Shipping something to Argentina using DHL? Think again!

[Seaman]

Recently I ordered some PCB's (printed circuit boards) from a factory in Bulgaria. These PCB's were my own design and the place in Bulgaria is the cheapest to get them made. I had used them before and everything went ok. However the last shipment via airmail did not arrive at my doorstep, but got returned to them by Correo Argentina. The "funny" thing was that they, Correo Argentina, claimed that they send me notifications etc but I never received them. But that is a different story / issue.

Anyway I decided to "try out" DHL shipping to ensure timely delivery. So I paid €31.00 to get them shipped to me using DHL.

What the company in Bulgaria did was declaring the shipment on the pro-forma invoice attached to the package as "PCB Prototypes" with a value of €1.20. They also put a remark "samples without commercial value" on the pro-forma invoice. They told me they do that to prevent additional costs on their side! (Like I care!)

Customs here in Argentina did not believe the value of €1.20 so they held my package. This is where it starts to get stupid.

I got a phone call from DHL telling me that this happened on Thursday. A day later I receive a letter from DHL with the same message but also with the information that I have to go to their office at Av Belgrano to pick up a "guia de correspontiente", which will cost US$60 + 21% IVA. Basically I have to pay them US$72.60 to get one sheet of paper which allows me to go to EZEIZA to see customs. Goodbye door-to-door service, it just got converted into a door-to-airport service for a surcharge of US$72.60! I called DHL "customer service", which is anything but "service" and complained with them regarding the outrageous cost of a piece of paper. But as customer "friendly" they are, they would not waive this fee. They claimed that for every shipment, regardless of the value, the same would be charged.

I went to EZEIZA to see customs. Well, it became more difficult there. The customs officials told me I could not pick up my shipment with them since the pro-forma said "Samples"! Samples are by definition (according to the officials) a commercial good, so only a customs broker can clear the shipment. (A custom broker service was offered by DHL for US$135 + 21% IVA) They also did not like the €1.20 as declared value. It would have been nice of DHL if they would have informed me of this before paying the US$72.60. Most likely I would have rejected the shipment if I would have known what was about to happen.

So back home I went. I contacted the shipper to get me an invoice showing the shipping + "reasonable" cost per PCB, with a total of €49.00. I got that invoice and went back to EZEIZA. I went to DHL to get a paper of them changed to reflect the new value of the shipment. This was luckily a free service. (I consider it as being included in the US$72.60!)

Back to the customs office I went; This time the customs officials made a big deal out of the word "prototype". They insisted that "prototype" is just another word for "sample", and therefore was considered a commercial good. (So meaning a private person could not clear it, only a customs broker.) After discussing for about 10 minutes they got convinced that the wording was not correct to describe the contents of the shipment. The biggest issue is that you can not show them what the contents are of the shipment. The checking of the contents is the responsibility of another office. Anyway, finally I got a paper from them which allowed me to continue the process. The next step was getting an official to look at the contents of my shipment. They recognized what it was and made the note "plaquetas" with the value of €49.00 on my paper. Back to the first office where they decided, based on what is very unclear to me, that the duty on the shipment was AR$250! (That is €45, so 90% of the declared value!) Since I was already in it for US$72.60 I decided to pay it.

After paying it at Banco de la nacion, I got directed to another office to, guess what, pay again! This time it was "storage fee". Imagine an DHL envelope with 0. 25kg (half a pound) in it. That can not be that much you would think. Well, wrong! For 8 day of "storage" I had to pay AR$171.52! That was the final step in this ordeal.

The whole process cost me: US$72.60 (x AR$4. 04) + AR$250 + AR$171.52 = AR$715! (That is ~US$177). Not including the gas for the car to EZEIZA, the time wasted etc. And remember this was for a shipment with a declared value of €49!

Conclusion; If you are brave enough to ship something which might have some sort of commercial value to Argentina using DHL, ensure that you do not use the word "sample" or "prototype" or any other word what can be translated into "muestra" in Spanish on the invoice. Make sure that the invoice shows something "believable". But still count on being hit by all sorts of additional fees of either customs or DHL.

The "best" option is just to use EMS (I. e. Priority mail from USPS) and go to the office of Correo Argentina in Retiro to pick it up. The only downside of that is loosing half a day to pick it up. But at least it will save you the trip to EZEIZA, the ridiculous DHL fees, and the discussions. There is still a chance you have to pay duty, but that chance is lower than at EZEIZA.

[Argento]

Recently I ordered some PCB's (printed circuit boards) from a factory in Bulgaria. These PCB's were my own design and the place in Bulgaria is the cheapest to get them made. I had used them before and everything went ok. However the last shipment via airmail did not arrive at my doorstep, but got returned to them by Correo Argentina. The "funny" thing was that they, Correo Argentina, claimed that they send me notifications etc but I never received them. But that is a different story / issue.

Anyway I decided to "try out" DHL shipping to ensure timely delivery. So I paid €31. 00 to get them shipped to me using DHL.

What the company in Bulgaria did was declaring the shipment on the pro-forma invoice attached to the package as "PCB Prototypes" with a value of €1. 20. They also put a remark "samples without commercial value" on the pro-forma invoice. They told me they do that to prevent additional costs on their side! (Like I care!)

Customs here in Argentina did not believe the value of €1. 20 so they held my package. This is where it starts to get stupid.

I got a phone call from DHL telling me that this happened on Thursday. A day later I receive a letter from DHL with the same message but also with the information that I have to go to their office at Av Belgrano to pick up a "guia de correspontiente", which will cost US$60 + 21% IVA. Basically I have to pay them US$72. 60 to get one sheet of paper which allows me to go to EZEIZA to see customs. Goodbye door-to-door service, it just got converted into a door-to-airport service for a surcharge of US$72. 60! I called DHL "customer service", which is anything but "service" and complained with them regarding the outrageous cost of a piece of paper. But as customer "friendly" they are, they would not waive this fee. They claimed that for every shipment, regardless of the value, the same would be charged.

I went to EZEIZA to see customs. Well, it became more difficult there. The customs officials told me I could not pick up my shipment with them since the pro-forma said "Samples"! Samples are by definition (according to the officials) a commercial good, so only a customs broker can clear the shipment. (A custom broker service was offered by DHL for US$135 + 21% IVA) They also did not like the €1. 20 as declared value. It would have been nice of DHL if they would have informed me of this before paying the US$72. 60. Most likely I would have rejected the shipment if I would have known what was about to happen.

So back home I went. I contacted the shipper to get me an invoice showing the shipping + "reasonable" cost per PCB, with a total of €49. 00. I got that invoice and went back to EZEIZA. I went to DHL to get a paper of them changed to reflect the new value of the shipment. This was luckily a free service. (I consider it as being included in the US$72. 60!)

Back to the customs office I went; This time the customs officials made a big deal out of the word "prototype". They insisted that "prototype" is just another word for "sample", and therefore was considered a commercial good. (So meaning a private person could not clear it, only a customs broker.) After discussing for about 10 minutes they got convinced that the wording was not correct to describe the contents of the shipment. The biggest issue is that you can not show them what the contents are of the shipment. The checking of the contents is the responsibility of another office. Anyway, finally I got a paper from them which allowed me to continue the process. The next step was getting an official to look at the contents of my shipment. They recognized what it was and made the note "plaquetas" with the value of €49. 00 on my paper. Back to the first office where they decided, based on what is very unclear to me, that the duty on the shipment was AR$250! (That is €45, so 90% of the declared value!) Since I was already in it for US$72. 60 I decided to pay it.

After paying it at Banco de la nacion, I got directed to another office to, guess what, pay again! This time it was "storage fee". Imagine an DHL envelope with 0. 25kg (half a pound) in it. That can not be that much you would think. Well, wrong! For 8 day of "storage" I had to pay AR$171. 52! That was the final step in this ordeal.

The whole process cost me: US$72. 60 (x AR$4. 04) + AR$250 + AR$171. 52 = AR$715! (That is US$177). Not including the gas for the car to EZEIZA, the time wasted etc. And remember this was for a shipment with a declared value of €49!

Conclusion; If you are brave enough to ship something which might have some sort of commercial value to Argentina using DHL, ensure that you do not use the word "sample" or "prototype" or any other word what can be translated into "muestra" in Spanish on the invoice. Make sure that the invoice shows something "believable". But still count on being hit by all sorts of additional fees of either customs or DHL.

The "best" option is just to use EMS (I. E. Priority mail from USPS) and go to the office of Correo Argentina in Retiro to pick it up. The only downside of that is loosing half a day to pick it up. But at least it will save you the trip to EZEIZA, the ridiculous DHL fees, and the discussions. There is still a chance you have to pay duty, but that chance is lower than at EZEIZA. The International Postal Office is in Retiro. Don't count on being treated in any way except that you are the next piece of mobile protein and they are the hungry crocodile. You will be treated just the same. You will be fuc ked over and your bones regurgitated. It is evectively commercially impossible to ship goods in and out of Argentina at the present.

Argento

[Seaman]

The International Postal Office is in Retiro. Don't count on being treated in any way except that you are the next piece of mobile protein and they are the hungry crocodile. You will be treated just the same. You will be fuc ked over and your bones regurgitated. It is evectively commercially impossible to ship goods in and out of Argentina at the present.

ArgentoYes, that is the location I am referring to. My experience is that you loose half a day going there to claim your package, but say 50% of the time you can get away with not paying. Showing a foreign passport actually helps. It is just time consuming. DHL is just a ripoff, ridiculously expensive for their "service", and if you are unlucky you can not get your shipment because of wrong wording on the pro-forma invoice.

My advice in general is to get the "less important" stuff shipped by air mail (first class from the USA) , not priority mail. Priority mail will end up in the "EMS" system, which will end up in Retiro. Air mail however is just delivered to your doorstep.

I tried it out by ordering something cheap from www.dealextreme.com. Their standard (free!) shipping method is air mail, and all shipments (total of 5) have ended up at my doorstep without any problem. I just needed to sign. One of the shipments was actually 13 LED lightbulbs which were pretty bulky. But they came in an "envelope" and were send air mail. No duty to be paid or any other cost.

[Guiller]

My advice in general is to get the "less important" stuff shipped by air mail (first class from the USA) , not priority mail. Priority mail will end up in the "EMS" system, which will end up in Retiro. Air mail however is just delivered to your doorstep.

I agree with you: your advice is the best tested way of receiving goods through mail. DHL should never be used for goods, just for paper stuff.

[Schmoj]

I agree with you: your advice is the best tested way of receiving goods through mail. DHL should never be used for goods, just for paper stuff.I have never had any problems having books and paperwork sent via DHL. In fact, when I need something like a credit card sent, it's the ONLY way I would want it sent.

On the other hand, non-paper commercial goods (above ALL ELECTRONICS) are always going to attract the interest of our friends at customs, DHL or no.

[Guiller]

On the other hand, non-paper commercial goods (above ALL ELECTRONICS) are always going to attract the interest of our friends at customs, DHL or no.Well, not in my experience: DHL packages must clear customs at Ezeiza airport, wehereas USPS do that in Retiro's International Postal Center. The second place is much more reasonable regarding pricing and procedures specially for electronics. These are not the same people (the Retiro's guys are the poor brothers of the Ezeiza's ones). Nevertheless, in both cases, one should know in advance that there is some unavoidable wate of time involved.

PS: I buy lots of stuff on the internet, with emphasis on audio gear and LP records, and get several packages monthly. All packages that are lighweight arrive directly to my postal address, even in cases in which they include new items with declared values of up to 100 $ (for example, new Cds sent by Amazon).

[Juanxito]

Priority Mail goes to the same 7 counters as Air Mail in Retiro, EMS goes to a separate counter. I highly discourage EMS since "fees" are quite higher and transit time is just about the same as Priority Mail, with the difference that if the manifesto is OK EMS will be delivered to your doorstep, and you will pay the mailman directly.

Retiro is the place to bribe, the customs people know exactly what it is that's in your box, and if they don't they'll go over to a computer and look it up on the web, so it's a bad choice trying to get away with pretending that any good whose price can be looked up on the web is cheaper than it actually is. Rule of thumb: you are supposed to pay 50% of the value of goods + shipping. Offer roughly the equivalent in pesos, always round up. Cheaper option for everyone, no one will make a fuss about it, all customs agents are into it.

AVOID at all cost having your package get stuck at Ezeiza. Couriers (FedEx, DHL, etc) are the best options to buy yourself a miserable pilgrimage to get your stuff back. Sometimes things do get cleared "automatically". Only if they comply with all rules (not a "sample", for instance) and if the customs agent is confident that the declared value is plausible. Don't have a cell phone sent as an "mp3 player" worth 15 USD. No one will buy that an mp3 player box weighs 300 grams, and many will doubt as to its cost. Most possible outcome, stuck at Ezeiza = what we've already read.

[Carnal Urges]

Awful thing Seaman. That's just terrible. Feel your pain.

Yeah the thread's some months old, but maybe someone will answer.

Just wondering if you are renting a place through one of the agencies for say 2 or 3 months, can you use the address to have something sent to such as a replacement credit card or some important papers from back in your native country? Or some cheap hard to find electronic items like Seaman mentions of dealextreme. Or maybe even Amazon?

Would it just mean pasting your name somewhere on the main door? The it's like any other native renter to the postman.

Also one poster here said using DHL as the only way to have a credit card mailed to them, but others say forget DHL, FedEX altogether.

Is it better to just have it sent Global Priority Mail?

Thanks if anyone happens to see this and reply.

[Jackson]

Awful thing Seaman. That's just terrible. Feel your pain.

Yeah the thread's some months old, but maybe someone will answer.

Just wondering if you are renting a place through one of the agencies for say 2 or 3 months, can you use the address to have something sent to such as a replacement credit card or some important papers from back in your native country? Or some cheap hard to find electronic items like Seaman mentions of dealextreme. Or maybe even Amazon?

Would it just mean pasting your name somewhere on the main door? The it's like any other native renter to the postman.

Also one poster here said using DHL as the only way to have a credit card mailed to them, but others say forget DHL, FedEX altogether.

Is it better to just have it sent Global Priority Mail?

Thanks if anyone happens to see this and reply.I've had my USA mail (including credit cards) forwarded to me herein BA via DHL every month for the past 6 years.

I can track the envelope en route, including seeing when it's cleared Customs, and it gets delivered to my doorman who texts me on delivery and has it waiting for me at the building's front desk.

Twice in the past 6 years, when somebody sent me a DVD / CD or a book, Customs has held the envelope, in which case DHL instead delivered a standard Customs invoice which essentially states that I can come to the Custom's impound depot at EZE and argue the applicability of any import taxes, or I can just give the DHL courier $135 pesos to pay Customs to settle the entire matter. I leave the funds with my doorman, he gives it to the DHL courier the next day, and the following day my envelope is delivered, unopened.

The first time I did this, I observed on the invoice that $50 pesos of the $135 pesos was a DHL fee for the service, the remaining $85 pesos apparently being Custom's default import tax on unopened packages displaying outward evidence of a hard object inside, either a DVD / CD, or a book, etc. As generally reluctant as I am to succumb to such nuisance fees, it's still cheaper than making a trip to EZE to argue otherwise.

I've also used DHL to send envelopes to the USA on several occasions, their rates being generally half of what FedX wants for the same service. Interestingly, the DHL agents always insist on examining the contents of my outgoing envelopes, not for security reasons, but because (as an agent told me one day after my repeated questioning) the Argentine Government requires it to prevent individuals from sending currency out of the country via third party shippers.

Thanks,

Jackson

[Carnal Urges]

Thanks Jackson for the details. Very helpful, and a relief as well.

Still wondering about the other question I had, in regards to receiving packages such as a DHL envelope, or a disc / book from Amazon at one's temporary apartment rental.

You rent out apartments. Not sure if they all have doorman, but let's assume someone renting from another agency, there is no doorman.

Is it workable to just stick up your name where the other mailboxes are and this is good enough for the postman / DHL deliverer?

A couple places I stayed in other countries, short term rental, I did not have residency of course, the delivery person was not used to new names and so the package just went back to the office and lost to an abyss. Even though having put my name on the box. Maybe they thought it was a scam setup, a thief making up a maildrop location.

This is why I ask this.

Have your renters received mail / courier packages at your places?

Thanks.