Buying overseas
- Thread starter brianegge
- Start date
As with anything have the receipts, declare the item / value. If you’ve been away long enough (per day) look up what the maximum duty free is.
If you were gone for more than a week the vast majority should be covered by duty free. Whether you still need to pay for State / Local tax is all together different!
Worst case you can ship it back to yourself and claim it as a gift and declare a low SRD. Anything under $100.XX is duty free but you’ll want to confirm if State / Local tax applies.
Lastly, do not use DHL, UPS, FedEx as the courier if the declared value is more than $25.XX.
As each of these dirty cunts have a tiered (Brokerage) fee to clear the item through customs etc. You can always clear the parcel yourself too if and when the parcel arrives if you did use them.
As it relates to how and what the item should be declared as. Make sure you research what items will be taxed at what rate!
Besides indicating the item is a Gift. You can also indicate it’s a warranty replacement and duty & taxes do not apply.
Regardless of all the above insurance is a double edged sword. As the way bill will call out how much the item is insured for regardless of what real vs fake value you indicate on the bill of laden.
When it comes to purchasing something like a Dahua IP camera or NVR, for me the money saved (if any) would not be worth the aggravation and time spent on the paperwork at customs upon re-entry here.
Additionally, I would be concerned that the device firmware would not be International and not be upgradeable, not to mention the handling of a support or warranty issue should a device malfunction soon after purchase or within any purported warranty period.
I'm sticking with buying from Andy of Empire Tech or other reputable and preferably local vendors.
Additionally, I would be concerned that the device firmware would not be International and not be upgradeable, not to mention the handling of a support or warranty issue should a device malfunction soon after purchase or within any purported warranty period.
I'm sticking with buying from Andy of Empire Tech or other reputable and preferably local vendors.
Agreed, a person needs to weigh out what the pros and cons are for doing both. My thoughts are (if I was doing this) to either limit my purchase so if things go south it’s not a huge losss.
If on the other hand the hardware is an incredible deal roll the dice and make a gamble!
I’ve been there like the OP and did both either carry on, checked baggage, and shipped back home. The vast majority were small items that I didn’t need to worry about breaking.
Anything that was large & heavy or had multiple quantities I shipped back.
If on the other hand the hardware is an incredible deal roll the dice and make a gamble!
I’ve been there like the OP and did both either carry on, checked baggage, and shipped back home. The vast majority were small items that I didn’t need to worry about breaking.
Anything that was large & heavy or had multiple quantities I shipped back.
CanCuba
Known around here
I have brought Dahua equipment back from Mexico several times. Always the same supplier and haven't had any issues re: firmware, compatability, etc
Mind you, I don't live in the States nor Canada (anymore) so it's a bit of an apples/orange comparison when it comes to Customs, duty, etc...
As a gentle reminder (IF) you decide to ship the item back and declare it as a GIFT. Don’t be silly and state your name as the sender? 
You can state your wife, daughter, whoever. But don’t state yourself as the sender & receiver.
Other things to note do not include any sort of food, plant, animal, candy inside.
Do NOT place any kind of perfume, moth balls, or anything that has a scent like incense, candles etc.
Doing so will have the parcel flagged to secondary inspection and will sit in detention for weeks until they inspect it.
Lastly, clearly indicate your contact number and email if available.
You can state your wife, daughter, whoever. But don’t state yourself as the sender & receiver.
Other things to note do not include any sort of food, plant, animal, candy inside.
Do NOT place any kind of perfume, moth balls, or anything that has a scent like incense, candles etc.
Doing so will have the parcel flagged to secondary inspection and will sit in detention for weeks until they inspect it.
Lastly, clearly indicate your contact number and email if available.