Sockhopper
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- Nov 16, 2008
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Hello!
I'm considering moving to BA and obtaining temporary residency. One concern I have is that I might find it harder or impossible to shop online while living in Argentina with businesses in the US, France, the UK, Italy and Spain which is something I’m used to doing here in Canada.
If any expats or others have shopped online within Argentina with a retailer outside Latin America for goods you want shipped to Argentina, and you’re using a credit card issued in the country of your foreign citizenship (OR Argentina), I’d appreciate hearing if you encountered or have heard of any difficulties connected with making the purchase transaction itself.
In that some online retailers in the US and Europe ship to Argentina (net-a-porter.uk and Bloomingdale’s, Saks eg.) and some offer the facility of “prepaid customs duties and domestic taxes applied by the country of importation”, this means that a consumer in Argentina would owe nothing on such parcel when it enters Argentina (because the duties and IVA collected from the customer by the retailer will be passed on to the retailer's broker and from it to the Argentine authorities). AND the shipper or post office would ship direct to your door if everything else about the shipment conforms with Argentine law. Theoretically at least!
Living in Canada, I prefer to not use “prepaid” options since I save money by paying my duties and taxes directly to my Customs’ at my door. But in Argentina “prepaid” could be most useful.
I’d love to hear from portenos and expats about their consumer experiences shopping online in Argentina at shops outside Latin America.
Reports I’ve read say that online shopping is still in its infancy in South America, is more popular in Brazil, and that Argentines and Brazilians tend to prefer retailers in their own country. So my hunch is that people living in Argentina don’t actually purchase frequently online from companies in the West. My problem is that if I move to Argentina, I’m not American and won’t be taking visits to the States to load up my luggage with goods cheaper than in Argentina. I live in Canada where this is little interesting to buy or things are more expensive than in the US and even Europe now! I also don’t like the quality of Argentine textiles and house wares.
I also would like to access Argentina’s “Customs Tariff” which if this exists and like its counterparts in other countries would classify every tangible item that’s importable and state the rate of duty applicable to each type of item and to imports from its particular country of origin (manufacture).
Could anyone please tell me if a copy of Argentina’s Customs’ Tariff is available online and where I might find it? Knowing duty rates is very important when budgeting what an item will truly cost before deciding to buy it.
While I understand that expats and visitors have had parcels of their old textbooks or clothing shipped from home arbitrarily assessed by Argentine Customs at a way higher value than they’re worth and thereby subjected to extortionate and unaffordable duties, I’m failing to see how this could happen with new goods purchased from a reputable retailer in the West whose shipping paperwork and description of the goods and their value (the price paid) on its “Customs Declaration” don’t misrepresent anything about the goods. If you know otherwise, please tell me.
I hear that Argentine import duties are incredibly high in contrast to those applicable in Western countries. Just now, I’ve pretended to buy something online at a couple of US department stores and have it shipped to a BA address – stores that collect from you prepaid duties and IVA. I’m seeing, depending upon the item, 51% -84% on top of the retail price to cover the shipping, Argentine duties and IVA. (Importing non-NAFTA- made goods from the US to Canada generally costs me 33% in comparison).
Does anyone remember the rate of duties they’ve paid on new clothing when they’ve had to go to a Customs’ office in Argentina to pay duties on and pick up their parcel? Was it in the ballpark of 50%?
Please excuse so many questions. But importing is a multi-step operation and one thing connects with the next.
I'm considering moving to BA and obtaining temporary residency. One concern I have is that I might find it harder or impossible to shop online while living in Argentina with businesses in the US, France, the UK, Italy and Spain which is something I’m used to doing here in Canada.
If any expats or others have shopped online within Argentina with a retailer outside Latin America for goods you want shipped to Argentina, and you’re using a credit card issued in the country of your foreign citizenship (OR Argentina), I’d appreciate hearing if you encountered or have heard of any difficulties connected with making the purchase transaction itself.
In that some online retailers in the US and Europe ship to Argentina (net-a-porter.uk and Bloomingdale’s, Saks eg.) and some offer the facility of “prepaid customs duties and domestic taxes applied by the country of importation”, this means that a consumer in Argentina would owe nothing on such parcel when it enters Argentina (because the duties and IVA collected from the customer by the retailer will be passed on to the retailer's broker and from it to the Argentine authorities). AND the shipper or post office would ship direct to your door if everything else about the shipment conforms with Argentine law. Theoretically at least!
Living in Canada, I prefer to not use “prepaid” options since I save money by paying my duties and taxes directly to my Customs’ at my door. But in Argentina “prepaid” could be most useful.
I’d love to hear from portenos and expats about their consumer experiences shopping online in Argentina at shops outside Latin America.
Reports I’ve read say that online shopping is still in its infancy in South America, is more popular in Brazil, and that Argentines and Brazilians tend to prefer retailers in their own country. So my hunch is that people living in Argentina don’t actually purchase frequently online from companies in the West. My problem is that if I move to Argentina, I’m not American and won’t be taking visits to the States to load up my luggage with goods cheaper than in Argentina. I live in Canada where this is little interesting to buy or things are more expensive than in the US and even Europe now! I also don’t like the quality of Argentine textiles and house wares.
I also would like to access Argentina’s “Customs Tariff” which if this exists and like its counterparts in other countries would classify every tangible item that’s importable and state the rate of duty applicable to each type of item and to imports from its particular country of origin (manufacture).
Could anyone please tell me if a copy of Argentina’s Customs’ Tariff is available online and where I might find it? Knowing duty rates is very important when budgeting what an item will truly cost before deciding to buy it.
While I understand that expats and visitors have had parcels of their old textbooks or clothing shipped from home arbitrarily assessed by Argentine Customs at a way higher value than they’re worth and thereby subjected to extortionate and unaffordable duties, I’m failing to see how this could happen with new goods purchased from a reputable retailer in the West whose shipping paperwork and description of the goods and their value (the price paid) on its “Customs Declaration” don’t misrepresent anything about the goods. If you know otherwise, please tell me.
I hear that Argentine import duties are incredibly high in contrast to those applicable in Western countries. Just now, I’ve pretended to buy something online at a couple of US department stores and have it shipped to a BA address – stores that collect from you prepaid duties and IVA. I’m seeing, depending upon the item, 51% -84% on top of the retail price to cover the shipping, Argentine duties and IVA. (Importing non-NAFTA- made goods from the US to Canada generally costs me 33% in comparison).
Does anyone remember the rate of duties they’ve paid on new clothing when they’ve had to go to a Customs’ office in Argentina to pay duties on and pick up their parcel? Was it in the ballpark of 50%?
Please excuse so many questions. But importing is a multi-step operation and one thing connects with the next.