[email protected] wrote: > I'm on the list now. I don't know how much this topic is appropriate to this > list, so please pardon me in advance.
Everybody loves customs horror stories, particularly when they happen to others :-) > It is also possible to use a help of some broker company to let it > deal with FSB. I don't know about Russia, but in Argentina, when they suggest to involve a broker, that usually means that they expect a bribe. The role of the broker is to interact with customs on your behalf, for which he can perfectly legally charge, and to hand some of that money to the customs official, who already knows the broker, and thus doesn't have to worry about you being some policeman. Since several Bens have made it to Russia without such problems, this either means that this was a random incident, that UPS have particularly nasty customs, or that customs recently have become increasingly vigilant. One possibility would be to just try to send it again, preferably by some other means, e.g., FedEx, EMS, or regular registered mail. In Argentina, couriers like FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc., are treated differently from EMS or regular mail, both in terms of customs fees and in terms of pickiness. EMS and regular mail are what common people use for non-commercial imports, so you get higher taxes but they're more lenient when it comes to obscure regulations. In Argentina, with couriers, you're treated like a business, the taxes are a bit lower, but customs are more pedantic. > But I doubt this is reliable because it is a > customer who'll need to prove it each time at customs.) The Russians on the #qi-hardware IRC channel didn't consider it likely that travelers would be asked to provide such documentation when they cross the border. Customs officials checking travelers are probably a lot more interested in expensive electronics, drugs, and other valuables. Parcels are a different story. There, customs have all the time in the world to look for problems. Just my 2 centavos. - Werner _______________________________________________ Qi Hardware Discussion List Mail to list (members only): [email protected] Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://lists.en.qi-hardware.com/mailman/listinfo/discussion
