Shipping Flat Screen Tvs - Latest Experiences And Opinions

[OnMyWay]

There was an old thread on this before:

http://www.philippin...balikbayan-box/

And I thought I would start a new one with some pros and cons of shipping flat screens from the US to Phils. Buried in here are a few requests!

Originally I was thinking of shipping 1 or more TVs if I shipped a container, but that is most likely not going to happen so I had dropped the TV idea. After talking to a local BB box agent last week, the idea is somewhat revived.

She said a lot of people are shipping TVs. She did not say so, but I think they are often new TVs. The charges are:

The normal BB box charge: Around $85 here in Cincinnati area if you drop it off to them.

$4 per inch over the normal 64 inch (L+W+H) BB box size.

$100 customs duty, flat charge.

For a 55 inch TV that I crate up, I estimated that the shipping charge will be about $375-400. Call it $500 for arguments sake.

Don’t ask me why :bash:, but I have 3 TVs to possibly ship. If someone happens to be out and about shopping in one of the electronics stores in Phils, could you make a note of the prices for something like these TVs? Are there any Phils web sites with TVs? If they don’t have LCD, then use a similar LED. Samsung is not even selling LCD in the US anymore, I think. These are all between 18 and 24 month old.

55 inch Samsung LCD internet ready, wireless with added dongle I bought.

40 inch Samsung LCD, not internet ready

55 inch Vizio LCD internet ready with built-in wireless (suspect the Vizio is not sold in Phils)

Pros and Cons for Shipping to Phils

Cons

-No warranty (I think they are out of warranty anyway)

-Parts availability (I suspect that Samsung is fine but Visio might be an issue)

-They will require a voltage converter (I think, I need to check them)

-Hassle to build a crate (I don’t have the boxes)

-Older technology, LCD vs LED. Not really an issue for me.

-Don’t really need such a big TV in Phils (maybe)

-Are internet TV services available in Phils???

Pros

-Similar TVs are very expensive in Phils. I think a 55 inch Samsung is over 100,000 p???

-Selling here, the price will be pennies on the dollar. Prices are way down in the US and new LEDs are quite a bit less than I paid for these LCD.

-I like all the TVs a lot. Wonderful pictures! The Samsung 55 has a very glossy screen which is fine in a dark room, but not good in a room with windows during the day. I bought the Visio with matte screen to replace the Samsung upstairs due to this, and moved the Samsung into the basement.

Another option is to sell these TVS and buy a brand new one on the left coast before I depart for Phils, and ship it from the left coast. Shipping is much more competitive out there and the costs should be less.

Experiences, opinions, TV prices and shipping costs are appreciated! :cheers:

[MikeB]

The BB charges they are quoting you seem way high, I would talk to another company if you haven't already. I used LBC and I think it was $140 total to ship my 46in Samsung LCD door to door in the original carton. No customs. It was sent from Central Florida to Cebu City. I can't quote HDTV prices here because I haven't really looked but, in general, I have noticed that there are very good deals on the smaller ones but the larger (like the 55) are much more expensive and getting the latest may not be possible. Then, the warranty/return issue. I would be very hesitant about buying a medium to high end electronic product here. You raise a good point about maybe not needing such a big one here, the 46in was too big for my small apt but living in a house now it's good. The voltage should not be a concern, the newer models work on either 110 or 220 so you probably won't need a transformer, but check first before plugging.

[Mike S]

I agree with Mike .... if they are already paid for why not if you can get it shipped cheap enough .... my bro-in-law had one shipped from Canada and the guy had special cartons made for them as a lot of Filipinos send TV's to the folks here ..... try to find a cheaper price (you maybe paying the long nose tax and you ain't even got here yet .... :hystery: ) ..... as Mike also mentioned big screen TV's are more expensive .... most stuff over 32in gets higher .... my 32in Toshiba Regza is a little over 1 year old and was less than p20,000 approx. $470 on sale from SM but it is an LCD ..... my sala is a little over 10ft wide so I could view a larger one with out to much trouble ...... but not sure about a 55in. though ......

I have not seen the Vizio brand here but it looks like the newest of the bunch ..... warranty on new TV's here is usually only a year anyway but with the low heat the LCD's put out yous may last a bunch more years if you don't need the latest and greatest every time one comes out ..... just bring 2 as 3 maybe a bit to much ..... :hystery: :hystery:

Edited June 29, 2012 by Mike S

[sjp52]

When checking prices on flat screen tv,s there are a bunch of variables. 1080p or 720p, lcd or led and many more which will change the price dramatically. 2 years ago I sent a 32 inch samsung brand new in the box from Canada and they charged me $175. My normal BB boxes cost me $125. If any one is considering buying a tv from the west and shipping it to the Philippines I would suggest you buy a 720p tv, High definition is not so popular yet in the Philippines and 720p looks great with the few HD channels they have here. You can buy a 720p tv in Canada or the states for a very cheap price.

Also when I shipped mine it was in the original box. It was regular cardboard but had very thick hard Styrofoam to protect it. And I don,t think there is duty on BB boxes, at least I have never heard of any one paying duty

Edited June 29, 2012 by sjp52

[OnMyWay]

The BB charges they are quoting you seem way high

Thanks Mike, I had trouble finding ANY agents in the Cincinnati area, but found a Forex agent and one that is using Orient Star, I believe. They both are in the same ballpark and move the boxes via Chicago. It seems that the basic rate from Chicago, where there is more competition, is $65 a box.

$140 with no customs charges is quite a deal! If I could get something like that; it would be a no brainer! I will call LBC Chicago and see if they have any options. My nephew in Chcago might be able to help me out because he is coming down to pickup some furniture from me.

Yes, the 55 inch might be overkill but the 40 inch might be good.

[OnMyWay]

you maybe paying the long nose tax and you ain't even got here yet

Yeah, I was trying to avoid that. I had my girlfriend call the Forex agent first and chat with her, but they are always going to figure out there is someone else involved.

I don't quite understand the price jump when you go over 32 inch, but maybe it is because the is a huge glut of 32 inch on the market. Actually I already bought a 32 inch over there when I was there at Xmas. It was an offbrand LED and it was 15,000 p. My girlfriends Sony tube TV did not work well with the Wii I brought, so in a hurry I bought that one, just before were leaving for Bohol. I wish I would have had time to shop because later I saw Samsung 32 for not much more. However, the offbrand has been fine so far.

So, I already have a 32 inch TV there and I am trying to bring more! :bash:

[MikeB]

I did a couple of searches for shipping LBC from Cincinnati and found this dated last month:

"to everyone in US especially midwest indiana kentucky ohio or even east of llinois.We do send balikbayan boxes to philippines we are authorized agent of LBC so you are guaranteed your box will be in good hands as LBC does always have good reputation and a reliable fowarder too. pls. call sofie or jason 765-346-3697.prices ranges to 85-95 per box".

But I would call the 8xx number for LBC and verify that they are authorized agents, if not, they can give you another. As Scott said, there should be no customs fee on BB, label it "household goods".

[OnMyWay]

When checking prices on flat screen tv,s there are a bunch of variables. 1080p or 720p, lcd or led and many more which will change the price dramatically. 2 years ago I sent a 32 inch samsung brand new in the box from Canada and they charged me $175. My normal BB boxes cost me $125. If any one is considering buying a tv from the west and shipping it to the Philippines I would suggest you buy a 720p tv, High definition is not so popular yet in the Philippines and 720p looks great with the few HD channels they have here. You can buy a 720p tv in Canada or the states for a very cheap price.

Also when I shipped mine it was in the original box. It was regular cardboard but had very thick hard Styrofoam to protect it. And I don,t think there is duty on BB boxes, at least I have never heard of any one paying duty

Yes, 720 p has alway been fine with me for most things, but for my Blu-rays the 1080 widescreen is nice to have. I have not looked recently but I suspect 720 is getting harder to find in the US, but I suppose they must have lot available on Amazon and such places.

I have never been a box saver but I do regret not saving the TV boxes now. They were all very solid and of course a perfect fit.

[OnMyWay]

I did a couple of searches for shipping LBC from Cincinnati and found this dated last month:

"to everyone in US especially midwest indiana kentucky ohio or even east of llinois.We do send balikbayan boxes to philippines we are authorized agent of LBC so you are guaranteed your box will be in good hands as LBC does always have good reputation and a reliable fowarder too. pls. call sofie or jason 765-346-3697.prices ranges to 85-95 per box".

But I would call the 8xx number for LBC and verify that they are authorized agents, if not, they can give you another. As Scott said, there should be no customs fee on BB, label it "household goods".

Thanks Mike! I will give them a call. I sent e-mails to all the larger BB box companies and I guess LBC did not get back to me, and their web site does not mention serving Cinci.

That person may be doing what these other agents are doing. They drive everything up to Chicago once a week or so.

I'm confused on the customs part because I read that electronics are scrutinized and have to be handled differently than other household goods. It seems that if customs sees a giant TV box they would be interested, but most likely the containers are clearing customs intact and never opened.

[OnMyWay]

Here is something interesting I came across. Manila Forwarders is selling TVs for delivery in Phils and they say there is a warranty.

http://manilaforwarder.com/tvforexport.htm

Prices look a bit steep!