Overall public sentiment is predominantly negative, reflecting widespread frustration and skepticism regarding high customs duties, perceived corruption within the customs system, and a lack of clarity on duty exemptions and procedures. While some comments appreciate the informational resources available, many are concerned that the current regulations disproportionately affect individual consumers compared to larger businesses, highlighting systemic issues that hinder international trade.

Indian Government

Customs Department

The customs is an underrated corrupt body. This is coming from someone who used to shop from Alibaba and Ebay more frequently before they started charging a lot of fees. The horrors of customs infuriates me to this day

xtermist

I have stopped ordering products from other countries to India when they charge 100℅ custom charge for VR - Box (back on 2015) and they billed as electronic, but it is just a box with 2 lens

winklemad

[deleted]

As some one who improts close to $14 million worth of equipment annually. Trust me it doesn't get worse than this. And DHL is also a rip off in terms of their costing, that's only the start of it. Each year they make a certificate that costs close to 1 lakh rupees redundant and add another one and you have to waste a unit of your hardware so that they test it so that you face no problems in customs during clearance.

Silentshadow_1993

Yeah, it’s really not the go. We have a steady stream of both imports and exports, and it’s BAD. Somehow they love to hassle us, even on exports that don’t require any duties, levies or surcharges. 

Luckily, a good chunk of our goods are on government contracts so it only takes a few calls to get things sorted.

_hariarchy_

Something seems wrong share invoice and Bill of entry. Did invoice mention freight cost ? 

Normally we assume 40 - 50 % :) , thats how things are . 10 - 30 % Duty + 18% GST + DHL charges   
  
Legally you cannot reduce duty , off the record lot of ways.

boltsandbytes

Yep it's a mess. And wait till you start importing regularly, you will get to know what's called as FASTER CLEARANCE CHARGES

thatindiandude12

From my understanding, you might need a BIS certificate( Bureau of Indian Standards) or FMCS (which I don't personally recommend)
LMPC certificate for the packing and box compliance 
And the QCO certificate would be required for you in the long term. But only if you are doing this frequently.
I hope you have a Exim certificate.

Finding the right CHA is the key, someone who understands how the system works and have prior experience in handling similar products.

It's not every CHA will have deeper understanding of all products. Even CHA's are product specialised and they know the right customs codes to use.

Next time do a little more research and tell DHL you'll handle the customs clearance part.

cranky_finicky

Never add freight and insurance to final bill. 
As per customs, invoice only includes product value. So customs add freight over and above it and then add duty. Add 40%-50% to your invoice value to arrive at customs duty.

sproutsnroots

So in 2023 I bought something(tech product) from Hongkong which cost me around $220 but after it landed in India I had to pay a customs around 15k in total which rounded up to 32k in total for a $220 product.

dickdastardaddy

No_Management2161

I had to pay 2500 for a tshirt which was like 600rs max and 600 for a coffee mug which was all in pieces

wam_bam_mam

I knew a customs inspector. He used to run a shop all such items would eventually land at the shop

NoRazzmatazz8622

Do not import anything from these scam courier companies- FedEx, DHL, Aramex. 

Stick to Yanwen, china post, Singapore post etc.

redditreddvs

I want every country in  the world should tax %200 on Indian goods imports even IT services just so to teach a lesson to Indian government to act. The "other" item in the HS code is abused so much by these scam courier companies and we can't even do anything about it. These mfs even tax on simple machinery that helps to setup a small company.

Whenever I import any samples from other countries including the US, EU &amp; China. I ask our supplier/client to undervalue the invoice for example, the sample was 320, I would not declare it more than 10 because it’s not for commercial use.

Even after doing this we pay $30-$40 towards duties for invoices worth $10. Several time our package has been held back for 10-20 days by FedEX or DHL but eventually they clear it.

bahutgyani

These customs work hand in glove with IMPEX companies run by baniyas and gujjus. Anyone else trying to import gets harassed to their wits’ end. But if you go through a gujju-run IMPEX firm, everything magically runs smooth.. including the charges.

I strongly encourage more people to open their own IMPEX firms and break the monopoly of these corrupt dhandhos.

No_Search1872

Lodge a complaint. [https://www.mumbaicustomszone1.gov.in/Hlpline/AddGrievances](https://www.mumbaicustomszone1.gov.in/Hlpline/AddGrievances)  
oR Complain about Indian customs? You may call on the Toll Free Number **1800-572-1550 / 1800-111-550** for direct assistance. It is preferable however that a request ticket be raised so as to provide full details of the issue. on [https://www.dgft.gov.in/CP/?opt=complaintssuggestion](https://www.dgft.gov.in/CP/?opt=complaintssuggestion)

CellOk1789

welp.. u never order using dhl and fedex for jnternational order unless u got a large volume to import. atleast in india.. use freight forwarders instead.. saves on customs alot. or get it through yanwen or china post. most of times custom people ignore packages coming from these..(but this  varies from FPO to FPO.)

Astrek

i thinking to buy a smart lock 1500 + 1500 shipping charges. how much import tax I need pay ?

Ok_Professional_1093

BulgarianPeasant

The last time that I checked, US tariffs on goods coming from India is 50%. Whatever company acts as your carrier will charge you the customs fees, plus a courtesy fee for fronting the money.

YFOCAG

If the courier is by alibaba logistics to India by yanwen express, then there won't be any customs on it.

I bought 24.5usd redmagic cooler from China and got it shipped to India with alibaba. 

I asked the seller to undervalue the product and not use original packing. And asked him to mention it as "generic phone cooler".

If the product is less than 10$, it won't attract much customs. But it depends on custom and airport as well.

Heard mumbai airport is so strict at valuation than delhi

deepu_24m

Use alibaba standard/Electronic parcel as logistics for India.Avoid aramex,fedex,ups.They will impose service charges and customs even 1 Us dollar products😝😁

sumantadas73

psynox92

ok u can buy from Alibaba but as others suggested, go for Ali logistics through Yanwen..should be no customs. I have also received around USD 90 worth product through China Post and another one through EMS. All came with no custom duty..

So in month of May I came from Japan to Mumbai, my check in bag was full of stuff i bought from there. Chocolates, 3-4 watches, merch, etc. My bag was marked with chalk, i simply erased it and nobody said anything at customs exit.

Aggressive-Bee-7488

Should not be am issue,they never even looked at my stuff and when I went to declare they said just go. I had a full desktop and monitor in special casing

enjoylifeasitcomes

Jo darr gaya samjho marr gaya. Bindaas green channel se nikal. They scan the handbags. Put everything in check in bag after you collect your luggage from the belt. Wipe off the chalk cross they put on your luggage.

SaracasticByte

The watch could attract some attention. I would suggest wear the more expensive watch (also wear a jacket or blazer which has long sleeves and covers the watch worn on your hand) and keep the second one somewhere in your luggage (preferably in the pocket of a jacket or a pant) clearly out of its box. Also ditch the box before you get on the flight.

Unless the chocolates are by the carton I don’t think it will be an issue.

Provided the laptops are clearly used they should not be an issue.

Sumeru88

LongjumpingAd4186

Chocolate and 2 laptops never trigger anything.

If the watches are really high value maybe wear one and keep the other outside the box. (Don’t bring it sealed- advice for both Mac and watches)

DrunkAsPanda

Depends on the airport and the officer. It's all upto them if they want to extort some money from you or not

Tegimus

Last week, i travelled from US to India. Had couple of iphones for relatives, a mac, an ipad and couple of watches along with half a suitcase of chocolates and snacks. Oddly, the suitcase with snacks was chalked and not the one with gadgets.  I wiped off the chalk at the restroom and exited the airport without anyone stopping me.

UnsureFox

psr7185

I’ve travelled with a few laptops (all personal , the joys of app dev on multiple platforms) and many new mobile phones for work and was never bothered by the customs folks.

DisjointedHuntsville

Chocolates are fine,I've got plenty of them, almost took a small suitcase worth of space 

Make sure electronic items are unboxed,it's like you're using them so it shouldn't be a problem

david005_

You’re allowed 1 personal computer only so the other one would be taxed. If it’s a luxury watch and in a box chances are it’ll be taxed too. Chocolates are fine.

Responsible-Nail518

Legally I think you are supposed to declare items bought outside and brought to India if it exceeds INR 50,000. However items for personal use that is if you have used them no customs payable, keeping copies of their invoices would be handy. Mobile/laptop show that it's used take some photos add apps etc to make it that it's for your personal use.. if you have bought new stuff for family/friends like watches, jewellery, mobile, other electronics legally you are supposed to declare this to customs and pay customs duty applicable. There was some news recently of customs keeping undeclared Rolex watch in airport.

Appropriate_Menu6499

Stop scaring about little things in life - no one is going to kill you or arrest you, max you will shell outa few dollars to pay customs. As they say - if u can’t do time then don’t commit crime.

davemano

The issue is, at customs big fat rats get away with containers full of materials whereas when we order 5$ worth of products from AliExpress it damages the local industries.

sansays

It's absolutely horrendous, the entire Indian market is flooded with Chinese goods, everything from bathroom chappals to railway stock to scientific and industrial equipment .... Dmart ? Decathlon ? Any mall or supermarket all have majority of Chinese products even simple plastic dabbas and Tupperware are made in China..


But God forbid a retail buyer wants to purchase something from china nooooo , block online Stores and say they are a threat to national security, just so that their trader buddies can rip you off by charging 10x in the Indian stores .....


The spend crores on publicity for make in India scams and then import stuff from china and put a make in India tag on it ...


As an electronics hobbist it's soo annoying to see parts on AliExpress for a fraction of the price and better quality than physical stores in india 


Even when ordering parts in office there's soo much paper work, not to mention the bazillion HS codes for different things, there's one finance team dedicated to handling all these import duties, granted that SEZs have some tax relief but it's a nightmare to prove and claim especially for Chinese goods

nomadic-insomniac

They are dacoits brother. Sad you learnt it the hard way

ESHAEAN

When Donny T says it’s impossible to do business with India. He means it.

United-Advantage-906

lmao i had just plain us bank debit cards come in twice and both times get abandoned because the commercial invoice didn’t say 1 USD. us bank said we can’t offer 1 usd invoice for a free item

aidenbotelho

I faced this issue 8 years back when i ordered makeup products from UK. Those products literally costed around 5000rs including shipping.  The courier person came &amp; said i gotta pay 3700rs to customs &amp; pick up my order. 

I was so frustrated! I thought i got a great deal but was so disappointed by this experience.

Future-Shopping-8343

I got a gift from USA and Kolkata customs charged around 2k for 10k worth gifts:)

Protect local industry that provides shit solutions? I have been trying to contact local industry to build an led light and man you would puke at the cost and design they are providing.

To top it off some of these local industry are just white labelling stuff from China.

Way to go bravo!!!

analogx-digitalis

No matter what the declaration importer gives, Customs will add 1% to the declared value as freight then on that levey Basic custom duty based on HTS codes. Then CVD is just the GST rates.


If they detained the items for more than 5 days then there's demurrage and storage charges etc.

Sudden-Check-9634

I once ordered a prototype server device from a European company for €400 which they sent via FedEx. After it lands in india, Fedex sent me an email saying customs doesn't know how to code it and asked for details. I wrote back saying it's a prototype and personal device only and blah blah and I think I looked up some code and said I think it comes in a 20% bracket (don't remember fully). 2 weeks later I get a reply - customs charges at 100% for electronics. Tried wrangling with them for a month but to no avail. Had to pay the additional 40k to get the device out of customs and delivered to me

chembulingam

I have imported samples 3-4 times from China using DHL and Fedex. The duty calculation is correct. Its high but it is what it is. The shipping charges are questionable because I don’t I have think fee for logistics via air comes under custom duty but if it is documented by customs, then you have made an error while setting up the import deal or your shipping invoice was not attached with the sample item invoice.

Appropriate-Bug-755

72 percent ? lucky man ! i know people who got taxed a 100 percent on a fk keyboard

WolfGuptaofficial

Bhai vishwaguru banne ke liye yeh zaroori hai 😂

GanduCircus

Last year, I had brought a vintage camera lense from Kazakhstan. It reached me via Indiapost and I had to pay 100% duty 🤷. 
It is what it is, on used goods. But I didn't know even for new things.

rainin_here

If local industried need protection by 100% tarrifs, maybe they dont need to be protected.

Careful-View-7122

I am curious about what HSN code was used for import? Did you shared a specific HSN code with DHL or was it chosen by DHL?

viraniac

How our honest and hardworking businessmen, also known as dalle, develop india if you can directly import from AliExpress??

Edit: use code dallekeballeballe to get 50% off on trimmer.

Pretty_Truth_9212

I think dhl has messed this for you. If the amount was what you say it was INCLUDING shipping then incoterms should have been CIF paid in which case custom should not have charged shipping value. 

Otherwise if no shipping is declared by default custom assume 20% of the order value as freight value. What was the incoterm mentioned on your invoice? 

Rest other things are standard. BCD and gst are known charges and have to be factored in. There is nothing scammy about it. 

If you are talking about how people bring the goods illegally then that is a different point all together. 

But legally customs has not harassed you or charged anything extra apart from shipping (where It seems more to be fault of dhl or the supplier)

eyesonyou90

My parcel worth 1800 got slapped with 18000 approx worth of custom duties.

ItchyRaise7190

We are the most trade unfriendly major economy on the planet.

Agitated_Field88

Yeah... Customs Officials are big time frauds.... Corruption is rooted deep in our country... There is no hope....

darkinspiration1993

kaunvarun

Yeah man, I am sick of this bulshit brother, I can get any parts and stuff for my hobby projects because of this. It's so bad. I wish the Government makes a rule such that normal people does not have to pay any duties, only business that are going to mass sell the imported stuff should be charged if all.

MySketchyCharacter

I ordered audio control board from netherlands. They slapped tax it went up+48%. Absolutely devastated me. I do hobby projects and its disappointing that equipment not available in india is restricted so much

random_embryo

I am surprised DHL didn't charge you "handling fee". That alone is \~3K regardless of the value of the consignment. It is basically their commission for acting as clearing agent on your behalf. Then again, it might have been clubbed under that extra "shipping charges" in your case. They always come up with innovative names no one would suspect.

foreverkmount

We are forced to order things because most of them are not made in India its not we are ordering when things are available . Bur our custom system is the most illogical  even till today

iambab

I mean who are they? Who is responsible for it. Why are they so unreachable? We need more transparency, reasonable custom duty charges and streamlined process

turquoise-turtle2

There is no option either do what they say or lose your package

So what did you end up doing? Did you pay it for bribed one of the officers?

kentokaku

That’s also DHL adding bullshit fees IIRC. Whenever I get stuff shipped via basic post it’s always the the correct amount. 

DHL fucking added 72% customs duty to a bunch of papers (I bought one of those detective for a day things to do with my wife).

shrivatsasomany

I had to pay rs.1600 customs to receive my own steroid inhaler shipped from US, because I had not anticipated a 3 month stay with mum for a heart attack and prolonged illness after that.

want-to-learn-

If I bought something from ali express for 28.50 dollars,how much I have to give it to custom it's a mobile motherboard?

0whiteTpoison

Outrageous_Memory669

I got charged almost 90% for an item I imported from Japan, had I known how to dispute properly I wouldn't have accepted the parcel and would have sent it back for reassessment, I had one job and I absolutely screwed it up. That was a very expensive lesson on how to dispute customs, I'll never make that mistake again.

DrkMaxim

Could have gone and collected it yourself

unitin78

Why does India the forth largest economy which is growing needs insane customs and taxes ? We have highest duties in the world.

pm_mba

Bought some slippers on Amazon once for 1500, ended up paying 7000 because of import duties. It was a lesson to always check everything

The duty is high and you did not expect it - that does not make it non-transparent, arbitrary etc. The next time, contact some Clearing and Forwarding Agent beforehand - he’ll give you an estimate of the duty payable. 

PS: Expect to pay roughly 70-80% “duty” on all imports.

ShiftySkunk

I've dealt with Customs BY MISTAKE in rajasthan jaipur.

Lol, they are the most corrupt department in govt, but i got to know the details .

basically they catch some items. and then start pestering you.

the people who are "connected" or regularly have to deal with them.. have a setting with the heighest officer, he calls them, sees their goods, and they pay them something UNDER THE TABLE.. .and everything is CUSTOM free.

and chumps like you and me ... someone who gets caught by mistake or One time order.. he starts showing us the Rules.

either be a people person, and make a deal with the Customs officer , or just choose someone else or a middle man to do it.

and yeah the charges are BOGUS.

i ordered something on ALiexpress, about 1300 rs, and customs stuck me with around 2800 rs duty... as i stood up to him lol..   
they suck

Alright, here's a travel tip for ya!  If you're planning to buy anything take a trip to Hong Kong or Macau consider this: have the seller ship it directly there.  Then, instead of home delivery, go pick it up yourself to skip those pesky customs fees. No need of visa too!

acrosome29

Some time ago, an guy claiming to be from a customs office contacted me and accurately described the contents of a parcel I had ordered. They even sent pictures via WhatsApp and demanded Rs. 20,000 through PhonePe for an item valued at Rs. 30,000 (metal gear servos). Eventually, agreed to pay Rs. 5,000, as they threatened to seize the package. Ultimately, I paid approximately Rs. 12,000 in customs fee too.

Guys is there any document by the govt. Stating what all extra chrges will be applied for all the different goods and thier country of origin?

MainBed163

I've had the same issue with DHL. I don't know if they are doing this deliberately. I used to order stuff from a german website for my personal use. All along it used to be around 42% thereabouts.

My last order was worth 36000 or so and I was shocked to see a customs duty of almost 36000 which included warehousing charges as they kept it there for 3-4 days.



 I took it up with DHL and they said invoice wasn't uploaded which is B/S.

  
Everything was the same as before. It's a reputed website. They then said - either you pay up the duties and get the product or we send it to quarantine and it will be destroyed. 

  
They even said, once the customs stuff is entered into the system there is no way anything can be done but they said nevertheless write a detailed email, attach the invoice, the payment proof etc and we will see if we can refund something as you've been a long time customer. and I got about 6000 refund after a couple of months

Now I've stopped ordering from that website because they have only DHL as their shipping partner.

Cold_Ad3292

It is safe to assume a duty of 75% to 90% on goods imported as a retail buyer. Private courier companies like DHL &amp; FedEx charge on the higher end and there’s no way out of this assured duty amount. Lately (since last few years), to import, you’ve to be prepared to pay twice as much for the item due to the hellish customs duties. 

As a global consumer, and as someone competing with a global audience, this really puts an Indian individual at a loss. 

That aside, newbies are taken advantage of by customs offices if you use India Post instead and dragged around in hopes of bribes. 

Importing is a lost cause imo.

Soeun-ah

https://i.redd.it/sxeq5v0vprpf1.gif

What you missed...

Indian_Steam

The Indian govt justify these customs duties on the pretext to protect local industries.
Comparing, the range of products China makes with what the local Indian industries make, there is a big ocean gap.
It will take them perhaps  30 years to reach 50% of the China range and by that time obsolete.

Why all this pretense. ?.. Accept the reality.  Know your limitations and stop making nonsensical objectives and overblown ambitions. Stop holding the creative indian back..and stop allowing the parasites in white uniform to suck blood of indian hard working entrepreneurs.

Debunk2025

Sad they put so many hurdles to protect the consumers and then made is easier for retailers to get from China. Whole system is rigged infavor of those who are in power.

Consumers keep will keep missing out of best stuff and pay 10x for lower quality in india

Party-Reception-1879

Yeah. Due to the lack of availability of a part for my motorcycle, I had ordered it from EU willing to pay duty. The duty came up to 7k or so for a 10k part. Looking closely, they calculated based on the HSN code for some medical equipment, which, as I understand, had a higher import duty. Who to complain to? I had to just bear the cost.

retroideal

makes me wonder if there is anything we can do for things that are straightup not made in india. for example there are no companies that make IEMs in india. who are they protecting by taxing when the said competition does not even exist?

zenitsuisrusted

Medical-Television99

safarnama101

Domu_domulus

Bro i ordered gamesir controller worth 4k from hongkong and customs put 2k charges on top of that

No-Let-1588

file for refund of charges, you'll get re-evaluation amount, DM me I'll explain the process, if you're nearby delhi or can file the docs, then you can get your amount back

innocentcharasganja

Lmao, you think indian customs are expensive. I'm bhutanese, and you wouldn't believe the customs duty for Indian products, let alone chinese products.

Minimum_Room3300

It has been the practice to deter foreign imports into India. I had to send a used salwar for stitching measurement towards a bunch of new salwar kameez and had to pay $20 dollars in customs which is not even worth it.

RecordingMassive788

If you labelled it as gift it attracts around 75% off customs (total) otherwise its 42%.

dlstmx

Ya it is true that 72% is applicable. You might have mentioned it as gift. Do not mention it as gift then you will end up with 42%. 
Custums are also good guys. Postal custums and commercial custums are not much related.

srinivas-shetty

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in India has consolidated customs duty notifications to enhance ease of doing business.

Customs Duty Exemption Consolidation in India

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