Lots of great deals on appliances!

Golfer

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Apr 7, 2002
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Lots of great deals on quality appliances here in the US this fall as retailers are clearing inventory. Does it make economic sense to buy a refridgerator or stove in Miami or New York and ship them to the DR? Does anyone have any experience doing this? I heard there are many shippers doing door to door deliveries from New York to Santo Domingo since the advent of CAFTA. Plaza Lama just doesn't cut it when compared to Best Buy. Any info appreciated.
 

AlaninDR

Mr. Chunky Skin
Dec 17, 2002
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Recent experience with customs was nightmarish to say the least. It appears that CAFTA only applies to items manufactured in the USA. Just because you bought the item in the USA makes no difference, it depends on where it was made.
Having said that, as a general rule I would pay twice what an item costs in the USA to avoid the "factory second" items sold in Plaza Lama.
 

Danny W

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Mar 1, 2003
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Shipping by sea is charged by size, not weight. Flat screen tvs are taxed by size as well. I forget the exact amount, but a 50" lcd tv costs about $1,000 to ship from NY to Sosua and a refrigerator costs about $600 - taxes included.

I will be buying quite a few things for my new house, and i'm ambivalent about whether to by in NY or the DR. Are they really selling factory seconds? - D
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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indeed CAFTA is only about items "made in USA" so look closely at what you buy. there are companies that ship appliances in order to sell - they can ship items for you as well.
but you can buy good quality items in DR - it just take longer to find them ;)
 

Golfer

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Apr 7, 2002
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Thanks

Thanks for all the replies.
A nice Amana (made in US by Amish) stainless steel fridge normally $2000 can be purchased now for about $1500, if it can be shipped for approx $600 I would do it in a heartbeat. Anyone know the names of any shipping companies?
 

socuban

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Nov 24, 2002
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I'm shopping around for door to door shipping companies (MIA-SDQ).

Ran across a company called Madrigal Express based in Miami and Santo Domingo.

They want US$1200 to ship a new or used tv from 36" to 52" in size from Miami to Santo Domingo.

When I heard that, I asked them to put down the crack pipe...search continues.
 

dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
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Thanks for all the replies.
A nice Amana (made in US by Amish) stainless steel fridge normally $2000 can be purchased now for about $1500, if it can be shipped for approx $600 I would do it in a heartbeat. Anyone know the names of any shipping companies?

funny that you mention this, we recently bought a brand new amana fridge for 40k pesos. shop owner had it for a long time and no-one wanted to buy: price, size (huge!) and set-up (freezer down, fridge up) were not to dominican taste and he was not centrally located.
anyways he wanted over 50 thousand pesos but we got the price down by means of paying cash on the spot - it always gets you a discount.
i will ask about shipping people...
 

Danny W

Bronze
Mar 1, 2003
999
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Thanks for all the replies.
A nice Amana (made in US by Amish) stainless steel fridge normally $2000 can be purchased now for about $1500, if it can be shipped for approx $600 I would do it in a heartbeat. Anyone know the names of any shipping companies?

Where are you sending it from and to? - D
 

Golfer

New member
Apr 7, 2002
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To Santo Domingo from anywhere

From most likely New York or Miami. You simply buy an appliance on line or at a national retailer, like Sears or Best Buy, and have them have their retail outlet in that city deliver it directly to the shipper. I've heard that there is lively shipping activity from NY to SD due to the many Dominicans living in Washington Heights but being stuck in the Midwest I don't know the names of any of the shipping companies. Plus I thought that Miami with closer proximity might have some shippers as well. It just seems like with the aggressive discounting in the US and the security with quality even if it costed out to be a couple of hundred more it would be well worth it. The last fridge I saw purchased in the DR was actually hot to the touch where the motor was located on the side of the unit. Needless to say it lasted less than a year and the waranty was not honored due to "misuse". The family took it in stride and their stoic reaction to the demise of the junk they bought suggests this is not an uncommon occurance.
 

Danny W

Bronze
Mar 1, 2003
999
12
0
From most likely New York or Miami. You simply buy an appliance on line or at a national retailer, like Sears or Best Buy, and have them have their retail outlet in that city deliver it directly to the shipper. I've heard that there is lively shipping activity from NY to SD due to the many Dominicans living in Washington Heights but being stuck in the Midwest I don't know the names of any of the shipping companies. Plus I thought that Miami with closer proximity might have some shippers as well. It just seems like with the aggressive discounting in the US and the security with quality even if it costed out to be a couple of hundred more it would be well worth it. The last fridge I saw purchased in the DR was actually hot to the touch where the motor was located on the side of the unit. Needless to say it lasted less than a year and the waranty was not honored due to "misuse". The family took it in stride and their stoic reaction to the demise of the junk they bought suggests this is not an uncommon occurance.

Yes, there are many shippers in NY, and Best Buy and others will deliver to them. Of course then you are guaranteed to have no warranty whereas if you buy from a reputable dealer in the Dr you have a fighting chance.

Is Plaza Lama or Ochoa reputable? I don't know. - D