Import Duty on Health Supplements in India

by Vargis.Khan

Let us face it; no one can build a well cut muscular body within a short time by just eating our regular daily foods. You have got to take some of the supplements to boost the muscle growth in your body. Please note that I am not referring to any steroids here, but basic supplements like Protein powder, Creatine, and fat burners etc. There is a huge market for these supplements in India however there are no major or trustworthy manufacturers which becomes the biggest challenge for any regular Gym goer. You can never rely on the quality of the product manufactured onshore when it comes to health supplements which leaves you with no other option but to buy it online and have it shipped in the country.

The next question that comes to mind however is how much is the import duty on health supplements in India? How many taxes will you have to pay to buy a health supplement online and having it shipped to your doorstep? The first thing that you need to know is that the valuation method of importing goods in India is CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight), which means the import duties and taxes payable will be calculated on the complete shipping value, inclusive of the price of the imported item, shipping cost and insurance charges if any, and not on just the price of the product. There is however no sales tax charged on items imported and there is also no minimum threshold which means that all imports regardless of their value are subject to duties and taxes. Import duty can be in the form of percentage or specific; rates vary from 0% to 150% with an average duty of 11.9%. Apart from the import duties, you are also required to pay certain other taxes and charges such as landing charges, CVD (countervailing duty), CESS and education CESS. A breakup of these charges is as mentioned below.

Another thing to keep in mind is that your shipping provider may add an additional handling fee to the total cost. Also, the import duty may also depend on price assessment of the product by customs. For example, if you bought a product for $100 online but the customs officer assessed the value at $120, then your import duties will be calculated for $120 and not on the price that you paid.




Now the big question, how much is the import duty on health supplements in India? How to calculate the total cost that you will end up paying including import duties and taxes while buying a supplement online? I will explain this with the help of an example.

Supplements have an average duty of 30% in India. I used the word average because it can vary depending on what kind of supplement you are buying and in what form, for example if it is protein you are buying or a fat burner or if the supplement is in the form of a powder or liquid or a capsule but overall it is around 30% at an average. Landing rate is 1%, CVD is 12%, CESS rate is 3% and additional CVD is 4%. There is no CEX or education CESS charged on food supplements.

So let us assume that you bought a supplement for $25 from USA, shipping cost was $10 and you also paid $5 as insurance charge. Taking the dollar value at INR 63.5 (today’s rate), below is a break up of how much you will end up paying.

  • Total Invoice Value (including product price + shipping + insurance): Rs. 2,548.20
  • Landing Charges: Rs. 25.48 (1%)
  • Import Duty: Rs. 772.10 (30% of (product value + landing charges))
  • CVD: Rs. 418.22 (12.5 % of (product value + landing charges + Import duty))
  • CESS: Rs. 35.71 (3% of (product value + other charges mentioned above))
  • Additional CVD: Rs. 151.99 (4% of (product value + all other charges mentioned above))
  • Total Product Cost: Rs. 3951.70 after paying all the import duties and taxes
  • Total paid in import duties and taxes: Rs. 1403.50

Click on the links below to read my reviews on some of they whey proteins I have used.

Ultimate Nutrition Prostar 100% Whey Protein Review

Davisco Whey Protein Concentrate Review

Saputo Whey Protein Concentrate Review

Biox Power Casein Complex Review

Review : Universal Ultra Whey Pro

I hope this information was helpful. There could be and I am sure is more to the way taxes and import duties are calculated but this is the basic information. Feel free to comment if you have any questions.

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208 comments

Pratik Shah September 19, 2020 - 6:55 am

Hey guys ,

I know this is an old post but useful . Just wanted to add to the post. I have ordered few bits of supplement from UK and there was a deal on this new site http://www.nutrientsdiscovery.com to Baroda. Overall price for Rexlex multivitamin, PhD vegan plant protein and Vegan Omega 3 supplements came up to £98+ Delivery £29 ,which is 12720 rupees that I paid as per 96 rupees to pounds . Now when it got delivered here in Baroda , I was asked to pay an extra 5100 rupees . Just to let you know . Seems to me no one size fits all and charges are varied in 2020 and coming years based on state government rules and nation rules, also depending on the product type. I forgot, I had to pay 3% charges for my credit card as well

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Vargis.Khan September 19, 2020 - 6:45 pm

Thanks for adding the information pratik Bhai

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Pratik Shah September 20, 2020 - 12:57 am

You are welcome

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Oshida September 7, 2021 - 3:26 pm

Hello, I wanted to know if there is limitation on order value and weight of supplements imported for personal consumption? Kindly do let me know.

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ganes December 5, 2020 - 10:45 pm

hi dear , did you ask why is 5100 rs on which basis tax gst etc. how can i check that we are not paying extra money for custom tax.

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Neeraj September 7, 2020 - 4:08 pm

Thanks Bro for sharing all info for our people. I am india born but now live in USA. this is shocking people selling fake products in india. Let me give you an example

https://www.amazon.in/JNX-Sports-Curse-Serving-Fruit/dp/B084JFMCCN/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2J1SLI4H2JUXC&dchild=1&keywords=curse+pre+workout&qid=1599494629&sprefix=curse+%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-5

This guy is selling at 1800 rs and that’s of 50 servings. Ha ha.

We are auth dealer of JNX in USA. Landing cost in india is like 1800 to 1900 rs. Have no idea how they selling cheaper than people who are real manufacturer. Dont buy fake food supplements. its going in your body.

If you cannot afford western product then buy some india made product but don’t buy these fake products.

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Muneer June 1, 2019 - 9:02 am

Is nutrabay is trustful site

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Niharika November 19, 2018 - 12:39 pm

Very informative and helpful information sharing through your blog.

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Vargis.Khan November 19, 2018 - 8:56 pm

Thank you !!!

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Arvinder Singh September 1, 2020 - 8:43 am

Vitamin B in a certain mg not available in India was imported total value CIF in US$380

I have been advised import duty of around 77% plus expenses

UPS is of no help nor is Customs clearing even after I agreed to have it cleared on merit and pay the duty demanded

No body responds and it now around 10 days

Being a sr citizen I am unwilling to go to Customs at Int Airport to personally discuss

What happens if I just abandon the consignment

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ekindnmez September 6, 2018 - 8:11 pm

You can use websites like Glocalzone which provides you to shop overseas and buy supplements. Buying proteins for Its USA price is great. You don’t pay for tax or shipping, by the way.

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ashish singh September 7, 2018 - 4:48 am

Please share complete URL, or website address.

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mahipal singh mehta April 2, 2018 - 7:57 am

i have to purchase 10 unit,if any one for import please tell me..9987874797

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dave December 22, 2017 - 11:17 pm

Hello

How much import tax on this product approx ?

https://www.amazon.com/KAL-Magnesium-Glycinate-400-tablets/dp/B00013YZ1Q/

catch 10$ shipping. will use shop and ship by aramex

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Varun December 24, 2017 - 7:33 am

Hello dave,

Why not you buy Nature’s Plus, Dyno-Mins, Magnesium, 250 mg, 90 Acid-Resistant Tablets. Actually it is acid resistant so it is very safe & also it’s ingredients are from natural sources and also it is allergen free & vegetarian. So, i would suggest this. Check ingredients & link below:

Ingredients :

 Magnesium (Phytavail Complex – Proprietary blend of soluble plant based minerals, aminoate, aspartate, citrate, ascorbate, lysinate, methionate, rare earth elements and fructooligosaccharides [from Dahlia inula tuber and Chicory root])

Link:

 https://www.amazon.com/Natures-Plus-Dyno-Mins-Magnesium-250/dp/B001810IMU

So, if you buy anyone from amazon then it will cost you :

product cost-$15.50 + $10 (shipping) + 30% of product cost i.e $4.50 custom duty + 20% of product cost i.e $3 comprising of (swach bharat cess+ education cess etc.) + custom clearance charges by courier partner like dhl costs 500 rupees i.e $7.

So, it will cost you around $40 & i can provide it to you for only $28. So, if you buy it from me you will save much.
If interested contact me on [email protected].

Thanks,
Varun.

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varun December 25, 2017 - 10:42 am

Hello dave,

It will cost you around $15 & if you want rebate then contact me on [email protected].

Thanks,
Varun.

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mahipal singh mehta April 2, 2018 - 7:53 am

IS I CONTACT TO YOU FOR SUPPLEMENT.

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RajeshSharma December 19, 2017 - 11:26 am

Sir agar main uk se 6500 rs ke Protein Product purchase krta hu to muje creadit card pr kitna tax lgega

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Import product to India November 13, 2017 - 12:57 pm

Thanks for giving useful information about export and import in detail …Keep sharing.

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kartik barot October 31, 2017 - 8:51 am

i have to order myprotein from UK to ahmedabad, which will come by India post, so it will deliver at door step or i have collect from customs office.

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yogesh solanki October 27, 2017 - 5:49 pm

Hi i want to purchase item cost rs7500 (on protein) so what is the total cost i have to pay after importing in india.

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Azad Mohan Chauhan October 27, 2017 - 6:33 pm

Near by 3000…ID/LC/CS included

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Bhavin October 14, 2017 - 10:38 am

I want to purchase products of 120 kg of some supplements (powder form) from USA to India. Products are standard and genuine company. So please tel me exact amount of duty and tax

Or contact me 9033852235

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Sameer August 29, 2017 - 6:23 pm

Hello sir I’m importing protein supplements from US and my order amount is 22500rs can u please tell me what will the total custom duty and gst please help sir!!

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maulik September 1, 2017 - 12:02 pm

hi , sameer this product falls under category of HS CODE 21061000, but it should be dispatch by air so duty will be 35%,they also charge 28% gst , base on this details you can calculate.most of the time they also charge 3% cess(only for the custom duty you paid).

hope this helps

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Hameed Hussain Irfan August 28, 2017 - 8:34 pm

if i order below 2000 rs, then do i need to pay customs? Its a supplement, and comes under suplement and beauty products catagory range.

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shekhar iyer August 1, 2017 - 7:40 am

vargis i need to speak to you, pls let me know if u can share ur number or email

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Mahendra July 7, 2017 - 6:15 am

“Order below 5 kg is custom duty free” this statements is true or not

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PIYUSH June 28, 2017 - 4:54 am

I BUY SUPPLIMENT PRODUCT
I PAY 12,702 INR
HOW MANY CUSTAM DUTY ON THIS AMOUNT
MY PRODUCT IMPORT FROM USA TO INDIA

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Azad June 28, 2017 - 8:04 am

Custom duty 35% (4200) CESS/ADC 7% (840)
And additional handling charges depend upon currier (DHL demands 500 +15% ST on same =575)

But most importantly all these calculation is before implementing of GST.
GST is still mystry we dont know what will calculation aftet 1st JULY.

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Tony June 26, 2017 - 8:27 am

Any idea what will be the GST % slap on imported food supplements ? is there any chances that prices will go down ?

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Tony June 26, 2017 - 8:31 am

Slab*

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rAKESH July 27, 2017 - 8:51 pm

You should know Customs Duty is excluded from GST, so not effect will be seen, you have pay the same price

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Shubham Kapoor June 26, 2017 - 12:47 am

Sir I want to ask one question from you as custom duty charge on my product is 42 % and Rs 500 handling charges by DHL now they are charging me 15% additional charges for service tax ( DHL Is charging service tax) pls explain me how as I am already paying custom duty as well as handling charges

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Azad June 26, 2017 - 6:47 am

I paid 35% custom on bill amount+currier cost then additional 3% +4% as CESS an ADC.
DHL handling charges 500 + 15% on this handling charge only= 575.

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Azad Mohan Chauhan June 2, 2017 - 11:03 am

Hello
Every one. a week ago i order whey protein+fat burner from iHerb (USA) billed amount was $117+$2(₹7680) It shipped via DLH and i got it in Mumbai in 4 days.
For Custom duty they charged me 35% +3% CESS +4% ACD and ₹500 as handling fee +(15% cervice tax on handling fee) in total they charged me ₹3777 on value of product
₹ 7680.
I don’t know why they charged extra ₹575 as handling charge+ ST.
Is it necessity to charge handling cost where we already paid shipping cost with product value?
By the way i got all original documents regarding custom charges and additional DHL invoice for handling charge, so there is no issue of hidden cost or cheating.
I just want to know handling charge is neccessory when we already paid for shipping??
By the way i am happy with DHL proccess.

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Krishna May 21, 2017 - 12:52 pm

I ordered supplements from pipingrock.com not body building but arthritis and kidney support. They are classified in usa as food supplements. The order value is Rs 25962 including fright (CIF Value). shipped in DHL.
I am in the process of getting robbed by customs mafia for Rs 14000 as customs duty. It seems I should feel lucky as i am not robbed 300%

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Clyde May 14, 2017 - 11:58 am

I think the best way to get supplements from US is you should have a relative there and ask them to send it as a gift. I read that if it comes as a gift u don’t need to pay customs…

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SRI May 14, 2017 - 7:38 am

Vargis/others,

I happened to check an AD “Pro Burst” on this page ! Visited their Website, did any one try their samples/pdtx+ any review on the same!

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durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 5:24 am

I ve ordered from bb.com recently worth 169$ paid including shipments through FedEx and they are asking me to pay extra rs 23000 for customs duty which is 200℅ more of the product value .wht sud I do?

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SRI May 13, 2017 - 6:40 am

Wow, that’s massive for $169 payment, BTW what product attracted somuch fees/levies?

FedEX/DHL is better avoided way fwd because i get to know from every friend/colleague, that they ensure we’ll pay more always to rip-off except for 1 or 2 times to retain our business (may be 1st order or intermittent one)! As Rohit pointed below, we must use other services to ensure such loot is not entertained + we can directly approach Custom officials via links (decent terms CHA), negotiate with them & pay-up the relevant fee, not jacked up ones!

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durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 6:46 am

Can u tell.me.how to contact customs directly to negotiate price ?way of mail any..I would post the airway bill detail soon here abt the charge’s.

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SRI May 13, 2017 - 7:02 am

Durgesh,
Am sorry this time you won’t have an option in this case because even if you approach a third party CHA, they will refuse since FedEX CHA had been involved already, even customs officer can’t change them easily since already levied but can raise a request to reassess!

If you’re puzzled, check this https://www.complaintboard.in/complaints-reviews/fedex-courier-l277838/page/5

Also, if you such services as below, they will directly get that cleared from customs (will have good links+ will be happy bcoz they know we are a disappointed lot of DHL/FedEX services due to the above reasons)! Also, if you want to do it alone, you can go to customs offices, there you will have these guys roaming around, will get it negotiated, cleared easily !

Else, easy option, check with familiar guys who are into gold/similar business, they will connect you to a link! – This is safest !

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SRI May 13, 2017 - 7:45 am

Durgesh, I had replied to your Q on links but it’s “awaiting approval” as may be because i have shared an URL for you to check!

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Durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 7:53 am

I got custom receipt from fedex,its says Rs 23741 to pay for value of Rs 11645.89

BCD(150%=17468.84)+CVD(31.25%=3639.34)+CESS(5.44%=633.25)+EDU CESS(0%)+SAD(11.47%=1335.49)+other(0%)=total duty (198.16%=23076.92)

other charges =576.92
Service tax=80.54
SBC=3
KKC=3
total =23741
🙁

SRI May 13, 2017 - 8:42 am

Atrocious! Was that for proteins or other supplements, pls SHARE details if it;s okay! Let us, as a group be clear on specific products that invites attraction + 200% , 300% shockers!

durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 8:46 am

I ordered dymatise iso100 2.2kg,dymatise elite casein 1.8kg n rsp creatine each one.thats it

SRI May 13, 2017 - 12:06 pm

OMG 🙁 ! Thanks for the reply! This may be another attempt to discourage, deter guys like us from directly procuring from manufacturers! Guess, you would have got the reason!

Here, many dealers sell them ONLINE at exorbitant prices & I get to know from colleagues, their tie-up with relevant authorities ensure this sort of shockers are landed on to stop individual imports of protein/whey isolates

durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 12:10 pm

Sri I didn’t got the URL yet to contact customs regarding this..send me link name without www so I can get here ..if they don’t negotiate the price den ,wht I do?can i send it back ?

SRI May 13, 2017 - 12:54 pm

Yes talk to BB guys, try your luck in sending the shipment back for refunds! But pray god, the some crooks in FedEx won’t damage/open the boxes and it reaches BB in good shape for refunds! But read their T&C on returns as they may provide product value- minus return shipping or like that!

Sometimes, if you ask FedEx to get it reassessed, they may send it back w/o your knowledge too – I get to know from FB, DHL seems to have done this for few clients (who were levied 300%) – you can google for bina durnhill dhl facebook – similar case!

(Or) Give this a try once before trying to return
Easy option, check with familiar guys who are into gold/MOBILE business, they will connect you to a link! – This is safest ! No other CHA will agree since FedEX is already involved (google for AWB 784587347699 complaint board & with in that page , try to find keywords “tried contacting a lot of CHA’s”)

HTH!

durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 4:15 pm

Sri,
I got one problem ,I contacted bb.com for return and they agreed and problem is I have opened the product after delivery since fedex said no extra charges and later they took back product saying we forgot to ask u custom amount before delivering,so bb.com said they provide only in-store credit for opened product,whixh is of no use in future order which I will face same custom problem.if u have any friend to whom address I can order and get the product without custom ???

SRI May 14, 2017 - 4:59 am

Why don’t you want to pay customs? Guess you ‘re pissed off to think like it (Trigger: the way they slapped 150%-200%)! I don’t have any such friend and to be frank, It;s not possible even for customs officials they will have to levy it per rules but 150-200% is too much, you can request but i guess they will also insist it should not be open!

Just go approach them via some Customs agent ( locate from just dial for your area if you don’t know any guy who does gold/mobile/even textile business) to help on this or have some pre-discussions via agent, so that you can ship it to your own address only w/o hassles+ with nominal relevant duties paid !

SRI May 14, 2017 - 5:10 am

Raise it with PM’s personal handle & FMs too over twitter! Request them to address the issue once for all! Include copies of the invoices & include FedEX too on those tweets!

Few things won’t reach top at all! They will only look at revenue nos for a fiscal year + high level statistics category wise & not on exact ways they earned them on each category! Also, highlight they are not available locally easily + even if available, only fake products with exorbitant prices that never helps on goals !

SRI May 14, 2017 - 5:15 am

You have a valid case of distress to request PM & FM, it should make them to think & help correct the incorrect /disheartening levy policies for services/merchandise of industry stds, not available locally! Will help all of us, INDIANs to procure Quality health supplements from US/elsewhere! What’s your twitter handle?

abhijot sidhu May 6, 2017 - 9:31 am

hii there….its been one month since i ordered from bb.com….now the fed ex guys says that it us held at customs and they want NOC from food and safety association. any clue about this !!!

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SRI May 13, 2017 - 6:10 am

HI ABHIJOT,
BTW, May we know what you ordered? Does Customs advise It’s prohibited/dangerous to consume?

Hi All/Vargis,
Also, i guess some one who can mobilize massive support, should start a petition marking PM/FM & US Senate! INDIA is a huge market for Workout pdts (proteins) + life enhancing+work-out Supplements that are rarely available in-house, even if available, very poor quality not worth the buys!

US really need our business as we need their quality products that really deliver results which local ones don;t!

Petition should highlight to US Congress/Senate + INDIAN PM/FM to renegotiate, ensure to put an end to massive hardships we face + exorbitant fees even while importing critical health supplements apart from workout enhancers/supplements OUT OF THEIR NATION!

At some point, US shd ask INDIA gov or vice versa to relax such rules, ensure people are able to procure them smoothly with relevant, nominal duties (killer, unpredicatable in most cases like protein imports) but definitely continue to allow what is not prohibited since we do, as citizens understand the fact, dangerous/harmful items/spores shd not be allowed entry!

If you come across a petition or someone raised on this, pls pass on a note to me too, i will also try & mobilize support from my end towards such a move/request!

Regards!

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durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 6:15 am

Can someone start a petition for over tax on import duty to make it near 10℅

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SRI May 13, 2017 - 6:50 am

Whopping 200% or 300% is disheartening as we are only trying to procure to enhance our quality of life/health.

Yes, customs shd definitely be levied provided such goods/merchandise of good quality is locally available or such imports won’t affect local businesses that sell them/export + in cases, to avoid dumping of specific goods via import!

In our cases, these critical supplements are not widely available in INDIA! Even if they are available, the importers either fake them using fillers/sell at thrice the original value of the products, still can’t ensure its genuine product that delivers!

That’s why i requested that a person with huge following should raise such a petition which we can mobilise support to make import of critical + work out supplements in a smooth workflow devoid of delays, unwarranted stops + at a standard rate like 10% or 20% as per commercial invoice value slabs

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durgesh jain May 13, 2017 - 6:56 am

Vargis do something plz to start a petition..

SRI June 26, 2017 - 1:22 pm

What did you order? Ask them to return it without tampering if they trouble like that! BB will provide refunds if returned without use!

Also, check with FedEX guys on why it requires NOC+ process!

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Sachin October 28, 2017 - 1:19 pm

ABHIJOT SIDHU did you solve it? now I am at the same situation and DHL said that couldn’t help me.

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Aastha April 15, 2017 - 6:21 am

Hi Vargis, I’m being charged customs on BB.com packet of 3.2 lbs and $48 items. I told fedexguys to put on hold because customs want to charge me $35 duty. Do you have any customs notification that can help me, because the packet is less than 4.4 lbs weight or less than $50 value??

What is the best way to handle this according to you?

Thanks for your blog and thanks in advance for your advice.

Regards

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ashish singh May 3, 2017 - 6:59 am

My order value was Rs. 5004(2.5 kg whey, 2kg casein, and 2kg creatin monohydrate) and duty was Rs. 2480. I ordered from myprotien.co.in , it took one month. Still much cheaper than helthkart. If you want to order myprotien you can use my code ASHISH-RCL during registeration. You will get 15% to 30% discount on first order. I will also get some credit so it is win-win.

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Nishant Sodha June 28, 2017 - 1:42 pm

Hi ashish , I ordered (5kg hard gainer,30 vit e, 250g creatine, dextrose, 60 tab c and vit d3) supplement from myprotein.india. I received order but after 4-5 months later, the delivery man call me to give 1940₹. What happen if I don’t pay this amount???

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ashish singh June 29, 2017 - 11:22 am

Who is the delivery guy ? Is it person from Indian Post ? Becuse my order was delivered by India post. I have paid Rs. 2480 extra as custom duty. And they gave me reciept for that. Now, I am not sure what will happen if you don’t pay. It depends on type of shipping. It might return to source or it might go back to custom for auction.

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Nishant Sodha June 29, 2017 - 1:46 pm

Yes, he is a postman from Indian post. N there is a receipt on box.. but when the postman give it to me he didn’t ask me or told me that you give me any kind of charges for my parcel….

kartik barot October 31, 2017 - 8:57 am

india post will deliver at door step or picked from custom office???

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RAHUL April 3, 2017 - 4:05 pm

Hello…im from pune..can u tell me im ordering suppliment around 45$ from bodybuilding.com and that product also has 600-700gram shipment weight so any custom duty i need to pay or not

…plz help me..

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Brian Matthew (@NeighbourGuy) May 1, 2017 - 3:05 am

Did you receive your package ,how much custom duty you paid ?

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Dhruv March 27, 2017 - 1:52 pm

Hello, I was looking forward to order BPI whey protein from iHerb, but it seems that there is to be paid a lot of amount for custom tax, Clearence and all…….Bt still confused as lot of fake supplements in Indian Market.

Still. was hoping of suggestions before i make my mind to either order or cancel the order

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Brian Matthew (@NeighbourGuy) May 1, 2017 - 3:02 am

I think judging by weight of the package​ ,it must be protein ,anything above 1 kg and bigger package especially whey protein attract custom duty in most cases ,you have no option but to pay duty and accept the package and take it as learning experience and buy protein overseas only when you see huge discount like almost 50%, then only it’s worth to buy overseas

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Brian Matthew (@NeighbourGuy) February 25, 2017 - 5:39 pm

One should think twice before ordering supplments offshore , irrespective of the size or price you will be paying more than half the price of the product towards custom duty,and courier service will add additional handling fee coz they know you will have no choice so it’s like you will be fleeced until it get delievers to you ,I end up paying more than half of the price of a pre workout which is not available in India ,even if you undervalue it or mention it as sample,you would still paying it unless you got lucky ,it just so frustrating ,I get fleeced in a local supplment store and it’s same story when you order directly from the sellers,the middle men try their best to exort from you

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Vargis.Khan February 25, 2017 - 7:48 pm

Thanks Brian

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Deepesh February 21, 2017 - 3:48 pm

I ordered a detox powder from iherb.com for $42 including the shipping charges. I paid customs duty of Rs.1450 which is 51% of the product cost. I was totally pissed off at those charges as the product itself is expensive and on top of that I have to pay exorbitant customs duty.

There should be an exemption for Health Products meant for personal use.

Nice article Vargis.

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Deepesh February 21, 2017 - 3:51 pm

I read somewhere that there is an exemption for products valued less than Rs.2500. Is is true?

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Brian Matthew (@NeighbourGuy) February 25, 2017 - 5:45 pm

Nope ,supplements are on their checklist ,so if they realise it’s a supplement,they will charge you irrespective of price or weight ,a courier person told me they keep a watchful eye on this stuff

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Vargis.Khan February 25, 2017 - 7:47 pm

Thanks Deepesh

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Vivek Gautam February 17, 2017 - 2:43 pm

I have recently ordered from BB.com.. as usual I was also not aware of the fact that I will have to pay customs duty on my order. My total order is for 139$ including shipping charges. How my duty would b charged for this amount.
I put up in delhi itself so how much time it would be taking to get delivered.

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Vargis.Khan February 17, 2017 - 5:51 pm

It should be around 70-75 dollars

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Gaurav Kothari March 1, 2017 - 5:22 am

I am ready to pay custom duty but what documents I have to provide in jaipur custom foreign post office I don’t know can u help me with the documents I have ordered online through bb.com and I have invoice with me.

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Vargis.Khan March 2, 2017 - 6:49 pm

I do not believe you need to provide any documents at all. If you ordered from BB.Com, the FedEx guys will deliver at your doorstep and your just need to make the payment, unless your shipment gets held by the custom guys for some reason..

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Gaurav Kothari March 1, 2017 - 5:21 am

I am ready to pay custom duty but what documents I have to provide in jaipur custom foreign post office I don’t know can u help me with the documents I have ordered online through bb.com and I have invoice with me.

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Vargis.Khan March 2, 2017 - 6:49 pm

I do not believe you need to provide any documents at all. If you ordered from BB.Com, the FedEx guys will deliver at your doorstep and your just need to make the payment, unless your shipment gets held by the custom guys for some reason..

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Abhilasha December 26, 2016 - 11:30 am

I am so happy to read this. This is the kind of manual that needs to be given and not the random misinformation that’s at the other blogs.
Appreciate your sharing this best article.

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Manu November 25, 2016 - 6:53 pm

Damn i WISH I had seen this earlier . I ordered my ISO 100 and was expecting it to be something like Amazon US delivery . !! It is stuck in customs from what I can make out and seems to me like I made a major blunder in ordering . I might just return it like one of the above comments mentions , better maybe to lose a few thousnds than pay 18 k or so for the product . Kills me to pay so much for something that is available for so cheap elsewhere .

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Showmil October 15, 2016 - 9:45 pm

I wanted supplements from usa for personal use how can i get it

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Munaf October 10, 2016 - 12:30 pm

Amazing post brother.
Today, i ended up paying Rs.3900 duty charges for Optimum nutrition products worth Rs. 4900 + Rs 500 for DHL service. That’s 80% of product price. I purchased from iHerb.

I am feeling like cheated by govt of India.

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Uthra Venkatraman October 12, 2016 - 12:49 pm

Munaf, I also ordered from iherb but ONLY natural deodorants. Unfortunately, iherb put ‘Health and beauty supplements’ in invoice and I paid 1497 for this. This is 1000Rs for 2000Rs worth of products + 500 to DHL daylight robbers. I am writing to iherb now to tell them to put an exact invoice heading. You also please write and tell them that DHL is charging exorbitant ‘handling’ charges over the 1000Rs shipping already paid. What’s more, I have ordered SAME things from evitamins etc and never paid customs.

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SRIRAM V October 26, 2016 - 9:48 am

I am in need of a medicine (supplement for my 5yrs old kid) which will help on better hearing ! What should i do to avoid duties as i may need it on a regular basis as i understand there’s some process involved ! Pls advise

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Varun Chawla October 30, 2016 - 6:45 am

Only way that can work is order & intimate dhl that i will do custom clearance myself. Then, take your child & the prescription along with you for clearance and ask for mercy. They are kind people, they may leave you.

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SRIRAM V October 30, 2016 - 3:03 pm

Thanks Varun! I did come across the below link which says the similar thing and per process, they will allow but with below conditions

Munaf Shaikh October 29, 2016 - 4:06 am

Uthra, Surely i am writing to them .. However custom charges are charged by CBEC and not iHerbs/DHL.. yes it will definitely help us if iHerb puts an exact invoice heading.
I am writing to iherb , CBEC and DHL and will highlight this unreasonable high charging.

Also, DHL has shared one sheet with me which has detailed custom charges for my purchase as well as for some of their other customers. In that sheet one guy was charged only 10% custom duty whereas i have been charged 30% for the same category ‘Supplements’
This shows some illegal things going on between CBEC and DHL

regarding evitamins , i will try it next time…

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siddhesh November 24, 2016 - 12:49 am

bro can u please send that list here, would be very helpful

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Abhilasha Sharma September 17, 2016 - 12:29 pm

Superb post. Never knew this, appreciate it for letting me know.

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Ajsh LLP September 10, 2016 - 9:51 am

Very grateful for this clearly written information! Thanks.

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Rahul August 31, 2016 - 10:07 am

Hi Vergis,
Need your help .. I ordered a Whey Protein(On whey Gold Standard) from bodybuilding.com(USA)its cost us around $260(rs. 18499).
So How much I have to pay as customs duty?
According to this article its going cost us around(52% in form of customs). Mean near to rs. 9200 as custom duty. But they send me the bill of 15766 don’t know how they calculate this.

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baskhan July 20, 2016 - 5:36 am

I want to bring some supplement from Dubai to chennai along-with me as I am travelling there, can you please help me in finding out the tax implications if i bring some of them, i am planning to bring 10 cases (2.5 Kg each) for On Gold Standard protein pack.

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Pranay Gawas May 28, 2016 - 9:18 am

I have my friend coming to India from US so he can bring me supplements from there .Will he get charged any custom duty? Does bringing such products to India individually i allowed and free?

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sonu dawani April 30, 2016 - 7:43 am

Hi Vargis
Please let me know the manufacturers or distributors in Dubai or UK I want to import in bulk and distribute here.

and also let me know the margin on products if you know

Thanks regards

Sonu Dawani

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Aman July 16, 2016 - 12:07 pm

If you want from NZ in the bulk. We have great offers

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Aman August 30, 2016 - 12:11 am

Hello Sahil,

I am National Sales manager of NZ sports supplement brand. If you want to buy the supplement powders in bulk, we have a huge range at very cost effective prices. Please email me if you are interested [email protected]

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Jatin B August 28, 2016 - 2:30 pm

Hi, i am from Mumbai, India and would like to import protein supplements from Dubai. Please share you contact on [email protected] and i will connect with you. Thanks

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sonu dawani April 30, 2016 - 7:20 am

Guys please help I want to import container of protein powders what is the procedure to do so?

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Priyanka April 24, 2016 - 1:32 am

COuld you tell what will be the import cost for vitamin and mineral suppliment in the form of powder either in bulk or in form of sachets with exact daily value?

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Varun Chawla June 23, 2016 - 11:12 am

Hi priyanka,

You will have to pay around 40 to 50 % of the shipment cost(product cost + shipping cost). If you want to know anything else you can mail me on [email protected] or text/call on +91-9468385853.

Regards,
Varun.

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varun July 11, 2016 - 7:54 am

Sorry friends,

Lost my number please do not call/text on this number.

Thank you,
Varun.

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rohit April 7, 2016 - 11:33 am

Custom in India is a headache and buying whey protein In India itself sucks because of 90% fake whey proteins including brands
Importers buy supplements in bulk and open it in their warehouse and mix genuine whey protein with either flour power or chocolate powder or with some other powders and repack it and sells it to known On-line sellers and distributors as a result when we buy whey supplements in India we get 40-50% genuine whey powder mixed with 40-50% fake above mentioned powder in one whey protein box
Huhhhhh….. there was a time when used to buy ON 100% whey at INR 5500-5800 in India and the quality used to be good but in today’s time spending 13-16K for ON 100% whey in India is not worth
We spend 13-16K to build muscle ,instead we get is fake product , where we are not just wasting our money but we are also putting our health at stake ,It’s like purchasing less effective poison

I read everyday and hear a lot from my friends ” purchased protein from USA or online via healthkart/neulife or any other source and one special thing these people say now i will build muscle) WTF..?

Supplements are meant to supplement your diet not to replace it
Haven’t these people ever read **Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet**

supplements will never make you grow , instead they are meant to full fill the gaps in consistency of your diet

i can mention lot of things where you can get almost 50-60 gms of protein everyday without any whey protein powder
but people neglect the protein diets over whey protein powders

Anyway here what i can suggest you to cut down on bucks and still build muscle

Use borderlinx or hopshopgo website to order the products from USA without worrying aout customs
You will be paying custom but when you receive the product at your door step
pay product price + shipping to the sites or merchant and then pay custom/taxes when product reaches your doorstep
custom will be not excatly 30% it varies from 30-60%

there is something known as HS (Harmonization system) code for imports
If your shipper got it right you shold be charged based on HS 0404 – Which is about 30% plus cess/Octroi etc. Total around 40%.
**********************************BUT***********************************
If they got the HS wrong it might be under 21.06 – you could get charged upto 60%.

Lets take it 60% as well

Suppose You order Dymatize elite 100% whey 10Lbs which is $94.99 + $11.99 shipping within USA to your USA address provided by websites mentioned above

then you have 2 options of express shipping and standard shipping to India
go with standard 5-8 days
so total cost is $94.99+ 11.99+ 62.99= $170
you pay $170 to above mentioned website and they will pack it and ship it to India for you and they will make sure customs gets cleared and product reach your doorstep and that is the time you pay custom amount that will be 60% of $170 as mentioned above
aprox total will be 18202

THSI REDUCES THE HEADACHE OF FINDING WHERE YOUR PRODUCT IS STUCK AND GOING YOURSELG TO THE CUSTOM WHICH INCLUDES COST OF TRAVELLING TO CUSTOMS

Now you get 4.5Kgs/10lbs protein 100% authentic/genuine
and if i ordered it i will use it for 4 months/1 scoop per day + high protein diet = 70-90 grms protein per day
it means 18202 = 4500/month

Enjoy guys

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Zubair Shafi April 5, 2016 - 3:16 am

I ordered protein from bb n paid rs 5800 including shipping on 21march yesterday I contacted aramex customer care to inquire about my order status n they told me that I have to pay 7800 as custom tax..so a protein that costs rs 3900 on bb I have to pay 13000k..I sent several emails to aramex custom clearance department still waiting for there reply.what should I do?

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shahn April 6, 2016 - 12:39 pm

they are the worst courier company i have come across i had ordered on supplement from bodybuilding which cost me 10k but these guy asking me 6k more i dont know what to do .so i send it back to bodybuilding .com which is look more feasible to me

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Zubair Shafi April 7, 2016 - 6:53 am

I also refused the order n sent it back.bb sent an email that when they will receive the product they will only refund product amount.

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ishu March 11, 2016 - 6:56 am

i had ordered some dietry phills from BB.com. that costs rupee 2500 only. do i had customs on it or not?

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Vargis.Khan March 21, 2016 - 4:01 pm

I would be interested in knowing that too. Once you receive the product, please do let us know if you were charged anything

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manoj singh April 13, 2016 - 12:15 pm

if u buy 2500 including shipping…custom duty will be around 1500…so whole will cost u ard 4000

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varun February 5, 2016 - 2:57 am

Dear sir,

My supplement has stucked in customs for over 5 months? What should i do? Should i contact customs, if yes, please tell about which custom authority should i contact? I lives in haryana. Please also tell about the contact details of authority as well. Please reply, i am waiting for it.

Thank you,
Varun.

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narsimha March 18, 2016 - 7:30 am

You are asking contact details of the Customs authority?, hey on a lighter note they are not bb.com, amazon or flipkart customer care like always at your service mindset.
1st you need to find out at which customs office chennai/Baglore/Delhi or wherever it got stuck, try to go and speak with them, if they are so adamant and not helping, try find a broker or middlemen, around the office premises, he’ll take his share and definitely help you. If the package landed in a place far away from your place, take help of your friends/knows persons. Brokers have a role which can’t be ignored in these customs related complex financial transactions.

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Varun Chawla March 19, 2016 - 3:49 am

Thank you sir, but is there no other way except going there?

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Vargis.Khan March 21, 2016 - 3:59 pm

Thanks Narsimha

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Varun Chawla March 22, 2016 - 3:54 am

Thank you vargis sir for creating such a wonderful platform where we all can interact & help others.

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Varun Chawla March 22, 2016 - 3:51 am

Thank you narsimha for being such a helpful person, helping people even without being the administrator. Can you tell how could i know at which customs authority my product is? I want to ensure will they reply on email or other means. If so, please provide that.As i live in north india & if custom authority is south. Then it will not be worth bearing all travel expenses, time & all for that 2000 rupee article. That’s why i am asking so?

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Varun Chawla March 22, 2016 - 3:57 am

Thank you narsimha for being such a helpful person, helping people even without being the administrator. Can you tell how could i know at which customs authority my product is? I want to ensure will they reply on email or other means. If so, please provide that.As i live in north india & if custom authority is south. Then it will not be worth bearing all travel expenses, time & all for that 2000 rupee article. That’s why i am asking so?

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narsimha March 22, 2016 - 8:41 am

Yeeah, for Rs.2000/- product, its a bit more than asked for but, the courier partner who handled it, is the one who knows it where its customs clearance pending, the logistic guy need to get all the packages coming from outside needs to get them cleared by the Customs team, I think its his activity(that is the reason they are getting paid extra in the name of handling charges, apart form regular shipping charges), my assumption is the cargo flight might be coming to Delhi airport or near by Hisar, most probably it will not go to Chennai or Banglore, coz that’s how logistic planning works, In courier tracking website last tracked location is the one which is critical to track your package. And if everything works be ready to pay min 700 to max 1500.

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Hypocrite February 4, 2016 - 9:12 am

Disclaimer: Do not try this

I had ordered couple of products from a reputed seller costing around 310 British pound inclusive of shipping. It was two different orders and weighed 10 and 8 KGs, and got stuck at mumbai customs. After 3 weeks the seller asked me to get in touch with the customs myself and I did. The place was filled with agents and the guy I asked for the way to the office was one. He told me it would cost around 19k inr if I am paying full duty, or I can have it for 12k INR( you know how), and they were not ready to go below 12k even after negotiation. So I paid 12K , and the agent said it will be at my doorstep the next day. I got the packages, from the slip I could see that 8k went as the duty, and the officers and the agent split the 4k.

Do I regret paying bribe? Yes
Do I feel happy about saving 7k? Yes

Even the items you see in ebay.in with price low compared to sites like healthkart, are either fake or the sellers were able to get around with custom duty by paying bribes.

Another Hypocrite

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Vargis.Khan February 5, 2016 - 1:17 am

Interesting …

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Hypocrite is back May 11, 2016 - 7:05 am

So tried again. 110 British Pounds worth supplements ordered. This time went straight without an agent as I was guilty for the last time.

Met the officer who explained me how the duty calculated. I came to know that if you have ordered for more than 2000 Rs, there is a provision(section 112 A (i) $ section 125 customs act 1962) to charge 5000 as a fine along with usual custom duty (around 45-50%). Which actually in total made it 100% customs duty as if Imported a Car

You can guess what happened next. It is very easy to make a common man corrupt(bribe paying) in this country

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rishabh January 2, 2016 - 6:10 pm

Sir,
im thinking of importing supplements in large quantities.
can u please help what are the requirements
and who will do the custom clearance me or the shippin compant?

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Mark January 1, 2016 - 9:34 pm

Hi Sir
I have a family member abroad, so can you please tell me what will be the scenario if he brings me a supplement worth 8k. He will be carrying it in his personal bag with the seal open will he be charged anything?

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Vargis.Khan January 2, 2016 - 5:32 pm

It is a matter of luck brother… If the customs noticed it and decide to charge import duties, then there is no talking them out of it

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Nikas Rettan November 1, 2016 - 6:45 pm

Hi Vargis, nobody charges duty on a protein if it wth somebody traveling, duty is charged wen d total value exceeds d limit

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Sandeep February 12, 2016 - 12:53 pm

No, getting items into India roughly upto Rs 45000 is allowed. Also you dont need to open the seal or whatever. Ive done it several times from several countries.

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Nikas Rettan November 1, 2016 - 6:47 pm

Hi, nobody charges duty on a protein if it wth somebody traveling, duty is charged wen d total value exceeds d limit

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[email protected] December 31, 2015 - 2:04 pm

Can we import liquid from US to India via US Postal/indian Postal?

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Vargis.Khan January 2, 2016 - 5:31 pm

It depends if the seller is using that mode for shipment

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Sagar dua December 16, 2015 - 6:30 pm

Sir my order for rs 7200 on iherb . So can you tell me how much i have to pay on custom duty

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narsimha December 17, 2015 - 12:23 pm

The iherb courier partner dhl/ups will notify you total charges, approx 3000 to 4000.
Don’t worry much about the customs charges, as we have little control over it, just use them and work on your health goals, muscle gain or fat loss or just maintenance, whatever, thinking too much about the things which are out of our hands, getting stressed, that may lead to muscle loss AND fat gain.

Don’t underestimate the importance of being calm and relaxed in the process of good health.

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SAM June 18, 2016 - 5:46 pm

how frequently we can import food supplements thru iherb.com for personal use ? Is there any restriction on the amount

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NARSIMHA REDDY M June 19, 2016 - 5:51 am

You are not imporiting anything, just buying items just like from flipkart or Snapdeal, who’s stopping you? buy as much as want. If you are happy with extra 40-60% tax payment on product listed price, nobody can stop you.

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ram May 1, 2016 - 9:04 am

how much did they charge you? I am ordering same amount product. was products authentic and in good shape? do you recommend using this method?

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narsimha May 13, 2016 - 7:53 am

DHL courier charged me with 43% of the product cost, it worked for me on iherb, hope it’ll work for you as well, dhl confirmed all items from iherb charged at 40-50% of product value.

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kailasnath December 12, 2015 - 3:47 am

A VERY INFORMATIVE ARTICLE. ON AN AVERAGE IT APPEARS THAT THERE IS A CUSTOMS DUTY OF 58%. IS IT THE SAME FOR HEALTH & FOOD SUPPLEMENTS ? KINDLY CLARIFY ? [email protected]

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varun November 15, 2015 - 1:31 pm

Please reply.
Hello sir,

I ordered a dietary supplement(magnesium) from usa through usps(untracable) but it doesn’t arrive & 2 months has been passed. What can i do? I also contacted merchant it said it is last traced upto the customs.

Please help.

Thank you.

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Vargis.Khan November 16, 2015 - 3:08 am

I am not sure about the customs part however the following information provided by Divyam in comments sections below could be useful.

The FSSAI product approval process used to manual wherein the FSSAI product approval application and a Demand Draft for the prescribed fee had to be submitted to the FSSAI office in New Delhi. However, to cope up with the increase in FSSAI product approval applications and bring in transparency into the system, FSSAI has recently introduced the Food Product Approval System (FPAS). FSSAI product approval application can now be submitted and tracked online through the FSSAI FPAS Online system.

dude go through this link n u will get to know…..
http://www.indiafilings.com/learn/how-to-get-fssai-product-approval/

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varun November 30, 2015 - 6:43 am

Dear sir,

This is for products which contains ingredients and/or additives which are not as per prescribed standards in the Food Safety and Standards Act and Regulations. But mine is a simple supplement which i have received many times without hassles. But very thanks for the information.

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narsimha November 10, 2015 - 1:35 pm

Hi,
Order 3800/- worth supps on iHerb.com, after placing the order realized about customs duty, but no way to cancel the order, if I cancel the order , incoming , outgoing , customs , handling charges will be deducted, so I patiently waited till the package reach my city, DHL hyderabad sent a bill for Rs.1593/-, 42% of the product value., so decided to take the delivery, and the DHL guy told me that normally iHerb deliveries attract 35-45% tax on the invoice amount ie the amount I paid to iHerb at the time of purchase.

The supps I purchased are available on amanzon.in, ebay.in at higher prices, so gave a try for discounted price on iHerb , but after taxes both are even, no profit, no loss,
no regrets, a new experiance.

But there are some products which are only available on iHerb.com, if you not finding them here, try iHerb, or buy local.

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Vargis.Khan November 15, 2015 - 1:05 pm

Thanks for the information

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varun November 15, 2015 - 1:54 pm

Hi narsimha,

I also want to order something from iherb.in, can u tell me whether they accept debit card or not. I don’t
Have credit card.

Thank you.

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narsimha November 16, 2015 - 3:58 am

I herb accepts only credit cards I believe, in ur case try http://www.ishopinternational.com, it’s a reliable courier forwarding service, the beauty of this service is one time payment, no need to pay customs to the courier person at the time of delivery. customs, taxes, shipping, and product price In a single payment, accepts all our local debit cards, net banking.
At the time of payment you will know all taxes, no guessing r calculations, tension free, very reliable, used once, it’s a Mumbai based company, can be used for all e comm purchases especially from US, try once.

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varun November 30, 2015 - 6:34 am

Thank you very much.

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varun November 30, 2015 - 6:47 am

Dear narsimha,

Were you also charged handling charges by the Dhl team?Because i am charged 500 rupees for the handling fee.

Thank you.

narsimha November 30, 2015 - 11:35 am

Yes, applies to all DHL shipments.

varun December 1, 2015 - 3:07 am

Thank you.

narsimha November 16, 2015 - 4:03 am

Guys Instead of going crazy with duty n taxes try http://www.ishopinternational.com, works with all major US shopping sites, tension free.

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rajeesh December 26, 2015 - 2:15 pm

How brother can you explain about this?

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narsimha December 26, 2015 - 4:21 pm

Before placing the order u’ll know the total cost(product cost+tax, handling charges whatever) kinda prepaid, not like iherb, dhl extra door step billing, if you are ok with total bill amount, go ahead and place order, and even its faster, it takes just 4-7 days as per my earlier order, Ishopinternational do courier forwarding service, 1st the shipment will reach their local US warehouse, from there they’ll ship to India tru fedex or Bluedart.

These courier forwarding services will have better tieups with customs team coz that their only job, so faster clearance, leading quick delivery .

Narendra Rawal November 4, 2015 - 4:45 pm

How does Custom Assess Value of the product? What I ordered was worth $ 149.73/- without discount and offer and rate at which payment was done was 67.66 per $. As per Invoice value and the rate at which CC was debited is INR 10130, Whereas Custom assessed value is INR 11144/- which is higher. Please let me how does value is assessed by customs and is there any website where we can get asssessed value of the products to have clear picture. For your information Custom duty was 35% and additional octroi and all made it 4726.60 which is 42.41 % of the assessed value.

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Vargis.Khan November 15, 2015 - 1:06 pm

Thanks for the information however I am not aware of the rates customs would apply to assess dollar to rupee conversion

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Arun Gupta November 2, 2015 - 8:52 am

Hi Sir,

I want to bring some supplement from Dubai along-with me as I am travelling there, can you please help me in finding out the tax implications if i bring some of them, i am planning to bring 12 cases (2.5 Kg each) for “Optimum Premium” protein pack.

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Khan July 17, 2016 - 10:47 am

Did u pay any customs/duty?

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Anas October 16, 2016 - 1:39 pm

You can always pay 2500-3000 inr bribe 🙂

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rajeesh October 31, 2015 - 2:33 am

Hi sir,

Let me know is there any non taxable price limit or weight limit for purchasing BB.com

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Vargis.Khan November 15, 2015 - 1:08 pm

Not that I am aware of

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Rahul October 26, 2015 - 8:21 am

I have ordered ON protein on BB.com for 57$ + 27$ for shipping. I wasn’t aware of custom taxes before i received a bill of Rs.6500. This is too much. Is it the correct tax ?

“And also did anyone return the product to bb.com after receiving the product ? Did u get refund ? If so how long did it take ?”

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Sidhant October 26, 2015 - 3:47 pm

I also received a consignment today with invoice value of 145USD including 30USD of shipping. The custom duty levied is about 11k!
If you don’t accept the consignment bb.com will refund ur money once they receive the consignment back and it may take a year as per their wobsite.

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Vargis.Khan November 15, 2015 - 1:08 pm

They will refund the money but only the product of the value, all other charges like shipping cost would have to be paid

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narsimha November 16, 2015 - 6:26 am

For 57 USD =3819 inr , u got bill of 6500 for customs tax,?
Ie 59% of product value?
As per the other comments , bb.com shipments endup paying more taxes compared normal 45%.

Any observations from others. Plz reply.

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Sahil November 17, 2015 - 7:56 am

It happened with me too, i wasn’t aware of that those son of ****** will put custom duty too , on the products , when the delivered boy asked me for 11k , i almost got an attack…but 1st immediately i said i don’t want it & u can take it back..then mine father said better to take it since they will not refund ur whole money and who knows since those bb.com mother******** also told me if they got product in a bad condition they won’t even give me a dime…and then better to pay the godamn rather then loosing all…but still i feel pretty sick about it …But i wanted mine money back too but can’t help it other then just take the order bcuz i don’t trust that son of b**** web site even a bit now…!!

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Amit katoch October 25, 2015 - 6:42 am

I ordered whey isloate from samedaysupliment …am I suppose to pay excise duty ..will it stuck at custom …as I am from himachal..its gonna be tough for me to get clearance from there..If such issue arise ..what I am suppose to do then..The product cost would be higher if we order overseas. .really had bad exp..never oder anything again in future

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Vargis.Khan October 25, 2015 - 3:12 pm

Have you received the product already?

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mohit October 20, 2015 - 5:53 pm

Hi..I also purchased a little order from BB.com and was worth $12 including shipping charges and it was delivered to me on 10th day after i ordered it. Now i have ordered my next supplement costing around $101 in total(shipping included) on 25th and still waiting for the package. The status is showing that it is held in Customs.
Looks like custom officers are clearing small packages as they cannot get any money from that and they are charging for orders having some weight. In my case, my order weighs 13Lbs.

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gaurav October 20, 2015 - 8:58 am

I ordered a fat burner , took 14days to deliver at my address in Mumbai . No customs charged . If your order is below 4.4pounds you won’t be charged under heavy items . Please watch the YouTube video of BODYBUILDING INDIA .

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Vargis.Khan November 15, 2015 - 1:09 pm

Thanks for the info

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Siddharth agrawal October 9, 2015 - 6:20 am

I have ordered from bb.com… And it’s stuck in mumbai custom saying they need a FSSAI NOC to clear product.. What should be done.. Please help.

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Vargis.Khan October 11, 2015 - 4:20 am

I have no idea about that brother …

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Vargis.Khan October 13, 2015 - 1:20 am

Thanks for clarifying this Divyam. Good to know information for me as well

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rajeesh October 6, 2015 - 3:22 pm

I order a product from BB.COM the actual produt rate is 7$ + shipping 7 $ and the amount is already paid .after that any additional charges at the time of delivery i want to pay any extra

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divyam October 8, 2015 - 6:58 am

hey rajeesh have u recieved your product from it ….if yes then in hw many dyas?? please do let me know dude…its realy urgent for me..

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rajeesh October 10, 2015 - 5:23 am

Not yet

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rajeesh October 15, 2015 - 6:33 am

Hey brother have you received your product from BB.com ,if it is receives how much you pay tax for 158.61$

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Diyush October 3, 2015 - 2:59 pm

Hello Vargis ,

Do we get to skip the customs if our shipment is gift wrapped or already opened ?

Thanks in advance !

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Vargis.Khan October 5, 2015 - 2:12 pm

Hello Diyush, Cannot advise on that brother. Never done it 🙂

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divyam September 25, 2015 - 6:01 am

sir m Divyam from lucknow i have order protein supplements from bodybuilding.com cost around 158.61 dollar….including shiping and product value but when i order it its in offer may i know hw much doest it cost to in duty …..nad some people says that product donot get deliver to our home although its showing that it had been deliver to mumbai foreign office ….i am realy affraid of loosing so much big amount of money as m i student n order first tym ….

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Vargis.Khan September 26, 2015 - 3:55 pm

I have ordered from BB.Com as well and it always get delivered at home, I never faced any issues with BB.Com. If you do not receive the package in time, send them an email letting know of the same. They are pretty responsive. For tax duties, calculation would be in the same method that I explained above.

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divyaM October 5, 2015 - 5:47 am

sir its been a month i order my supplements and not recieved yet should i mail them ….i had a live chat with representative of bb.com they told me that it is held in custom wt i do now ……

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divyam October 6, 2015 - 7:03 am

sir help me plz should to whom should i mail???

thanks in advance

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Vargis.Khan October 6, 2015 - 11:10 pm

I would suggest mailing the courier service company. Find out which courier they used, get the tracking # and email them to find where the shipment is.

divyam October 8, 2015 - 6:33 am

sir i tracked my product it is held in delhi custom office n it is held due to some reason which i dont knw…i dnt understand wt to do now..should i go to delhi or mail custom ……

Gaurav Prabhu October 19, 2015 - 9:49 am

Try tracking your package on this website http://ipsweb.ptcmysore.gov.in/ipswebtracking/
See what reason they have mentioned. I received my products now after a month after ordering and they were in customs for about half a month waiting for the presentation to the Customs commissioner.

Gaurav Prabhu September 19, 2015 - 3:40 am

I have ordered protein supplements from bodybuilding.com worth of 7.3k and including shipping it goes upto almost 11k so the total is 11k then how much custom duty I’ll need to pay?

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Vargis.Khan September 26, 2015 - 4:09 pm

Please use the same method to calculate that I explained above …

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Gaurav Prabhu October 19, 2015 - 9:46 am

I received my supplements from BB.com and the custom charges were less as compared to what we had calculated. The custom charges were about 2.3k, 1k less than the actual charges calculated. 😀

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Vikas September 18, 2015 - 8:32 am

I have purchased a Muscle Builder product from iherb.com and it is coming from USA through DHL courier.
Product cost is Rs. 3862 INR including shipping charges . Now custom charges on this are 2550 Rs including 500 Rs as a handling Fee
Is it OK as per the regulations??

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Vargis.Khan September 26, 2015 - 4:14 pm

Sounds about right … Please do let me know if this is the amount you were charged when you receive the product. Would be interesting to know ….

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narsimha November 10, 2015 - 1:41 pm

I got a DHL payment notice of 1593, for 3788/- worth products from iHerb.

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Prashant September 12, 2015 - 5:45 pm

i ordered from bodybuilding.com once was around 2500 including shipping and no insurance. I wasn’t asked to pay a single rupee by custom or any one else.

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Rakesh September 22, 2015 - 8:06 pm

When did u get your products ?? Did it came late? Approx days

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Vargis.Khan September 26, 2015 - 3:53 pm

Interesting …

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Juili August 28, 2015 - 8:02 pm

I am planning to buy hgh supplement that costs about 300$ for 3 months supply and it has 9$ shipping charges don’t know about insurance…how much will i have to pay on imports??

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Vargis.Khan August 28, 2015 - 8:09 pm

Calculation would be with the same method that I mentioned above

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Sagar Arora August 25, 2015 - 3:03 pm

Hello I have purchased IsoPure Protein & BCAA from USA. Can I calculate the amount of duty using your calculation?

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Vargis.Khan August 25, 2015 - 11:31 pm

Yes you can. If not an exact amount, it would still give you a fair idea of how much import duties you can expect to pay.

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divyam September 25, 2015 - 6:27 am

hey sagar in hw many days hv u recieved your supplements ???

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Amit Sharma July 14, 2015 - 11:33 am

Hi Vargis,
Do I need to pay custom duty when I am carrying same with me. I will be flying from UK to India next month and need to take some suppliments costing 112 pounds with me. I just want to know, if I have to extra charges after landing to airport in India to custom officers?

Regards
Amit

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Vargis.Khan August 23, 2015 - 4:35 pm

Hi Amit,

Yes, you would be required to pay duties at the airport unless your package passes through customs unnoticed

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fff November 4, 2015 - 8:54 pm

i carried many times and i never paid any taxex

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Rishabh Srivastava June 18, 2015 - 5:54 pm

SIR IF I ORDER SUPPLEMENT OVER 10,000INR THEN HOW MUCH I have to pay as custom duty

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Vargis.Khan June 19, 2015 - 12:15 am

Hello Rishabh,

Is Rs. 10000 inclusive of product value, shipping and insurance (if any)? If yes, then you would pay a total of approximately Rs. 5822.96 in customs. However if Rs. 10,000 is only product value, then the calculation will be entirely different, amount will be higher.

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ajay May 11, 2015 - 12:53 am

Thanks vargis ,for making people know of CIF system And it is really annoying too ‘how govt is charging a extra penny’ from buyers .

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Vargis.Khan May 11, 2015 - 1:00 am

You are welcome bro and I agree ….. it is really annoying when you are required to pay almost double the items price making it so painful to buy something offshore.

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Aastha April 15, 2017 - 6:22 am

Not penny!! $$$$

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