Hola everyone, as the title says I am hoping to retire and move down in about 2 years. In the mean I come down from Miami approximately every two months to visit my girlfriend. I read the rules and I know I am not supposed to advertise here, so please don’t take this posting the wrong way. As electronics and designer things are super expensive in the DR, I have been asked by a few people to bring them stuff from Miami. But as the airfare and everything else seams to be going up I thought I can find some new friends that want me to bring them stuff from Miami to help subsidize my trips. I guess it would be a win win situation. And maybe I will be able to come down once a month. I am just looking for suggestions for places or forums to meet trustable people.
- Thread starter Jeff_from_florida
- Start date
Pre-Retirement Suggestions
If you bring something down for somebody, make it abundantly clear they have to pay you for it, and a premium for you carrying it.
Make sure your client understands that items "can" be seized at customs but you still get paid.
As a person with a long history of "helping" people here with buying something they can't find locally, I can attest how important this is.
These days I don't buy anything on line for someone unless I have the full payment in hand.
That philosophy will serve you well.
So right now, your bringing items as a favor? What price would you charge someone to bring an item?
Hi, since I am new at this, I guess it depends on the item. I prefer smaller things since I usually come for the the weekend and don't check a bag. Btw my next trip is May 28th so let me know soon if you need anything.
Thanks, I was just curious about what your price point would be. I travel back and forth frequently so whatever I need I can bring with me. The very few times I have ever brought anything for someone other than family was a favor. As others have said, payment upfront.
Good morning to everyone,
I am also new here. My account was just approved and wanted to say hi. I have been reading news and forums in DR1.com for quite sometime and finally registered and approved. Anyways, my name is Javier, I am Cuban American living in Miami but I love the DR and visited several times with my wife. I have been looking to buy an apartment but appliances and furniture in Dominican stores like IKEA, Corripio or Jumbo are 3 times the price than here in Miami. So I am looking for solutions. Could I bring a TV, microwave or other appliances in an American Airlines flight? Is it allowed? Is Customs going to ask for money or taxes? Any ideas? Thank you.
I am also new here. My account was just approved and wanted to say hi. I have been reading news and forums in DR1.com for quite sometime and finally registered and approved. Anyways, my name is Javier, I am Cuban American living in Miami but I love the DR and visited several times with my wife. I have been looking to buy an apartment but appliances and furniture in Dominican stores like IKEA, Corripio or Jumbo are 3 times the price than here in Miami. So I am looking for solutions. Could I bring a TV, microwave or other appliances in an American Airlines flight? Is it allowed? Is Customs going to ask for money or taxes? Any ideas? Thank you.
I would suggest that you search out information on "mudanzas" on this site. Bringing items you mentioned on a plane will cause you enormous amounts of money and aggravation when you encounter DR Customs in the airport where your flight lands. Another helpful search term is Awilda Shipping. William Webster is a member here who is a huge advocate for mudanzas.
Good afternoon,
Thank you for your suggestion and for warning me against the Customs personnel. I reall appreciate it. 😊
I've read stories about people landing with items upon which Customs set such a high duty that the items were abandoned in the Customs offices.
When I moved here I came with one suitcase and bought what I needed here. Although things are expensive here I felt that the cost and bureaucracy of bringing things through customs was prohibitive. My plan was also to live here for six months before making the final decision to stay so bringing a container of household stuff with me mad no sense.
And it all gets auctioned off from time to time.
I had a friend who used to go to those auctions. He'd make a blanket offer for everything on the lot and usually win.
What I always found amusing about the whole thing was there were always quite a few vehicles that could not be legally imported, but he would be able to get them all registered once he won the auction.
Good afternoon,
I just checked Awilda shipping. It is in New York and it does not have even a website and has definitely bad reviews. I live in Miami and found a company called Taino Multiservices which at least has a website and will call them soon to find out the prices. Their website says they bring packages, containers and cars to the DR. Thank you though.
I just checked Awilda shipping. It is in New York and it does not have even a website and has definitely bad reviews. I live in Miami and found a company called Taino Multiservices which at least has a website and will call them soon to find out the prices. Their website says they bring packages, containers and cars to the DR. Thank you though.
If you are planning to move and live here I would advise against shipping all your household goods to DR. I did this 2 decades ago but would not do it again if I had the choice to do it over again. When I moved here many things I needed were difficult to find and very expensive. Hence I choose to bring all my household items. Since I already had many things I needed and I'm dominican, I took advantage of my one time import exemption. It was a true hassle rivaling a scary nightmare.
Most things can now be found here in DR with few exception. Yes things tend to be a bit pricy here but compared to dealing with customs, import duties and sanity, the extra money spent on purchasing items here IMHO is well worth it. Remember that big ticket items brought here (imported), have no warranty what so ever. If something goes wrong early on with a locally purchased product and if you bitch and moan a lot, you might get some warranty resolution. Another thing to consider is shipping cost and import duties. All told you might be saving ~30-40% but is it worth the trouble to you? On a US$300 smart TV the saving is around US$100 not worth it in my opinion. Lets compare a washing machine:
LAVADORA WHIRLPOOL, 4.3 CU-18KG, CARGA FRONTAL, 35 CICLOS DE LAVADO - 001 — Corripio
4.3 CU-18KG, CONTROLES INTUITIVOS, 4 TIPOS DE TEMPERATURA, 7 OPCIONES DE LAVADO, TINA EN ACERO, CARGA FRONTAL, 35 CICLOS DE LAVADO
The listed price for the wishing machine on both Whirlpool and Best Buy USA it is listed for US$944 and in Corripio DR it is listed for RD$64,995 (US$1,182 at 55 to 1) when you factor shipping, import duties and the effort and headaches it takes to complete this "ordeal" it's not worth it.
But if you still choose to go this route, I used La Flor de Mayo Express many moons ago. Everything arrived intact and the experience with the movers was excellent. Most recently my brother-in-law used their services and it was also a good experience for him. Good luck!
Sage advice. Remember as well you can always ask for a discount when you are buying items, especially if it is more than one item.
Watching for sales is another time honored tradition and can serve you well.
Watching for sales is another time honored tradition and can serve you well.