TV Purchase Decision

healimonster

Member
Sep 29, 2015
176
0
16
After a bit of research I read several posts telling people to not shipping TV's to the DR or Punta Cana to be more accurate in this case. They would suggest that you are better off buying it in the DR to avoid taxes, customs, and shipping fees.
We are in the market for around a 40 inch smart tv. My price shopping in the DR found that we would be looking at around $24000 RD for a 40 inch TV that is probably not smart and may not even be a brand name.
As an Amazon prime member I can buy a good 40inch Vizio (VIZIO E40-C2 40-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV) for $360 USD and have it shipped to Miami for Free.
It has a 20 pound shipping weight. Is it still a better idea to buy something locally or is it worth to send this though a re-shipper (something that I have no experience with)?
Can someone who regularly uses this shipping services weigh in with their thoughts?
Ultimately there is about a $200 wiggle room for fees and taxes for it to make more sense to buy it from Amazon? Right or am I missing something?
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
Get quotes from local door to door shippers and see how it goes for shipping from Miami to you.
 

Abuela

Bronze
May 13, 2006
1,952
288
83
Re-shipping from Miami sets you up to still have to pay customs and shipping fees when you pick it up here. Make sure you make a pdf copy of your Amazon invoice and forward to your re-shipper and this may keep you from being gouged at customs by a higher value than you paid. Before you order, think about how boxes get tossed around in shipping here or anywhere for that matter because a damaged tv is your to keep. My best advice is buy on island even with a higher price you will be under the extra costs you'd incur with shipping & customs. Good luck.
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
Re-shipping from Miami sets you up to still have to pay customs and shipping fees when you pick it up here. Make sure you make a pdf copy of your Amazon invoice and forward to your re-shipper and this may keep you from being gouged at customs by a higher value than you paid. Before you order, think about how boxes get tossed around in shipping here or anywhere for that matter because a damaged tv is your to keep. My best advice is buy on island even with a higher price you will be under the extra costs you'd incur with shipping & customs. Good luck.

With door to door quotes you get a firm fixed price. Shippers do this all of the time.
 
Jan 9, 2004
10,898
2,226
113
After a bit of research I read several posts telling people to not shipping TV's to the DR or Punta Cana to be more accurate in this case. They would suggest that you are better off buying it in the DR to avoid taxes, customs, and shipping fees.
We are in the market for around a 40 inch smart tv. My price shopping in the DR found that we would be looking at around $24000 RD for a 40 inch TV that is probably not smart and may not even be a brand name.
As an Amazon prime member I can buy a good 40inch Vizio (VIZIO E40-C2 40-Inch 1080p Smart LED HDTV) for $360 USD and have it shipped to Miami for Free.
It has a 20 pound shipping weight. Is it still a better idea to buy something locally or is it worth to send this though a re-shipper (something that I have no experience with)?
Can someone who regularly uses this shipping services weigh in with their thoughts?
Ultimately there is about a $200 wiggle room for fees and taxes for it to make more sense to buy it from Amazon? Right or am I missing something?

$200 wiggle room is not enough. It is only worth it if you send the TV via a mudanza, not EPS or one of the other small package couriers that charge by the pound and then you pay additional taxes to Aduana.

Find one in Miami and get an all in quote with the TV delivered to your door (Yes they do that) .....then compare against the prices here.

I shipped 3 TV's (50"/48"/40") using a Mudanza and the total savings including shipping/taxes was around $700.00 USD. And the best part is.....they delivered them to my front door.

Of course they are without warranty....but the boards in the new TV's are fairly inexpensive and fairly easy to replace if the need arises.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
Last edited:

healimonster

Member
Sep 29, 2015
176
0
16
I shipped 3 TV's (50"/48"/40") using a Mudanza and the total savings including shipping/taxes was around $700.00 USD. And the best part is.....they delivered them to my front door.
Can you tell me more about these Mudanzas and how you came across them?
 

AZB

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
12,290
519
113
I have purchased an Optoma 141x DLP 1080p resolution projector and now I hardly turn on my TV. my projector is connected to cable TV and netflix. the picture quality is amazing, sharp and bright. The screen is huge (100"). the projector was brought in my backpack. i paid no custom duty. $599 or less, total on ebay.
AZB
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
6,247
113
South Coast
I'll throw out another possibility. The DR government usually has a duty free period from mid Dec to mid Jan when anything that comes in with you on a flight into DR is free of extra charges, up to $3000 I believe. Each year we see a LOT of flat screen TVs in their original boxes coming through with the luggage.

Bear in mind that this is supposed to only be for Dominicans coming home for the holidays, but I didn't see any of the gringos being stopped either. We'll probably be bringing one with us in December.

[Be sure to find out if your airline accepts boxes, some don't over the holidays. We flew American]
 

DRDreamer72

Member
Nov 17, 2014
204
7
18
I have used the shipping services that let you get deliveries to a US address and then they ship it to the DR at a rate based on the weight.
In general the boxes look to have had a beating en-route and although I would buy small electronics using the service, I wouldn't risk a large item like a TV. If a board is faulty and your happy to replace it, that's fine, but the screen is a different matter.
As I said in a previous thread, being from the UK, I have found the prices here are not so bad here, but if I used the US price, then it's not so good.

At the end of the day, it's a risk versus cost benefits decision.

That's my two penneth for what it's worth :)

Would be interested to hear what you decide to do and any good points or bad points though :)

Roy
 
Jan 9, 2004
10,898
2,226
113
Can you tell me more about these Mudanzas and how you came across them?

You will be sure to find them in cities where Dominicans reside.

They do not ship by the pound but rather by the size of the item and the taxes the may incur.

Perhaps you can find a reputable one in Miami who will not only receive your item(s) but also forward them to you in the DR.

As to bringing stuff in on a plane and as was stated above.....some airlines do not allow boxes.....so check with your airline first.

Note that 32" TV's unboxed and carefully wrapped....fit quite nicely in a large suitcase.



Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 
Jan 9, 2004
10,898
2,226
113
I'll throw out another possibility. The DR government usually has a duty free period from mid Dec to mid Jan when anything that comes in with you on a flight into DR is free of extra charges, up to $3000 I believe. Each year we see a LOT of flat screen TVs in their original boxes coming through with the luggage.

Bear in mind that this is supposed to only be for Dominicans coming home for the holidays, but I didn't see any of the gringos being stopped either. We'll probably be bringing one with us in December.

[Be sure to find out if your airline accepts boxes, some don't over the holidays. We flew American]

And......a passenger, any passenger, can bring in up to $500.00 USD of gifts every three months......BUT they must be declared on the Customs Declaration form.....and its not a bad idea to have valid receipts for those item(s).


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

Bigocean

New member
Nov 25, 2010
255
2
0
I'll throw out another possibility. The DR government usually has a duty free period from mid Dec to mid Jan when anything that comes in with you on a flight into DR is free of extra charges, up to $3000 I believe. Each year we see a LOT of flat screen TVs in their original boxes coming through with the luggage.

Bear in mind that this is supposed to only be for Dominicans coming home for the holidays, but I didn't see any of the gringos being stopped either. We'll probably be bringing one with us in December.

[Be sure to find out if your airline accepts boxes, some don't over the holidays. We flew American]


Be sure to verify that your airline will not have a baggage "embargo" during the time you are planning to travel! I found out the hard way last year when I went to the USA for a race and due to the onset of American Airline's seasonal embargo, I was unable to return with my racing bicycle. Any over sized item (such as TV) would suffer the same treatment.

https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/baggage/embargo.jsp

This was American Airlines so your airline may not have an embargo, just be sure to check before you buy the TV.
 

KyleMackey

Bronze
Apr 20, 2015
3,126
848
113
Relative to a new TV, if you plan on getting OTA free channels make sure the TV is designed to show all channels when you
hit the guide button. My mother has a new Vizio and it is designed to not show list all channels. You have hit the up or down button.
My newer Samsung, no problem, it lists the menu of all channels for Over the Air.

Countries and territories using ATSC
North America

Bahamas plans for transition to ATSC standards were officially announced on December 14, 2011; national public broadcaster ZNS-TV announced it would be upgrading to ATSC digital television with mobile DTV capabilities, in line with its neighbors, the United States and Puerto Rico.[32]
Canada switched to ATSC on August 31, 2011 in provincial/territorial capitals and locations with 300,000 or more people; expected to continue broadcasting analog over-the-air television signals in 22 markets until August 31, 2012.[33]
Dominican Republic plans announced August 10, 2010; transition to be complete by September 24, 2015.[34]
El Salvador plans were announced April 22, 2009, but then scrap, still in review.[35]
Mexico plans announced July 2, 2004,[36] started conversion in 2013[37] transition expected to be complete by December 31, 2015.[8]
United States switched to ATSC on June 12, 2009, excluding LPTV stations; transition to be complete by September 1, 2015.[38]
Puerto Rico
U.S. Virgin Islands
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Television_Systems_Committee_standards
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
More than once i have shipped TV's by mudanza (Awilda).

It matters not where the mudanza is - free shipping by the retailer.

Remember, the quality in RD may not be first grade... mucho inferior calidad aqui

Buy at Best Buy or wherever you want
Montero and Awilda are excellent

Just rec'd y'day.. 2 large boxes and two large tubes of 'stuff'
$135 door to door.

Call the mudanza for a price to satisfy yourself
 

Andrea Duguay

New member
May 2, 2015
216
0
0
I am in the market for a tv as well. PlazaLama in Santo Domingo has LG smart tvs and the one I want is only about $150 more than a comparable one in Canada.

TV LED LG M/32LB580B
32 SMART TV
$23995DP

TV LED LG M/42UB8200
42P. 4K UHD
$47995DP