Shipping TV to DR

[negrecita2003]

Can someone please tell me what company/service is best to use when shipping a tv to the DR? I can get a 75% discount through Federal Express, because of the company I work for, but know that there is no control in customs on the import taxes/fees they charge. Or, is it better to send it with one of those embarque companies? Does the price you pay with one of those dominican companies already include any import taxes customs will charge you? The dominican company here in Massachusetts wants to charge me about $250 to ship a new tv that is costing me $225.

Any information you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

 

[rellosk]

Why ship a $225 TV to the DR, just buy it in the DR. It may cost you 25-50% more than in the US, but the costs of shipping and the hassles of dealing with custom's are not worth shipping it.

 

[Robert]

As rellosk said, you are wasting your time and money for a US$225 TV.

 

[negrecita2003]

Rellosk,

Can you give me names of the stores that you recommend that I buy from in the Capital? How much are we talking for a 27" tv in the DR?

 

[Tamborista]

http://www.plazalama.com/

Cheaper than shipping one!

 

[rellosk]

Rellosk,

Can you give me names of the stores that you recommend that I buy from in the Capital? How much are we talking for a 27" tv in the DR?

I don't live in the DR, so I am not sure of the exact prices or the best places to buy, but a 27" TV is pretty standard and you probably don't need to shop around too much.

I'm sure someone that lives in Santo Domingo will be more specific as to price and places to buy.

 

[THE GAME]

I don't live in the DR, so I am not sure of the exact prices or the best places to buy, but a 27" TV is pretty standard and you probably don't need to shop around too much.

I'm sure someone that lives in Santo Domingo will be more specific as to price and places to buy.

looking at that plaza lama website gives the following:
1) 26" Sharp = RD$ 13,650 (US$ 455)... TOO OVERPRICED
2) 29" Philips tube= RD$16,995 (US$ 566.50)

and a 21" goes for b/w 8 & 13k (RD$) = 266 & 433 US$

The only good thing i see buying in DR (besides worrying
about customs, damage, shipping time, taxes) is that the tv's in dr, most of them i think, have auto voltage due to electr problem over there... the tv's in usa don't have,, most of them.

if you're going to send through an embarque company just
tell them the tv is used... and try to put it in a diff box. You
don't have to pay taxes in customs (dr)... just the flat fee
in usa. In NYC, a 19-20" tv cost $75 to send. Maybe 27" costs 150-200,, not sure.

i would send it from MA but the only issue i would have for sending tv's from usa is just that the auto voltage is not avail in us models (i think,,, i might be wrong).
If the US tv's have auto volt then i would not pay those DR prices.... even if after sending from US the total is the same, i know i'm getting better model in the US.
There's more selection in US.

 

[playacaribe2]

My Experience

Having shipped 17 boxes to the D.R. from Massachusetts in the last 9 months, allow me to share with you my experience and knowledge in this area.

First, I have compared the prices at Plaza Lama and elsewhere with what is available here and there is a point at which it is cost effective to ship your TV. However it is not cost effective with a $225.00 TV.

If you shop carefully (sales) here you can purchase a nice Sony WEGA HD flat screen TV in the $350 range. That same TV in the D.R. is approximately $950.00 plus ITBIS. With Shipping at $250.00 (this is my shippers charge to me for door to door with all taxes) you can see that a worthwhile savings is starting to emerge. This may not be enough to entice some people (given the risk of loss, breakage, future warranty problems), but when you compare that cost against what I have read here with regard to the dubious history of some of the so called new TV's being sold in the D.R. and the untold problems getting warranty performance in the D.R., then the risk of shipping may be worth it.

The savings really escalates if you purchase a 20" LCD TV. By way of example, I priced a Sharp 20" LCD in S.D. at 48,000 pesos (approximately $1,600 USD) + ITBIS. That same TV in the U.S. can be purchased in the $500.00 range and shipped separately for $200.00.

As I stated, I have been shipping goods to the D.R. for nine months without incident. TV's, small appliances, household goods, you name it I have shipped it. And, based on my unscientific sampling of prices in S.D., if you have a good reliable shipper it is not only cheaper to go this route, but you get the brand, color and model # you desire.

Some people may ask the question, then why not ship a container? The answer has a lot to do with logistics and a little to do with Dominican Customs. As I am building a villa in Bavaro/Punta Cana (a plug for my blog) I am buying new items as opposed to shipping a container of things I already have. In addition to the cost savings, I find it easier and more convenient to purchase things here as opposed to buying there. That having been said, I do intend to purchase appliances and bedroom furnishings on the Island and thus I really have no need for a twenty foot or 40 foot container. Finally a container would undoubtedly be opened, inspected, held up for propinas and miscellaneous arbitrary taxes. Thanks, but no thanks.

As to one posters thoughts on buying and shipping used items, it does not matter to aduana. They have a book that goes basically by sizes. By way of examples, air conditioners are taxed on the # of BTU's, TV's by there screen size, refrigerators by cubic feet etc. New or used seems to be of no consequence.

To finally answer the original posters question, I use Mandi's Travel (508) 797-5595 (Jose) out of Worcester, MA who is a representative for Cargo Express out of Lawrence, MA.

Hope this has been helpful.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[riravaga]

My cousin bought a 32?tv in new york, she called me and told me how much cost that tv in DR, when I got the info called her and including the shipment using one of those companies of new york I guess the name is Puerto Plata Shipping the price was very good. Its took about a month to arrive home, and no matter where you live, they will find you.

 

[ken kopas]

shipping from MA

Playacaribe2, I live in MA close to Worcester and would like to ship a box of household goods to Cabarete, how long does it take? What is the appx. cost for say a 50# box? Any info/tips on shipping to the DR would be helpful.
Thanks
Ken

 

[mullinsca]

I just bought a 21" Magnavox in Los Charimicos for $8000 pesos, if that helps.

 

[mullinsca]

oh yea that was delivered to my apartment in El Batey .....

 

[THE GAME]

Having shipped 17 boxes to the D.R. from Massachusetts in the last 9 months, allow me to share with you my experience and knowledge in this area.

First, I have compared the prices at Plaza Lama and elsewhere with what is available here and there is a point at which it is cost effective to ship your TV. However it is not cost effective with a $225.00 TV.

If you shop carefully (sales) here you can purchase a nice Sony WEGA HD flat screen TV in the $350 range. That same TV in the D.R. is approximately $950.00 plus ITBIS. With Shipping at $250.00 (this is my shippers charge to me for door to door with all taxes) you can see that a worthwhile savings is starting to emerge. This may not be enough to entice some people (given the risk of loss, breakage, future warranty problems), but when you compare that cost against what I have read here with regard to the dubious history of some of the so called new TV's being sold in the D.R. and the untold problems getting warranty performance in the D.R., then the risk of shipping may be worth it.

The savings really escalates if you purchase a 20" LCD TV. By way of example, I priced a Sharp 20" LCD in S.D. at 48,000 pesos (approximately $1,600 USD) + ITBIS. That same TV in the U.S. can be purchased in the $500.00 range and shipped separately for $200.00.

As I stated, I have been shipping goods to the D.R. for nine months without incident. TV's, small appliances, household goods, you name it I have shipped it. And, based on my unscientific sampling of prices in S.D., if you have a good reliable shipper it is not only cheaper to go this route, but you get the brand, color and model # you desire.

Some people may ask the question, then why not ship a container? The answer has a lot to do with logistics and a little to do with Dominican Customs. As I am building a villa in Bavaro/Punta Cana (a plug for my blog) I am buying new items as opposed to shipping a container of things I already have. In addition to the cost savings, I find it easier and more convenient to purchase things here as opposed to buying there. That having been said, I do intend to purchase appliances and bedroom furnishings on the Island and thus I really have no need for a twenty foot or 40 foot container. Finally a container would undoubtedly be opened, inspected, held up for propinas and miscellaneous arbitrary taxes. Thanks, but no thanks.

As to one posters thoughts on buying and shipping used items, it does not matter to aduana. They have a book that goes basically by sizes. By way of examples, air conditioners are taxed on the # of BTU's, TV's by there screen size, refrigerators by cubic feet etc. New or used seems to be of no consequence.

To finally answer the original posters question, I use Mandi's Travel (508) 797-5595 (Jose) out of Worcester, MA who is a representative for Cargo Express out of Lawrence, MA.

Hope this has been helpful.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

so if you ship stuff (tv's, dvd's, food, etc) on boxes (and not on big containers), DR customs will not open the boxes and no taxes will be applied??

 

[playacaribe2]

so if you ship stuff (tv's, dvd's, food, etc) on boxes (and not on big containers), DR customs will not open the boxes and no taxes will be applied??

The freight for boxes is set by volume. A 24x24x28 box can be shipped for $175.00 with all taxes. A lone TV that size would be $250.00 including taxes. The price difference is because Customs can clearly identify that the contents of one box is a TV while the other contains ?????. So unless they specifically open the generic box it will pass directly through Customs with the minimal duty collected when you shipped.

Understand that most, if not all, boxes arrive via container, the difference being one container is loaded with boxes for many persons while if you ship all of your contents in one container it is in one name and thus more than likely to endure greater scrutiny.

The point here is that while Customs can open any box/container they choose, it seems less likely this will happen to individual boxes in a container destined for many different persons as opposed to a container destined for a single individual.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[rellosk]

The point here is that while Customs can open any box/container they choose, it seems less likely this will happen to individual boxes in a container destined for many different persons as opposed to a container destined for a single individual.

I agree with your observation. A few years back my wife would send a box a month loaded with items that I would have thought customs would have charged tax on (Computers, stereos, other electronic equipment). She would also put new and used clothing in the box. She sent about six boxes, one every month or so, and they never charged her taxes. More surprising is that nothing was stolen.