Santo Domingo Today. A group of merchants are seeking to remove the $200 exemption on imports under the fairness doctrine of the DR constitution. Talk about greed. Have no idea of the likelihood of success of this terrible idea but it would remove the last vestige of sanity gringos have left while living in this crazy place. One of the fast tracks to giving up life in the DR is the difficulty of locating "stuff". Try and find a part to your bbq. I spent one afternoon searching for wasp spray so the gardener did not throw diesel fuel on my plants. Finally gave up. I do not know what we can do other than hope this fails. I am ready to burn tires in the street. Pedro Clisante during free movie night for a start?
- Thread starter zoomzx11
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new threat to our $200 tax import exemption
It was "Shot Down" by the power of the "Mail Services" several months ago, it will be again.
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"Amazon" is my link to the "Real World"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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"Amazon" is my link to the "Real World"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
here is the link to the story:
Empresarios piden equidad tributaria - DiarioLibre.com
it pops up from time to time. dominican "businessmen" are pi**ed off that they cannot charge astronomical margins on their merchandiser. even with the tax on purchases below 200 dollars it will be cheaper than dominican stores. and i'd rather buy abroad.
Empresarios piden equidad tributaria - DiarioLibre.com
it pops up from time to time. dominican "businessmen" are pi**ed off that they cannot charge astronomical margins on their merchandiser. even with the tax on purchases below 200 dollars it will be cheaper than dominican stores. and i'd rather buy abroad.
It took more than the power of the mail services. More important was the message from the US that this would violate the trade agreement with the US and would have consequences.
Nothing is going to come of this. No point in worrying about it.
Amazon really is a life saver when it comes to finding easy to find in USA/hard to find or expensive in DR stuff. I sure takes a little patience of waiting for your stuff to be shipped in. But it saves both time and money getting Grade A,B stuff from China instead of similar but C,D,F quality stuff that I often see in the stores.
http://dr1.com/forums/living/127919-18-tax-orders-via-internet-valued-under-200-a.html
This describes what happened last time.
This describes what happened last time.
you guys make it sound like all shop owners are greedy thieves trying to screw you out of every last dollar and cent. The truth as I?ve discovered is: unless you have the right government connections or know the right people to bribe, it is NOT possible to run a small retail business at a profit if you are receiving your merchandise from overseas. Want to order camera parts? how are you going to keep a stock of supplies when lens is likely to cost over $200 and you have to pay 20% import fees on 20% import tariff fees on top of 18% ITbiS. If you are legally declaring your merchandises worth - even its wholesale cost, you will likely have to increase your retail price significantly just to cover your expenses.
Running a small retail shop, I did the math, we are better off ordering small amounts by courrier and not spending more than $200 per order than ordering larger shipments by boat and paying the full tax amount. It's madness!
Running a small retail shop, I did the math, we are better off ordering small amounts by courrier and not spending more than $200 per order than ordering larger shipments by boat and paying the full tax amount. It's madness!
So, maybe you can explain something that has always perplexed me. Case in point. Ikea. All made in the same factories, flat packed on the same ships. Go through the same canal. Why on earh are electronics so expensive in DR? Is it ikea, the importer or the retailer that cause the huge mark up?
No, because many electronics are considered 'luxury' items and taxed to the max. HD Tv's are considered luxury items, whereas computers are not-I haven't the foggiest clue how they come up with this stuff in Aduanas.
I think one issue is that the Caribbean is farther to ship or fly to than the US, and those transportation costs add to the net cost of producing an item. Remember that the market of potential buyers is smaller here on Hispanola that on mainland NA. If it costs more to sell less product, that transportation cost is going to be made up somewhere, and it's spread over fewer units moved and sold.
The tarriff situation here doesn't help matter either. Nor does the perception that Ikea is "nice" furniture compared to a lot of what is produced in-country.
i hope you did not read my short rant as a support to taxing online purchases below 200 dollars?
i cannot explain ikea. i cannot even explain a stupid face cream i can buy in poland for 5 dollars in a supermarket but la sirena sells it at 20 dollars. even with the shipping, transport and other crap included it should not add up to 4 times more.
Hehe, the internet... Stupid-face cream, or stupid face-cream?
If you buy something on Amazon, pay the shipping to Miami, shipping via Encargo, gas to go get it in Sosua, and a beer for the trip back, you still end up $50 ahead.
The question is, why can I import one item substantially cheaper than a reseller could for a whole lot?
ANYTHING ANY GOVT SAYS IN TODAYS WORLD IS RIPE WITH DECEIPT AND CORRUPTION ... SO DON T SAY DONT WORRY ABOUT IT ... Americans are the most gullible , brainwashed people in the world , however there are Almost 50 countries seconds behind ...ALL GOVTS READ THE SAME MANUEL ! Pay themselves a wage increase in late DECEMBER AND THEN BREAK FOR HOLIDAYS RETURNING SEVERAL WEEKS LATER ...... F....O WITH THE Propanganda ... Sorry nothing personal !!!! Lol
That's the reason I can sympathise with these businesses that say they can't compete with amazon. If you're lucky like me, the wholesale price of your products is between $6-$10 per item, so you can still order a semi-decent stock and stay under $200. But, we are constantly in stock rupture, because some weeks, products sell out while we are still waiting for the backorder.
And I'm doubly lucky because my biggest selling item comes from a manufacture who sells 50% off for wholesale purchases. This is not the case for all items. Another distributor in the states is selling wholesale at only 15% discount. The only incentive customers have to come to the store and buy is to have the immediacy of obtaining the product right away. Anyone with an ounce of patience can get it online for $10-$15 cheaper.
And I'm doubly lucky because my biggest selling item comes from a manufacture who sells 50% off for wholesale purchases. This is not the case for all items. Another distributor in the states is selling wholesale at only 15% discount. The only incentive customers have to come to the store and buy is to have the immediacy of obtaining the product right away. Anyone with an ounce of patience can get it online for $10-$15 cheaper.
I would agree with on you the shipping except that in almost all circumstances I can import one of an item less expensively than I can find it in a major store that imports the same item in large numbers.
I'm not referring to bringing stuff over as luggage or as personal items, but for retail sales.