Advice on...

[Neilcampbell31]

...getting clothes posted from Europe.

I know that there is a ban and/or high tariffs on imports into the country but I would like to know if anyone has any advice on get getting used [winter] clothes posted from Europe? As they're my used clothing, is this still considered an import?

I would aim to sent a winter jacket + 3 jumpers. Would it be best to split them up into 4 packages? This may not even be possible...or if it is possible, it may be held at customs for months.

Any advice would be really helpful.

Neil

Excuse my ignorance on the importation rules etc!

 

[jimdepalermo]

I don't know official rules or current practices, but a few years ago my sister in the US sent me a box of used clothing unsolicited that she thought I might want. I received a notice to appear at the Correo Internacional, and after going through the time-wasting routine there, the agents opened the box and sent me on my way.

The only cost was the minimum processing charge for international parcels. Plus a wasted day to retrieve it.

I believe only parcels sent through standard mails arrive at the Correo. Anything sent by a service like DHL or UPS will probably be treated differently.

 

[surfing]

I don't know official rules or current practices, but a few years ago my sister in the US sent me a box of used clothing unsolicited that she thought I might want. I received a notice to appear at the Correo Internacional, and after going through the time-wasting routine there, the agents opened the box and sent me on my way.

The only cost was the minimum processing charge for international parcels. Plus a wasted day to retrieve it.

I believe only parcels sent through standard mails arrive at the Correo. Anything sent by a service like DHL or UPS will probably be treated differently.

Yes it will be treated differently with DHL or UPS ----- you will have to lose a whole day plus round trip transport to Ezeiza and that makes the trip to the Correo look like a walk in the park.

 

[ben milne]

after having visted the international correo office several times over the years and having found the contents (if there were any) significantly reduced, i recommend using fedex or dhl (ridiculously expensive) or get a visiting friend or relative to bring stuff over

sometimes stuff arrives if collected from the international post office

if then resent to another branch e.g. in the province, expect nothing, too many hands involved in the process

my older brother visits once a year and brings everything from good quality pepper to black and decker drills

hope this helps

 

[Greenman]

...getting clothes posted from Europe.

I know that there is a ban and/or high tariffs on imports into the country but I would like to know if anyone has any advice on get getting used [winter] clothes posted from Europe? As they're my used clothing, is this still considered an import?

I would aim to sent a winter jacket + 3 jumpers. Would it be best to split them up into 4 packages? This may not even be possible...or if it is possible, it may be held at customs for months.

Any advice would be really helpful.

Neil

Excuse my ignorance on the importation rules etc!

The rules are as folows as I undestand them to be.
Personal Items are not IMPORT.
You are allowed to enter your personal items as a tourist or as a resident.
If you are a resident you can even bring in very expensive personal items duty free. This has to be arranged before you leave the old country.
As far as clothes they are personal items and you can bring all you wish.

As far as used clothing if the are not personal and the intent is to sell the used clothing in argentinam then it is prohibited.

Hope this helps

 

[Napoleon]

The rules are as folows as I undestand them to be.
Personal Items are not IMPORT.
You are allowed to enter your personal items as a tourist or as a resident.
If you are a resident you can even bring in very expensive personal items duty free. This has to be arranged before you leave the old country.
As far as clothes they are personal items and you can bring all you wish.

As far as used clothing if the are not personal and the intent is to sell the used clothing in argentinam then it is prohibited.

Hope this helps

This means that if you have someone send you something, then mark it as:

From: YOU
To: YOU

Contents: Personal Items
Value: US$15

It's not just here, but I sent a bunch of used crap that a friend left in South America via FedEx to South Africa back in 2009 and they ended up charging him US$100+ because of the USED value of the items and the fact that it was from ME rather than from HIM.

I always have people bring stuff to me vs Having it sent. You are just certain that it's going to make it vs Certain that you're going to get $%#@&%!

Be smart, so you won't be mad.

 

[Mark IV]

Here in Argentina, I think it's a "roll of the dice" with shipping and taxes. But to increase your odds of not going to the worst spot Ezeiza(airport) or the 2nd worst, Correro International, I'd do what you thought of doing already Neil. I'd send them in separate packages and here's why. One time I ordered two new suit pants from a larger department store(JC Pennys) and I received them in my town eight hours south of Buenos Aires(and no taxes.). They came in about a 12 inch by 24 in nylon reinforced plastic bag(not too big, about 3 inches at the widest) so that people could feel what was inside without opening it.
It also had letters and official looking numbers from JC Pennys and USPS(not UPS) on the outside. I'm thinking all those numbers may have made some feel that it had been taxed and they could feel it was flemsy(but a strong bag with no credit cards, cardboard, etc. inside), so they just let it go through the mail. Just my 5 cents on what might have happened. But everyone is right. I don't think you'd want a large box going from DHL or UPS going through EZE. Might as well put a red flag on it whic says "Open me first!". MKIV

About a days bus drive north of the Argentina/Bolivian border is Santa Cruz(de la Sierra, Bolivia). Every Sunday on Santos DuMont between the 4th and 5th rings there's about a kilometer long "Ropa Americana". Yes, ContainerS filled with used American Clothes shipped to Santa Cruz, Bolivia and resold at pretty good prices.
Sometimes you can find good brand names. Shoes, womens clothing, Men's clothing, etc. I wear a men's 3X shirt, and that is a bit harder to find in something you like. But size 2X on down is pretty plentiful.
If you women have a skirt, that you love the fit. Or guys, a pair of pants, that you love the fit. They have tailors at Seite Calles that can 'reverse engineer'(for lack of a better term) your clothing to get that same fit, color, etc. if you want. They also make men's tailored suits but they're pretty close to B.A.'s prices(allow a few days for tailoring) . Taxi cabs are super cheap in Bolivia. They almost all know where 'Siete Calles' or 'Ropa Americana'(Santos DuMont entre 4 y 5 anillos) are. IF ANYONES KNOWS OF A 'ROPA AMERICANA' OR REASONABLE TAILOR TO REVERSE ENGINEER IN BA
please let us know. Thanks MKIV

 

[ElQueso]

About a days bus drive north of the Argentina/Bolivian border is Santa Cruz(de la Sierra, Bolivia). Every Sunday on Santos DuMont between the 4th and 5th rings there's about a kilometer long "Ropa Americana". Yes, ContainerS filled with used American Clothes shipped to Santa Cruz, Bolivia and resold at pretty good prices.
Sometimes you can find good brand names. Shoes, womens clothing, Men's clothing, etc. I wear a men's 3X shirt, and that is a bit harder to find in something you like. But size 2X on down is pretty plentiful.
If you women have a skirt, that you love the fit. Or guys, a pair of pants, that you love the fit.

As I understand it, one of the reasons importing used clothes into South America (at least within the MercoSur, I'm not sure about associate and non member countries) is illegal is because a lot (or most?) of those clothes are collected by charitable organizations in the US, intended for the poor. I'm not sure of the mechanics of it, but somehow those clothes end up in the shops of places that sell "American" clothes to wealthy and middle class, and sometimes lower class (but not often the poor) at prices far lower than imported trade goods.

My wife has a friend in Paraguay who runs a number of businesses in Asuncion. They want to get into that business because the profit is astounding. I know in Asuncion that they will pay people to bring clothes in when they travel and sell them, but there's not a lot of people traveling back and forth between the States and Paraguay.

If someone could figure out how to import used clothes from the States or Europe in bulk legally for sale, they could make a fortune.

Of course, another reason for being illegal to bring in used clothes being that it supposedly affects the local/regional clothes makers market. Their quality is so bad and the prices of quality imports so high that a large majority of the people would buy the used products from the States rather than the crap that falls apart after a few washes that they can normally get.

I've never seen that kind of store in Buenos Aires, but haven't looked either. For some reason, it doesn't seem like it would go over good, at least not in Cap Fed. I can't see Porteños stooping to buying "used American" clothes.

 

[starlucia]

I've never seen that kind of store in Buenos Aires, but haven't looked either. For some reason, it doesn't seem like it would go over good, at least not in Cap Fed. I can't see Porteños stooping to buying "used American" clothes.

I have - a couple of little places along Santa Fe. The 'brands' they sell are the bo-bo ones you find at Ross and Marshall's, as well as outlet stores. The items looked to be in pretty rough shape, but they were "FROM MIAMI" (ooh la la.)

 

[scotttswan]

I'm not sure exactly what the law says but i had a few pairs of jeans and a jumper sent from the uk to here via correo argentina/royal mail.

It was marked as a present and registered delivery. i had to go down to collect it though as it was a largish packaged. After a long wait they made me open it in front of them and they seemed quite happy for me to just head off after that.

I made sure all labels had been cut off before it was sent though.

This was in 2009 though so times may have changed.