the only thing I am worried about is getting stuck at customs (almost 1 kg including iCharger) ... I know it takes eternity to clear from customs... add the hassles to it.  

This is the first time i have ordered through EMS. rest all parcels came through registered posts without any issues.

does anyone knows any contact number of the EMS tracking office. the ones I have are never answered. 

HK posr usually dispatches the parcel within 48 hrs (though thier site is not updated accurately). your parcel reaches India within 3 days. Rest all delay is solely due to Indian Customs. I have recieved packets dispatched 10-14 day apart from HK Post together on same day!

EMS is good for expedited delivery/very large items and the EMS guys take care that customs clearance is done faster. Except for that, I don't see any value than paying obscene price. Vinay ans myself have mostly stuck to 750g Reg Airmail and they always got thru customs. Vinay even ordered 3KG parcel (non EMS) full of tools and it went thru. The downside of EMS is that they almost always attract customs.

Charger should not be a big deal, don't worry.

thanks for the encouraging words...  hope to get the parcel soon...

Thanks and cheers !!!

@ yd_rawat
what exactly do you mean when you say -HK does give the provision for a false declaration.

When you are checking out while buying from HK you have the option of declaring 10,20,30,40,50....100 % of the actual price of the items you bought on the invoice that they stick on the parcel.

Hey

Even i ordered some stuff from HK on 17-Apr-10...it was shipped on 29 Apr 10. But i haven't received it yet. It is a registered air mail with tracking number RB321929117HK. What is the avg time it takes to reach India??

The Indian speed-post website which is listed at Hong kong post website shows no record for the tracking number. Those who have received HK orders from airmail..please confirm if the Indian site is active or not???

Regards

@pravven and @ankurkaul17



Now I'm confused.
Its 30 or 100 ?

So is it like you declare 100% and the max custom you may have to shell is 30% ?

Even my package which left Hong kong on 29th April reached on Wednesday after much delay. Wait till this week and only then query  the FPO..

 Ujjwaana, Y dont you make a step by step guide to buy from Hobby city?   

I cannot improve perfection. You have already done that in a bunch of threads!

Got my package today    Customs Rs 250/-

Hi All,

Finally i got my EMS parcel from HK yesterday.

All thanks to Sushil Anand,   he only advised me to follow up with the customs. The parcel was stuck with the customs for more than 2 weeks.

Yesterday, I had gone to EMS customs office which is at the airport, to enquire about my parcel.

Though, I had not recieved any communication regarding the parcel stuck at customs, I assumed that it wud be at customs only. I got the BY number and was informed at the counter that I had to go to customs dept for clearing.

The customs department was all empty at 10:00AM.   Finally the custom officers came at 12:00 PM.  >
They inspected my parcel and assessed a duty of Rs. 541/- (Rs.441 (customs) + Rs.100 postal fee) (customs charged  @14.712% for HOBBY PARTS)  
The whole parcel was assessed a value of Rs. 3000 (however, the total cost was US$165 )

To my surprise, the custom officers knew about RC stuff   and they asked me if it was the same stuff used by aeromodellers at Mahalakshmi ground., to which I replied yes. They knew about the aeromodelling activity at Mahalakshmi and they understood the contents of the parcel without any explanation.  

They immediately cleared it and I paid the custom duty, along with some table charges of Rs.250 (bribe)   to a clearing agent and took the parcel. I had to pay the money just to get the parcel on the inspection table on priority.  

Finally, I have it. Thanks a lot to Mr. Sushil Anand for his advice.

Cheers!!!

Great new Saurabh!! Next time go for smaller packet and avoid EMS which is always an eye catcher for customs...

Correct...

As from my experience, EMS always goes through customs, no matter how small the package is. I saw one peron struggling to clear his parcel that had only a pen (parker pen) and he had to pay customs of Rs. 250 for it.

My advise is to keep the parcel small and rather order through registered air parcel. It may take some time to get delivered but its worth it. Atleast you get saved from the hassles of customs.

Way too much information to be made public

do unregisterd airmail invite tax

Saurabh and all others are requested to kindly ...

I ordered 1Kg stuff from HobbyKing through EMS (bunch of motors, servos, lipos, props, etc... but no RX/TX)... But, the package was shipped on the the 16th April as per HongKong post. I cannot get any status info. from our www.indiapost.gov.in website... Nor have I received any letter from the customs office.

Saurabh and some others had commented that they called the MUMBAI Customs Office and received and internal "BY number". How do I get this information. Do I need to call some Customs office ? Can someone please provide the Mumbai Customs phone number?

If someone is visiting their office can you please check the status of my package toooooo? My tracking number is EA046519327HK

Looking forward to your advice.

Yes indeed ... guess Saurabh brohter got elated after getting his parcel after so long wait. Really appreciate his openness to educate other..... but would suggest some ****  masking to be politically correct in the hostile Indian environment where people are Axed for speaking on Twitter .

@Dinil,
Tax( customs) opening and chargin depends on Type of post (EMS attract eyes), Size of the package (1.5m long Box deemed to throughly checked), Declared value wrt to Size. A 2'x2' box having a value to $20 going to raise alarm. Right packet size and reasonable declaration may entirely save you from customs hassles.

Unregistered mail for small (500g) package are fine to pass customs, but might get 'lost' (stolen) at any point (more when they land in India, as people say) and mind that HC does not covers unregistered parcels for loss. I've already lost 3 (e-bay/Dealextreme) till date. So going for Registered Airmail/parcel is the safest middle path.

I have faced this right with my First ever RC purchase.  Get the phone number of the FPO and not Customs to begin with. Better still, visit your local FPO (Foreign Post Office). The FPO and Customs (PAD - Parcel Appraisal Dept) are usually located in the same premises. Find the correct person in the FPO and give him the ship address and Tracking no. He could give you the status of your package - either it is with them, awaiting Customs clearance or (for worse) confiscated by Customs. In later 2 cases, he can give you a BY no which you can use to follow up with PAD (ugliest part).

If the package 'left' Hongkong on 16th April and not just dispatched from HC (check this), its over a month that it would have reached Mumbai already. Its high time you contact the FPO/PAD. Some people also suggest to keep a mum so that the customs fed up and release the stuff instead. There risk here as well.
Call the FPO today so at least check your status, this wont be intrusive. They don't create problem themselves - but be careful form customs.

Hi,

Please remember, that it takes about 3-7 days for an EMS package to reach India.
May be you should try calling the Mumbai EMS / SpeedPost at 022 26156703, 9969618051, 022 2615 6125,   022 2615 6093 or email them at   spc.mumbai@indiapost.gov.in

There is one more number : 022 26156648

You may find it hard to get this number, but keep trying, you will get your BY number from this telphone number only.

Few more things from my observation:

1.) The last number mentioned above in bold is surely working and I saw the lady answering queries on that number.
2.) The postal people who were there in the customs informed me that I was lucky in a way that I had come there personally for collections. There is a HUGE backlog of EMS parcels waiting for the customs inspection. So incase you have not recieved your parcel, it is likely that your parcel is one in the waiting list to be inspected. The backlog is of more than 2 months. Only after the inspection is done, the customs will dispatch a notice to your postal address.
3.) If possible ask any of your friends in mumbai to go to the customs office (next to the Sahara hotel at the airport) and get it cleared personally after getting the BY number. (Public Visiting hours: 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM only) but ask your friend to be there by 12.The post office has a visitors list which can be filled by the person who comes for collecting the parcel. Once that list is filled, they take out those parcels for inspection, assess and clear them the same day. The whole point being, if you want your stuff out early, you will have to follow it with them. The person will have to carry a copy of photo ID.
4.) You will find some clearing agents (touts) at the entry of the customs office, they will offer help in getting your parcels cleared but will charge you for that.  
 

For further information, please go to www.indiapost.gov.in/NSDefault.htm .

I hope the above helps and you get your parcel.

Not getting any information regarding a speed post (either through internet or through mail) is a clear indication that the parcel is stuck with customs and pending inspection.

Great details Saurabh!!... thanks in helping in making things clearer to newbies/flyers in need. KUDOS

I heard the bad news that Mumbai RC shops are finding hard to get customs clearance and Mumbai is become a grave yard for budget/'Resource less' flyers...Good news is that R/C stores have spread to even remote Tier -III cities!!

Very true...  . Chennai, Bangalore even Delhi customs are clearing stuff regular, but not Mumbai!! WAITLIST OF 2 MONTHS!!!!!!!