Tips on Dealing with Customs and Duties on Japanese Import Toys and DVDs in Manila
May 21st, 2009 | Published in Guides and How-To's, Music and Entertainment, Society and Business, Toys and Collectibles | 48 Comments
Customs and duties are some of the most hotly contested topics on local blogs recently, and I can’t help but relate it to my (our?) hobby of amassing toys and CDs produced in Japan. I’ve been hit by the tax man pretty hard too, so of course I’d do everything legitimate in my power to save a buck or two.
If you’re wary of your parcels from online stores getting taxed, there are two ways to avoid them — however keep in mind that this isn’t guaranteed to work 100% of the time. One way is to keep your shipments small, at just under USD 50. These are considered low-value shipments and are less likely to be taxed.
The other method is to opt out of EMS or courier shipping and use SAL (sea mail), or in the case of YES ASIA their free shipping option. SAL shipments sometimes go directly to your doorstep with a minimal PhP 35 fee, as opposed to your parcel getting taxed at the EMS office.
You do run the risk of the shipment getting lost or pilfered along the way if using the SAL shipping option, however if you can prove that the loss is not your fault the mail order service may replace the item for you. I have to warn you though that if you love first press editions and are sorry to lose it or any freebies it may have, just stay with the safe option and go EMS; limited edition items are very rarely replaced, if at all.
So how do you know if your parcel is being held for customs? If your parcel was sent via EMS and has not reached you three days after it was mailed out, then it was probably flagged for inspection. You can confirm this via two methods: 1) you can check the JAPAN POST or USPS website to check on your parcel via its tracking number; or 2) you can wait for your claim voucher to arrive via snail mail.
If your parcel is detained at the Bureau of Customs, you have to trek all the way to their office at the EMS Sorting Facility on MIA Road, Pasay City (MAP). Don’t forget to bring your claim voucher, or a printout of the page on the tracking website, and two valid IDs. Once there, you will be asked to open your parcel to determine the value, and then taxes and fees will be levied on the contents.
Generally, the calculations run like this:
[total USD value of parcel * 10% customs dues] + [total USD value of parcel * 12% VAT] + [PhP 750 customs miscellaneous fees] + [PhP 35 Philpost releasing fee]
So if your item is valued at USD 100, and assuming that the conversion rate is PhP 50 to USD 1, you have to pay: [USD 10] + [USD 12] + [PhP 750] + [PhP 35] = PhP1885. Good luck trying to fish that out of your wallet without weeping silently.
I know that it’s my duty as a citizen to pay taxes and dues, and it really wouldn’t be such a big deal if they weren’t so high. Also, I could live with myself better if I knew that the money was going to good use, like building schools or shoring up local businesses. Instead, they go to the pockets of corrupt government officials and greedy politicians.
It’s a lose-lose situation for regular folks like you and me :(
May 25th, 2009at 19:09(#)
I will never go with EMS. I’d rather take the risk with SAL or even better, registered airmail. It also helps if the seller is willing to under declare the value of the item.
May 25th, 2009at 23:48(#)
lol i prefer EMS for the security and peace of mind it offers me, but the taxes really have been a bitch lately and i have resorted to the more nerve-wracking SAL shipment method.
stupid “fundraising” for the stupid 2010 elections <.<
May 26th, 2009at 19:37(#)
I got sorely burned with EMS once, and I’m not going to do it again. Actually, my 20-dollar package from HLJ was taxed an extra 1,500 pesos thanks to awesome Customs numeral and monetary acrobatics…
In any case, I’ve taken the liberty to link to your blog (for quite some time now, actually). Incredibly relevant to my interests. This is the girl who bought both Yoshiko and Suu Space Invaders, btw. :)
May 26th, 2009at 19:51(#)
hi there mai :D thanks so much for dropping by :D i hope you’re enjoying yoshiko and suu <3
anyway — i feel your pain when it comes to the customs office :( anything that comes in an HLJ, AMAZON, or MANDARAKE box gets them salivating.
i think i can only count on the fingers in one hand i got away with a parcel that wasn’t taxed. it’s so so frustrating XP
May 27th, 2009at 00:21(#)
I regularly buy @ YesAsia and always use the free shipping option. It never gets delivered straight to my home though. I always pick it up at Manila CPO.
I’m actually having problems with one of my packages, my 2nd order arrived here but the 1st one is missing T_T.
It’s been 5 weeks now. You think its time to report it? My kartero just keeps on telling me to wait for the white card (which I didnt get cause someone stole our house number!).
Its funny they were being rude to me at first but when they saw the package they were looking at it so intently. Salivating! Yes :D
I did a little arte though..and said that I didn’t need the receipt. And all I had with me was 500php. Haha. I got away with 700php ^^
May 27th, 2009at 00:40(#)
hmm give it one more week, and then e-mail YES ASIA to report a lost parcel. they should be able to assist you with recovering or resending your parcel. good luck! :D
June 27th, 2009at 12:19(#)
Im due to receive an item as well its a portable atomiser. Its around 20 usd includiny shipping. You think they’ll tax me for it? I used Ems. If so how much am I looking at?
June 27th, 2009at 21:43(#)
it depends first if the customs office deems your item taxable or not. if it is then the calculations start. it also sounds like you’re trying to import agricultural or medical equipment — if so then a different table of taxes will be applied. if it’s hobby-related (like an airbrush kit) the the usual taxes as calculated above will apply.
June 29th, 2009at 11:01(#)
so if i would like to buy multiple items from ebay…(the thing is i don’t have paypal)…then would it be more practical to buy one at a time?
June 29th, 2009at 16:35(#)
ah EBAY is actually less of a problem than online stores. if you are purchasing multiple items from the same seller, you can simply ask them to under-declare the value of your parcel (say USD 20 instead of the actual USD 60) and mark it as a gift. most sellers agree if you ask nicely. if they do both there is a huge chance that your parcel gets sent to you directly without having to go through the customs office :) good luck!
July 1st, 2009at 16:44(#)
I ordered an item two weeks ago from china and it was sent through EMS… up to now my parcel didnt arrived… im from davao city and im just worried with my package. I used to purchase items from ebay using registered mail and im having no problems dealing with custom fees as they’ll charge me only Php 35.00. and all my items arrived less than 3 weeks, fastest was 8 days. I chose EMS shipping with my last order because i thought it will arrived within 3-5days… this is my first experience with EMS. 15 days have passed and still nothing. i used the tracking number on EMS website but it only stated the day it left china. I inquired with our local post office here in davao and they said they have not received my item yet. if all EMS shipment will be stocked at EMS office in Pasay, what should i do? im from mindanao.I dont know what to do now? help me pls….
July 1st, 2009at 17:22(#)
i think there is a different EMS depot for the visayas and mindanao regions, and i have no information on them so i’m afraid i won’t be much help. what i can give you though is the phone number for the metro manila depot (in pasay), so perhaps you can phone them to ask for additional information on the status of your davao-bound parcel? their trunk line is (0632) 8543580. good luck!
September 22nd, 2009at 06:09(#)
Hi magnetic rose, My friend from japan sent me a parcel via EMS, I checked the tracking number and says departure from inward office of exchange (manila) since sept. 15, does it mean that it is already left pasay EMS depot and in transit to my address in laguna? I’m a bit concerned, why is it taking a long time to be delivered?
thanks
September 23rd, 2009at 10:20(#)
EMS shouldn’t take more than seven working days tops; if the parcel is still not there please try calling the pasay depot to confirm that it has left there and is on its way to laguna. good luck!
September 24th, 2009at 09:05(#)
Update on my package
Received a notice from EMS brought by the kartero yesterday and I was told to claim it in pasay depot.
I called EMS pasay today (without telling that I received a notice) and followed-up the status of my package and was told it took a long time in customs and probably will be delivered tomorrow. I asked if I need to pay anything, replied not sure maybe upon delivery of the package I might pay some dues.
This people in EMS are really unbelievable, they really don’t know what is happening in their office.
Oh well I decided to wait until friday, if it will be delivered, if not no choice but to go to pasay and claim my package and hoping they will not charge me with a sky rocketing custom charge.
I will update this until my package is in my hand and I will share my misadventures with Philpost.
BTW: sorry for the rant.
October 20th, 2009at 06:13(#)
hi there magnetic rose, i recently bought an item at ebay which is around $90 including shipping expense and i used ems. do you think i’ll get taxed? the last thing i saw in my tracking number was it already “arrive at inward office of manila”. thanks
October 20th, 2009at 09:36(#)
i can’t really say — but it is a rule of thumb that that larger the parcel the more you should be worried. the customs office is more likely to keep an eye larger boxes and tax them than smaller ones (which does not mean that they don’t tax them — small parcels also get taxed, just not all the time).
for now all you need to do is sit tight. if the status of your parcel doesn’t change in the next day or two, go ahead and call up the pasay EMS facility to check if your box has been detained by customs. if they confirm that it is there, you can go ahead and claim it by presenting them a print out of the tracking website instead of waiting for the official notice via snail mail.
October 20th, 2009at 16:22(#)
thanks very much. its only a small box though, a box a figma. ^^ so i’ll be doing what you said.
December 9th, 2009at 15:01(#)
Hey, thanks for the informative post!
I recently took advantage of HLJ’s sale with free EMS shipping, and that map you have was of great use in finding the PhilPost CMEC for picking up the package. Also, that formula also proved helpful; the postage for the package I received was 3500 yen and I had to pay around 2000 pesos for customs and storage :(
It is “interesting”, to say the least, seeing how they compute the customs charge… manually. When there’s a computer right in front of them :P
December 9th, 2009at 15:10(#)
ouch — PhP 2000 for a JPY 3500 parcel?! hngh it’s christmas time and they must really be milking it for all it’s worth :/
December 9th, 2009at 15:52(#)
I guess I’m luckier though… the person who got to customs before me had to face a 17,000-peso fee for what seems to be a package of construction materials :(
Also, since the EMS shipping was free, my budget for that simply just transferred to the customs tax. It would be a long while for me to order and ship through EMS again though lol, at least until my other shipment of Gundam markers and sandpaper come via SAL.
December 11th, 2009at 00:20(#)
Argh, wish me luck. I am going there later Orz *sigh* It’s a 76 USD package and it would cost me roughly 1,561PhP. I dunno, I might end up stocking up in someone’s house in Japan or Singapore until I know someone who’s going home to the Philippines to bring home everything.
December 11th, 2009at 14:06(#)
ugh — best of luck :/
December 13th, 2009at 20:37(#)
it’s really pain in the ass to ship here in the Philippines
December 18th, 2009at 13:01(#)
hello.i also used ems to my package from china.dec 10 when my supplier send the package.So 8 days na now, di pa nmn updated ung website ng ems everytime i’ll track the package. But my supplier from china said it’s already left to their country,What will I do?
December 18th, 2009at 13:43(#)
try to call the EMS office in pasay at 02-8543580 to ask for a status check on your parcel. have the tracking number ready when you call. parcels are probably delayed because it’s christmas and there is a huge volume of incoming packages from overseas, so the EMS sorting facility is taking longer to process them.
December 24th, 2009at 14:00(#)
I just ordered a toy from Play-Asia and it is scheduled to arrive yesterday via Fed-Ex but it didn’t. According to the site, it have CLEARANCE DELAY. And it’s worth $30.
How can I deal with taxes?
December 25th, 2009at 01:48(#)
your shipment is probably under inspection at the fed-ex facility; all parcels have to be inspected regardless of the declared value. now, if your fed-ex parcel has been held up by customs, fed-ex will take care of all the arrangements — all you have to do is pay them the appropriate tax so they’ll release your parcel to you.
December 27th, 2009at 21:05(#)
sis 27 na la pa rin dumrting pckge skin.10 days delay na. bkit kya? cnsgot nmn nung supplier ko despatch na from china nung 18.pg tumtwg nmn ako sa pasay main office,everytime bnbgy ko ung trcking no. snsbi nila no info dw.hai. bkit kya?
December 28th, 2009at 01:21(#)
hi — china’s postal system is notoriously unreliable so this is probably not the local EMS office’s fault.
December 28th, 2009at 08:59(#)
wat do u mean sis?
December 28th, 2009at 12:13(#)
Hi, as far as I know this is just a personal blog and I am certain that the owner is not working for the post office nor an affiliate.
Anyway, it would be much better if you type out your words more clearly. You are using a full keyboard, all the letter are there, please use them.
December 28th, 2009at 12:21(#)
sorry glaine but i’ve done all i can to help you. i really don’t have all the answers to your questions so i’m afraid you’ll have to figure this one out for yourself.
December 29th, 2009at 09:20(#)
ok.thanks
February 11th, 2010at 17:49(#)
I’m wondering if it’s ok to get my item shipped now? I got some free toys via HLJ and I will send it through Air Mail. Less fees, right?
February 11th, 2010at 21:41(#)
should be better now compared to the christmas season — but no guarantees of course because you never know what those customs guys are thinking on any given day >.>
February 23rd, 2010at 11:16(#)
I AM LOOKING FOR MY PACK IT TAKES ALMOST 2 MONTHS FROM THE TIME THAT MY SENDER MAILED IT. HE TOLD ME IT WILL COME FOR A FEW DAYS BUT UNTIL NOW AND THEN I DONT FIND IT, I AM SEARCHING FOR IT DAY BY DAY BUT THE POST OFFICE HERE IS STILL WAITING FOR THE RESPONSE I CALL CMEC MANILA TO LOOK FOR MY PARCEL BUT THEY CANT FIGURE OUT WHERE IS IT.
FOR NOW I AM LOOKING FOR SOME HELP TO LOOK AND FIND MY PACK.
February 23rd, 2010at 12:20(#)
hi there. unfortunately if the post office cannot help you, neither can i. i can give tips on how to claim your parcel, but tracking down one is impossible as i do not have access to the EMS computer system.
lastly, please refrain from using all-caps when commenting; it is bad netiquette and is the equivalent of screaming at someone offline.
February 26th, 2010at 00:01(#)
I have a package arriving using air mail and it’s probably going to be a bit big because it has posters (total value is around 6000 JPY). I am really worried I might get taxed.
February 28th, 2010at 02:16(#)
hi..i have a package from Thailand via EMS and I’ve been waiting for it for two weeks now, when I called up our local post office they referred me to EMS Pasay so I called them up, I gave them the tracking number and they said that it’s ready for pick-up but needs to go through inspection first..it’s just a bunch of binoculars and headwear with lights..do you think they’ll charge me for it?..it costs 54USD or 1550Baht..and also do you think I should tell them the amount in USD or Baht?..or there won’t be any difference at all..many thanks..I’m glad I found this site, really helpful..
March 1st, 2010at 03:18(#)
hi there — just declare the amount in baht first since the parcel was from thailand. in case they don’t have the daily conversion, they’ll ask you if you’re okay with the USD conversion instead.
March 1st, 2010at 16:29(#)
Hi, I just had my parcel shipped from China, and also just got a notice from EMS to claim my parcel at the Pasay Office. Would anybody know how much tax would they charge on a pair of shoes? The value of the shoes was $42 originally (Adidas) I don’t want to arrive there unaware.
Thanks!
March 1st, 2010at 16:34(#)
try the calculations described above, then bring a few hundred pesos extra in case they charge more.
March 2nd, 2010at 13:03(#)
Thanks Magnetic Rose
March 11th, 2010at 21:25(#)
hi, I have a very big problem now. I am from La Union and I am expecting a packgae from thailand thru EMS. now, the package costs about 10000, how much will I pay then? oh noh! please someone help me.
March 12th, 2010at 00:39(#)
there’s already a sample calculation given above; i’m sure you know enough math to figure that one out for yourself :)
March 12th, 2010at 16:32(#)
do I have to go over to Pasay? to get the package then?
or they can deliver it in my house?
March 12th, 2010at 16:36(#)
if the parcel has been flagged for taxes, you have to claim it from the pasay depot. if not, then philpost will deliver it directly to the address indicated.