Quote:
Originally Posted by tcbob11
I recently shipped an E53 Avant-2 unit back to Tommy Tang in the Avinusa office in Shenzen China. Like a nice (read dumb) guy, I followed Tommy's instructions and listed $1.00 as the value for the Customs Declaration Form. Tommy said put in $0 but the USPS form will not accept $0. Priority Mail is the lowest USPS rate available for shipments of China. Shipment cost $85 and it was uninsured because you can't claim $0 value and then insure it for some other value. Custom guys pick up on that real quick!
Long story short, USPS tracking shows that the package has been in Customs Clearance for 30 days. The length of time the package has been reported to be in Customs facility indicates the package was either destroyed (or possibly installed in a Customs Officers's car!  ) I can not claim for the loss under USPS insurance because I reported that the package had no value. So I'm out close to $1000 for the price of the unit, and shipping. And I have a big hole in the dash of my E53.
Moral: Don't be a good guy by helping Avinusa/Tommy Tang avoid paying import duties on your radio. Protect your investment by claiming a realistic value if you have to return your radio for service or any other reason. |
Thanks for the reminder advice through your experience. It goes to show that when purchasing high priced electronics from overseas the depth of service and customer handling is just as important a consideration. Over the next couple of years there will be more choices coming from the aftermarket electronics companies such as Alpine, Kenwood, Panasonic, etc. I know this does not help you today but it definitely will help alleviate the headaches of future enthusiasts that decide to go the aftermarket route.