Shipping From Aliexpress.com...update

Some time ago we were discussing about bringing in stuff through the different vendors, aliexpress and amazon. Well I had made an order from aliexpress on the 12th of May 2015. It was for a simple digital watch for a total cost of $10.99
I collected the package today from the post office. It in good condition, the packaging is just bashed i’m guessing during transit.
So the seller helpfully listed the cost of the item at $7 on the information of the box (to help in lowering taxes), but I had to pay Ksh 558 as customs duty and Ksh 175 handling fee for the post office. So a total of Ksh 733 in fees on this end.
I am assuming that customs duty is the minimum rate you would pay for anything brought in under X dollars otherwise it means i have paid like 70% duty on the watch.
I have another order of $10 for some camera parts which i ordered last week. will see how I am charged for that.
Picha ya watch ndiyo hii…i dont want to be nominated
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Hata mimi did the same with Savostore following @Luther12 advice n got my package in 2 weeks from the states.

He paid the buyer online then paid Ceaser upon collection.

I paid 50% mpesa and the rest upon collection. It included tax and shipping charges.

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The item i paid for fully online (the $10.99) when ordering…only paid duty and post office charges when collecting

Watu wanajua mambo ya duty watueleze, na hiyo handling charge, it it dependent on the size and weight of the package?

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I dont think the handling fee varies. I know you incurr an additional fee after two weeks for every day the package stays uncollected. Its basically demurrage fee

Savo store were charging me nearly double the price of the goods …i gave up

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True. But mine was for work so I had to get it.

double payment how? you mean they were asking for cash to handle costs for taxes (duty and vat)?

That one was a con. The sellers on any online store i have used have never asked me for money to clear taxes and duty on my end. you would have paid double im sure.

Oh. Then thats different. There were some guys who are agents for UPS here who handled duty and taxes for me when i brought in a printer from the states. They were expensive too.

Keep me posted bro…

When I was bringing the printer it was strictly just handling fees, delivery and duty costs…

When a product you want is available in Kenya, and is also available in an online store like Amazon, which of the product is usually preferable? Are imported ones cheaper than the ones available locally?

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They tend to be however taxes and shipping costs will make the item more expensive.

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That hypothetical situation hasn’t occurred to me as yet. In all, only import that which isn’t available locally.

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Sawa. And incidentally I’m also looking for replacement Sony earphones for my Xperia. Others have failed to reach the sound quality threshold I was previously enjoying.