The odyssey of buying online: costs triple upon arrival in the country

Marco Belmonte / La Paz

Online purchases from Alibaba, Ebay or other platforms have become an odyssey for thousands of people in the country because import costs triple the original price.

The journalist Javier Badani told a few days ago the bitter experience that he had when buying a small Christmas gift in an online store in the United States (USA).

The cost of the product was equivalent to 140 bolivianos and the cost of shipping to La Paz 187 bolivianos, that is, 327 bolivianos in total.

However, in order to collect the package at DHL, they informed him that he must additionally pay 300 bolivianos as the cost of customs clearance, 45 bolivianos for customs storage management, 50 bolivianos for VAT and 100 bolivianos for the use of the digital form. In total, the payment to be made to collect the product totaled 822 bolivianos (cost of the product and shipping, 327 bolivianos, plus customs clearance, 497 bolivianos).

“Colorín colorado, my Christmas story is over,” said Badani when he saw the final cost, which in his opinion is exclusive to his pocket.

He added that bringing small things from abroad buying online is very complicated due to the costs and this forces us to look for informal ways, resort to some small import businesses or find someone who travels or is arriving in Bolivia to order the purchase. The latter is the most dangerous, since he was once scammed and lost 10,000 Bolivians.

Alejandra Sánchez, a journalist, also used to buy low-cost products online from one dollar to two dollars. He said that before, when there was the Bolivian Post Office (Ecobol), they arrived with low shipping prices: two Bolivians if the package was small, five Bolivians if it was medium, and 10 Bolivians if it was large. There was even the service of postmen who left the package at home.

A few months ago, he decided to buy a K-pop lightstick (a light fixture, similar to a microphone) on Ebay that cost him 240 bolivianos and with shipping 300 bolivianos in total.

But when the product arrived via DHL they called him and told him that to pick up he had to register as a non-habitual importer for a cost of 260 bolivianos and cancel another amount for handling and deposit, without clarifying how long the package was under that condition. . In total, he had to pay an additional 800 bolivianos.

However, he observed that, at the time of filling out the forms, only 500 Bolivians were registered. “There is no regulation, the additional 300 I paid did not appear,” he added.

The president of the National Chamber of Customs Brokers, Antonio Rocha, explained that, if there were a better postal company, for these purchases a postal dispatch regime would be applied with lower costs because they are low-value purchases online.

The problem arises, he said, when the shipment is made by a courier company, because there is no release of costs and taxes per amount. In this way, this postal service applies a customs clearance regime and will charge for transport, reception and taxes. “As there are minimum tables, what the person who ordered a product is going to pay is four to five times the original value and this is because a customs clearance regime is applied,” he explained.

Rocha believes that digital commerce is growing exponentially in the world and Bolivia should generate facilities.

“Standard taxes could be established for purchases of small amounts that arrive by courier. For example, if the purchase is for 300 dollars, you can establish a flat rate of 5% and an expense for dispatch of 20 dollars, that is rational and helps to promote electronic commerce ”, said Rocha.

If the purchases are greater than 1,000 dollars, a standard rate can be established with 15% VAT, 10% tariff tax (GA).

Miguel Ángel Salcedo, a non-habitual consumer of online products pointed out that before Ecobol set a minimum cost, but bringing products by courier is out of budget because handling and other costs are imposed, not just transportation.

He assured that there is a lack of greater regulation of these services and that the costs to be paid are clearly defined and not subject to the discretion of a Customs official. For example, if something is shipped to Germany and all costs have been paid here, the receiver only needs to pick up for free.

Mauricio Dulon, Libélula’s consultant and commercial director, said that for electronic purchases of less than $ 1,000, there should be a lower tax rate, as is the case in other countries. But it is also necessary, he said, that the government carry out greater regulation of courier companies that charge excessively.

“It cannot be that 400 bolivianos are charged for a customs clearance form, when the purchase of a product has low cost, the people who need to make these purchases are being abused,” he noted.

With these high costs, people are discouraged from bringing in products legally and opting for smuggling.

Dulon also believes that it is necessary to strengthen the state mail and make it more efficient. In Chile this was done with the support of Alibaba, which invested in the postal company so that the demand for its products grows and arrives on time.

Ian Miranda, from Caínco, pointed out that costs are also influenced by logistics problems worldwide because transport charges increased and that affects from a small importer to a large one.

They demand greater regulation of ATT to private postal services