I am in India, and previously imported a pair of drivers from Germany, directly to India... it was tremendously troublesome, with customs and bank requirements... A year down the line, I'm still being asked to submit some documents (I did take delivery after a couple of weeks of haggling with customs).
I want to import a pair of drivers into the USA, from where I have friends coming to India on a regular basis.
What is the customs situation in the USA for stuff like this... Assume the value is 700 Euros, for the pair..., how much will I have to pay for Customs clearance?
Thanks,
I want to import a pair of drivers into the USA, from where I have friends coming to India on a regular basis.
What is the customs situation in the USA for stuff like this... Assume the value is 700 Euros, for the pair..., how much will I have to pay for Customs clearance?
Thanks,
It is very easy to import items into the USA from anywhere in the EU or any of the major trading partners of the US. Most of the time it is as simple as having it shipped from the supplier to a US address via FedEx, USP, DHL, or by mail. If there is any duty or tax, the supplier works that into the quoted price, so it is invisible to the US purchaser. I have never been required to pay customs duty on any item I have had shipped from the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, or Australia.
On the other hand, exporting commercial items from the US involves numerous regulations. The purpose of the regulation is not to generate revenue for the government, but to restrict the export of advanced technology and anything which might have military value. For example, I can buy pretty decent night vision equipment for about $5000. If I wanted to take it to another country while on holiday, or ship it to a friend, I would be violating state department and/or commerce department regulations.
I am certain that loudspeaker drivers do not fall within the regulations, as they have no military value and do not involve advanced technology. Your US friends will not be violating any US regulation by hand carrying these items on an international flight.
j.
On the other hand, exporting commercial items from the US involves numerous regulations. The purpose of the regulation is not to generate revenue for the government, but to restrict the export of advanced technology and anything which might have military value. For example, I can buy pretty decent night vision equipment for about $5000. If I wanted to take it to another country while on holiday, or ship it to a friend, I would be violating state department and/or commerce department regulations.
I am certain that loudspeaker drivers do not fall within the regulations, as they have no military value and do not involve advanced technology. Your US friends will not be violating any US regulation by hand carrying these items on an international flight.
j.
FWIW, I've had two pairs of speakers transported in checked luggage on airplanes without a hitch. One pair travelled from Denmark to the US. The other pair from Canada to Denmark. I doubt speaker magnets are strong enough to enterfere with much of anything.
I also once carried a handful (20 I think) rare earth magnets in my carry-on luggage by accident. I use them as fridge magnets. They're strong (too strong for fridge magnets, honestly, but hey they were cheap on eBay). I thought I'd lost them when I moved to Canada from the US. I looked everywhere but couldn't find them. I did remember packing them. Two years after the move I was travelling to see family in Europe and the security screener at the airport gave me a stern look, held up my stack of magnets, and said, "Sir! What are these?" I just about died laughing. "They're magnets. I've been looking all over for them. Thank you for finding them!" The screener let me keep the magnets. I stuffed them in my checked luggage for the return trip and they're now stuck on my fridge.
Tom
I also once carried a handful (20 I think) rare earth magnets in my carry-on luggage by accident. I use them as fridge magnets. They're strong (too strong for fridge magnets, honestly, but hey they were cheap on eBay). I thought I'd lost them when I moved to Canada from the US. I looked everywhere but couldn't find them. I did remember packing them. Two years after the move I was travelling to see family in Europe and the security screener at the airport gave me a stern look, held up my stack of magnets, and said, "Sir! What are these?" I just about died laughing. "They're magnets. I've been looking all over for them. Thank you for finding them!" The screener let me keep the magnets. I stuffed them in my checked luggage for the return trip and they're now stuck on my fridge.
Tom
On a trip from Amsterdam (Schiphol airport) to the UK some years ago, whilst passing my luggage through the X Ray machine all the lights and bells went off, in an instant about 6 security guards surrounded me and my wife. Amounst them was a female guard at least 6ft tall and nearly as wide. She pulled from my bag the 1930's set of medical scales we had bought from a fle market, made mainly of cast iron they weigh about 20KG. The first bit out of the bag was the dial, 150mm in diameter with a face looking very much like a clock, everybody other than the big woman took a step backward. I sheepishly said 'They are bathroom scales', all looked worried, I took them completely out of my bag, seeing what they were, one of the other guards suggested that Mrs mighty guard step on them to test that all was well, she shook her head with a big grin on her face, all roared with laughter and we were waved on....
The import duty on most stuff is only a few percent. I imported an exhaust system for one of my cars from the UK (when they were still EU) and ended up paying about 20 bucks out of the sales price of $1100. The fee was paid at US customs by FedEx and they simply billed me for it afterwards. Some sellers from, EU just build it into their sales price. I bought some drivers from Germany and they were under the magic $1000 mark, which ends up costing just a few bucks. If over that limit, I believe its still only a few percent.
Its more of a hassle to import from Canada. I bought from Solen a few years back and Canadian customs was a massive hassle, plus it took forever. You would think Canada was just a neighboring country and they were easy to deal with - not so. It also takes Canadian post forever to ship anything.
Buying something made in China from Digikey is a racket. Digikey charges somewhere around 6-8 percent for that on top of their retail price, which is simply a scam to do being they already possess the item.and could just work the fee into their sales price. I bought some Tymphany drivers from them and had a pretty bad experience overall. They just threw everything in a box with a few pieces of paper packing, telling me they dont understand how to package sensitive stuff like speakers.
Its more of a hassle to import from Canada. I bought from Solen a few years back and Canadian customs was a massive hassle, plus it took forever. You would think Canada was just a neighboring country and they were easy to deal with - not so. It also takes Canadian post forever to ship anything.
Buying something made in China from Digikey is a racket. Digikey charges somewhere around 6-8 percent for that on top of their retail price, which is simply a scam to do being they already possess the item.and could just work the fee into their sales price. I bought some Tymphany drivers from them and had a pretty bad experience overall. They just threw everything in a box with a few pieces of paper packing, telling me they dont understand how to package sensitive stuff like speakers.
I ship a few hundred packages by Canada Post each year, most going to international destinations. Most of the delay is actually not due to Canada Post but due to the customs processing. It's pretty common that a package will reach the customs office in a few days (which is reasonable considering the distance travelled) and then sit there for nearly two weeks. That doesn't change anything for the customer, though. It's still crappy service. It's one of the many reasons I offer shipping by UPS and FedEx in addition to Canada Post. UPS and FedEx handle their own customs processing.
The trick there is to buy in US dollars with taxes/duties due at the time of delivery (Delivery At Place - DAP). Then FedEx/UPS will bill you instead. The only snag there is that if you buy more than three different items (UPS) or five different items (FedEx) the shipping company will charge you a brokerage fee for each additional line on the customs form beyond the threshold. The fee is usually a few bucks per additional line. No big deal if you're ordering expensive parts, but a major kick in the teeth if you order two 1/4 W resistors. Ask me how I know...
For large orders where the 6-8% overcharge matters I often split the order into chunks of five items each and have them ship by FedEx. I often end up having to order from Mouser, Digikey, and Future for those anyway, so it works out to maybe one additional order with one of them. Worthwhile when I blow $5-6k on parts. Not so much for a $100 order.
Tom