recieving package - with huge aduanas fee

[LaurenW]

Hi there,
I got an 'aviso de visita' for a package of used coats and Orbitz gum sent to me from the US with an aduanas charge of 450 pesos...
anyway, i guess the postal guy will be back again tomorrow with the package asking for the fee. Is there any way to lower this fee? It seems really excessive for used clothing.

Thanks
Lauren

 

[Ashley]

The postman comes by twice and then you have to pick up the package from aduanas. The postman is just the go-between so its pretty impossible to argue the fee down at your door but you may be able to do it if you choose to pick up your package at aduanas. I know a guy who swears that if you go on a Friday, they're more flexible with charges just to get you out of there and start the weekend quicker...but there's no guarantee. Clothes (including used clothes) are subject to high import taxes and if they don't arrive with a purchase receipt stating the actual value of the clothes new (used or not!) - for which the import fee, I think, is 50% of the new value + postage cost, aduanas tends to to invent whatever it wants. You can either pay the charge or forfeit the package!

 

[LaurenW]

thanks, that is really helpful. is aduanas in eze or retiro? id rather just pay the fee than go to eze

btw the package was sent USPS international express i think..

and does 'forfeit' mean it gets thrown away or just sent back the US?

 

[LostinBA]

thanks, that is really helpful. is aduanas in eze or retiro? id rather just pay the fee than go to eze

btw the package was sent USPS international express i think..

and does 'forfeit' mean it gets thrown away or just sent back the US?

Assume forfeit means disappears. There's no way to fight it. I've tried. You gotta pay or forfeit. If if was sent by US mail then it's most likely in Retiro. Get there 30 minutes before they open to avoid long waits. The ticket will tell you for sure where it is.

 

[dnussw]

I refused a package once. It was a similar situation; it had clothes, a Mr. Potato Head and a couple of CDs. Aduanas wanted to charge me 200+ four years ago. I thought that the package would disappear as mentioned above, but 4-5 months later it showed up at my parents' house back in the US. I guess aduanas argentinas lost some money on the return postage because I was never charged anything.

I don't know if my experience was normal or not, but if you refuse, I wouldn't count on getting the package back in perfect condition. I also had the experience of a sweater disappearing from a package sent to my husband from Spain and we even paid the fee for that one.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[El chabon]

Expect like 4 hours atleast

 

[bebero]

if it was sent by a courier, most of it aren't custom taxes, but the courier fees for picking up the package for you and doing the work (paying taxes) for you.
you can say no, and it will go back to the person who sent it. i've done it.

everytime someone sends you something from the US make sure they use regular mail.

 

[Hop]

I know a guy who swears that if you go on a Friday, they're more flexible with charges just to get you out of there and start the weekend quicker...but there's no guarantee.

I second that. I went one day (don't think it was a Friday) ten minutes before they closed at 4pm and I was charged nothing, not even the normal "storage" fees they charge you. Of course, this was something like five pesos so not that great of a steal...

In the package was a lot of new make up and perfume which I was sure I'd be charged for but I got lucky! Unless they don't normally charge for that.

 

[El chabon]

In Argentina they charge for the air you breath, so I am sure you got lucky

 

[Ashley]

The postman comes by twice and then you have to pick up the package from aduanas. The postman is just the go-between so its pretty impossible to argue the fee down at your door but you may be able to do it if you choose to pick up your package at aduanas. I know a guy who swears that if you go on a Friday, they're more flexible with charges just to get you out of there and start the weekend quicker...but there's no guarantee. Clothes (including used clothes) are subject to high import taxes and if they don't arrive with a purchase receipt stating the actual value of the clothes new (used or not!) - for which the import fee, I think, is 50% of the new value + postage cost, aduanas tends to to invent whatever it wants. You can either pay the charge or forfeit the package!

It's usually Retiro. If you get something stuck at Ezeiza, I don't think the postman usually brings it over first. I'm not sure I'd wait as late as 4pm...but if you go Friday afternoon, appear completely outraged at the 400-odd fee and prepare yourself to argue the value of the contents, you might get lucky.