Need Help! Ban On Private Parcels To Argentina

[ghost]

Anyone have recent experience with this? I was having a hard time finding a good quality women's suit here, so ordered one from the US not realizing this would be an issue (stupid, in retrospect.) I have been in touch with the company and they have said that it is my responsibility to know the local customs laws and they will not refund me for the suit nor can they arrange to have it shipped back to the US (I would have to negotiate this with customs here.) they essentially said the package will be abandoned and I'll be out a ton of money unless I get a broker. Any idea how much this costs at the moment? And do I need to bring a local to Ezeiza with me to avoid being totally screwed over?

Let me help out the next person who can read. [which is probably 1 in 6] This is Argentina. It is not Canada, France, UK, Sweden or the USA. Do not expect things to happen in any sequence that you might have considered to be normal in your home country. It's sort like a very beautiful person with a really Fuc##2ed up mind.

 

[Gringoboy]

You'll probably get an advice note telling you to fill out an online declaration with AFIP, print it out and then stand on your head.
This may or may not happen within the next six months.
Either way, if the Gods look kindly upon you, you'll have to go to the disused aircaraft hangar near Ezeiza to collect the goods and pay for that privilege.

 

[dennisr]

My Rant:
It is unconscionable the parcel post system in this country; however, sadly, it is a reflection of the way things are: corrupt, dysfunctional. Remember years ago sent a cheapo 35mm camera to a friend of mine in the Peace Corps. He was somewhere in the middle of Africa living in grass hut I think. He got the camera intact, no problems. This place, consider yourself lucky if you receive a birthday card from abroad. Totally insane. Why do people put up with this crap?

 

[thorsten]

Because most people are used to it and consider it "normal" - they don't know that there are other ways to do business (and if they know that there's something else out there, they learned that it's evil neoliberal stuff which is against the workers; and who wants that...).
And from the people who know that its fucked up, many are either not the ones who go on the street for a free choripan or profit from the current situation.

 

[Crema Americana]

I think that's what pisses me off more than anything else. It doesn't have to be this way. The country has the resources to do things the right way, but the greed for taxes upon taxes and useless bureaucracy bogs everything down. I don't expect excessively speedy service, or even door-delivery... but I don't think it's out of line to expect a system which doesn't require you to wait in line for hours or to fill out forms and pay storage fees and taxes just to receive a simple gift from a relative abroad (and that's if it even makes it here.)

As for the suit... did you get the notice from the post office that it is ready to be picked up? You're still going to get screwed if you take a local with you, but it might help as far as communicating and convincing goes.
I have never picked up a package from Ezeiza, but this site has a tutorial on how to go about it. [A tutorial... ffs.] I think someone who has actually gone through the process can better advise you, especially from a foreigner standpoint, but nobody has spoken up yet.
http://tertulialolit...un-paquete.html
You might try just going there in person without all the paperwork mess, especially if you're not a resident, but chances are they'll turn you away without the proper documentation.

 

[NoVegetables]

if you get a notice from the postal service your lucky. Twice my friends sent me a care package. Not of any value at all slims hims and twinkles mostly. Never arrived. Nothing. Finally they sent me package this time through fedex so we can at least track it. It got to customs in bsas and stayed there for over a week. I called fedex and asked what's the hold up, they said customs needed to know my importers id.
Long story short they want my cuit or cuil or something so they can charge me 50% of the package. But what what bugs me is that no one bothered to tell me that they were waiting for that info. I assume if they have a package for you they would drop a note at your door. I had to call fedex and ask what was happening. If the same thing happens in the mail, you have to idea where the package is and no one gives you a heads up. So basically packages are now off limits for me.