SanDisk 1TB SSD

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freitasm

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#1954811 10-Feb-2018 14:09

@arlansmart:

Where does it say AMAZON or NZ CUSTOMS can 'do whatever they see fit' (richms) or 'use any value they like really on imports' like you say?

Thats sounds like hogs-wash... they are not a law unto themselves, surely they must abide by the facts as evidenced/shown?

From https://www.customs.govt.nz/personal/duty-and-gst/faqs/

"Customs has the authority to amend the declared value of the goods if it has reason to believe it is incorrect."

Also

"An Import Entry Transaction Fee (IETF) of NZ$29.26 (GST inclusive) is charged to risk assess and process imported goods. An MPI biosecurity system entry levy of $19.98 (GST inclusive) is also payable when an IETF is charged, making the total fees payable of $49.24 (GST inclusive)."

And

"There is a common misconception that items purchased from overseas websites for less than NZ$400 can come into the country (be imported) without incurring any duty, GST, or charges. This ‘rule of thumb’ does not apply to items that attract both duty and GST, such as clothing, shoes, and accessories. Customs charges may be payable when the value of these exceeds approximately NZ$225."

Amazon is playing safe. It charges you a DEPOSIT. If Customs collect nothing or less you get a refund. If Customs collects more Amazon pays the difference and you're better off.

As I said before, too many people think they know better but if Amazon is doing it is probably because they want to keep on the good side of the law and continue to being able to send parcels here. IF they start being dodgy then Customs will stop the service and make YOUR life hell.

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cshaun

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#1954831 10-Feb-2018 15:13

I think the explanations on how it works and why has been satisfactorily answered.

Little annoying, but fair enough. Plus you know it's happening when you're checking out - so it's your choice whether to proceed. I have no issues with how Amazon is handling it, given the circumstances. (And from this discussion seems to happen at around ~NZ$380.) I guess some customers would rather just take the risk themselves and pay Customs directly if they got unlucky.

Now I just wondering (for interest stake) how often Customs decides the value is incorrect. I'd imagine/guess in most cases they'd need to think the value is actually around $800 before investigating further. I've brought in a few things myself that on sale were close to $400 and never had a problem.

How you decide on the value of something can be tricky too - street value, refurbished, RRP, on sale, value for the same item in NZ, or for example current going rate for a video card can be double RRP...

richms

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#1954834 10-Feb-2018 15:24

cshaun:

I think the explanations on how it works and why has been satisfactorily answered.

Little annoying, but fair enough. Plus you know it's happening when you're checking out - so it's your choice whether to proceed. I have no issues with how Amazon is handling it, given the circumstances. (And from this discussion seems to happen at around ~NZ$380.) I guess some customers would rather just take the risk themselves and pay Customs directly if they got unlucky.

Now I just wondering (for interest stake) how often Customs decides the value is incorrect. I'd imagine/guess in most cases they'd need to think the value is actually around $800 before investigating further. I've brought in a few things myself that on sale were close to $400 and never had a problem.

How you decide on the value of something can be tricky too - street value, refurbished, RRP, on sale, value for the same item in NZ, or for example current going rate for a video card can be double RRP...

I suspect it happens more often on the things like laptop computers and tablets coming from asia with stupidly low declarations vs Amazon. I only know one person who has had something reassessed by customs and it was was so long ago they probably have changed the process somewhat.

Richard rich.ms

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#1971136 8-Mar-2018 11:54

freitasm:

SanDisk 1TB SSD on Amazon.

US$ 249.99 + shipping (yes, ships to New Zealand).

currently US$ $229.99 + shipping

can also get 500GB US$ $134.99 + shipping

networkn

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#1971145 8-Mar-2018 12:13

$229 is a steal. I don't have a need right now, but still cheap enough to consider buying for a future project.

Gurezaemon

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#1971204 8-Mar-2018 13:20

freitasm:

It makes perfect sense. It's too close to the threshold and if for any reason the currency exchange fluctuates wildly Customs might see a different value for it and collect GST plus the documentation fees (the $36 over the 15% GST is probably the brokers/customs fee and if so it's actually cheaper than if you had to deal directly with Customs).

Nope, I will continue to buy from Amazon - even paying GST on some imports it is still 30% cheaper than retail here.

I'm looking to buy a range of computer parts from Amazon, most in the $200-300 range. I've put several of these in the cart at once, bringing the total to over some threshold at which I end up being charged the "Import Fees Deposit" thing.

Is there any reason for me to not purchase each item separately, providing the total for each cart stays below that threshold? I'm happy to suck up any extra shipping, as it is in the range of $5-6 for each item.

Am I correct in thinking that if the "Import Fees Deposit" is not shown in the Amazon.com shopping cart, I'll be safe from being charged for this?

networkn

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#1971207 8-Mar-2018 13:29

Gurezaemon:

freitasm:

It makes perfect sense. It's too close to the threshold and if for any reason the currency exchange fluctuates wildly Customs might see a different value for it and collect GST plus the documentation fees (the $36 over the 15% GST is probably the brokers/customs fee and if so it's actually cheaper than if you had to deal directly with Customs).

Nope, I will continue to buy from Amazon - even paying GST on some imports it is still 30% cheaper than retail here.

I'm looking to buy a range of computer parts from Amazon, most in the $200-300 range. I've put several of these in the cart at once, bringing the total to over some threshold at which I end up being charged the "Import Fees Deposit" thing.

Is there any reason for me to not purchase each item separately, providing the total for each cart stays below that threshold? I'm happy to suck up any extra shipping, as it is in the range of $5-6 for each item.

Am I correct in thinking that if the "Import Fees Deposit" is not shown in the Amazon.com shopping cart, I'll be safe from being charged for this?

No, Customs may ping you anyway if you bring in multiple items to the same address within a short period of time.

Pay the duty. If it's not cheaper, then buy locally and get a warranty.

Nil Einne

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#1971490 9-Mar-2018 04:05

After last year's increase, prices of NAND and therefore SSD are starting to fall again so I'm not sure if it's necessarily the best idea to buy it if you don't have plans to use it within a couple of months. (Let's not forget this thread was originally for the same SSD at $249.) Of course there are never any guarantees and it's up to you.

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