Hello All,
Some years ago I ordered cigars from Vimenpaq. They were blocked in Miami (Doral, FL) and it took two months for them to be returned and for me to be refunded. Amazingly, a member here called the Domex office in Miami and was told that one could import a limit of 10. I did that and I had no problem.
"Gotcha" #1: I decided to start using Domex again and thought I'd do another test run with the same cigar order I placed before. To confirm, I emailed the main office in Santo Domingo and I was told that no importation of cigars is allowed. Do you think this is a change in policy or that staff are making up rules as they go along?
"Gotcha" #2: In the past when I've placed an order > $200.00 USD, I felt that Vimenpaq was extorting me. I now believe that that is unlikely. The problem with the Vimenpaq website is that is has no information on customs' fees. When you are told what you must pay, you have no itemizations and you have no idea which tax(es) you are paying. The Domex site, on the other hand, is very robust and has a large section devoted to customs' taxes which are broken down into three different taxes which are variously applied depending on what item you are purchasing. They even have a customs' tax calculator and an email that you can use for further inquiries pertaining to customs only. Night and day, a more robust website than Vimenpaq. Any "seconds" on that? Plus the U.S. Embassy uses them.
I want to buy a Fujifilm X-T30 II mirrorless camera (body) only. It costs $899.00 USD. Fujifilm cameras do not exist in the D.R. except for cheap point-and-shoots.
Unfortunately, this item is in the same category as precious jewels and, according to Domex: Goods that pay 20% Tax + 20% Selective Tax + 18% ITBIS: digital cameras. This is a whopping 58% tax or ~ $520.00! That brings the cost of a $900.00 camera to ~ $1,400.00--and I still have to buy the lenses at the same 58% rate.
Any solutions or work-arounds or must I pay up?
Some years ago I ordered cigars from Vimenpaq. They were blocked in Miami (Doral, FL) and it took two months for them to be returned and for me to be refunded. Amazingly, a member here called the Domex office in Miami and was told that one could import a limit of 10. I did that and I had no problem.
"Gotcha" #1: I decided to start using Domex again and thought I'd do another test run with the same cigar order I placed before. To confirm, I emailed the main office in Santo Domingo and I was told that no importation of cigars is allowed. Do you think this is a change in policy or that staff are making up rules as they go along?
"Gotcha" #2: In the past when I've placed an order > $200.00 USD, I felt that Vimenpaq was extorting me. I now believe that that is unlikely. The problem with the Vimenpaq website is that is has no information on customs' fees. When you are told what you must pay, you have no itemizations and you have no idea which tax(es) you are paying. The Domex site, on the other hand, is very robust and has a large section devoted to customs' taxes which are broken down into three different taxes which are variously applied depending on what item you are purchasing. They even have a customs' tax calculator and an email that you can use for further inquiries pertaining to customs only. Night and day, a more robust website than Vimenpaq. Any "seconds" on that? Plus the U.S. Embassy uses them.
I want to buy a Fujifilm X-T30 II mirrorless camera (body) only. It costs $899.00 USD. Fujifilm cameras do not exist in the D.R. except for cheap point-and-shoots.
Unfortunately, this item is in the same category as precious jewels and, according to Domex: Goods that pay 20% Tax + 20% Selective Tax + 18% ITBIS: digital cameras. This is a whopping 58% tax or ~ $520.00! That brings the cost of a $900.00 camera to ~ $1,400.00--and I still have to buy the lenses at the same 58% rate.
Any solutions or work-arounds or must I pay up?
