Please assist.
Sir i have purchased a sword imported from china to india will the custom new Delhi will give the shipment clearance or not??
well i am in the defence and i am planning to import a airsoft rifle , i am currently in bangalore custom clearance is my duty i wud like to know what happens when the package arrives at one of the port by ship or air do they ship it to the local custom or do i have to go to chennai , kolkata or mumbai port for clearance