Amazon USA Shipping

[OnMyWay]

6 minutes ago, Mike J said:

 

This was about 5 or 6 years ago and I can't remember the actual numbers.  I do recall thinking they seemed reasonable at the time.

Also, computers have come down some in the Philippines since that time, so PH price might be more competitive now.

[Scooter]

2 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

1 jar was the base shipping price, $11.80.  Additional jars added ~$2 each for the shipping.

Amazon shipping contracts have a lot of competition now, so that has driven shipping costs down.  DHL, UPS, Fedex are all competing for these huge Amazon International contracts.  And for domestic, Amazon has their own delivery system in addition to USPS, UPS and others.

I used to work for DHL, and I am also amazed that the shipping has come down so much.

I was checking just two days ago and got those high shipping costs. It was only shirts too. I'll try other products. Thanks

[Kingpin]

4 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I don't see that exact product on IHerb.  Do you have a link?

https://ph.iherb.com/pr/ultima-replenisher-electrolyte-drink-mix-grape-10-8-oz-306-g/71010

[Kingpin]

5 hours ago, Mike J said:

 I am guessing that the duties are lower for single unit purchased for personal use?  This was several years ago so things may have changed.

Generally speaking you're paying at least 20% for any item over $200. What's changed for the worse is that customs now requires you to buy postal money orders for the amount and mail it them before they even release it to Philpost. Going through DHL etc is better but not much, they require everything from website screenshots to credit card statements for proof of value.

One big difference is that if there are any disputes or non-payments, DHL will return the package to sender. Customs take possession of Philpost packages, no deliveries, no returns.

[OnMyWay]

1 hour ago, Kingpin said:

https://ph.iherb.com/pr/ultima-replenisher-electrolyte-drink-mix-grape-10-8-oz-306-g/71010

That is a bigger size so I didn't compare.  2149.58 for 10.8 oz = p199 per oz.  Assuming free shipping.

Amazon is 3.7 oz each X 3 = 11.1 oz for $63.80 ~p3,625.35 = 326 per oz.

Thanks for the tip!  I will be looking into Iherb.

[Kingpin]

2 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

That is a bigger size so I didn't compare.  2149.58 for 10.8 oz = p199 per oz.  Assuming free shipping.

Amazon is 3.7 oz each X 3 = 11.1 oz for $63.80 ~p3,625.35 = 326 per oz.

Thanks for the tip!  I will be looking into Iherb.

The free shipping makes amazon obsolete.

If your order is over 10,000php, no more free shipping because no more NinjaVan direct delivery to your door, because at that point customs gets involved. No need for that though because you can place as many orders as you want under 10k and pay nothing for shipping.

 

[OnMyWay]

2 hours ago, Kingpin said:

The free shipping makes amazon obsolete.

If your order is over 10,000php, no more free shipping because no more NinjaVan direct delivery to your door, because at that point customs gets involved. No need for that though because you can place as many orders as you want under 10k and pay nothing for shipping.

 

I'm a bit confused on how iherb works.  I was messing around there earlier.   I initially thought, because they have a ph website, that they had opened warehousing and shipping inside the Philippines.  No, apparently everything still ships from the U.S.

I actually know the company from way back.  In the late 90's, early 2000s, they quickly became one of DHL's largest customers.  The shipping charges with DHL were huge back then, and I remembered looking at their website and wondering how people could afford.  I guess they didn't have many options.

Now I am puzzled that each shipping option says "Duties and Taxes not included" with no mention of value limits, except for the Ninja van, and that mention is more to state the fact that they do not want to deal with customs entries.  p10,000 is the De-minimis threshold for PH customs, so not sure why they have Max ₱10,855.96 and 10 lbs (4.5 kg).

I'm wondering if some of the health products might not fall under de-minimis because of the commodity, and that is why iherb gives the warning about duties and taxes:

https://customs.gov.ph/prohibited-restricted-importations/

1. WHAT ARE REGULATED IMPORTATIONS/EXPORTATIONS?

Regulated Imports/Exports are goods which are subject to (import/export) regulations by concerned government regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bureau of Philippine Standards (BPS), Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI), etc.
Regulated goods may be imported or exported only after securing (from the concerned government regulatory agency) the necessary permit/s, clearance/s, license/s, or any other requirements, prior to importation or exportation, as the case may be.
Regulated Imports/Exports include, but are not limited to, the following:
Food products (processed or unprocessed), plant products, animal products, aquatic products, drugs and chemical products, used motor vehicles, electrical appliances, telecommunication equipment, tobacco products, mineral products, etc.

As far as I now, Ninja Van does not ship from the U.S., so someone is shipping it to them in the Philippines and they take care of the delivery.

The other shipping options are expensive.

You have to be careful as far as splitting shipments to avoid value caps.  If you ship them on the same day or even a few days apart, customs might flag them up.  Not sure about PH having that ability in the system but the U.S. definitely has that capability in the customs computer systems.  PH is probably manual but still possible.  I now of someone in Angeles who got dinged for duties and taxes when PH customs noticed split shipments.

[Kingpin]

23 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

I'm wondering if some of the health products might not fall under de-minimis because of the commodity, and that is why iherb gives the warning about duties and taxes:

Maybe some pass, some don't but it's not an issue though, just keep the orders under 10k and spread them out.  I've been getting monthly orders for years, never paid shipping, never paid tax, never even held by customs. Iherb and other vitamin shops have deals like that with many foreign nations, not just the PH. They make deals with local carriers and eat the shipping costs to get the business. Amazon either can't, or won't.

 

 

[OnMyWay]

Update on the Amazon shipping.  My package was shipping with Aramex, a middle east company.  I find that odd.  Bezos will do anything to make more money and rule the world.

 

[OnMyWay]

I received my Amazon order today.  Ordered on the 12th Philippine time, delivered on the 22nd.  Amazon actually said it was one or two days late, but no worries.  The delivery was by LBC, so they must have a partnership with Aramex.  The weight was 5.8 lbs.

Item(s) Subtotal:$114.76

Shipping & Handling:$34.36 

Total before tax:$149.12

Estimated tax to be collected:$0.00

Grand Total:$149.12

Well worth it considering the items I bought are not available in the Philippines, or comparable items are much more expensive.

I will consider iHerb next time, but honestly I don't see how to know how much shipping + duties + taxes would be on iHerb.