Stuck At Customs....

[Hold_88]

Some help please....
I didn't know this at the time of posting, however I've ordered a Laptop Screen Extender for my computer.

I'm being told by DHL I need to obtain a customers broker to import this. Seems utterly ridiculous, however my Spanish is near non-existent at the moment and I don't have a CUIL number (as I am a tourist)

Money isn't a issue, how do I go about getting this item from DHL in to my hands? I've spent the best part of three hours today contacting all sorts of companies and coming up short. Its a monitor for a laptop and costs $499... it shouldn't be this hard.

Thank you!

 

[sts7049]

is there something special about this particular monitor?

its unfortunate you didn't check prior to shipping it, but this is the way it is trying to receive goods in argentina. you are probably better off buying it locally (plenty of stores to do so where you don't need DNI such as mercado libre). i would claim a lost package and see if you can get refunded by whoever you bought it from or your credit card.

 

[steveinbsas]

i would claim a lost package and see if you can get refunded by whoever you bought it from or your credit card.

It is highly unlikely that claiming that a package which was sent to Argentina via DHL and is "stuck at customs" (in the possession of DHL?) was "lost" and that will result in a refund.

That will only make you "look like" a liar.

You might have success if you are able to "reject" the package and tell DHL to return it to the sender.

 

[blissda]

Please update eventually with what finally happens with this case. I had a similar situation with Amazon and just gave up and left the merchandise in customs. Customs claims they'll destroy it. It seems to be still there 5 months later.

 

[sts7049]

It is highly unlikely that claiming that a package which was sent to Argentina via DHL and is "stuck at customs" (in the possession of DHL?) was "lost" and that will result in a refund.

That will only make you "look like" a liar.

You might have success if you are able to "reject" the package and tell DHL to return it to the sender.

i'm not claiming it to be the most ethical of solutions

 

[FrankPintor]

It shouldn't be that hard, USD 499 is, I understand, under the limit (USD 1000) for door-to-door delivery, so DHL should have no problems. You could call DHL and ask them to send you the "Notificación al Cliente" which will give you some information about fees owed to DHL, and also check the actual declared FOB value, on which import taxes will be calculated. To give an example, on a laptop valued at just over USD 2000, Aduanas wanted ARS 200,000 in tax, paid in cash.

If your package is in Ezeiza, you can go out to the cargo terminal (just inside the entrance to the airport grounds, on the left), register as a visitor, and try to sort things out. In theory, everything you need is there, the shippers' office, your package, Aduanas / AFIP, and a bank to deposit the taxes. Everyone is very friendly and will happily point you to where you should go, even though the reality is that you might not actually achieve anything. Being a tourist is sure to be an extra level of difficulty, with bonus points for not speaking Spanish. Bring lots of time, and know that everything closes between 1-2pm (even though this might not be stated in any of the published opening hours).

PS: in theory, packages are returned to sender after 28 days, in practice it takes longer. To RTS, the shipper needs permission from Aduanas, which is estimated to take 60 - 120 days. I'm pretty sure the package will be accumulating fees during all this time, and DHL will want these before releasing it to the sender whenever it gets home. I was told that destruction is not an option.

 

[joelie]

I just asked this on another similar thread, but if someone is sending something to me via post (from Australia) with a value of around US$100 (mostly chocolate and underwear and a couple of other gifts along those lines), is that something which is likely to get stuck at customs or require extra payment to collect? (I've tried researching this myself but don't seem to be able to wrap my head around the issues.) Thanks for any help!