# Fasttech customs and vat?



## Nightwalker (26/6/17)

Does anyone know what customs and vat charges are on buying from fastech?
With a group buy and Express delivery, it's about $900.
Any experience with them? 
Need to work out the surprise costs.


----------



## zadiac (26/6/17)

Nightwalker said:


> Does anyone know what customs and vat charges are on buying from fastech?
> With a group buy and Express delivery, it's about $900.
> Any experience with them?
> Need to work out the surprise costs.



I'm not sure, but for an $87 order, I paid about R70 at post office. Have not used the express delivery option, so can't tell you that. I don't know how they work the duties out.


----------



## Petrus (26/6/17)

zadiac said:


> I'm not sure, but for an $87 order, I paid about R70 at post office. Have not used the express delivery option, so can't tell you that. I don't know how they work the duties out.


@zadiac, yes express do work duties out. You get an account from them, that you must pay at SAPO.


----------



## Kuhlkatz (26/6/17)

@Petrus, what @zadiac is inferring to, is that there seems to be no hard & fast rules, or if there is, that they seem not to be applied across the board. Like traffic fine amounts depends pretty much on your & the traffic officers conduct and attitude at the time, the guy / gal that calculates the duty seems to decide if you are an ass or not, purely based on your name , the content, and the alignment of the stars.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


----------



## Ashley A (26/6/17)

As the guys said, it is quite random. It should be a set amount according to the type of item category.

I've ordered numerous times from them and had various different amounts. I've paid R80 for R300 parcels as well as R1,500 parcels. Sometimes I didn't have to pay anything even around R1,000 parcel. Once, I paid R275 on a R300 parcel and I could have disputed it but the delay to send it back to customs who actually are the hold up in the whole standard delivery chain.

As a general rule when ordering, I usually add 50% to the price for customs and then decide if it's worth importing or buying locally unless it's bulk items. It's usually never that high and might be a score if it comes in much lower or even free but I budget that just in case the the customs officer had a fight with his wife that morning he decided to price my parcel.

I only ever used standard delivery though. Please let me know how you get the express delivery right? Every time I tried, I got a not available in the area type of error when I put my my address in which is a major city so I just thought it's not available to us.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


----------



## Anneries (26/6/17)

There are actually hard and fast %s on imported goods. The problem comes in when what is in the parcel is not what is listed on the way bill. 
There is already a backlog at customs at Johannesburg Internation Mail exchange and customs. So they will not open every single package. 
IF you have the time, the SARS website actually have ALL the documentation and grades etc on how to calculate it. But I have found, 99% of the time, they will charge you a handling fee of between R46 and R99, if the description on the waybill is "personal goods" or something along those lines. Most of the time the inspection/calculation from all 100 different tables/processing payments is not worth the effort. 


SOURCE: Have received more than my share of "personal goods" from over seas, only once paid more than R100 but then it was calculated (calculations made available to me) based on the fact that it was brand new in packaging electronics with the original invoice taped to the box (my request).

Reactions: Like 1


----------



## Ashley A (26/6/17)

Yip, they do have tables that state exactly what the cost should be for the type of product being imported but it doesn't seem to be used to the tee. Electronics carry a very hefty fee though and usually very easy for a mod or component to be placed in that bracket so I avoid these unless it's a really good deal and also because of warranty and return issues down the line. Even if they just send you another one without returning the old which is what has happened in the past, you still pay customs on the new one.

Our friends in customs seem to Google the item and get a price if one is not available. They also don't necessarily trust the invoices either. On the opening the package thing, they have opened every single one of my packages so far and I had a lot since I split them based on the "shipped in next day, 3 days, 5 days, etc..." as well as batteries used to come by boat so I used to do some with 4 separate orders in a day thanks to their free shipping.

On that point as well, I often got parcels ready for collection in the reverse order where the last to be shipped was the first to collect in 3 weeks while the first was sitting in customs for 2 months.

Reactions: Like 2


----------



## SAVaper (26/6/17)

I deal with customs daily and yes there are different interpretation of the Customs and Duty Act by individual officials, but in general they are fairly consistent and efficient.

Vat = Vat... easy

Products are classified using the international Harmonised System of tariff codes. Each HS code could have a different duty %
In addition some products are regulated or controlled and as such may attract higher/lower duties etc.

It really depends on the HS code used for categorising the products you ordered.

Tabaco products in general carry a 45% duty.
If at all possible, the seller should put the tariff code 8543.70 on the invoice which currently attracts 0% duty.

*
8543.70 Other machines and apparatus*

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 1 | Informative 2


----------



## Bearshare (26/6/17)

SAVaper said:


> I deal with customs daily and yes there are different interpretation of the Customs and Duty Act by individual officials, but in general they are fairly consistent and efficient.
> 
> Vat = Vat... easy
> 
> ...




i like this

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


----------

