[ProtegeManiac]

 
Anyway, I was wondering whether it's a good idea to buy from Amazon if we're from the Philippines. I bought my X3 from Egghead although they have limited products.

 

IF someone can ascertain from Customs that the charges you highlight there are all that you'll end up paying, maybe. Otherwise, prepare to get a new orifice torn through your wallet - dealing with Customs is a total PITA. When I got the X1 review unit, despite labels on it that it was a review unit, Customs charged it based on the declared price. Which normally would be "zero" since it was a prototype with "Not for sale" etched on the back, but because DHL had to pay it right then and then neither DHL nor Cusotms wanted to fix it other than DHL shipping it back to the other reviewer who forwarded it. We worked it out with Fiio, but it was extremely frustrating and embarassing on our part for our participation all because Customs didn't bother reading descriptions noted on it.

Regular post/EMS probably wouldn't be any better. I left my school windbreaker/hoodie in LA back in college (2004 I think) and my Dad shipped it back after washing it, lo and behold, Customs was charging me taxes for it. Note that they've already seen the whole jacket and have been told that it's used at that point, so I spread out the Royal Blue hoodie,held it up, and pointed at the white and blue eagle on it - "mukha bang imported 'to?! nagbebenta ba sila ng ganito sa Staples Center o malamang sa may Katipunan (Avenue) ko 'to nabili 'di ba?" If it had an archer on it they might have argued it was a DC comics official product.

 

Another time my Mom sent me a packet with ten greeting cards, since it was cheaper to send them all to me then I hand them out during Christmas dinner. Customs argued it was "retail quantity" since there were clearly ten in there. I pulled out each of the cards, read the messages, and asked them if they would buy one such card with a hand-written message from my brother to my cousin joking about his shrinking dick (he was obscenely obese), with Dear (name) and Sgd (name) both filled out. I am not sure if it was because I got the point across, or because they were by that point sure that there wasn't any money hidden in the Christmas cards, but I marched out with the cards when none of them answered within ten seconds.

 

[dsdeiz]

Sorry, I think I was being confusing. 

 
My main issue was that whether the Import Fee Deposit I see on the Order Summary is actually average for items like the Clip. Clip is something I wanted to buy but I am using it as an example to determine if the Import Fee Deposit is common to other users.
 
Also wanted to know if Amazon is a good source for us Pinoys to get our audio needs since it has most products available.
 
Thanks!
 
Edit: Oops, didn't see the last comment. Reading it now. 

 

[dsdeiz]

   

IF someone can ascertain from Customs that the charges you highlight there are all that you'll end up paying, maybe. Otherwise, prepare to get a new orifice torn through your wallet - dealing with Customs is a total PITA. When I got the X1 review unit, despite labels on it that it was a review unit, Customs...

Haha, that made me LOL-ed. 

 
Anyway, jokes aside I guess it's not recommended to buy from sites like Amazon? Guess this is a third world problem. 

 Is Egghead or Listening Room our only options for buying our audio needs? And perhaps sites like TipidPD or OLX? Also, it looks like on Ebay, these import fees are not mentioned. Makes me wonder how are we going to be charged for these fees.
 
Thanks!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
Anyway, jokes aside I guess it's not recommended to buy from sites like Amazon?

 

Not directly. I buy from Amazon but use our US address, then either someone flies home and takes it with them or my brother puts them in a balikbayan box - that pays a flat rate tax so they only check for contrabands. That adds about a week since, for example, remember that CA state senator that was caught smuggling guns to Mindanao? Ever since then the shipping times got an extra one week because the ATF has to do a more thorough check all because that guy used these, taking the assault rifles apart and then packing them in the $70 boxes. You can add the Manila port congestion to that all thanks to Estrada trying to blackmail them from charging Jinggoy for the Napoles scam. Basically, the ways I get around Customs are slow.

 

Others use forwarding services like Johnny Air Cargo (you buy online, use their US office as a shipping address, they pack stuff into Balikbayan boxes for the same reasons but consolidate and split costs) but I typically don't use these for electronics. First, my brother checks them out first, so he can send them back if they're not working; second, asking a cousin to take few items to me is free. For items that I need quickly and won't need as much checking for functionality, I join local forum group buys sometimes. 
 

  Guess this is a third world problem. 

 

 

Well, Captain here (I'm doing a dissertation in Political Science - International Relations), technically speaking "Third World" just means "not officially allied to the USSR and the USA," so I keep wondering why the Philippines is called that when we had a US base here the entire Cold War (First - NATO, Second - Warsaw Pact). The more accurate term is "developing," but of course it can regress so it's a fluid concept (at this point our total government revenue and GNP are higher than some countries in Europe, but our per capita figures are what's behind thanks to a large population of baby factories). In any case, I'm not sure if it's this bad with other comparable countries, but the same way that Luis Black says that the worst scenario for the US is when Democrats and Republicans agree, over here it's when the Cacique and the Commies agree. In this particular case, your average land-owning trapo and your average Party List rep will both jump up and shake their fists at the words "Free Trade" and "no tariffs" because they both have something to lose. Unfortunately, these are the sort of people who get elected in a medieval democracy, so good luck to us. Biazon was trying to clean up the BOC, he resigned; then the guy who replaced him recently resigned because the Caciques want to put in their own people.
 

  Is Egghead or Listening Room our only options for buying our audio needs? And perhaps sites like TipidPD or OLX?

 

Basically, yup. For now anyway, because given how our government thinks, if they are made aware of e-commerce (actually Kim Henares is already) they'll try to tax these shipments (these sellers typically use Balikbayan boxes for the same reasons stated above) instead of addressing the real problem, which is how much crap we can expect from Customs Agents. Hell the law that they refer to basically says "Agents reserve the right to call bull$h1t on your declared value and purpose." That's how one guy before got charged $35 or something, since the taxes on imports are 100% but are at a minimum $35-ish, on a shipment of capacitors for his amplifier worth $21.

 

Imagine them trying to charge me tariffs on Christmas cards already filled out with handwritten greetings, including one about my fat cousin's shrinking thingy. My Mom didn't believe me when I told her about the capacitor thing, but after that, now they believe me (it's like my windbreaker didn't even happen before).

 

[dsdeiz]

First off, thanks talaga sir sa time and effort!
 
 

   

Not directly. I buy from Amazon but use our US address, then either someone flies home and takes it with them or my brother puts them in a balikbayan box...

I'm not familiar with balikbayan box but I'm wondering if this is still fine (other than an additional week of waiting)? Cause if it's fine, I'll do some research on how I can make use of this.
 

Others use forwarding services like Johnny Air Cargo (you buy online, use their US office as a shipping address, they pack stuff into Balikbayan boxes for the same reasons but consolidate and split costs) but I typically don't use these for electronics.

Is it recommended for us that don't know anyone from the US?
 

For items that I need quickly and won't need as much checking for functionality, I join local forum group buys sometimes. 

Can I ask which local forum group buys you join? I'm only aware of massdrop which isn't local. 

Last questions ko na toh sir, I promise.

 Thanks again! 

 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
I'm not familiar with balikbayan box but I'm wondering if this is still fine (other than an additional week of waiting)? Cause if it's fine, I'll do some research on how I can make use of this.

 
This kind of box (see below) - typically OFW families use it (any movie or TV show episode with a mother working abroad at some point will have this box filled with a doll and a Playstation or something). To be perfectly honest you're probably the first person I know who hasn't heard of it - I have rich friends who use this service because $70/box with no weight limit is cheaper than paying excess luggage fees, even way before the insane surcharges nowadays.
 

 
BTW, when I said the ATF added an additional week and maybe the port congestion added another week, that's on top of the usual THREE weeks for boxes we fill up ourselves (eg on my way back I cram older clothes and some newer clothes into the box, while I take as many electronics as I can in my carry-on; shoes go in the box too).
 

 
Cause if it's fine, I'll do some research on how I can make use of this.
 
Is it recommended for us that don't know anyone from the US?

 
Well, it's the only choice. BTW JAC's forwarding service takes around two weeks unlike the normal balikbayan box, that is, assuming that a lot of other people bought at the same time as you. 
 
To be perfectly honest, if I was in the same boat I'd consider all this too much work for a Clip only to provide a soundtrack for jogging. I personally don't mind a heavier player, but then again, I would see that as augmenting my exercise as I used to jog with leg weights on. Now I can't even rebound like I used to, and I can't even kick a ball 1/3 of the way down the field. Alternately, for the total price quoted by Amazon, I'd probably just get an iPod Nano and then use it on a computer that doesn't have my music on Foobar (I mean, there's bound to be someone else at home that has a Mac nowadays).
 
In any case, here's the JAC form; just check out the rest of the website for other info: http://johnnyairplus.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/johnny_air_po_form.pdf
 

 
Can I ask which local forum group buys you join? I'm only aware of massdrop which isn't local. 

 
I'm not sure anymore if others still have it but we used to before somebody forgot or didn't renew the hosting fees, but Massdrop works differently - they go straight to the manufacturer to offer them a deal if they can get a minimum number of buyers (in some cases, a special ed item like the K7XX).

 

[dsdeiz]

Actually it's not just for a clip. I'm thinking of getting other stuffs like Earphones. Anyways, thanks sir! I'll take a look at these.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  Actually it's not just for a clip. I'm thinking of getting other stuffs like Earphones. Anyways, thanks sir! I'll take a look at these.

If that's the case then JAC is a good option, but of course if you can't get all items sold by Amazon so they come in one box, they'll all go into the balikbayan box with their external shipping packaging. That means a lot of space in the JAC box. In any case it might be better if you can talk to JAC directly about that - they have a branch in SM Megamall basement.

 

[adobotj]

I can't believe I saw this thread just now! Anyway, tj here from QC. Magandang gabi po mga kababayan. Pumapagpag lang po dito sa thread na ito. Counting myself in as one of head-fi Filipino member.

Cheers!

 

[dsdeiz]

Welcome sir TJ! 

 

[adobotj]

Welcome sir TJ! 

Thanks for the welcome boss dsdeiz!

Anyways, I read in this thread that you're wondering if there's some other sites that you can buy from for your audio needs? I'll just share and add that aside from amazon and OLX, I go to ebay.com (not ebay.ph) to search for good deals through bidding then have it shipped to a US address provided by JAC Plus.

At first I was skeptic about it but once I won my first bid and successfully managed to ship it here through JAC Plus eh na adik ako hehehe I began to purchase things that way ever since. It's safe and cost effective. You just have to wait for a week or two if you don't mind waiting.

Check out JAC Plus website. Nandun nakalagay instructions nila on how to ship. Sobrang mura pa ng shipping nila and kasama na pati customs tax! The biggest amount I payed them was just like P1,400 shpping for an audeze!

Just my two centavos sir cheers and good luck!

 

[VisceriousZERO]

Rico over at Egghead will be getting the AUDIO ZENITH PMx2 soon, that's one to look out for guys!

 

[raypin]

mmmm.......kamusta po kayo, mga kababayan? I'm glad there's a thread here for Flips. Anyways, sana mas dumami pa tayo dito (may our tribe multiply here).

 

[dsdeiz]

@adobotj, thanks sir! Yep I've been looking at JAC as sir @ProtegeManiac suggested. Didn't know these things existed. And when I knew about it, I asked some friends and nagkataon na alam din nila!

 Another person I know also suggested FedEx. May mga ganun palang process? Yung tipong buy online, ship it to the service address in the US, then sila na bahala mag ship sayu.
 
I didn't settle with the one I was previously planning to buy (the clip or clip+). Recently found Xduoo X2 which has a seller that can ship to Philippines.

 Can't wait to buy another gadget and this time I'll give JAC a try. Noodles noodles muna nang makapag save. 

 
 
Oh, welcome sir @raypin! 

 

[ronnel0918]

mmmm.......kamusta po kayo, mga kababayan? I'm glad there's a thread here for Flips. Anyways, sana mas dumami pa tayo dito (may our tribe multiply here).

Good to see you here!

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