Cargo vs. Checked Baggage for Moving(Taxed items?)

alicious

Bronze
Oct 2, 2007
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I realize there are various threads with similar questions....

However I didn't find one to quite answer my specifics.

What items are less likely to be taxed in Cargo shipments?

What I have done for my last 3 trips, where I have been bringing down items for my new house is pack it all in my suitcase and cover the top of both suitcases with mainly frilly/sexxy undergarments and night wear....lol

That way IF they open the suitcase when leaving the POP airport...they see that, and the only guy who even attempted to search it got a "look" from me when he went to touch "my special items", and just closed it and nothing else. The other 2 times they opened saw clothes and underwear on top and just zipped it back up.

However on my main move I will have more things and would like to know, out of the following, what they "can" tax me for and what they would be likely to tax me for.

The following is a run down of items I will have with me, and I would appreciate some advice/comments on what would be better to ship cargo (less likely to be taxed) and therefore better to bring in checked baggage (more likely to be taxed items that I can pack).

-Clothes & shoes (all mine and Pre-used)
-School/Teaching supplies and books (for my job, however books are heavy!There are a lot!)
-Small household items (non electronics)
-Stereo/Ipod player (small)
-Speakers for laptop
-DJ mixer (electronic equipment)
-Printer for my laptop
-Extra Makeup& Beauty products (brand new, but for my use only)
-Non-perishable food items (my link to home that I cannot come across in the DR...lol)
-Personal reading books (pre-read, not brand new, but normally adds lots of weight to checked baggage)
-Burned DVD`s & CDs (a few cases)

I also want to bring several plant seeds to plant in my garden there...fruits, veggies...will I have a problem with this, either checked or cargo?
 

InsanelyOne

Bronze
Oct 21, 2008
895
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I just brought about 20 boxes of household items into the DR via air cargo. They inspected each box carefully and assessed taxes on all of the electronics/appliances as well as my clothing. Ultimately they dropped the taxes on the clothing and a few of the electronic items but I still ended up paying around US$1000. The tax rate is over 40% of assessed value of the goods.

I'm not sure why you think items shipped via cargo will be less likely to be taxed. My experience is that they inspect the items very carefully. I would think that if you want to sneak something through, you'd be better off putting it in your checked luggage.... but then of course you have to worry about theft.

Do you have your residency? That should make a difference.
 

alicious

Bronze
Oct 2, 2007
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I'm not sure why you think items shipped via cargo will be less likely to be taxed. My experience is that they inspect the items very carefully. I would think that if you want to sneak something through, you'd be better off putting it in your checked luggage.... but then of course you have to worry about theft.

Do you have your residency? That should make a difference.

I don't have my residency; I will have a work visa though. (Which I do understand is not the same thing.)

Sorry - I wasn't 100% clear on my post...(I was posting it after a night out with the girls & a few glasses of wine ;) )

I meant that I think they WOULD tax pretty much everything shipped in Cargo, so I was wondering of the things I need to bring which would incur the least amount of taxes...i.e. used clothes...shoes, my teaching books...etc. Once I've determined which would be the lowest taxed items, I would ship those.

I've found with Air Canada Cargo, from Toronto to Punta Cana, an average sized suitcase weighing 50lbs, would cost $47!!!!I thought it would be wayyy more expensive!

Then again I would have to drive down to Punta Cana to pick it up, but hey...