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Im not so lucky today because the Alligators from the Bureau Customs at the EMS Philpost branch at Pasay along Domestic road taxed me at almost 50% of the cost of what i’ve paid for my items ordered via Play-asia.
These are the items that i ordered :
World of Warcraft Series 2: Dranei Paladin: Vindicator Marrad – Deluxe Collector Figure (US) : US$ 34.90 (~1,557 PHP)
World of Warcraft Series 2: Gnome Warrior – Sprocket Gyrospring Figure (US) US$ 19.90 (~888.34 PHP)
Sum US$ 54.80 (~2,446 PHP)
Shipping US$ 23.90 (~1,066 PHP)
Total US$ 78.70 (~3,513 PHP)
——————–
This is not the first time I ordered via Playasia. I ordered a copy of Hellgate London back in december, Super smash bro’s brawl for wii in May and Orange box 2 weeks prior to my World of Warcraft collectibles order. I ordered Hellgate London and Smash bro’s brawl via Fedex then Super Smash bro’s brawl via UPS. Then with the collectibles, the first time i ordered via EMS. All of those were tracked shipping options. I only googled for the process of EMS shipping a couple of days after i placed and paid for my order, when the tracking system told me that the package is shipped and is already in the Philippines currently being processed. Google results told me that all EMS shipments are dropped at the Philpost office in Pasay along Domestic road. Next, I googled for Philpost and my query was rewarded with results pointing to complaints about missing packages, stolen goods and goods that had their beautiful packaging sliced open horribly… some of them still have their contents intact, some barely and some… of course gone. Paranoia sets in.
I received the notification card from Philpost yesterday – the package is in the Philpost office along the Domestic Road (Pasay, Philippines) and that i should pick it up there though I expected that they will deliver it to my house (The hotline that i called told me that they dont have enough logistic assets to do so). Rode a taxi on my way there and gave the Philpost grumpy grandmas my tracking number then told me to wait for the grumpy grandpas to call my name. It didn’t take that long for my turn. They opened the package in front of me and there they are… My precious Dranei Paladin and my Gnome Warrior collectibles. Included in the package was a photocopy of the Play-Asia invoice that the customs official inspected and almost automatically, i was told that i had to pay importation taxes for them. The amount that the customs officer calculated (out of her head) is PHP 1,406.00 tax which is around US $30-ish. And the Shipping fee that i already paid for with my transaction with Playasia is included in the computation slip (Not sure if it’s included in the computation itself, but with the bad penmanship,yes it was written on a scratch paper, it’s almost impossible to tell.). I only had 1,000 PHP with me so i asked them if i can pay via credit card (which was also a bad idea for me, but it was an act of desperation to get “my precious-es”) but i was told that they only accept cash. 
looks like i have to go half-day on office again tomorrow because they don’t entertain shipment reception during weekends.
I dunno if the computatuon importation fees for my order was legit or if there was some sort of corruption involved, but one lesson i learned from this : DONT order via EMS when you live in the Philippines, who’s shipment gets dropped to Philpost, customs and eventually corruption. If you did, you are not alone… just check ebay discussions, apparently this has been the case for Thousands who ordered stuff online. Most of them got spared, though. from the discussions, there’s only 10% chance of getting snaked by customs. Depends if the customs office already met their “quota”.
Btw. I am ordering a GTX280 this week and it would cost me approx USD $450.00, i hope the customs official won’t go greedy-mode on me again.
Related posts:
Lesson learned.
Spend for courier (UPS) rather than get robbed by customs.
Ask if they (stupid people at customs) have a breakdown of cost (equivalent to Taripa in Jeepneys) so you can validate their total claim and what exactly have you been taxed on. I’m pretty sure 80% of what they’re asking you to pay is an I’m-hungry-I-need-Mcdonald’s-from-this-kid-with-collectibles tax.
awts.
hehehe, the secret is, if they see the $ dollar sign anywhere on the box, u will be taxed. try buying stuff in different currencies only(like yen). They’ll not waste time converting it to peso/dollar and give the package to u tax free.
ow.. i can relate to this, ilang beses na ako nayari sa customs for my electronic components purchases galing digikey/other UK suppliers.
are you sure sa GTX280? this baby alone needs at least 550W.. and judging your rig specs sa MO, you need at least a 750W for that.
Before i worry about that i need to worry about where i can get it from first. :<
GTX280 is locally available at PC Hub, other sellers sa TPC. Another option is thru newegg/tigerdirect. See this page. http://tipidpc.com/viewitem.php?iid=2149827
Another option is just buy 4870 or 9800GTX+. Use what you save for better processor (Q9450) since this is cooler / faster than Q6600, plus lower power consumption.
TAMA KA DYAN! marami talaga buwaya sa customs. I was charged 2961.00 php for a used laptop that was sent by my tita in abroad. I dont know where they got that computation that was written on a piece of scratch paper. hangang ngaun di ko pa nakukuha package ko kasi ayaw nilang ibigay. Anyways, pag-nakasweldo ako tatawaran ko ung hiningi nila but if they dont accept my offer, makakapagpa-autograph talaga sila kay IMBESTIGADOR,.. YARI TALAGA SILA
i had the same experience last year… come to think of it.. it was in october so medyo gahaman na ang customs kasi christmas season at that time… what i ordered was a jpop dvd which only cost me below $50 dollars… actually it was in yen but they still imposed some silly miscalculated tax… they gave me an OR for it… i paid more than the real price for that dvd…
my fault was i didnt double check the OR while i was their… the bad thing was dinagdagan nila ung real price frm $46 to $55 para pasok sa $50 mark which is the legal price to imposed tax on a shipment… grabe..,
“my fault was i didnt double check the OR while i was their… the bad thing was dinagdagan nila ung real price frm $46 to $55 para pasok sa $50 mark which is the legal price to imposed tax on a shipment… grabe..,”
hi, can you support this statement on legal terms? saan makikita na 50$ ang legal price? i have a package in the post office and customs are charging me 1000php for it. the price labeled was 30$ only. please reply po…
Haven’t experienced that in Customs pero makikita ko na din yan pagdating ng Airmail Economy ko from Play-Asia.
Karaniwan kase (If not all) my orders eh 35php lang ang sinisingil palagi at nakasulat na yun sa Card ng Post Office. And hindi nila yun bubuksan dun.
But that’s just me, might be different from person to person. Kase first time ko bumili sa Play-Asia (I normally buy from HLJ or HS) kaya di ko din alam kung ano mangyayari or kung may mawawala.
Yung kinuha ko kasi is.
———-
Nanatsuiro * Drops: Touch de Hajimaru Hatsukoi Monogatari [Limited Edition]
Box contents
* Game disk
* A school calendar,
* A sticker poster
* Post cards
* DS cover
* Pin badge
* Super Deformed character seal
* A non-scale nendoroid action figure of Sumomo and Yuki-chan in their pajamas
———-
Wala naman sana mawala, baka pati Pin Bade or Stickers tirahin eh, lol.
Oh no, you mean customs will now charge tax for orders from play asia? That Bull crap. I just ordered a copy of gears of war for P1600 two months ago. shipped with simple ground with no tracking. I only had to play P25 for storage.
oh unfortunately my copy of GOW came with the safety sticker broken. Thank fully i can still use my copy of GOW.
ya know i don’t think the post office PC can even handle GOW LOL.
Well, your shipment is much safer from the customs alligators as long as it isn’t sent via EMS.
Had the same problem last year with customs, they charged double the amount of the calendar I bought. Didn’t get it from them though, cause it’ll be cheaper to just buy another one and have it shipped to my cousin.
Anyway, EMS packages are always held hostage.
MAS MATINDI SAKIN , HINAMON KO NG SUNTUKAN YUNG HEAD NG CUSTOM SA MAY COLLECTION DI NMAN PUMALAG ,,, MAMATAY KA NA JEROME NG CUSTOM WAG KANG PAPAKITA SAKIN SA LABAS DAHIL LULUMPUHIN KITA DUWAG ……
SANA MASUNOG NA YANG CUSTOM NA YAN
When computing for customs duties/taxes, also include the shipping charge for the total cost. For example, even though the price of the item is just 30$ but the shipping cost is for example $30 also, for a total of $60, pasok na yan sa customs duties since lagpas na sa $50 na nirerequired for tax. There’s also a helpful thread in ebay regading customs duties computation here in the Philippine. I think for computer/laptops and components, there’s no customs duties but you still have to pay for the 12% vat as well as some processing fees.
and btw, I think only EMS delivered parcels are dropped on the Pasay office. So if you want to avoid the people there, you can also try other international methods such as air mail, priority mail, standard flat fee, etc. I think those are dropped to your nearest local post office although it would more time than EMS. The local post office might still charge you though, especially if they have a customs personnel there. If not, siguro 35PHP lang ang sisingilin sa yo.
Is there anyway for a change?Can we not be heard by the gov’t? Are the receipts they issued there valid?
I think the old bldg. beside it was already burned. sign of karma.
omg, i have the same problem! i was looking for a solution that’s why i stumbled upon this site. i ordered a bunch of beauty products from china which totaled Php2400. the granmas and granpas taxed me 1600! i checked the computation and told them i paid in HKD not USD. the base price was cut in half (USD50) but the grandma with the horrible ‘stache summed up the numbers to 1400! i asked her how she came up with it and she just recited some government orders/acts + numbers + dates.
i’m totally puzzled at why they included the shipping fee. i paid for the service and their gonna tax me for it?
so much for ordering via ems. the notice arrived the exact same number of days as with my previous order from china through regular mail! and i had to go all the way to pasay for it! (i’m from north edsa)
a guy from another building within the compound wearing the blue postman polo offered to help me get my package. he insinuated that i could get it from him for a smaller fee. i thought he was scamming me so i went with the legit process. but after learning about the huge tax i had to pay i asked him for help. turned out he will just ask for the same amount but the money will go in his pocket!
these people don’t know i know people high up in government and military. more corrupt than they are haha. it’s time to ask them for help. i can’t wait to see their sorry asses.
i just called the customs office and they really do have a basis for the computation. those scribbles mean something and actually add up to the fee you have to pay. no magic tricks. you really have to pay give or take 2/3 of the price of your package as ordered by the honorable philippine government. sorry i’m too tamad to explain. just give em a call 8545148.
even so…
their fees are ROAD KILL! all for opening up a freakin’ box. they’re no bomb squad. geezus.
haay so much for knowing people. it’s their fault pala!
here’s how to compute:
in dollars:
-[(postage fee + value or price) x 4%] + (postage + value)
-multiply the sum by current exchange rate to peso (47.++)
-then add 10% of the product above to itself
-add 515 (i forgot what its for)
-and multiply again by 12%
that’s how you compute for the VAT
the 4% is for the insurance and 10% is the freight charge
IT’S NO WONDER, THE NAME PHILIPPINES, A COUNTRY WHERE I GREW UP & LOVE TO VISIT, HAS A NAME “FULL OF CORRUPTION” ATTACHED TO IT. I KNOW FOR A FACT, ITS NOT JUST WITH THE BUREAU OF CUSTOMS WHERE CORRUPTION, BRIBERY, ETC, IS HAPPENING. I HAVE SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES. ANYWAY, TALKING ABOUT CUSTOMS IN THE PHILIPPINES, I HAVE THE SAME EXPERIENCE JUST RECENTLY. THIS MONTH JANUARY 2009, I SENT A REGISTERED INTERNATIONAL PARCEL POST FROM AUSTRALIA TO TACLOBAN. THE PARCEL CONTAINS MY USED CELLPHONE & THE CHARGER, MP3 & CASE, DIGICAM & CASE, KIDS WALLETS & KIDS CAPS & POWER ADAPTOR. I HAVE THE PARCEL IN 2 SMALL BOXES COZ I CAN ONLY HAVE A MAXIMUM OF 2KG FOR REGISTERED INTERNATIONAL POST TO THE PHILIPPINES. THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE 2 BOXES ADDS UP TO AUD$380 PLUS AUD$97 FOR POSTAGE. THE PARCEL THAT I SENT WAS A LATE CHRISTMAS GIFT TO MY 13 NEPHEWS AND NIECES BACK IN TACLOBAN. WHEN THE RECEPEINT COLLECTED THE PARCEL AT TACLOBAN BRANCH POST OFFICE, HE WAS TOLD BY APPARENTLY A CUSTOM OFFICER THAT HE HAS TO PAY A TARIFF FEE OF PHP500 AND IF THE RECEPIENT REFUSE TO PAY THE AMOUNT, THE PARCEL WILL NOT BE RELEASE. TO AVOID ARGUMENTS AND CONFRONTATION, HE PAID THE REQUIRED AMOUNT. HOWEVER,WHEN HE ASKED FOR A RECEIPT, THE CUTOMS OFFICER DECLINED AND THE RECEPIENT WAS TOLD THAT THEY AT CUSTOM WILL ONLY ISSUE RECEIPT IF THE TARIFF FEES ADDS UP TO PHP2000 AND OVER. NOW, WHERE IN THE WORLD DOES THIS SORT OF THING DO HAPPEN (NOT PROVIDING RECEIPT ESPECIALLY FOR A GOV’T DEPT), OF COURSE, ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW THAT CUSTOM OFFICER COME UP WITH THAT TARIFF FIGURE OF PHP500 AND WHAT RECORD WILL THE CUSTOM OFFICE HAVE TO THE PHP500 THAT WAS HANDED TO THE CUSTOM OFFICER. NOTHING. WHERE DID THE MONEY GO, OF COURSE TO THE PERSONAL POCKET OF THE CUSTOM OFFICER. ITS NO WONDER, THE PHILIPPINES GOVT. CANNOT PROVIDE SOME BASIC SERVICES TO ITS PEOPLE COZ THE SO CALLED TAXES THAT ITS SUPPOSE TO COLLECT GOES SOMEWHERE ELSE. UNLESS THE PHILIPPINES GOVT DO SOMETHING TO CLEAN ALL THIS ILLEGAL ACT, DISHONESTIES AND MISCONDUCT OF EMPLOYEES, THESE THINGS WILL CONTINUE AND THOSE POOR FILIPINOS WILL TAKE THE BURDEN. IT IS SAD!!!
I just got ripped off by the friggin’ hungry crocs at the Philippine Customs Office. I sent a used laptop to my sister with a declared value of $1300 CND and was charged a whooping P11,000 taxes for it, man that’s about $285, almost 20%. Wow! How in the hell did they come up with that magic figure? I bet they just imagined it or something. Besides I sent it via FedEx. Somebody must have been sent to the dog house last Valentines Day so the bloody bastard dreamed up a number that can pay for a nice weekend on the beach somewhere to make up for his or her major f*ck up. WTF! Those freaking Philippine Customs crocs need to be shot in the head.
Ouch gnun pala patakaran nila. Balak ko sa bumili ng Play-yan for my GBMicro pero huwag nalang. Anyway, may alam b kayo na bilihan ng Play-yan dito sa pinas or any faceplates for Gameboy Micro?
If you want an idea of how much tax you have to pay for an EMS package, or if you have any doubts about the computation those customs crocs gave you, visit this site:
http://customslittlehelper.blogspot.com/
BUT REALLY, TO AVOID THE TROUBLE OF HUGE SENSELESS TAXES, DON’T HAVE YOUR PACKAGES DELIVERED VIA EMS!
The most you have to pay for regular mail is Php35 for storage fee. Plus, you get to claim your package at your nearest post office and not in Pasay. You just have to be patient.
I’m wondering why there’s a whopping tax placed on laptops. I read somewhere that computer stuff are supposed to get in the country at a minimal cost as part of the government’s program to help make the Philippines technologically advanced. Flash drives, for example, are not taxed at all, only an insurance fee is collected.
Its now 2009, have they started taxing Cd?
The tax is so high it stifle trade from other countries. They should lower the tax or remove it all together like in the US. How are we supposed to get stuff we can’t get in the local market?
And BTW This post is damn old! It needs to die please.
here is my friend experience on how ems-custom work flow on the parcels that are shipped via ems:
1. they give you a notice to claim the item at PhilPost Domestic only after 1 week that item has been arrived in philippines
2. usually you have to wait for around 1 to 2 hours(or several hours) before item will be examined by custom officer.
3. your item will be taxable in this way:
the the actual value will be raised to about 50 to 100 times, (eg. 10USD will become around 500USD), then they will charge the tax based on the new value, so that, the tax itself become 10times more expensive the the value of the item itself.
4. it is up to you if want to pay or better just leave the item to them.
hello, tatanong k po kung apektado rin ang economy air bubble dito? triny ko po idouble-check kung anong type ng delivery ang ginamit ko, ayun economy air bubble nga… so far i’m looking at the recent replies posted here and most of the complaints are coming from EMS. nag-aalala lang po ako kung damay rin ang economy air bubble…
sanay naman ako maghintay, first time ko rin po mag-purchase online but next time i’ll make sure to buy stuff here kesa bumili pa online. thanks po!
hello. sabi ng friend ko who bought a pda battery for P5000, pinareg airmail lang nya and then after 21 days he got notified by the PO in pasay or in his local area not really sure but he only got charges a measly sum of P35! samantalang ako i ordered something for $31 from HK thru fedex and then im gona pay another $33 for fees. dammit! i shudve done reg airmail. i spent $11 on frikin fedex. reg airmail is just $4. f*ck it!
yesterday i went to ems custom to get my package from japan and it just a stuff toys,4 different characters pooh,stitch,etc..but the custom told me to pay tax for about 3,587php,I was SHOCK!!! just stuff toys..3,587php this amount can buy a new stuff toys! i don’t bring a money with me because i know that i don’t have to pay anything for that stuff, so sad to say i didn’t get my package..still thinking what to do..
hi. i am an animal rescuer. we have a yahoogroup wherein rescuers meet in there. we post anything regarding animals. wishlist, adoption,etc.
someone from Alaska has sent me a box containing medicines, dog’s stuffs for my extremely urgent rescues. we communicate via e-mail. she informed me that i would be receiving the box by saturday.unfortunately, 2 weeks past before i got a notification from post office.
so, before claiming the box, i e-mailed her that the box was in here already. so we both feel happy about it. she e-mailed me back that she inserted money (small amount only) for me.
upon claiming the box at post office, i was required to pay PHp2,500+ (oh my geezus!) the box was just small!!! the postmaster even goes to say that they were not liable for any lost inside the box because according to her the custom already openned my box and checked it. (another oh my geezus!)
since, my sender told me the night before i claimed the box, that , all i have to do is to claim it and no need to PAY for it since she already paid all.i didn’t claimed the box that day. i told them to come back some other day.
this afternoon, together with a friend that had worked at custom before went to post office. the postmaster was not around, so we just talked with the post office clerk.
when i saw the box…wow! it’s not actually like a box already. the bottom part was open.anyone can put their hand inside. oh my geezus!!!
CUSTOM WILL OPEN IT EVEN WITHOUT THE CLAIMANT?
please i need your help..any info regarding this? urgently…i still have some days left to claim it or else…i dunno what would happen!!! WE URGENTLY NEED THE MEDICINES=(
GOD BLESS PHILIPPINES!
Oh, i shipped using ems and the value of my package is $64 dollars, but it arrived safely at my house..I’ve used ems before (but it was around $43) and it arrived at my house as well. It was mostly douijnshis and the box’s an inch or so thin..so I suppose they also choose how big the box is?? O_O
paano ba makowa ang box kona piunadala kona sa manila para sa tiyahin ko kasi bago makowa may bayad monag 2600 bra lang un at lotoin at sombrero bakit ba ganun kahalaga samantalng kapag may bayad 65 pesos lang pero ngayon sobra na laki tolongan nmn niyo na makowa un sa tiyahin ko na problima ako at na worried kailagan cgro ereport natin tosa betag para ma resto tong mga tao na na ngongorakot din sa mga pinadla natin……………
Yesterday i went to ems custom to get my package from taiwan,my sister sent me a laptop.after they check the box they told me to pay tax worth 5,687.21.! I was really shock!!!!!!I have 3,000 cash in my wallet,it’s not enough to pay, i ask them why i need to pay? the girl answer me i need to pay the tax,the greedy employee give a scrath paper ,the computation so i see that
my sister pay 250 dollar,its worth 12,127.21 pesos,i told the employee i need proper reciept not a scrath paper ,the stupid employee said on me that a scrath paper its thier offcial reciept,ayaw ko ng gulo.so i ask one of the employee where is the nearest bank,she told me that its near in petron,So i walk after i reach banco de oro dump its offline.So i went back and told them,ill back today,when i come back home i told my friend she said on me why u did not report in XXX,bitag or imbestigador,so we check the internet to get some phone number of XXX.Bitag but sad to say we did not found any contact number.so we decide all the conversation today i well video on my cellphone, excited now, its 3:46am still not sleepy but i need to go around 7am coz they open 8am.humanda sila talagang i sent the video to the XXX.hey later i post what happen.bullshit na taga custom ang kakapal ng mukha,harap harapan nangungurakot.
Actually ako rin. I ordered a package from Play-Asia. The item was worth P2.1k + the P500 Fedex shipping fee…that would bring it to approx 2.6k. Fedex tried to deliver it to our house saying that the customs fee is a whopping 1.6k! Now I have another package with them (this second one was being shipped as I handling the first ‘problem’ so I wasn’t able to cancel it anymore)…anyway, now the item is worth 5.1k (item + Fedex fee of p500) and we are now getting charged 2.6k for duties and taxes. I suspect they are using a roulette to calculate the fees. Because a friend tried calling customs to ask a theoretical ‘what if I have an item shipped, how much will it cost me’…almost all customs departments refused to say anything except for one guy who slipped and said it should be a small fee, less than half the price. We asked Fedex if they know why the taxes are so high…they said that customs stops packages and puts their taxes and sends it back to Fedex with the order that we pay the fees.
I hope someone does a lifestyle check on the customs employees and I hope ‘makarma sila’. There is a calamity here in the Phils. now and all they can think about is pocketing other people’s hard earned money. WE WORKERS PAY OUR TAXES AT WORK while customs gets additional tax-free allowances from us. Wow!
To neliza, more power! I hope Bitag and Ted Failon does a feature on the corruption in customs…I haven’t even heard a single successful campaign of theirs for the good of the country. Not even now that we’re experiencing these typhoons!
When finding out about the benefits of the operation, be realistic. ,
Hello everyone,I have a problem regarding sa package ko worth 40$,but the custom charged me about 8000pesos,1bag,1 vanity kit and 2 small wallet ang laman ng pacjaged w/c is used lahat pinagsawaan ng sis ko then pinadala dito…
I want to go to BOC para mag-ask kung ama ba yung computation ng custom sa pasay…Or i would rather go to XXX para matigil na ang pangungurakot ng mga buwaya sa custom…
Anyway this is the tel#02-4142539 of XXX…
I just called to XXX now,they told me that i have to file a complain to those greedy custom officer,and goes to trial in court,For anyone here who also want to file a complain kindly inform me or kindly call to XXX tel#024142539,
tama tama, ireklamo na sa xxx yan
I ordered a DVD from Play-Asia last October 30 and had it shipped here via Fedex. It was delivered to our house today, November 5.
DVD: $19.90
Fedex Shipping: $13.00
Total: $32.90
These are the taxes I paid:
Customs duty: Php 159
Advance sales tax: Php 356
% Surcharge: Php 250
Total: Php 765
Add: Custom forms and stamps Php 315
GRAND TOTAL: Php 1,080 (approx. US$22–> higher than the cost of the DVD itself)
It doesn’t matter which shipment type you use–EMS, Fedex, DHL, or UPS. The taxman will get you one way or another. You could also take your chances with regular post. You just might win the lottery and get charged only Php 35 or you could lose it and have the greedy, arbitrary customs people at the post office levy whatever taxes they think you should pay. Worst case scenario: your package could also get stolen. I think all the comments written here indicate how much we distrust and despise Customs people and those petty thieves at the post office. I, for one, think they deserve the scorn heaped upon their heads.
If anybody wants this US$5 off coupon that Play-Asia sent me, you’re welcome to it. Post your email address here and I’ll email you the code. First post, first served. If you’ve bought from Play-Asia before, you know the drill–$5 discount applies to a minimum purchase of US$50. This coupon expires on Jan 1, 2010.
This is the most expensive DVD I’ve ever bought. I don’t think I will be doing this ever again.
It seems during this 4Q of the year, packages sent via FedEx from Play-Asia no matter how big or small, more than USD 50 or less are being taxed automatically. I have an order today (5 Nov) coming but that would be delayed because upon checking the tracking site it is still in transit and available for clearance. Oh well, I would be expecting a call from FedEx again tomorrow (6 Nov) informing me of some fricking amount to settle.
does anybody here experience that when the package arrive thru Fedex, it contains that frightful Customs Duties & Tax form? but when I asked people in our house, they said they do not pay anything when they received it. but goodness, when I checked my credit card, it has some amount debited from me. now I’m so afraid to buy anything from PA
(I should know my credit card was ‘charged’, I check it via online banking)
a correction, PA didn’t charge my card of the Custom tax. I was sent a “Debit Memo” by Air21 stating I owe them money because they paid for my tax. It has a deadline written on it that if you choose to ignore, will earn 2% monthly interest if unpaid.
The Philippines is possibly the most corrupted country in the world, they will charge you to shit if they could, I have seen so much corruption in the Philippines, it makes countries like Italy look silly, the Philippines government are probably the worst.
OMG! All of you are so mad huh. Do you really think guys that this is the right thint to do? Complaining on this site, trying to destroy the EMS Philippines reputation by posting comment here that they are corrupt and etc. I think all of you should ask your self first if you know the Rules and Regulations, SOP and the Terms and Conditions of sending an International EMS package. Never compare the Customs of Canada to the Customs of Philippines. Think! They are different country with different laws. Customs Department is not a private company. It is a government agency. When you send an IEMS merchandise you will only pay for the Postage Fee. Which means, the country of destination is the only one who have the rights to collect the customs charges if the merchandise is taxable for customs charges. You should know that first before you send an International Parcel because if you dont. Then you’re like an idiot Captain of an Amry who’s sending his man in a battle without informing them who are the enemy and what are their task. For those who are complaining regarding the amount that the Customs collect from their parcel. I think this is not the right place to make a complaint. You know guys for me all of you are nothing but a babbling dumb ass. If you think your right then prove it by making them EMS officials pay for their sins. If you want you can ask for the help of IMBESTIGADOR or XXX. Because if you cant then your nothing but a LOOSER, an IDIOT and a FRAWD who’s blaming their mistake to others.
This is the procedure of EMS Philippines according to them. All IEMS item is automatic for delivery right at your doorstep. Everytime the EMS Philippines recieve a parcel. There is a Customs Department Representative who’s checking for those parcels that is possible taxable for customs duties and taxes. Possible? Does it mean they’re not sure? Yes they’re not. Because there are some false declaration in the parcel’s content. We all know that! Most addressee say that it’s just a gift why is it for customs examination? They use that gift exemption in order for them to easilly recieve high valued items without paying the Customs Charges. And that’s Illegal. So if the parcel is for customs examination and the addressee is within the range of CMEC delivery are. Automatic it is for pick up at Customs Department at CMEC office.
You destroy a person’s reputation by telling bad things about them. These things don’t even have to be true. However, if other people believe the stories that you are telling, then you will destroy the person’s reputation.
Now, as a general rule, destroying a persons reputation is not a very nice thing to do. None of us are perfect. We all have things in our closets that we would rather the world at large not know about. So, if you start ruining other people’s reputations, don’t be surprised if someone else doesn’t come along and do it to you. People who go about tearing others down usually aren’t very well respected.
I would just make one exception to the above caution. That is for people who have truly undeserved good reputations. If someone is hiding evil behavior behind the veneer of a good reputation, then that veneer needs to be stripped away to protect society from the evil person. However, before you do this, you better be sure that you have the evidence to back up you accusations. Destroying an innocent person’s reputation is, in itself, an evil thing. So don’t be part to that.
Open your eyes, look around you, daming corruption sa Customs. Sabi nila mga bayani daw mga OFW, yup mga bayani na ninanakawan ng Customs. I have a very bad experience with them people at the post office.I sent a ‘USED”/2nd hand Ipod and sobrang luma na Nokia celphone, sa pilipinas ko pa binili pareho.I sent it to my daughter from here in US, kala nila siguro dito ko binili sa US in $$.They charged me a total tax of P5,000.I thought that was ridiculous!! Sana matigil na yang corruption nila.Sobra na! Tama na! Nakakainis na!
@kritterkeeper, you as dumb as your grammar!!! You probably work for customs and is one of those sharks who steal from people. Do us all a favor, unless you’ve been through what we went through, shut the hell up!!! You probably don’t have any money to buy internationally and get taken advantage of. So all I can say to that is, you sorry ignorant ass.
I love the Philippines because it was my home for 11 years and the home of many of my loved ones. But the government employees (who think they are smart and the shit, but really, they are just the lower class version of the corrupt government officials) are ridiculous. I seriously think the that the corruption had spread down to its lowest level.
The private business employees and customer service are an exemption, though. They are courteous and helpful.
So to end my venting, I really hope that the corrupt Philippines government employees get their asses thrown in jail. And I hope they give the jobs to the honest, educated, hard working and ethical people.
@kritterkeeper
Do you even have stuff sent to you from abroad? Honestly, before you start preaching to people who have been through shit dealing with Customs, I suggest trying out their services first. With regards to their charges…a big chunk of that goes to “storage fee”. Storage fee?! Because they take such a long time declaring ridiculous amounts of taxes for everyone, they also put off mail delivery until your storage fee increases.
Also, door to door delivery? Really? Actually when me and my cousin had anime figures shipped to us, we had to pick it up from the EMS office…and despite that, we were charged the same ridiculous amount by customs. One old guy beside us was begging the postal service employee to lower the amount of an old, obviously used DS (I think he was being charged 5k, more expensive than buying it second hand).
Seriously kritterkeeper, I’m so sorry you won’t be able to grow back your obviously fried brancells. Customs sheep.
Maybe kritterkeeper’s parents are working as customs officials thats why she cant believe that the stories she reads reflects on her parents’ work ethics.. Then she thinks people are just bashing them for the sake of complaining.. Poor, innocent little thing..
hope she at least enjoys the goodies her parents bring her from the post office :p
Purchased an Xbox 1 component cable from play-asia (worth P1000 on sale). Used FedEx, P500. Got slapped with a P1511.13 tax, which FedEx is now obligated to charge to me. Where in god’s green earth did they pull that number out from. I got me a 150% Tax. NOWHERE else in this world will you find such an absurd tax rate!
I opened a blog to track this shit, and anybody else willing to add their story to it, just email me @ renan.galang@yahoo.com and I’ll post your story there.
mga buwaya talaga ang philippine customs!!! I send thru fed-ex a $25 dollars book and paid $100 dollars and they still charged the recipient $48 dollars just to release it.Ipapabalik ko na lang sana kung hindi lang magastos ipabalik sa amerika. kaya pilipinas walang asenso!
Tang*na talaga ng mga taga customs na yan. I’ve been ordering figures for almost two years now and NEVER got charged for customs tax by choosing the regular mail. I just need to pay 35 pesos for the handling.
Now, I’ve ordered a PS3 game from PA worth 1500 and sent it through FedEx. The fucking retards in custom charged me 1000.
And all those fucktards above that saying that customs are just doing their jobs, well they do it damn well. Fucking corrupt officials.
I had a similar experience last March 2010. I bought a bunch of 14 puzzle books from Penny Dell each costing $17-19 but since I bought it as a bundle I got around 20% off the total price. So I spent around 2000 pesos + shipping fees. Guess what? My customs tax is higher than what I paid for even with the shipping fees! Stupid idiots based the tax on what each fucking puzzle book costs thereby increasing the tax! I so wanted to charge the post office and demand why they charged me such a price! When I get my CPA license and this happens again, they are so going to get an earful from me!
hi guys help naman , ndi namin makuha ung package sa ems pasay. pls help
guys, worried din ako kasi bukas may kukunin ako sa EMS pasay, kasi over one week na yung packege yun pala naka tengga lang sa ofc nila di man lang ako ininform na nadito na pala, kung di ko pa tinawagan…. at for inspection pa daw yung package kaya need to be pick up…
cellphone laman ng package saka chocolates lang, yung cel used na ng husband ko, shocks magkano kaya babayaran ko dun… guys san ba natin to dapat isumbong????? magkaisa tayo na isuplong ang walang kwentang customs na yan…..
nakakaawa yung mag sinisingil nila ng over taxes… porket galing abroad ang package, kung presyuhan nila 100%….
[...] stories of collectibles coming under scrutiny for taxation. One that caught my attention most was another story of taxation for goods bought from a notable online store. The same store where my recent parcel [...]
PROF. RICARDO A.DIZON…isa sa mGa animaL na pinuno ng bUwaya sa custOms..50% price ng cOmputatioM na Laman ng package na pinadaLa ko sa pinas ang sinisingiL na tax?…kaputa putahan ng putang kanuno nunohan mo at putang ina mo pa sampo ng mga kasamahan mO jan sa LOob ng custOms sa susunOd na masunOg Lita yaNg bLdg saNa kaSama na kayO,…tinik kayO sa diBdiB namen mGa nasa overseas!..kung pakitunguhan nyO kame parang hawak nyO ang batas ah…sigurO nga taLagang may mastermind kayO sa nakakataas!mga bwaka ng inang haLang ang kaLuLuwa!!!..gahaMan sa perang hindi nyO naman pinaghirapaN!!!mga magnanakaw!!!
saNa mapansiN ng media itOng mGa hinainG naten at imbestigahan niLa ang anumaLayang nagaganap sa LOob ng custOms…
15k ang tax na sinisingiL niLa sa kapatid kO dahiL Lang sa cpu na pinadaLa ko..
sa mGa taga custOms may araw diN kayO…FU.CK YOU & UR FU.CKING ASS LIFE!!!!
etO nga paLa YUNG NAKAUSAP KO NA TAGA CUSTOMS:
PROF. RICARDO A. DIZON
BS,MBN..(02) 854-5148 mobiLe# (63) 0915514966
sabi pa ng kapatid ni isang computer wala daw sila sa loob ng office so san siLa kumukuha ng idea sa kung anu anong pinapabayad niLa may tax ba na pwedeng tawaran?…hamfutaaaaaaaaah!!!!!
5 Customs men penalized for unexplained wealth, extortion
09/12/2008 | 01:30 PM
Five officials of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) were penalized by the Ombudsman for offenses ranging from acquiring unexplained wealth to extortion, the Ombudsman said on Friday.
In a statement, the Ombudsman said it has ordered the dismissal of Dolores Domingo, a customs operating officer; and Chito Orbeta, a customs messenger found to have acquired P1.6 million of unexplained wealth from 1992 to 2004.
The court said Domingo was found guilty of “Grave Misconduct, Dishonesty, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service,” because despite annually earning only close to P200,000, she was still able to purchase the following:
• a P1.25 million house and lot,
• two vehicles with a total value of P366,000; and
• a P640,000-worth motorcycle.
In her 2002 Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Networth (SALN), Domingo also failed to declare a number of properties including a P840,000 Hyundai Starex van, a P250,000 Mitsubishi Pajero, a Toyota Revo worth P803,000, and a P485,000 Hyundai Elantra Sedan.
Meanwhile, the Ombudsman found that Orbeta was able to acquire a lot in Canlubang in 1992, a Toyota Revo in 1998, and a Honda Civic vehicle in 2003 when his annual salary at the respective periods where lower than the value of the properties.
Orbeta’s annual salary was only P24,876 in 1992; 58,992 in 1998; and 71,592 in 2003.
Aside from Domingo and Orbeta, three other BOC officials were ordered suspended. They are: Customs operations officer Pier Angelie Senangote Sealtiel, Intelligence officer Victor Raymundo Asuncion, and La Union district collector Edward Baltazar.
Sealtiel, who started out as a clerk with an annual salary of P4,860 in 1976 and currently earns P213,588, was accused of “amassing wealth which is grossly disproportionate to her modest income as a civil servant.”
Sealtiel and her family were found to own two adjacent lots, occupy an apartment in Parañaque, and have five vehicles. Her family had also been in a number of foreign trips.
The Ombudsman also said Sealtiel failed to declare her SANLs on several occasions in 1980, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1995, and 2001.
Aside from also not declaring his assets in seven different instances, the Ombudsman meanwhile said that Asuncion was found to own three properties in Pateros and his family have made foreign trips costing around P810,000.
Baltazar, sanctioned to a three-month preventive suspension, was found guilty of trying to extort P100,000 monthly from officials of a shipping company in La Union.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/119895/5-Customs-men-penalized-for-unexplained-wealth-extortion
People with packages coming from Japan can now breathe easily. Starting July 1 the J-ASEAN FTA has been implemented. One of the major things in that thing is that anything under “Category A” will have Customs Duties eliminated from it, so all You have to pay is the 12% eVAT that is still applicable on your Orders.
Ragna, can you elaborate more? I have a package waiting to arrive via ems japan and worried sick about the package and the tax. its worth 8000 pesos.
@Al
Here You go.
The link below tells of the FTA coming into force last July 1, 2010.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2010/6/0616_01.html
The link below says that (a)
“Customs Duties on originating goods classified with “A” shall be eliminated as from the date of entry into force of this Agreement;”
Which means anything that falls under Category “A” wouldn’t be subjected to Customs Duties and will just be charged the regular 12% eVAT.
And the link below is the guideline on which items are classified under Category “A”.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/fta/asean/part8-2.pdf
Hay, Then yung pinalit pa sa customs ngayon e sobrang corrupt na si Angelito Alvarez… siya yung commissioner dati ng PBA and may ari din siya ng Fedex at Air 21 so malamang sobrang laki ang patong ng pag import dahil si Angelito Alvarez na yung bagong commissioner ng BOC… fucking customs >:[
sa moNday babaLik kapatid ko sa customs para kuhanin yunG pacKage baLitaan kO kaU gUys if anO magiging resuLta,dahiL sa tOtOo Lang ayOkong bayaraN yung buOng 15k na hinihinge niLa,”negotiabLe” namaN daw according to PROF. RICARDO A. DIZON na yaN pweehh!!!! mGa aniMaL!!! mandaraMbonG!!!
actuaLLy pangaLawanG beses na tO e..,yunG una sapatos lang na reebOOk yunG pinadaLa kO tas naniningiL sila ng 2300 na tax,kahit anOng pakiusap waepek sa kaniLa kaya nO choice kundi magbayad pero awa nG Diyos natawaran namen ng 1200 yung tax hamfffff! pUtekkk!!!
eto pala guys yung tarrif book :
http://www.tariffcommission.gov.ph/AHTN_(TARIFF)_BOOK.htm
guide natin yan
@Ragna
Thanks for the information. I think you forgot to put the link regarding these
The link below says that (a)
“Customs Duties on originating goods classified with “A” shall be eliminated as from the date of entry into force of this Agreement;”
Which means anything that falls under Category “A” wouldn’t be subjected to Customs Duties and will just be charged the regular 12% eVAT.
or do you have a local link pertaining to this so I can show it to them?
Sorry about that, here’s the link.
http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/economy/fta/asean/part8.pdf
Thanks a lot Radna very informative! do you think the customs people will follow these? Ill try to show them this week if they charge me those custom duties. Im still waiting for my package, it arrived july 10 up until now I still havent recieve my notice or package.
By the way I hope you don’t mind I used your name and quote your posts and links to other forums which too are having problems with our customs.
@Al
That’s alright. You can spread the News about that although I think “Some” Post Offices doesn’t know or haven’t been informed about that yet so probably a month or two before they fully implement it.
Don’t forget that along with these, the Customs Fee of 35 pesos also increased or decreased depending on the Order. A regular Figure would now cost 40 pesos in Customs Fee.
Went to EMS Pasay this PM. Boy, they were so slow! took me almost two hours to get my stuff from that place. Regarding the J-ASEAN FTA as expected they won’t recognize it. I just came back from EMS pasay and as the customs officer finished computingmy 8000k peso watch from Japan, I told her: wasn’t it suppose to be that my watch be exempted from duties? Wasn’t it Phils and Japan had signed an FTA agreement and effective July 1 all under category A goods from japan exempted from duties and just 12% VAT will do?
She asked me, are you a japanese national? I said no. She said that only japanese nationals are exempted. I was about to argue more because it is not how it is but I refrained myself and I know that they will not admit it. No need to confront her more and besides I’m happy with her computation on my taxes which is only 1,900+ pesos for an 8K watch. Very reasonable. Based on my own computation its more than 2,500.00.
swerte naman ni fafi AL 1.5k lang tax… may package ako na parating na 10k baka 5k ang tax ko
July 1 2010 pa implemented pero until now parang walang nangyari, for sure maniningil pa din yang mga yan, dapat may gumawa ng action, hayzzz…..
guys share your stories here malay natin mapansin to at maayos
http://bmpm.abs-cbnnews.com/blogs/ems-post-office.html
Wow. This discussion has been alive for 2 years now. I am in the process of buying my first item from Play-Asia. It’s a Playstation 3 Slim 160GB CECH-2500 series. Ordered it but I haven’t paid for it yet, thought I’d check out the whole process of actually getting it delivered to my doorstep without any problems. I’ve ordered it via Fed-Ex. Item is US $399.00 plus shipping of US$ 37.40 equals a total of US $436.40
The question I want to ask is: Will Customs honor the FTA and tarriff code 9504.10.00 – Video games of a kind used with a television receiver – which falls in Category “A” and as Ragna stated “…will have Customs Duties eliminated from it…” since ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature will apply to all imports both from within ASEAN and outside the region? (What a messy and ugly-looking question. Hehe.)
My older brother bought a PS2 game from Play-Asia 3 years ago in 2007 worth US $78.20 including shipping costs(Fed-Ex). He used Western Union since he didn’t have a credit card/Pay-pal account, paid a fee and got the PS2 game delivered to our house in less than a week. Total purchase cost was under 4K Php(PS2 game + shipping = 3,732.00 Php + Western Union fees = 3,950+ Php.). I’m wondering if my purchase will be as smooth as his after 3 years.
I just hope that once I pay for it, Customs won’t charge a testicle(or two) before they release/deliver the PS3.
^
pray hard lol
first time ko bumili ng item sa play-asia and i have them ship it via fedex. marereceive ko ba sya dito sa house and will i pay anything kung ang item is worth 2.4k+ shipping fee which is almost P600?
Hi!
I ordered from Play-asia last Sunday a PS3 Game (ACE R worth 4k Php). Aug 24 it got shipped. I chose the Free Airmail and Economy Bubble. Will this still go through customs? Or will it be delivered straight to my address? Has anyone experienced the same thing? How many weeks did it take?