Customs Challenge

GuestPoster11112Guest30 August 2024 16:23:09

Hello All,

I recently (naively) shipped a used laptop (2019 Macbook Pro) to a friend in Cali with insufficient documentation. It was an old work computer, so I didn't have an invoice or receipt to include. I simply indicated on the customs form (parcel monkey) that it was a used laptop worth $250, which is a reasaonable estimate of its value based on ebay/wholesale pricing. The bureaucrats in customs assigned it a value of $1500 based on a much newer 2023 Apple Macbook Pro model. The customs tax was $500, twice the value of the computer itself. My friend doesn't have $500 to get it out of hock and the damn thing isn't worth that much anyways.

I appealed the decision, including an estimate of it's value, a picture of the model info from the bottom of the computer, and a genius bar email from 2020 with configuration and condition information to support my argument. No dice. They simply referred to the law, noting the lack of a commercial invoice and declined the appeal.

Does anybody have any advice on how to submit a more compelling appeal?

See also

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ChineduOpara Serial expat

Member since 08 August 2021

ChineduOparaSerial expat30 August 2024 17:52:25

431

Unfortunately your laptop is gone. Welcome to Colombia.

South American Voyager Contributor

Member since 11 January 2022

South American VoyagerContributor31 August 2024 12:34:57

143

Like the above comment "Live and Learn".

From the years of 2010 through about 2017 I have sent probably a hundred and twenty medium size boxes from Los Angeles, California to a few different addresses in and around Medellin, mainly clothing but also hand tools, decorative sort of items, shoes, a few antique type items and the like but never electronics as my shipper in Los Angeles is a family owned business made up of a family from Bogota who have lived in LA for 20 plus years and they knew the ropes and gave invaluable advice and guidance.

So over the course of about a hundred packages/boxes about 3 were tagged and had to pay some amount, don't recall how much it was as this was about 10 years ago.

It's sad as your Cali friend could use this gift for studies and the like but your SOL so either pay what they are asking or walk away.

Now I have brought many laptops and PC's into Colombia over the past 15 years but always carried them with me either in my carry-on or checked luggage, it took time and planning as I was flying every few months back and forth from the US to Colombia.

My good Colombian friend of almost 15 years here in Medellin owns a commercial printing/sign business and I have helped bring in all sorts of inks and computers and misc printing related items but always carried these with me either in my carry-on or checked bags, never an issue but I was very discrete.

To this day when I visit my buddy's business office located in central Medellin I still see some remnants of computers and monitors that I gifted him from 10 years ago, like you very little value but still very useful BUT again carried these on my flights.

GuestPoster11112 Guest

GuestPoster11112Guest31 August 2024 14:43:10

@South American Voyager Thank you for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully. Good advice!

nico peligro Serial expat

Member since 18 September 2020

nico peligroSerial expat02 September 2024 02:52:24

955

@Neil Vandenberg

Dont know how you are communicating with DIAN, but you are basically wasting your time for a measily $250 and all I can see is you will end up wasting a lot more if you keep pursueing this.

Forget about it.