dpattinson Posted April 19, 2009 Share #1 Posted April 19, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Brought my M8 and other cameras to India in December when I came here for work for a few months. Took the M8 to Australia for Christmas, and while I was there sent it in for repairs and a 24/2.8 and 50/1.5 in for adjustment and coding. Three months later, they've arrived in India via Express Courier, spending two weeks in Customs until I tracked them down (apparently they should have called me... but this is India). Now, despite paying GST on the repairs in Australia, I'm paying import duty on the repair cost in India in order to clear customs. I'm just going to shut up and pay it, as they could apparently just as easily charge me import duty on the full cost of the gear. This got me thinking, if my gear was being 'held hostage' by customs - I'm basically screwed. I can't claim on insurance, I can't force them to return it to the sender, so basically I'd have to pay up. I don't ever intend to put myself in this position again. Hence the 'why not to take your camera to India'. Now I'm just hoping that the damn camera and lenses are still in the box... definitely going to open it to see before I hand over the customs duty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 19, 2009 Posted April 19, 2009 Hi dpattinson, Take a look here Why not to take your camera to India.. . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dcuthbert Posted April 19, 2009 Share #2 Posted April 19, 2009 Same thing happens here in South Africa. If I dare to even try and not get all the forms stamped, approved and checked before I leave this country, they charge me import duty when I return. What makes it even more of a joke is that they tried to tell me my Linhof Technika was a new camera and therefore I needed to pay a large amount. When I told him it was from the '50's, he said no-one had cameras back then. Welcome to afreeeka! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Clair Posted April 19, 2009 Share #3 Posted April 19, 2009 So you mean, don't get your gear sent back to India... Not, don't take your M8 to India. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted April 19, 2009 So you mean, don't get your gear sent back to India... Not, don't take your M8 to India. I read the Customs website. You can as a tourist import one camera plus film duty free. So if you brought your M8 and say a D-lux4, they could pick one and charge you duty on it... I wonder which one they would pick? I'm not entirely sure, but if you're coming here for work - I don't think there is any duty free allowance at all... now that would make a few weeks in India anything but cheap (35% on an M8 and a few lenses). YMMV, but I'm not planning on bringing it back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leolaksi Posted April 19, 2009 Share #5 Posted April 19, 2009 I travel into India about every couple of months for work and carry a couple of M8s and lenses every trip. Haven't never had a problem with customs and allowances. As far as duty free allowances, the key is whether you intend to "export" or take the gear with you when you exit India. The duty free allowance pertains to persons who intend to bring cameras into India with no intent to leave India with the equipment. In other words, the gear remains in India. For duty free, no distinction between coming into India as a tourist or on business. Regards, Leo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpattinson Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share #6 Posted April 19, 2009 I travel into India about every couple of months for work and carry a couple of M8s and lenses every trip. Haven't never had a problem with customs and allowances. As far as duty free allowances, the key is whether you intend to "export" or take the gear with you when you exit India. The duty free allowance pertains to persons who intend to bring cameras into India with no intent to leave India with the equipment. In other words, the gear remains in India. For duty free, no distinction between coming into India as a tourist or on business. Regards, Leo I looked again, and I think you are correct. There is no duty on 'Used Personal Effects' for non-residents. Although, given my recent experience with Customs - I expect that the definition of 'Used Personal Effects' maybe open to a wide interpretation, and what is posted on the internet may have no bearing to what the Customs officer is referring to Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanetomlane Posted April 27, 2009 Share #7 Posted April 27, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I was in India last week and had no problems with taking in an M8 body and Tri-Elmar. (I didn't bother to include them on the customs form.) What really surprised me is that I also took a 'suitcase sized' bit of electronic kit valued at around $25,000, in a cardboard box, for repairing a commercial aircraft and no-one stopped me when I walked through customs with it. Last week was my first visit in almost 12 years and customs procedures now appear to be far easier than they used to be. ________________________________ Cheers, Tom Photography by Tom Lane Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted April 27, 2009 Share #8 Posted April 27, 2009 David, I am almost certain you can claim to be re-imbersed for the GST on your repairs as the equipment was for export. Depending on how many $'s are involved will govern whether you want to bother of course. Check out the Australian Customs website. That should (somewhere) have info to help you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted April 27, 2009 Share #9 Posted April 27, 2009 Customs never fails to surprise. Last year I took a portable power-saw (with blades) to Fiji in checked baggage and the folks at work were convinced they would never see me again. The thing sailed through customs but they wanted to know if I had coffee in another bag (I did!). Unbelievable. Earlier that year one of my kids went there with an electric motor for a truck that had all sorts of bits and bats, wires etc hanging off it and it seriously looked like a bomb or something. No problems. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rami G Posted April 27, 2009 Share #10 Posted April 27, 2009 I recently received my upgraded and serviced M8 and lenses from Solms to Israel. Though I thought I have done with expenses (around 1800Eur), I was charged by Israeli customs Vat for the repair and upgrade, a sum which I could have used to buy plain tickets for me and my girlfriend to Germany and pick it up myself (they don't change anything if you have it on you). Guess that will not work if you are in India, though ; >) I was rather shocked as I never had such an experience with US customs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
petermcwerner Posted April 27, 2009 Share #11 Posted April 27, 2009 I was rather shocked as I never had such an experience with US customs. When I came from Switzerland to visit a trade show in California, at SF airport I was charged customs duty on my laptop The title of the thread should be Why not to take your camera anywhere when traveling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
epand56 Posted April 27, 2009 Share #12 Posted April 27, 2009 S When I told him it was from the '50's, he said no-one had cameras back then. Welcome to afreeeka! Lol, this reminds me so much of Italy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockyIII Posted April 27, 2009 Share #13 Posted April 27, 2009 I do not know the whole story, but a few years ago my sister was doing a shoot in Banff and had some huge difficulty and a delay of days trying to get her video gear through Canadian customs. Rocky Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fefe Posted April 27, 2009 Share #14 Posted April 27, 2009 I recently received my upgraded and serviced M8 and lenses from Solms to Israel. Though I thought I have done with expenses (around 1800Eur), I was charged by Israeli customs Vat for the repair and upgrade, a sum which I could have used to buy plain tickets for me and my girlfriend to Germany and pick it up myself (they don't change anything if you have it on you). Guess that will not work if you are in India, though ; >) I was rather shocked as I never had such an experience with US customs. Israeli customs never failed to charge me ridiculous amounts on all the photo gear I imported. New, repairs used, etc... Well they were charging me also ridiculous amounts on books and were asking the VAT on the shipping cost as well... I obviously never had a prblem with all the gear I was carrying (besides the long inspections of the M8 which they apparently don't see too often). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted April 28, 2009 Share #15 Posted April 28, 2009 I was rather shocked as I never had such an experience with US customs.There's no import duty on still camera equipment coming in to the US. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rami G Posted April 28, 2009 Share #16 Posted April 28, 2009 There's no import duty on still camera equipment coming in to the US. But we are talking about repair service taxation, not import, that is why I was so surprised. I never heard of it before. But as another poster just wrote- he was taxed even for the shipping. It is rather arbitrary, and up to the mood of the officer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kully Posted April 28, 2009 Share #17 Posted April 28, 2009 Actually, it should be - "don't ever have your camera sent through _customs_ unless absolutely necessary". HM Customs here in the UK asked me to pay full import duty on a body which I'd sent to the US for repair. And it had sat in customs for three weeks without me hearing anything until I thought it had been lost in the post and started asking. The paperwork was in the box, but they didn't seem to care citing something to the effect "people try all sorts of things not to pay duty and tax". I gave up, as you say - they have it hostage - and paid up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfloid Posted April 28, 2009 Share #18 Posted April 28, 2009 Actually, it should be - "don't ever have your camera sent through _customs_ unless absolutely necessary". Yes, yes. Sending stuff is the real problem. Sending cameras or lenses to India or Britain can be just an excuse for customs to gouge you - that is my experience in both places - dishonesty is everywhere. Having lived in India and traveling back and forth many times, both as a resident and as a visitor, I've never had any problems carrying gear with me - not even when I had both 35mm and MF cameras with me, and many lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfokevin Posted April 28, 2009 Share #19 Posted April 28, 2009 Actually, it should be - "don't ever have your camera sent through _customs_ unless absolutely necessary". HM Customs here in the UK asked me to pay full import duty on a body which I'd sent to the US for repair. And it had sat in customs for three weeks without me hearing anything until I thought it had been lost in the post and started asking. The paperwork was in the box, but they didn't seem to care citing something to the effect "people try all sorts of things not to pay duty and tax". I gave up, as you say - they have it hostage - and paid up. Bureaucratic Pirates!!!!.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted April 28, 2009 Share #20 Posted April 28, 2009 I gave up, as you say - they have it hostage - and paid up. Personally I would have taken them to court regardless of cost and/or personal grief. Surely this is not acceptable as a solution? I understand that we all have better & more pleasant things to do but proving that this was a legitimate, non-taxable transaction should not be all that hard I would assume. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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