Buying ICE online

EatMyDust · 27th July 2007, 15:22

Hi Gurus,

I find that the prices of ICE components from online vendors are very very less compared quotes from Indian shops.

Has anyone bought any ICE equipment from online stores? I know, the shipping costs are exorbitant, and the costs finally boil down to almost the same, but if you buy more ICE, i thought I could save a lot on shipping costs.

My Q.
1. Has anyone bought any ICE equip online? Which sites are reliable? (I understand the warranty is void here, but then none of the ICE grey market vendors offer any warranty either)

2. Are there any extra costs other than shipping I may need to pay? I am suspecting, I may have to pay custom duty? Or can i get away with this if the cost of the item is less than a particular value?

-EMD

low_bass_makker · 27th July 2007, 16:08

Yes there is custom duty also the shipping cost is also high...

But every thing boils down to which product you plan to get. If it is the normal pioneer or sony then it is any day better to buy it from local market. But if the product is a exotic one then the out side source is a better bet. for example I asked for DLS iridium from india they were priced at 78k here. And I got them for 25k in singapore but I had to pay the shipping and custom duty extra which was quite less than 78k.

nura · 27th July 2007, 17:18

Even in the US buying online is usually cheaper than buying from the shop. But there may be some issues like no manufacturer's warranty, products with erased serial numbers & refurbished goods sold as new.
If you research, you are quite likely to get a few products in India at close-to-international prices.

27th July 2007, 17:30

i would seriously suggest you search for relatives/friends/random people who you know who are coming to india from the US or somewhere..i have bought alot of stuff this way, both related to cars(kenwood dpx701, streetglow neons etc) and not (guitar stuff mainly) and if they carry it with them there is almost no question of duty and shipment costs are instantly removed...this is a very effective way of getting stuff from abroad...
if you are going to use cardomain.com, then order the stuff well before(read at least 1.5 months) because they take a long long time to ship stuff...ship stuf to ur relatives/friends/etc

cheers

vebmetal · 29th July 2007, 01:11

I would not recommend online shopping for something like this. With a regular brick-and-mortar shop you can keep going back to them if something is wrong.

nirmalts · 29th July 2007, 11:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by EatMyDust

2. Are there any extra costs other than shipping I may need to pay? I am suspecting, I may have to pay custom duty? Or can i get away with this if the cost of the item is less than a particular value?

The customes duty free limit ranges from 12K to 25K. Check CHIEF COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (PREVENTIVE) MUMBAI ZONE - III.

Buying online makes sense if someone is going to carry if for you (rather than shipping it to India). Also you could get tax free if the items are exported within 3 months (this is in Germany).

Nirmal

EatMyDust · 29th July 2007, 19:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirmalts

Buying online makes sense if someone is going to carry if for you (rather than shipping it to India).

Hi Nirmal, I have no such luck... I was thinking of asking the website to dispatch it to me directly. When I googled it out, I found some interesting rules of the customs dept. when getting electronic items by Indian Post/ Courier (UPS, DHL etc.)

here it is...
personal import and export

One queer thing, I saw there is... The customs duty of getting a used item into India by Post/ Courier is more than getting a new item.

Guys, will keep you posted on this... I think I may be getting the HU from the website after all. It seems to be still cheaper than the quotations I got from dealers in JC Road.

- EMD

navin · 30th July 2007, 10:32

I would buy locally unless you are carrying it yourself or your shipment is large enough so that it is not mistreated. smaller packages are thrown about more easily. Speakers especially are prone to getting damange (disloged magnets etc..) in transit.

Sam Kapasi · 30th July 2007, 20:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by nirmalts

The customes duty free limit ranges from 12K to 25K. Check CHIEF COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS (PREVENTIVE) MUMBAI ZONE - III.

I'd like to add that the final dutiable amount as per law includes the shipping charges.

In effect, you pay duty on the UPS/Fedex charges as well. Same percentage as the product itself.

manjith_pm · 12th July 2008, 14:38

hi friends..
I have been on the look out for a good dual din hu and the whole kit for a fiesta.please suggest if i can get it online.i saw a few players in
Car Audio Systems

and also on the rediff shopping site.
please advise whether they're priced ok or someone please advice me on getting a good system in chennai.i'm planning to go to radio warehouse or nathan's car audio.please advice.

27th July 2007, 15:22	#1
EatMyDust BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 122 Thanked: 0 Times	Buying ICE online Hi Gurus, I find that the prices of ICE components from online vendors are very very less compared quotes from Indian shops. Has anyone bought any ICE equipment from online stores? I know, the shipping costs are exorbitant, and the costs finally boil down to almost the same, but if you buy more ICE, i thought I could save a lot on shipping costs. My Q. 1. Has anyone bought any ICE equip online? Which sites are reliable? (I understand the warranty is void here, but then none of the ICE grey market vendors offer any warranty either) 2. Are there any extra costs other than shipping I may need to pay? I am suspecting, I may have to pay custom duty? Or can i get away with this if the cost of the item is less than a particular value? -EMD
	() Thanks

27th July 2007, 16:08	#2
low_bass_makker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Faridabad Posts: 6,815 Thanked: 305 Times View My Garage	Yes there is custom duty also the shipping cost is also high... But every thing boils down to which product you plan to get. If it is the normal pioneer or sony then it is any day better to buy it from local market. But if the product is a exotic one then the out side source is a better bet. for example I asked for DLS iridium from india they were priced at 78k here. And I got them for 25k in singapore but I had to pay the shipping and custom duty extra which was quite less than 78k.
	() Thanks

27th July 2007, 17:18	#3
nura BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata Posts: 599 Thanked: 17 Times	Even in the US buying online is usually cheaper than buying from the shop. But there may be some issues like no manufacturer's warranty, products with erased serial numbers & refurbished goods sold as new. If you research, you are quite likely to get a few products in India at close-to-international prices.
	() Thanks

27th July 2007, 17:30	#4
vidvai Posts: n/a	i would seriously suggest you search for relatives/friends/random people who you know who are coming to india from the US or somewhere..i have bought alot of stuff this way, both related to cars(kenwood dpx701, streetglow neons etc) and not (guitar stuff mainly) and if they carry it with them there is almost no question of duty and shipment costs are instantly removed...this is a very effective way of getting stuff from abroad... if you are going to use cardomain.com, then order the stuff well before(read at least 1.5 months) because they take a long long time to ship stuff...ship stuf to ur relatives/friends/etc cheers
	() Thanks

29th July 2007, 01:11	#5
vebmetal BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 798 Thanked: 21 Times	I would not recommend online shopping for something like this. With a regular brick-and-mortar shop you can keep going back to them if something is wrong.
	() Thanks

30th July 2007, 10:32	#8
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 25,176 Thanked: 9,264 Times	I would buy locally unless you are carrying it yourself or your shipment is large enough so that it is not mistreated. smaller packages are thrown about more easily. Speakers especially are prone to getting damange (disloged magnets etc..) in transit.
	() Thanks

12th July 2008, 14:38	#10
manjith_pm BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 155 Thanked: 29 Times	Is online shopping for ICE ok? hi friends.. I have been on the look out for a good dual din hu and the whole kit for a fiesta.please suggest if i can get it online.i saw a few players in Car Audio Systems and also on the rediff shopping site. please advise whether they're priced ok or someone please advice me on getting a good system in chennai.i'm planning to go to radio warehouse or nathan's car audio.please advice. Last edited by Rehaan : 12th July 2008 at 23:57. Reason: Extra URL stuff cleaned up.
	() Thanks