Amazon to the Philippines?

[@macguba798]

Excellent info, Gadget! The first BoC officer you interviewed is very eloquent in explaining and answering your questions. Good job on a great content. This will definitely answer a lot of questions about Amazon purchases from Philippines. 👍👍

[@polromulo2475]

It's great that you talked about customs procedures, this helps a lot!

[@DarylMalibiran]

We're fortunate to have you here in our country.

[@hellboy21hm]

Extremely informative interview! Thanks !

[@rhapsodee5230]

Nice video, GA!! This video will help a lot of us Pinoys who want to order here in the Philippines and not be shock by any hidden fees. Thank you!

[@eyev5085]

You might not be a filipino in blood, but you help us alot by educating people properly.

[@chadcamara]

very imformative .. thanks

[@514broly]

Thank you for this video. Those are exactly my concerns regarding buying from Amazon.

[@Dabidto]

I've been ordering from amazon since 2018. All packages I've received were received in Clark. Customs also done in Clark (It says so in tracking). A lot of the time, there is already a customs fee included in the computation of the total before payment. Some novelty items I've ordered didnt have customs fees. UPS was always the one delivering my items. 2 days was the fastest I received a package. Customer service was good. Once, I didnt receive a packageon time and was refunded but 2 days later the package arrived. They didn't make me return the refund or the package.

[@GadgetAddict]

Good feedback, thanks for sharing. And yeah, that's something I wanted to discuss in the video, about the pre-collection that Amazon does for estimated Customs duty, when you exceed the P10,000 de minimis. But I was running out of time and I haven't actually ordered something beyond the P10,000 myself.

[@knightlyexperience6010]

This is so helpful...my brother in Laguna got the package i ordered from USA.

[@botoy9890]

Very informative and helpful video. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[@exsailor1]

Thanks for super great info. Thanks for what you do GA!

[@litovelarde8253]

Thanks sir for this post , even thou im a filipino this is the first time i’ve learned of custom taxation on item ordered abroad. Now i can order to amazon directly, tnx gadget!

[@carelmirafuentes6433]

Wow! This is great. I've been planning to order from amazon but I always hesitate because of "hidden fees"

[@kenichiallen]

actually, I want to buy an item in ebay before.. I called customs hotline asking if I will be subjected to tax once the item arrives.. the item is just 9k in pesos but the shipping fee is 2k+.. the person that I've talked to said that I need to pay the custom tax.. so, in the end, I didn't purchase the said item.. thos 10k is a subject of confusion for both the buyer and the custom official.. customs need to clear the "10k boundary"..

[@zaldyoreo726]

I really though you need to pick it up on Naia customs. It is good to hear, it will deliver straight to you're doorsteps.

[@GadgetAddict]

All of my orders have been below the P10,000 de minimis of Customs. It seems that once you exceed that value, that's the time you'll have to pick it up and pay the applicable duties. But If you notice, Amazon are pre-collecting estimated Customs fees, if you exceed P10,000. So I'm wondering if they would pay it on your behalf, so that it can still be delivered to your door. I will have to test that.

[@thuckz]

@@GadgetAddict Please update us when you do. Thanks!

[@jessep8281]

@@GadgetAddict Gigachad!

[@vincentmgo]

Very informative, thanks.

[@raphoquendo7576]

Wow! I can't thank you enough for this video. This is incredibly helpful.

[@conyo985]

I tried with my GCash Mastercard it did not accept it. I tried my UNIONBANK card, and it worked. Great video and very informative. I'm a new Amazon shopper and I'm excited with the free shipping. There are so many products that I don't see in Shopee and Lazada. There are also items that are way cheaper too. The downside is that the free shipping is slow but, in my case, I don't mind it.

[@GadgetAddict]

Some other people said they had problems using their GCash mastercard too. But it worked for me 🤷‍♂️ They said to use the Virtual AMEX from the GCash app, if your mastercard is declined. As for the shipping times, although it usually says it's going to take a few weeks, my deliveries usually arrive in 12-14 days. And even as quick as 5 days sometimes.

[@sonnymylovesosweat]

Nice I didn’t know that

[@boldstardex]

Very informative video! Thanks

[@giboxxx6573]

You, sir, are doing the Lord's work.

[@ajLisama]

Thank you GadgetAddict for this content, this is a vary helpful information.

[@queso5566]

I've been using Fedex for international shipment coming from Fort Wayne, IN since 2019..All along, I thought the 10k worth includes shipping fee. Because of your informative video, I have room left to add more items hehe..I also tried Amazon to Philippines free shipping on first week of November and it took 9 days to arrive thru Ninjavan. Not bad at all for an international shipment.

[@mgdf44]

I use a forwarding company, shipping cart.

[@GadgetAddict]

I used something like that before, but I found it a bit expensive. But at least they usually handle everything for you, even if it needs to be inspected by Customs.

[@Aaagr]

"Were here 24/7" but they do not release AOG (aircraft on ground) items during weekends and holidays.

[@victorcalalang997]

thanks good infos. less hassle for people

[@rice6682]

I hope there will be cctvs before, during and after the screening (no blind spots). I am also concern when the package reaches philpost.

[@youtubephan2427]

i too am concerned about packages reaching postal offices in PH. A lot of comments I've gotten from others who have had negative experiences with Philpost like missing items, or items that were switched. Especially packages from outside PH.

[@GadgetAddict]

@@youtubephan2427 Amazon don't use regular mail anymore. They're already using couriers in the PH. It's much faster 👍

[@youtubephan2427]

@@GadgetAddict thats good to know, but if I were to send a package myself, I can't trust the sytem there. But kudos to Amazon. I have used LBC, so far its been good.

[@DopeyDopes]

Thanks for the info!

[@kuwa333]

Thanks for the info, I always had doubts if I would order in Amazon because I thought it's too hassle to take the parcel.

[@GadgetAddict]

Way back, many many many years ago, when they used regular post, it was a hassle. But now they have agreements in place with local couriers, and the increase of the de minimis in 2016, it's much easier.

[@RISERX987]

Nice very informative, ito yung isa sa mga gusto kong malaman lalo na pag magpupurchase ka sa Amazon or overseas… kaya lang Hindi napag-usapan kapag siningil ka parin ng custom or philpost kapag ang item mo ay under 10K lang… papano kaya ang sitwasyon pag ganon? Ipipilit mo ba ang karapatan mo o papadala ka nalang sa mga taga custom or philpost…

[@adamstetiks]

Thank you so much !

[@temujin0911]

talo for items with value greater than 10k... lesson learned, thanks!

[@coconice1674]

The big question is this....what was inside that Prime box you're holding? 😄

[@PinoyBlender]

great info ❤

[@OutdoorWeekend]

Thank you for info.. 👍

[@iszian]

Thank you so much as always very informative!! I followed you on Facebook years ago thank you

[@AkoyTamad]

Had a bad experience going through Customs. Bought a snorkeling goggle that Customs reclassified as an electronic item and then charged me an additional fee. Also bought books from Amazon in the past and Customs tacked on duties and fees based on the value and shipping costs (which is based on weight). I ended having to pay more for the fees than the actual cost of the books. Too much hustle for an inconsequential personal purchases. Yes, I still buy books from Amazon but only when I travel so I can just carry it back with me (opened and read) without being bothered by exorbitant fees.

[@GadgetAddict]

That's why I asked that specific question in the interview too, because it's true, if you exceed the de minimis, what you're going to pay is based on the item value + shipping cost + insurance cost. So it can become more expensive. Before 2016, the de minimis was only P10, meaning you had to pay duty on basically EVERYTHING that you import into the country. But the de minimis was increased to P10,000 in 2016, making things much easier for most personal imports.

[@FallingDebris08]

@@GadgetAddict While it's good that it's now increased to 10k, I still believe that it's outdated and should be increase further-- maybe to 30k-50k. This is exactly what happened to the 10 php de minimis, it was an outdated rule left untouched for years and now it's slowly happening to the 10k de minimis as well. Just inflation alone + weak PHP against USD will eat that 10k PHP value. Now, the 10k de minimis is around $170 worth of items in Amazon when it was about $210 worth you can order back in 2016.

[@Pat_KraPao]

Get an ebook reader like kindle. No more shipping fees.

[@GenIus-zm3qf]

@@FallingDebris08 Why not just split your purchases. 10k is quite generous for a single item.

[@GenIus-zm3qf]

@@GadgetAddict You should've also asked if splitting your purchases is allowed. Thats a possible loophole. Instead of buying 100 dvds in just one order, why not make it 5 dvds per order?

[@yulose9]

Thanks Gadget Addict!

[@Lhonne]

Please make a content about using gcard mastercard on amazon. I have not seen any video about it.

[@GadgetAddict]

There's not much to say.. you just type in the details from the card, at checkout 🤷 You can also use the virtual AMEX from tbe gcash app, if you don't want to buy the physical MasterCard.

[@Lhonne]

@@GadgetAddict thanks

[@Zushikikato]

Customs please, my bass guitar arrived in the Philippines from Japan 11/22/22 but up to now (11/25/22 as of writing) the status still shows that it's still with you guys (Customs) everything's already paid. When will I receive it? Thanks!

[@GadgetAddict]

You should definitely call their hotline. Because that's exactly the kind of thing that they mention to me earlier.. that a shipping provider will say the parcel is with customs, but not give any further explanation. If you call the hotline, they can tell you exactly what's happening with it.

[@Zushikikato]

@@GadgetAddict Ohh.. Thanks GA! Can you post additional links / phone numbers / general info on your description to help other people as well! Will call them first thing tomorrow. Thanks much and more power!!

[@yusuke8546]

Great video as always Gadget Addict. Just like to ask if I'll need OMB permit for a 2TB External hard drive

[@Pongzkie1974]

thanks Captain Gadget!

[@ginocgraphicartist]

to add, if you have questions regarding importations, aside from Customs, you can also ask Dept. Trade & Industry - Bureau of Import Services....

[@ginaknutson8530]

Good information to those would want to get Christmas gifts online! They know how much they can purchase with out having to pay extra on tax

[@GadgetAddict]

And unlike most other websites, Amazon will actually pre-collect the estimated customs duties, if they think you're going to exceed the de minimis. This would be shown on the breakdown of fees before you checkout. So if you do want to buy something more than P10,000, at least you already have a rough idea of how much it's going to cost you.

[@jannarkiewicz633]

A guy was delivering bread to Bread Talk and he was wearing an Amazon shirt. I was like, "Amazon is delivering bread to Bread Talk"? The guy said, "My sister in the U.S. gave it to me." BTW: good topic. I have ordered twice from Amazon from MetroManila. I've been very happy to get certain key things I need in the U.S. dental picks, Candy Land (a game), etc.

[@GCPHVidFan]

It seems that amazon includes import fees deposit on the final checkout page, so we'll not go directly to customs to pay the fees. I'm planning to buy a new graphics card, I thought it was the original price already but I think I'll save more because of the import fees deposit.

[@GadgetAddict]

Yes, Amazon are pre-collecting estimated Customs Duties. But most websites aren't doing that. I was trying to decide whether to go deep into that topic in the video, or try to keep it a little broader, since people order from a lot of different websites.

[@clarrysmith6323]

Hi mate love to one day to meet been to philippines many times i'm from Australia, You MMDA coverage is great like to see more of holding yard and sell off, I drive mysalf when we are over on oversea licence we are from cebu but been in luzon many time keep up reports

[@heartqueen8425]

Thank you for the info!♡

[@christophermorales3175]

Now I can order my choice of solar generator. How about the what do you call the sticker quality standards?

[@GadgetAddict]

Just remember that if it exceeds P10,000, you'll have to pay the applicable Customs Duties, based on the value of the whole order, including the shipping and insurance costs. From what I've observed, Amazon actually gives you an estimate, and may even require you to pay it upfront, as a deposit to cover any Customs duty.

[@ckpalaris7772]

I tried ordering from Amazon but when I tried to check out, the website said they don't deliver to my address.

[@kenichiallen]

thanks for the info.. can I use this video as a reference for future purchases.. I called their hotline before and asked about the custom tax computation.. I want to order before, the price for the item was below 10k pesos, they asked me how much is the shipping fee, I said 3k, since the total was more than 10k pesos, I will be subjected to tax.. in this video, the officer in charge said that items below 10k doesn't need to be charged regardless of the shipping fee, showing that the person thatI've talked to before was in conflict of what he said..

[@GadgetAddict]

I think where the confusion comes in, is that when you exceed the de minimis, what you need to pay will be calculated based on the cost of the item AND shipping AND insurance. But according to sir Mike, as long as the ITEM itself is within the de minimis, you should be fine. Of course there are still other things to consider, like if it's a restricted item, commercial volume of import etc etc. What we're talking about is general personal import.

[@kitchg5526]

Thank you for this info. I've always wanted to order from Amazon but never did due to BOC's reputation,😬😬. Let's just hope this info was passed down to their employees in-charge of processing the packages.

[@GadgetAddict]

So far, all of my Amazon orders have arrived straight to my door, without any issue. I've been using Amazon for a long time. I just appreciate their free shipping option now. I have received an item that was damaged in shipping. But I just talked to amazon chat support and they immediately shipped a replacement.

[@kitchg5526]

@@GadgetAddict thank you. I will try then.

[@Valkross9]

Hey Gadget. Is the de minimis value applied per item or is it the value of the order? I.e. You order 2 items, one valuing 5,000 and another one worth 6,000.

[@GadgetAddict]

It's for the whole order. So if your order included 3 individual items, they would have to come to less than P10,000

[@nuketurnal2]

the tax is usually high though, i was going to buy a laptop but when i checked out the price skyrocketed. decided to buy local instead

[@ozcanonal]

I was already using Amazon here in Philippines and luckily all were below 10K 😮 Thank you 🙏 for the info.

[@jamwick9526]

Nice.

[@heille1221]

Very informative. Amazon also includes possible duties/tax on checkout which is good but they base it on the posted price of the items. So if you buy an item worth $180 (>10k) and you use a discount voucher, even if the total is less than 10k, you would still pay import duties/tax. Although I don't know if it will be or can be refunded afterwards.

[@MondDragonn]

What if the item costs 11k then I got 15% discount from Black Friday (less 1,650), so the final value of the item will be 9,350. Is it taxable?

[@francokills]

Lol K-Pop CDs being regulated 😬 Thanks Gadget! Gonna order some merch off of Amazon and will definitely limit to $180 to take advantage of duty/tax free

[@GadgetAddict]

Well, CDs in general. I just used K-pop as an example because it's a commonly imported item, along with other K-pop merch. I just received my black Friday order from Amazon, I think around 4 or 5 days ago.

[@nat0106951]

Been trying to buy in amazon for years. I just tried last week. Twinkly Music for my Twinkly tree. only available in Western countries. The item cost only 30 usd. its less than 10,000 pesos. but why my total shipping cost is 6,500 pesos????? the shipping cost is 3,000 pesos. the item only cost 1,800. pesos. that is why I buy in galleon ph whenever I need something only available in US. it cost me less. but still double the price. I bought it 4,000 in galleon.

[@GadgetAddict]

Maybe you should have added something, to reach the $49 threshold for free delivery 🤷‍♂️ Is it a heavy item? And are you in Metro Manila or in a further flung province? Even when I paid shipping on my orders, usually it was only $10 - $30 for the shipping fee. I've used Galleon and similar sites in the past, but I always found them a bit pricey.

[@nat0106951]

@@GadgetAddict its just small . Size of a usb drive. I also tried buying Twinkly Christmas lights gen 2 priced at 165 usd. coz only gen 1 is available in Ph. but the total shipping cost is 17, 800. 🤣🤣 its less than 10,000 pesos and more than 49 usd. why the total shipping and tax is almost 10,000 pesos? 😂😂

[@normm]

@@nat0106951 Not all items are elligible for free shipping. It's for selected items only and it will say in the listing if the item is eligible for free shipping to the Philippines 😉

[@GadgetAddict]

If Amazon thinks you're going to exceed the de minimis, they will pre-collect the estimated customs duties. The customs duty can really be super expensive. That's probably why you're seeing such high amounts. But at least Amazon gives you a breakdown before you checkout, so you can decide if it's worth it.

[@benuten3907]

But they still charge regardless..if you're unlucky..

[@Hachi08draw]

Hope there's a cod,

[@giovannialigaen857]

yes but i cannot pay in foreign currency dollar or pound, only in pesos does this apply

[@GadgetAddict]

When you checkout on Amazon, it will ask if you want to be charged in dollars or pesos. So you can just select pesos. But even if you chose dollars, your bank would just do the conversion without you ever realizing.

[@cristobalfernandeziv]

wow you have non MMDA content, right on!

[@cj_delosreyes]

Idk if I missed it or it's not in the questions, but what if I ordered multiple 9,000 item? Will I pay for duties and tax? Thanks in advance!

[@GadgetAddict]

It's based on each shipment or "package". So if you had 9,000 items in a single box, they'd assess you for the value of everything inside that box. If you made 9,000 separate orders, with each oder arriving as a separate shipment, they'd all be assessed independently of each other. Although if you actually received 9,000 parcels, they'd probably already suspect that it's a commercial import instead of a regular consumer purchase.

[@arvinhussein3559]

Yes they deliver but some items you need to pick up at phil post. Tssssk

[@GadgetAddict]

When was the last time you had to pickup an Amazon order from Philpost? Or you're talking about regular mail? If regular mail, was that before the new postmaster took his position? Or after?

[@thybiscuit]

I thought custom fee will be included on your order once you checke out?

[@GadgetAddict]

If you're using the Amazon US website, they will pre-collect the estimated customs duty, if they think your order is going to exceed the de minimis. That's would be shown on the breakdown of your order, before checkout, if they collected it. But not all websites do that. In fact I think most don't.

[@thybiscuit]

@@GadgetAddict Thanks, coz i never tried ordering in Amazon US, if that's the case, It might have a chance to compete with lazada and shopee

[@geraldmoral1132]

But if you pay is it pesos?

[@jessep8281]

How long did it take for you to receive your item? Did you pay extra to have it shipped sooner?

[@Pat_KraPao]

Takes about 10 days

[@jessep8281]

@@Pat_KraPao Thanks! I ordered last Nov. 27. Still not seeing any updates until today. But to be fair the estimated delivery date is 28th of Dec. I guess it depends on the item.

[@johnmichaelatajar3821]

Just wondering, what if I want to buy multiple different items? Individually, the items do not exceed ₱10,000 but if combined together they exceed ₱10,000? Would it be better to buy them at different times? Like 3 items for this month then 3 again on the next month to avoid exceeding ₱10,000?

[@ginocgraphicartist]

the general rule is, if its for personal use even if its restricted item, are tax free. another clarification is, regarding the cd's that you mention.. say you bought 6 Cds with same content thats taxable, but if bought 6 CDs with different content, thats tax free.... see the difference? why would some bought 6 Cds with same exact content? because that is considered as commercial purpose not personal... its the same thing about ukay ukay. used clothing is prohibited, unless it is donated to DSWD. many importers of ukay ukay declared thier boxes as "personal good" which is suspicious because why would a single person own clothes that occupies 10 large balikbayan boxes weighting 50K each.

[@markjoseph196]

Hi GA , Don’t forget to watch USA vs England ( FIFA WC) tonight 1900 GMT ..😊😊😊

[@ziggarillo]

Oh dear, I think you will be disappointed.

[@jeffersonmari3242]

The law that says anything under 10K is tax exempt and anything above is taxable is very old and needs to be amended. There are very few personal items now that are under 10K, inflation and exchange rate has eaten into our purchase power so most likely anything that is of interest to us as buyers are most likely over 10k. Besides, what's the difference between going abroad buying it and bringing it back home and declaring it as personal effects which is tax exempt vs ordering it online and declaring the same. Hopefully BOC has the sense to differentiate items that look to be for personal use vs those that are for buy and sell

[@robest334]

Thats my future plan. To go abroad and buy the item there. Its just more financially sound to use the money that was intended for customs tax for pleasure/vacation.

[@GadgetAddict]

The de minimis value used to be 10 Pesos. Only in 2016, it was increased to P10,000 - making it more practical for personal imports. Of course I would be happy if they increased it, because it would make it more affordable to buy higher value items online, from other countries. But I do think P10,000 is a pretty fair value.

[@EverydayQuestionsGuide]

No sounds? Or Muted? Im not sure. Hehe

[@GadgetAddict]

Seems to be working for me... try reopen the video :)

[@EverydayQuestionsGuide]

Yes, It's okay now. Thank you!

[@EverydayQuestionsGuide]

I think no sound problem is when you clicked right away when the notification appear. When i re-open the video again its okay now.

[@jayceealmario2131]

What if multiple orders of below 10k items will i be charged of tax? For example 1 order of 9k and another of 7k

[@GadgetAddict]

They should be separate deliveries. But if you suddenly receive 50 deliveries at the same time, they might question if that's really a personal import 🙈

[@deantv1001]

@@GadgetAddict di na sir. Commercial quantity na eh. Di na sya ma fafall sa personal effects.

[@GadgetAddict]

@@deantv1001 Where did you read that? How is it any different from everyone else who frequently orders from Amazon and other websites? I haven't read anything, or been told anything, that suggests you can only make use of the de minimis one time. What he described is two different shipments, both under 10k. And obviously the assumption here is that he's really ordering single items for personal use. But like I said, if he's going to suddenly receive 50 deliveries at the same time, they're probably not going to consider that as personal anymore. Because it would look like commercial imports.

[@nathanhans4813]

How will they know the amount/value of your imported package? Do they just do some kind of approximation on it? For example, a branded dashcam on Amazon only costs around $100+ but locally it costs P12K so, if they see the brand (thru x-ray), they would already assume that it's already over P10K+ (but, in reality, you only bought it for less than that)

[@GadgetAddict]

Usually that's included with the information submitted to the courier.. What's inside the parcel, the declared value, who it's going to, etc. etc. Since they probably don't have the manpower to manually inspect every single parcel, my guess is that when looking for taxable items, they'll rely first on the declared value and secondly by looking for indicators that it might be a commercial import, for example multiples of the exact same item.

[@alberto-sama2022]

Wala bang black friday sa shoppe at lazada?

[@stressdadd]

yuhooou!

[@RenBeni-yk5cx]

How much is the taxi if my item worth $500?

[@Seadogdoc]

Can someone living outside the Philippines send non-restrictive items under 10,000 PHP in value to family there via Amazon customs free?

[@Tzz567]

10k seems low 😕 so basically taxing almost everything coming into Philippines. Unless it's cheap..

[@GadgetAddict]

It used to be 10 pesos! I think around 2016 it was increased to P10,000

[@hungfillife7271]

Hello, May I ask that there is a quantity limit? I want to order vitamins through Iherb and the package price will be under 10 000 (7500 php) but there will be 3 pieces of the same vitamin. Is it okay? Or there is no rule for that?

[@mrssantos119]

hi.. if i order more than 10k pesos do i need to pay tax and import duties??

[@CasualtyGaming]

ang daming food sa desk ni sir ah lol

[@ritchi101]

Is it real? That there seems to be no line in customs? Because the last time I was there I spents 3 hours just to wait for my turn and it was so terrible I never wamt to see that god forsaken place ever again.

[@GadgetAddict]

I haven't been there for a very long time, until now. But the customer did comment that it was faster than before 🤷 He just finished collecting his parcel and walked out the door. So I figured I'd just ask if he'd be willing to quickly tell us about his experience.

[@karshco1923]

love the info. thanks!

[@hypnos4545]

Thanks for the share. Informative. But i dont think all amazon sellers ship to PH

[@GadgetAddict]

When you search for an item on Amazon, it usually filters out any seller that doesn't ship to the Philippines. Out of sight, out of mind. Just set your address to the Philippines, before searching for items.

[@hypnos4545]

@@GadgetAddict i hope it does. Ebay still takes the cake for me, though shipping isn’t free. This is a good video, gives people more shopping options. Though I’ll bet lazada and local merchants won’t be happy.

[@GadgetAddict]

@@hypnos4545 I guess Lazada and Shopee will still get the lion's share of the orders. Because most of the stock is already inside the PH or in China, with daily shipments going to the PH. So it's still quicker and more convenient to use Lazada or Shopee. The big problem with those platforms is the fake items and scam sellers though.

[@mafewirkz3709]

Is it real?? Amazon already in Philippines

[@GadgetAddict]

Actually they've been delivering here for a long time already. The only thing that changed is that now they offer free delivery for orders over $49* * Some restrictions apply daw. But all my orders over $49 have enjoyed free shipping 🤷‍♂️

[@sumotiko]

Oh come on customs since the beginning of time, me and my friends have had so many things lost in customs and Philpost and wasted so much money when the item is directly delivered by stores outside the country. Even Amazon packages are stolen and overpriced in tax calculation. There was also one time I bought a book for 1,500 and fee i need to pay is 1,200, wtf. I hope there is change, the stolen items are mostly from Philpost employees before. The only reliable way is to use a logistics company like buyandship to guarantee delivery.

[@GadgetAddict]

I think what's in your mind is when Amazon was using regular mail, instead of couriers. And your orders were probably before 2016, when the de minimis was still P10. Only in 2016, the de minimis was increased to P10,000.

[@audz10]

mag amazon na ako

[@flyingninja4955]

Ahh Yes. Customs. The Best and most Honest agency of the Philippine government 🤣

[@jeremiah0150]

last time i checked the BOC website is not idiot proof. You need to navigate through a jungle before you get the information you want.

[@GadgetAddict]

One of the feedback that many people have provided, is that they need to simplify the calculator on their website, because it's not user-friendly for those who aren't already well-versed in the process. I hope they will take onboard the comments and feedback that people have given, and make improvements.

[@carlosmolina3850]

If you dont need to pay customs tax on items less than 10k then surely you will pay philpost. this is very stupid that's why i avoided ebay before and now buying items on lazada or shopee. 10k is below US$ 200 which cannot buy even a decent tablet or phone.

[@GadgetAddict]

Amazon used to ship through regular post, meaning you'd collect your item at Philpost. But nowadays they already have agreements in place with local couriers. So there's no reason why your order would go through Philpost. Even many other websites will offer you the option of using a courier, like Fedex, DHL and so on. Even if you had to pay Philpost for the processing fee, it's less than P200. But yes, if your item is available on Lazada or Shopee and you're not worried about fake products, that's the easier option.

[@christophermorales3175]

Volume please

[@GadgetAddict]

Please refresh close the video and open it again. I don't know what happened but it seems like a processing issue.

[@egoygoy7542]

I did order a book from Amazon it takes 4 months.

[@GadgetAddict]

When was that? Many years ago when they were using regular post instead of the direct couriers?

[@egoygoy7542]

@@GadgetAddict I think it was around 2018 they used Phil post for the delivery. don't get me wrong I love that book. i just buy in bulk now.

[@GadgetAddict]

I could be wrong, but I don't think Amazon uses the regular mail anymore, which passed through philpost. I know they used to, and that's why many people didn't want to use Amazon. All my Amazon orders now come through courier companies, not through the regular mail.

[@egoygoy7542]

@@GadgetAddict thanks for the info. Now i can buy my carts on amazon.

[@piob9801]

Kainis na rin mag shopping sa amazon. Parang puro chinese products na lumalabas sa search results.

[@ziggarillo]

A country that regulates Bluetooth devices has a problem.

[@GadgetAddict]

Well it's not specifically just bluetooth, it's wireless devices in general, which fall under NTC. I guess similar to how FCC regulates wireless devices in the U.S. Many people have insinuated that there's an UNOFFICIAL exemption for single-item personal imports. But of course there's no guarantee that you would be lucky enough to enjoy that, if it even exists.

[@bonikaston7032]

No sound.

[@GadgetAddict]

Please refresh close the video and open it again. I don't know what happened but it seems like a processing issue.

[@bonikaston7032]

Thanks for all the high value information that you give. Great job 👌👌👌👌👌.

[@Razyrazer]

I ordered a wet palette from red grass games and Philippine customs said it was coming waited for months and it didnt come had to contact redgrass games they said the parcel was either lost or stolen in the Philippines im guessing by the customs then the provider had to send it to me through DHL instead.

[@GadgetAddict]

If it was sent by regular mail, especially before, you could have to wait 3+ months. And even then, you had to go to the post office to collect it.

[@mikmaks7393]

Import tax ordering from amazon is quite high. The total of the item and the import tax will be almost the same as getting or ordering one here in the Philippines.

[@GadgetAddict]

If you exceed the de minimis, Amazon will estimate and pre-collect those Customs Duties. So yes, that really makes the item a lot more expensive, and you would likely find it cheaper locally. All of my orders have been under the de minimis, meaning there was no customs duty applicable. If the item you're interested in, is already available locally, that's usually the better option.