Online shopping and shipping

markbrown

New member
Mar 26, 2010
12
0
0
about living in dr questions. is it feasible to import consumer goods on a regular basis? could you for example buy things off the internet and have them delivered to you? is high band width internet available and dependable power if your are willing to pay for it?

thanks for any advice or comments..
 

Chip

Platinum
Jul 25, 2007
16,772
429
0
Santiago
about living in dr questions. is it feasible to import consumer goods on a regular basis? could you for example buy things off the internet and have them delivered to you? is high band width internet available and dependable power if your are willing to pay for it?

thanks for any advice or comments..

Yes, yes and yes. Imported items over US200 are subject to taxes.
 

belgiank

Silver
Jun 13, 2009
3,251
103
0
except if it is an empty computer case... in that case prepare yourself for a couple of hours of discussion at customs.... whahahahaha
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
8,190
580
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if you are ordering from usa transexpress is good to use, but you need to order things that have free postage in the usa otherwise you are paying two lots of postage.

or If you know someone with a business address its usually ok to have things delivered there by courrier mail I dont think they deliver to home addresses
 

Robert

Stay Frosty!
Jan 2, 1999
20,574
341
83
dr1.com
Shipping:
Many of us use EPS or CPS here, it's stupid simple and as Chip pointed out, any package with a value under US$200 comes in tax free.

You sign up with EPS or CPS and they give you a postal and shipping address in Miami.
You have the goods shipped to Miami and they ship them here.

EPS allows you to track your packages online and see all the charges before you pick the package up. Right now they charge around RD$190 per pound to ship from Miami to the DR.

When I order something off Amazon, it's in my hands within 7-10 days.
I have shipped maybe 40-50 packages and never had a problem.
Electronic goods, books, spare parts, food items etc.

Internet:
The fastest you can get is a 5MB ADSL from Codetel.
Will run you around US$200 monthly.
They are by far the most reliable provider here, I have tried them all.

See the pricing at the link below:
Codetel ADSL Pricing

What connection you can get is location dependent.

If you want to get round the IP blocks in the USA etc.
Lots of VPN options so you can watch and stream movies, ABC, ESPN etc.

Power:
The is location dependent. e.g. If you live in Punta Cana, the power is VERY reliable and they almost never have any sort of blackout.

The better apartment buildings in the country have generators. You can also by and inverter and batteries that will give you power.

Power reliability comes down to many factors. What part of the DR do you want to live in? How much do you want to spend? How critical is your need for 24x7 power?


I would take a good look around the forums and use the search function.
Your questions have been answered in-depth many times on DR1.
 

joseinoa

New member
Jan 20, 2005
184
2
0
41
Shipping:
Many of us use EPS or CPS here, it's stupid simple and as Chip pointed out, any package with a value under US$200 comes in tax free.

You sign up with EPS or CPS and they give you a postal and shipping address in Miami.
You have the goods shipped to Miami and they ship them here.

EPS allows you to track your packages online and see all the charges before you pick the package up. Right now they charge around RD$190 per pound to ship from Miami to the DR.

When I order something off Amazon, it's in my hands within 7-10 days.
I have shipped maybe 40-50 packages and never had a problem.
Electronic goods, books, spare parts, food items etc.

Internet:
The fastest you can get is a 5MB ADSL from Codetel.
Will run you around US$200 monthly.
They are by far the most reliable provider here, I have tried them all.

See the pricing at the link below:
Codetel ADSL Pricing

What connection you can get is location dependent.

If you want to get round the IP blocks in the USA etc.
Lots of VPN options so you can watch and stream movies, ABC, ESPN etc.

Power:
The is location dependent. e.g. If you live in Punta Cana, the power is VERY reliable and they almost never have any sort of blackout.

The better apartment buildings in the country have generators. You can also by and inverter and batteries that will give you power.

Power reliability comes down to many factors. What part of the DR do you want to live in? How much do you want to spend? How critical is your need for 24x7 power?


I would take a good look around the forums and use the search function.
Your questions have been answered in-depth many times on DR1.


hey robert how do i go about signing up with either cps or eps ive been looking around for a while on how to do this. im in santiago. where are their offices or do they have a webpage. thanks for any info in advance.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
5,808
948
113
I use Transexpress for orders I place on line. They are faster and cheaper than the other services mentioned with no annual fee for setting up a package delivery account.
I can vouch for them being lower then Business Mail.

As both Mike and myself bought an identical item and had it shipped to the DR.
He paid around 150 pesos less than I had to pay.
He also got his item much faster then I did.

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SantiagoDR
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
8,190
580
0
64
I am a trani fan as well, you just have to make sure what you are ordering is free delivery within the usa to avoid two lots of postage charges

Does anyone know of a similar uk or european postage system
 

yacht chef

Bronze
Sep 13, 2009
1,588
17
38
Great info. Just one ? How are they going to know the value of the item I am shipping. So here is a scenario I bought a Alpine car stereo for xyz or I bought a 10 year old kenwood for $10 . If they want a recite it can easily be B.S.
 
Feb 7, 2007
8,005
625
113
I am a trani fan as well, you just have to make sure what you are ordering is free delivery within the usa to avoid two lots of postage charges

Does anyone know of a similar uk or european postage system

I know a guy who has delivery system from Germany. The price is about 3.5 euros per kilo. It takes longer than Transexpress (they have one weekly cargo shipment) but it's comparable at cost, and you can receive packages form all around Europe at the Germany address.
 
Feb 7, 2007
8,005
625
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it goes by weight - unless the item is worth more than 200 dOLLARS

I bought two times a $60 car part shipped via Transexpress. For xome reason, the shipper did not ship with invoice attached. First part got in fine. Second part I was hit with 1000 pesos aduana. I was officially awarded a "refund" by Vimenpaq after 7 days and showing bank statement and Paypal receipt, but still waiting for the check in the mail...

It was lower control arm... heavy on weight, but quite inexpensive on value (got a good deal)