Customs duty on DVD

This may be the wrong section for this post!

I am reviving a thread of January, 2006 (after exercising due diligence in searching the forum for information), since I am faced with a similar issue now. The moderator may move it to the appropriate forum, if he feels it to be apt.

I am buying some audio-CDs from Amazon.com. I wanted to figure out what would be the rates of customs (and other duties) payable by me on this account. I will be out of station for sometime, and will have to handover the corresponding amount to my wife, so that she can pay the same to the postman when he arrives with the consignment.

I searched the Indian Customs Website for information, and this is what I get:

"As for the rate of duty of Audio CDs, the Basic Duty is 30%, Surcharge on Basic Duty is 3.5%, C.V. Duty is 16% (to offset what is paid as Excise Duty by the Indian manufacturer) and Special Additional Duty is 4% (to offset what is paid as Sales Tax by the Indian manufacturer) as on 2000. All rates subject to change. Please verify the latest rates. You can download the Customs duty calculator from our website to find out the actual duty on the value that you want to import. No duty is charged, if the duty comes below Rs. 100/-. A further postal charge of Rs. 100/- is added during delivery of the item. There is no free allowance in case of purchase. However, a duty free allowance upto Rs. 10000/- is allowed if the item is a sample or a gift.

A Customs Declaration form (C.D. Form) comes with the imported parcel in which the particulars of value, item declaration etc. are provided. The duty is assessed by the Customs Appraiser on the basis of value and item declaration and is written on the parcel with red ink. When the Postman delivers the item to you, you have to pay the duty amount to him. If the Appraiser requires some clarifications from you before assessment, he will send a C.R. Memo to you by post and you shall have to appear before him to clarify the matters. If you dispute the duty amount charge, you can file an application in that respect. If the item is in the name of an individual, then the delivery can be obtained from the delivery counter of the foreign post office at Kiran Shankar Roy Road (if you are in Calcutta) before 11 A.M. on payment of the duty. Otherwise the item will be delivered to you by the postman and you have to pay the duty amount etc. to him while taking delivery...

Now, the problem is, their Customs Duty Calculator does not work. I also learn that in some annual budgets, the duty gets waived off, and in others upto a total of 50% is levied. I even searched the Indian Budget 2006-07, but could not find any corresponding reference. So what are the duties like at present?

What is the experience of others in this regard?

If poss, & if you are'nt in a great hurry,have the CDs delivered to a relative abroad who is on the verge of a visit to India-cleaner& much cheaper.

Customs officials are eyeing big fish these days (moving up the value chain !!!)... they dont seem to bother about cds etc...unless ofcourse you are unlucky...
I have bought dvds from US site and luckily no customs...

Good luck
Kvish

Wanted to post this follow up.

I received the music CDs I ordered for (from Amazon) couple of days back. I was not levied any Customs Duty for them.

What was the cost of delivery ?

I bought a used Denon receiver(avr 2805) on eBay for US$ 350 last year and had it shipped by regular post(45 days). It cost me around US$60 for shipping.

When it reached Mumbai, I got a letter from the Post office intimating that the parcel had arrived and I would need to be present during customs inpsection.

The Customs officer inspected the receiver, and said that it would cost a lot of money to buy that in India. I told him it was old, and cost me around US$ 250 and was for personal use.

Guess what? I didn't have to pay any customs!

Is it possible to get things bought from Amazon shipped to India?

I got a Demo disc from B&W.I didnt pay anythig for it.Just registered in their website.The DVD arrived without any duties ,except some damage to the DVD casing.

neono schrieb:

Is it possible to get things bought from Amazon shipped to India?

Yup. Select sellers that ship internationally. Best option is to buy from Amazon directly although the price is a tad higher than the rest.

even in ebay you'll get good deals. You should keep checking,