The Role of Customs in Online Shopping from USA to India

It is quite interesting to note that more and more people have shifted towards online shopping. A lot of Indians tend to shop from USA to India. This is one of the town’s finest and most budding trades. However, a lot of people ponder if the idea of online shopping from USA to India is wise or not. What would you do about customs duty? What are the additional charges in shopping and shipping between the town countries? Or, are you apprehensive about shipping goods into the country? Regardless of how you feel, online shopping from USA to India is an interesting process. And, here are few things you must know about the trade.

The Base Rule!

Firstly, you should understand the fact that anything and everything that is brought into the country has to go through custom duties. Only duty free items like digital cameras, processors, LCD monitors and RAMs are not subject to custom inquiries. Everything else is chargeable by the custom duties. Before you buy a product online, ensure you have gone through the list of chargeable items. Understand the pros and cons in buying online before making an investment. If the idea to shop from USA to India proves to be affordable and worthy, go ahead and make the buy.

Save yourself from hefty customs

Luckily, some online stores and seasoned eBay sellers make sure their loyal Indian customers are not made to pay hefty customs. Likewise, these sellers will not ask for your IEC number, when things are bought for personal use. Here are few ways companies can save you from paying customs when you engage in online shopping from USA to India. 

1. The seller tends to tag (or mark) the item as a present on the declaration form. This is deemed as an illegal way to ship between the two countries. However, you can save a lot of money by following this step.
2.  Nonetheless, gifts that are above 250 USD will be forced to pay a small charge at the Indian customs. This is when some sellers declare the goods at a reduced price. Now, remember that this is a double edged move. In case the product is lost or stolen, you will not get the right reimbursement. So, you may lose a predominant amount of money (it all depends on what the seller declared during the shipment)!