Cardon Man - 4-17-2008 at 07:01 AM
Does anyone have experience with ordering stuff on line and having it sent to San Jose/San Lucas? I've DHL'ed some paperwork a while back. But what
about, for example, new fishing gear ( reels ) or even a new electric guitar? I'm sure there is some customs process to deal and duties to pay. But
I'd be interested to hear about your thoughts and experiences.
bajajudy - 4-17-2008 at 07:15 AM
The snafu comes from customs.
A friend wanted to send a used business suit to us via Fedexpress for our employee to wear in Guadalajara at FIL last year and it was stuck in customs
for 2 weeks. Finally made it but we had to send a copy of an airline ticket and some other stuff.
I would think that Amazon and other world wide mail order companies have this part down but a fishing gear biz....I dont know.
Bottom line. if the company knows how to export to Mexico, no worrys. I have no idea how they collect the duty on new items but that is definitely a
snag.
Cardon Man - 4-17-2008 at 07:30 AM
thanks Bajajudy. I don't mind waiting for it to clear customs but I hope the duties aren't too high. There's always a road to trip to San Diego to get
the stuff i want but I'd much rather figure out this customs process and stay put here!
bajajudy - 4-17-2008 at 09:28 AM
You might want to talk to one of the importers here. You can have your merchandise sent to them and they will do the rest and charge you 30-35% to
bring it down from San Diego. That sounds like a high percentage but that is a lot of road.
longlegsinlapaz - 4-17-2008 at 10:55 AM
I've only had totally negative experiences using DHL to receive anything other than paperwork.
The first was 7 years ago for a piece of equipment that cost about $750, the importation on it was $476!!!!!!!
The second & more recent my brother & a friend made an off-road motorcycle trip down mainland, took the ferry from Tompolobampo over to La Paz
& rode the desert back up Baja. They shipped special tires, tubes, filters & replacement parts for their KTM bikes, which are not available
in La Paz & a pair of socks, & two t-shirts. They itemized the contents truthfully & designated which items were new & which were
used. DHL in Portland did NOT tell them they'd have to provide invoices for the new items. Nor did they tell them there would be a problem with the
socks & t-shirts. The shipment was 70 pounds, declared value was around $250 USD & he paid $425 shipping in Portland. I was listed as the
recipient because they refused to let him ship it, marked hold for pick-up, to himself. It left Portland Feb 22, with a 3-4 day quoted delivery
date. They expected to pull into La Paz about March 20, so that should have been ample time for the shipment to arrive before they did. I received a
call from DHL Aduana in Guadalajara 2 1/2 weeks later!!!! They wanted invoices for the new items, a recent airline ticket for the change of socks
& t-shirts and $6XX.XX pesos for an overweight fee because it exceeded Mexico's 25 kilo weight limit. My brother was mid-way through his ride by
that time, I had no access to receipts, no way to contact him. DHL Guaralajara made a determination the used clothing was for resale, despite the
fact that the shipping papers were clearly marked in both English & Espanol "used personal items, not for resale".
They rode into La Paz a week early on March 13 & their parts were still sitting in Guadalajara! I made many trips to both DHL & Aduana here
in La Paz trying to get this resolved & I spoke with numerous DHL reps in Guadalajara....all for naught! My brother went to DHL in La
Paz, with his original paperwork & told them to return the shipment. They told him he'd have to talk with someone in Mexico City to get a
determination of whether or not they'd return it to the sender. After 20 minutes on hold with no real person & only Espanol
recordings, we gave up! There we stood in a DHL office, both the sender & the recipient authorizing then to return it & they refused!
I suggested it might be easier for them to just enjoy the rest of their ride & when they got back to Portland to go back into DHL & explain
the situation & have DHL Portland pull the shipment back through "official channels".
I finally tracked down ONE motocross shop here in La Paz, which had ONE tire the size they needed & they tracked one more down in Constitucion
& had it brought to La Paz the following day. They had to clean & reinstall their existing air filters, and washed all their riding gear
& clothes here. They also had to use motor oil not recommended for their bikes.
DHL Portland has been working for more than 2 weeks to get the shipment returned, to no avail. DHL Guadalajara is still calling me for paperwork to
forward the shipment to me here in La Paz, DESPITE the fact they've been instructed to return it to the shipper since March 13! They told me last
week if they don't get the original invoices & airline ticket by this Wednesday (today!) that the shipment goes into a unclaimed shipment area
(equivalent to "dead letter status").
At this point in time, I sincerely doubt if my brother will ever see this shipment again! And DHL Guadalajara is still calling me for the overweight
fee!
I won't have anything but paperwork sent to me via DHL!! What I do instead is
wait for friends who are driving down & impose on them to buy & carry down the very infrequent thing I need.
This is one of those areas you just have to learn to adapt & come up with successful work-arounds that fit your own personal circumstances....IMO
Clearly, we ain't in Kansas any more, Toto!
Cardon Man - 4-17-2008 at 11:04 AM
Thanks for the input longlegsinlapaz.
bajajudy - 4-17-2008 at 11:12 AM
I agree with legs about DHL.
longlegsinlapaz - 4-17-2008 at 03:13 PM
Just got a message from my sister-in-law....DHL informed my brother today that his package is being returned to him. Will post the final results when
I hear them. DHL here in La Paz told me he should be able to get most of his shipping cost refunded...yeah, we'll see! I wouldn't place any bets on
that one!
bajalera - 4-17-2008 at 05:19 PM
Cardon, I used DHL to send a book to La Paz--Pablo Martinez's original history of BC in Spanish, now so rare I couldn't afford to replace it, so I
listed its value as $100.
Way too much! Had to pay $30 in duty, which brought the total cost to $70 and change.
Expensive lesson.
Hook - 4-17-2008 at 05:34 PM
I hate DHL with a passion. Doesnt matter what country.
Their big distribution center in Irvine just discontinued Saturday hours. Monday-Friday 8-5:30 for pickup.
I had a vendor send me something that required my signature, unbeknown to me. Had to take off work just to pick it up or be at my house at the time of
delivery. Couldnt give me less than a 4 hour window on that.
I hate DHL !!!!
Paladin - 4-17-2008 at 06:44 PM
Without going into details, Ive studied DHL,UPS, Fedex & the USPO for some years now.
DHL is the cheapest and if you dont care when it gets there, if you dont care if it ever gets there, if you dont care if its broke when it sometimes
gets there, then DHL should be your favorite.
bajalera - 4-18-2008 at 08:34 PM
Larry, that wasn't even a foreign book. It was printed in Mexico.