Customs and Ezeiza

[steveinbsas]

What difference does it make what the law says if the customs officials are corrupt and expect to bribed?

 

[bloody_bloo]

That some of them are not. And knowledge doesn't hurt.

I recommend also never ship in Christmas, bribeness is exponential those days.

 

[Fabe]

My experience in Aduanas has been dreadfull.
Go to aduanas knowing that they are a bunch of uncultured , currupt lowlife bandits. Best description. Oh , and they hate you for being american.

 

[orwellian]

Just got a DVD by USPS labeled as merchandise and valued to 20 USD come directly to my door.

 

[orwellian]

Just got a Kindle shipped here through a mail forwarding company. I got to change the label and the value. Had it shipped to my mail box in Florida for free and then had to pay 41 USD for shipping to Argentina by DHL. It was labeled as books and it did not get held up at Ezeiza.

 

[French jurist]

I'll try to clear a few things here :

There are mainly two postal ways to receive something :
- A courrier service such as DHL, Fedex,... : package will clear the customs at Ezeiza
- The regular postal service : package will clear the customs in Retiro (Centro Postal Internacional aka CPI)

DHL, Fedex and so on have their own customs broker service. To some extent, some of the usual customs operation are delegated to them, counterpart being they have to be sure everything is legal.
Guess what : You are sure to receive your package, you are sure to pay all the custom fees that need to be paid, you are sure to pay the brokers fees they will charge and they decide.

The local postal service (correo argentino) works that way : Packages clear the customs at the CPI (see above, av. Antartida near Retiro). If the package was sent unregistered, from my very personal experience (dating back to 2004, I did not commit the same mistake since), it will "disappear" in-between 40 to 50% of the times (information valid until 2004 since I have never taken risks again since then).
If the package was sent registered (sent through USPS international registered from the US, "recommandé international" from France/blue print on a white bill in France and so on ...), your package won't "vanish".

When you receive a package from abroad through this method (postal service / correo argentino), two -wait, even three !- situations arise :
- You live in quite central "barrios" of Capital ? : you'll receive a registered letter with a card from Correo Argentino telling you to go to the CPI in Retiro.
- You live in some of the capital suburbs (likely to be the northern ones) : you'll usually receive directly your package without the customs hassle unless you get the same registered letter as above, in which case you'll be asked to go to the postal office "cabecera" (head) to clear the customs (in this case I don't know how the customs process works, but probably it's a bit more flexible).
- Last option (it could be discussed since it's only my own feeling : expats living in Nunez and so are welcome to comment) : you live in a Capital "barrio" which is excentered (like Nunez in the north) : chances are you'll receive the package straight to your door with no customs hassle.

***

- Dealing at the CPI in Retiro : this I can not comment on a public board. Just be aware we live in Argentina. Only thing I can tell you is that if the customs officer asks you how you want to pay the customs fee, you may want to answer "el menos posible !" with a big smile and work it from here.


***
Additional tips :
- Despachantes de aduana/customs brokers : be cautious...
- Importing works of art is officialy taxed 50% (I believe it's about the same for electronics and so on... but I won't double check now).
- "Fate" said 3 posts ago that they hate you for being american : I believe he/she makes a point here since when you are an european from a more-or-less latin country you get less problems (adapt yourself).

***

As a rule of thumb :
- You need to receive something with 0 commercial value, but this something shouldn't be "lost" no matter what : use Fedex/DHL/UPS/....
- You need to receive something with some commercial value : use the postal service ONLY in the form of a registered package (with a tracking number : this tracking number will change upon entering the country btw).

*** Sorry if this post was large, but losing incoming packages can turn out to be the worst expat experience.

 

[steveinbsas]

Sorry if this post was large, but losing incoming packages can turn out to be the worst expat experience.

If losing an "incoming" package is your worst expat experience in Argentina you will probably be a relatively happy if not extremely fortunate expat.

It will hardly compare with being robbed...or being "brutally beaten" and robbed (even in Recoleta).

Or being extorted for thousands of dollars when "legally importing" your possessions.

 

[French jurist]

If losing a package is your worst expat experience in Argentina you will still be a relatively happy if not extremely fortunate expat.

Well, since you ask, I've had much worse like divorcing from my Argentinean wife... lol (if you know what I mean).

Nevertheless, when you have 11 packages sent from abroad to you within two months and only 6 arrive, you feel robbed, and when the CPI lady contests you that unregistered lost packages won't be inquired per policy, you feel stupid and harmless.

 

[steveinbsas]

Well, since you ask, I've had much worse like divorcing from my Argentinean wife... lol (if you know what I mean).

Nevertheless, when you have 11 packages sent from abroad to you within two months and only 6 arrive, you feel robbed, and when the CPI lady contests you that unregistered lost packages won't be inquired per policy, you feel stupid and harmless.

Wasn't it Einstein who said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?

 

[French jurist]

Wasn't it Einstein who said insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?

I have no clue but I know Einstein said something like your only model shall be yourself, even if this model is frightening ? Was it ?