Gearbest.com - Any good?

ScottulusMaximus said:
Please stop giving incorrect advice.

This:

"Majority of the time for small items or single items, there will be no customs charges."

Is simply not true.

The R500 "duty free" limit is not guaranteed, you can be charged customs fees on any items. Whether duties are charged depends on the type item, most electronics don't have duties however cellphones have a 7% Schedule 2b duty for example. It makes no difference if the item is "small" or "single", it depends entirely on the value and type of item.

Gearbest, like many Chinese sellers, also have a nasty habit of under declaring the value on the parcel to avoid customs fees for the client, this can result in a R2500 fine and confiscation of the shipment if found out. This can and does happen, albeit rarely.
Click to expand...

I have 3 mobile phones that came in Declared as "Mobile phone" all under the value of R500 and all did not get charged customs. This is with no Importing license. I am sure the rules do state the 7% but I have never been charged this value. Even on mixed items, the items valued under R500 via express shipping will not be charged customs. But most declarations are in US Dollars so it does depend the conversion at the time of clearance. Also note that the company who does clearance can choose which customs code to use when clearing and these codes can be found. So it does depend on the code they use when clearing. I have not had any issues with DHL or Aramex on their clearance process and they work well when clearing.

If you do not believe me, PM me and I will give you the contact number for Aramex customs clearance that clear the packages and they will confirm this. Most other shipping like Airmail is always charged customs. I did state this.

I am trying to help people and this is what I have been informed by Aramex, DHL and customs on many different occasions. This is for personal orders. All documentation on clearance is available online to be viewed so it can be checked.

I do agree that under declaring a package is illegal and incorrect and can be dangerous.

It might be different for companies vs personal importing but this has been my experience. If you want to discuss this further, PM and we can chat. I am not trying to deceive anybody, or lie and make up anything. We can chat on Whatsapp and maybe your experience is different to mine. There are a lot of factors that have to be taken into consideration.

Regards
KavZ
 
Chilo_92 said:
Hi,

Nice to see some people have luck,
I ordered a redmi 4x and some covers on Aug 14, all was good, got a request to change my shipping details on Aug 15 and did so and at this point I was like this much actually work out YEEEYYYY!!!:), then got another request on Aug 20 2017 to check shipping details cause DHL didn't like the format or whatever, changed it again with some advice from GearBestZA and was again I was like omg it's actually coming...
Then i waited 3-5 business days for the tracking information to appear on DHL, i then checked the DHL site on Aug 27 and nothing, thought ok China is kinda far don't be impatient:whistle: but then i realised this is Express Shipping and i paid for it what happened to 5-7days, this is where i started to lose hope.
So i created a ticket on Aug 28 to ask about my order and got told that "We have contacted the shipping agency to check it. And the shipping agency need 3-5 business days to trace your package from their end. We will take further action for you when we have the result." , so YEEYY more business day things BS :mad:,
I waited my 5 "business days" and asked again on Sep 06 and got this reply "We are sorry to inform you that we have not received feedback from the shipping agency. We have urged the shipping agency to clear it and update. Please kindly wait a little longer for the result."
So i contact them again today again not knowing what to expect (probably some shipping agency story again)
I'm mostly pissed cause some people order and get it in the following week and my order is sitting by this "shipping agency".
I guess this online overseas is some luck of the draw "Lotto Tata Ma Chance" thing.
Anyone had a similar problem or am i just impatient?.
I will update if they reply.
Click to expand...

This is very unfortunate. Shipping the first time can be very finicky but once the address is sorted out, it generally makes all future orders so much quicker. It seems that once it breaks out of the normal process due to an issue, it gets delayed or moved to the back of the queue by the forwarding company and for quite a bit before it has been sent out correctly.

I will chat to them tomorrow to finding a long term solution about this as they really need to work on this process if they expect people to be happy with their service. I had a very similar experience with my first order but they took an extra 3-5 days and then it moved. I have discussed this with them before and tried to find a long term solution as currently, I wait around 8-10 days from payment for the item to get to me assuming it is in stock. The current process when address issues is faced is not acceptable at all and needs to get sorted out ASAP.

I am working on it and ask for a little time to get this issue resolved. This is a learning curve for them and trying to get to the source of the issue and try resolve directly to save time and get the package moving.

Regards
KavZ
 
GearBestZA said:
I have 3 mobile phones that came in Declared as "Mobile phone" all under the value of R500 and all did not get charged customs. This is with no Importing license. I am sure the rules do state the 7% but I have never been charged this value. Even on mixed items, the items valued under R500 via express shipping will not be charged customs. But most declarations are in US Dollars so it does depend the conversion at the time of clearance. Also note that the company who does clearance can choose which customs code to use when clearing and these codes can be found. So it does depend on the code they use when clearing. I have not had any issues with DHL or Aramex on their clearance process and they work well when clearing.

If you do not believe me, PM me and I will give you the contact number for Aramex customs clearance that clear the packages and they will confirm this. Most other shipping like Airmail is always charged customs. I did state this.

I am trying to help people and this is what I have been informed by Aramex, DHL and customs on many different occasions. This is for personal orders. All documentation on clearance is available online to be viewed so it can be checked.

I do agree that under declaring a package is illegal and incorrect and can be dangerous.

It might be different for companies vs personal importing but this has been my experience. If you want to discuss this further, PM and we can chat. I am not trying to deceive anybody, or lie and make up anything. We can chat on Whatsapp and maybe your experience is different to mine. There are a lot of factors that have to be taken into consideration.

Regards
KavZ
Click to expand...

You may want to check my signature before contradicting my post.

You are welcome to PM me for advice.
 
Last edited:
ScottulusMaximus said:
You may want to check my signature before contradicting my post.
Click to expand...

I never once doubted what you do but you fall under a different category(Business on importing) vs personal orders. I do not do this as a business and am not trying to mislead people which is what you claim I done, but think that for personal orders, it should work a lot better then it currently does. I did advise that if you think I am wrong, we can discuss it.

I am not here to offend you, but I have my experience and you have yours. I would probably guess that you have a lot more experience then me but that doesn't mean what I am saying is wrong. I have been informed on things, and you another. I am trying to state that if you do not believe me, I can put you into contact with the person who does the clearance and they can confirm what I said as the rule should apply to everybody and not only personal orders. Maybe Aramex covers a certain part of the customs and that is why I do not see it as a client of theirs.

But it is up to you whether you want to contact me and discuss it or not. :). Just my experience on personal importing. Not saying I know everything, but still think I have a right to say what I have experience and you have a right to your view.

Like I said, lets chat. I would love to learn what issues have been faced and how it was resolved. Think we both would have some good stories with importing.

KavZ
 
Updated the information about the way importing works with the assistance of ScottulusMaximus. Seems like it might not be 100% guaranteed that you will not pay customs on items under R500. I did request information from Aramex and I did see some information on FedEx stating that anything over $32 will be charged a fee (More or less R500).

I think that under certain circumstances, there can be issues on customs even on low value items. The trick might be in knowing how to handle the situation. For example, I received a mobile phone from GearBest to review and giveaway. This item was sent as a Gift and they only declared at $5. Due to the value being impossibly low, it was stopped by customs on 01/09. They requested proof of payment, and since I did not actually pay for the device, they asked for a letter from the sender (GearBest) & and letter from my side stating why the package was send to me. I did explain it was for my YouTube channel to review and it will be given away.

After 10 days, it has now been released today and I should get it in the next few days.

This is my personal experience and I never said that I know everything. But this is what I go through and the issues I have had as a client. I love gadgets and import for myself and have done so for the past 10 years.

If my information is wrong, just let me know. I will update everything as my intention is to give correct information and I believe I have done that to the best of my knowledge. If you disagree, let me know and I am more then happy to update it if I am wrong. But give me the chance to try prove what I have been informed about.

Regards
KavZ
 
Shoutout to @GearBestZA for the help with my order.
My order would not ship, so naturally I threw some tantrums at GearBest.
Turns out DHL would not ship my parcel to centurion with postal code 0169.

*Edit
I see other posts with shipping issues as well.
Check your shipping address here first.
 
Last edited:
kolaval said:
Shoutout to @GearBestZA for the help with my order.
My order would not ship, so naturally I threw some tantrums at GearBest.
Turns out DHL would not ship my parcel to centurion with postal code 0169.

*Edit
I see other posts with shipping issues as well.
Check your shipping address here first.
Click to expand...

That is the link given to confirm address and postal code (From GearBest). But I did not find it effective in finding issues. For example, I tested my work address and it finds it with no issues but I know I have had issues with the postal code on my first 2 orders. So the link is nice, but might not always catch issues upfront. The only way I found to fix it is to select the closest big city to you. Instead of Rosebank, I use postal code for JHB CBD. Works perfect and they deliver to the correct place.

Wish we had access to their shipping address platform so we can confirm upfront as it will save so much time. I am currently trying to see if they can advise why the shipping takes far to long to move once they change the postal code. Something is not adding up. It should be moved to the front of the line once the address has changed and it is correct, yet it does not.

I wish to one day go to China and have a look at how they do things. A company like that could do with somebody actually resolving and streamlining issues like this to ensure the company can keep up to demand and get the items out quicker.

I do confirm that if there are no shipping issues, the packages move out quickly and deliver within an acceptable time, but a lot of people are having issues with their first orders and if they cannot fix this issue, how can they expect somebody to order after this. Really a sad situation as fixing the address can take 1-2 days. But delaying shipping is a no no.

KavZ
 
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So, does anyone have any experience with aramex vs normal post in terms of fees?
I often order from gearbest/banggood/and geek buying and usually don't pay more then R100 at the postoffice.
 
bar1 said:
So, does anyone have any experience with aramex vs normal post in terms of fees?
I often order from gearbest/banggood/and geek buying and usually don't pay more then R100 at the postoffice.
Click to expand...

Post office pricing is cheap but I do not use them due to how long it takes to get here. Fees are less, but waiting upto 3 months for a package and it having a chance of getting lost is not worth it in my book. I would not spend 4k on a phone for it to get lost and the amount of work to get a refund.

KavZ
 
My last order with Aramex had a R260 clearance fee, add to that taxes and duties which you will pay and also the initial shipping costs payed at checkout.

My aramex invoice came to R420 on an order of about R1000, which wasn't great.
 
Flipside said:
My last order with Aramex had a R260 clearance fee, add to that taxes and duties which you will pay and also the initial shipping costs payed at checkout.

My aramex invoice came to R420 on an order of about R1000, which wasn't great.
Click to expand...

My aramex invoice came to R420 on an order of about R1000, which wasn't great.[/QUOTE]

That is actually really high for the value of the item. This is the break down for my last packages in terms on service charges.

1) Tax - Tax charged by customs.
2) Clearance - Think this is Aramex's charge for clearance.
3) Disbursement - Think this is also Aramex's fee.
4) Customs VAT - Charged by customs.
5) Vat on everything - Normal 14% charge on everything.

Package 1
1) R50.00 - Clearance
2) R4.07 - Disbursement
3) R150.92 - Customs Vat
4) R7.00 - Vat

Package 2
1) R7.00 - Tax
2) R50.00 - Clearance
3) R81.27 - Duties
4) R6.70 - Disbursement
5) R166.88 - Customs Vat

As you can see above, the invoicing can change between packages. Do note that the clearance charge in both cases was R50.00 and the totals ranged from R200-R350.

I did check the last 4 packages and all have been R50.00 charge from customs. I will request clarity on how much Aramex charge and whether the total value might affect how much their charge is.

Regarding the aramex order, where was it ordered and how? I do notice that with AramexGlobalShopper, they have an external company who does the customs clearance and they are very slow and more expensive on their charges. Might be related to that.

Regards
KavZ
 
what i dont understand is why custom vat is higher when using priority shipping.
i don't think i ever paid over R100 at the post office, and my orders range between $20 to 100$.
 
Chilo_92 said:
Hi,

Nice to see some people have luck,
I ordered a redmi 4x and some covers on Aug 14, all was good, got a request to change my shipping details on Aug 15 and did so and at this point I was like this much actually work out YEEEYYYY!!!:), then got another request on Aug 20 2017 to check shipping details cause DHL didn't like the format or whatever, changed it again with some advice from GearBestZA and was again I was like omg it's actually coming...
Then i waited 3-5 business days for the tracking information to appear on DHL, i then checked the DHL site on Aug 27 and nothing, thought ok China is kinda far don't be impatient:whistle: but then i realised this is Express Shipping and i paid for it what happened to 5-7days, this is where i started to lose hope.
So i created a ticket on Aug 28 to ask about my order and got told that "We have contacted the shipping agency to check it. And the shipping agency need 3-5 business days to trace your package from their end. We will take further action for you when we have the result." , so YEEYY more business day things BS :mad:,
I waited my 5 "business days" and asked again on Sep 06 and got this reply "We are sorry to inform you that we have not received feedback from the shipping agency. We have urged the shipping agency to clear it and update. Please kindly wait a little longer for the result."
So i contact them again today again not knowing what to expect (probably some shipping agency story again)
I'm mostly pissed cause some people order and get it in the following week and my order is sitting by this "shipping agency".
I guess this online overseas is some luck of the draw "Lotto Tata Ma Chance" thing.
Anyone had a similar problem or am i just impatient?.
I will update if they reply.
Click to expand...

As i said i will update, just got this from them today.
"We are sorry that there is still no result from DHL. It will be appreciated that you can wait 7-10 business days more.Thank you so much for your patience."
YIppppieeee!!!!!! more business days.
I should probably just refund now and not waste my time any further
 
Regarding the aramex order, where was it ordered and how?
Click to expand...

It was from Gearbest using "Priority shipping".

These are the exact amounts:
Gearbest:
Order Total $61.64
Shipping: $5.69

Aramex:
Tax: R 36.40
Clearance: R 260.00
Customs: R 117.32
 
Last edited:
I thought of ordering a Creality CR-10 from Gearbest as it would cost around R4993.96 for the printer (such cheap, wow, much saving). Then there's the R2857.50 expedited shipping (priority line is damn near close to being exactly the same)

Nkay.. so now we're at approximately R7851.46... still, I thought, bargain! Gumtree and bidorbuy people are trying to rip you a new one for R17k (lolz, uhm.. No)

Then I remembered VAT to be applied once it gets here, its a 13kg box full of electronics and metal and whatnots that's selling "locally" for R17k from online chancers.. no way customs won't take a proper peek at it.

That's an additional 10% on the imported amount for added tax value, (ATV) if SARS's crap reference doc is anything to go by - Seems like, bottom line bold numbers on invoice (R7851.46)+10%, so that will be another R785.15 [..I'm not even wading into the muddy waters of GearBest's illegal practice of under reporting things like $400 as $100 value - I've already imported well over R10k worth of other stuff from Amazon this year, I'm starting to look like a regular on the customs radar, and there's no way this chunk of 3D printing kit of awesome will pass as a 'gift']

Anyways, that gets me to about R 8636.60... then there's the ol' 14% to get the VAT, which is R1209.14. Potential Grand tally = R9845.73ish.

Locally, I've been waiting for someone to stock it and now, I can finally get a CR-10 for R9799.95 from diyelectonics [once they're friggin stock shows up on their site, hopefully tomorrow]. So, balancing the spiderweb calculations for customs and VAT, I'd rather buy local, get 6 months local
warranty, local support and free shipping over R1000.

------

I wouldn't want to be in @Chilo_92's shoes, I waited over a month for UPS to finally get my Oculus Rift delivered (amazon UK order). Shipping and import of high value stuff to SA sucks ass. The original prusa i3 ($699) had free shipping (±R2000ish) last weekend, I passed simply because I don't want to fork out the VAT and duties of a $699 item.

I also recently imported a R160 item from amazon US, used Aramex Global Shopper. for freight forwarding at a "cheap and convenient, hassle free price".. :facepalm: what a farce, just getting it here cost me an additional R400 and delayed it by over a week... thats R400 on a R160 value item that arrived late, nuuuupe
 
Bufamotis said:
illegal practice of under reporting things like $400 as $100 value
Click to expand...

Nothing to do with Gearbest, but a friend of mine ordered some drone parts the a few months ago and the company also faked the value (without him asking).

SARS or customs somehow found out the true value and slapped him with a fine! He told them that he didn't know or request anyone fake numbers, but they didn't care and he had to pay up.

He did get back from the drone company after moaning though
 
GearBestZA said:
Updated the information about the way importing works with the assistance of ScottulusMaximus. Seems like it might not be 100% guaranteed that you will not pay customs on items under R500. I did request information from Aramex and I did see some information on FedEx stating that anything over $32 will be charged a fee (More or less R500).

I think that under certain circumstances, there can be issues on customs even on low value items. The trick might be in knowing how to handle the situation. For example, I received a mobile phone from GearBest to review and giveaway. This item was sent as a Gift and they only declared at $5. Due to the value being impossibly low, it was stopped by customs on 01/09. They requested proof of payment, and since I did not actually pay for the device, they asked for a letter from the sender (GearBest) & and letter from my side stating why the package was send to me. I did explain it was for my YouTube channel to review and it will be given away.

After 10 days, it has now been released today and I should get it in the next few days.

This is my personal experience and I never said that I know everything. But this is what I go through and the issues I have had as a client. I love gadgets and import for myself and have done so for the past 10 years.

If my information is wrong, just let me know. I will update everything as my intention is to give correct information and I believe I have done that to the best of my knowledge. If you disagree, let me know and I am more then happy to update it if I am wrong. But give me the chance to try prove what I have been informed about.

Regards
KavZ
Click to expand...

Can you give a link to your youtube channel. I am always looking for reviews of equipment supplied from gear best. I tried KavZ but can't find your channel
 
Bufamotis said:
I thought of ordering a Creality CR-10 from Gearbest as it would cost around R4993.96 for the printer (such cheap, wow, much saving). Then there's the R2857.50 expedited shipping (priority line is damn near close to being exactly the same)

Nkay.. so now we're at approximately R7851.46... still, I thought, bargain! Gumtree and bidorbuy people are trying to rip you a new one for R17k (lolz, uhm.. No)

Then I remembered VAT to be applied once it gets here, its a 13kg box full of electronics and metal and whatnots that's selling "locally" for R17k from online chancers.. no way customs won't take a proper peek at it.

That's an additional 10% on the imported amount for added tax value, (ATV) if SARS's crap reference doc is anything to go by - Seems like, bottom line bold numbers on invoice (R7851.46)+10%, so that will be another R785.15 [..I'm not even wading into the muddy waters of GearBest's illegal practice of under reporting things like $400 as $100 value - I've already imported well over R10k worth of other stuff from Amazon this year, I'm starting to look like a regular on the customs radar, and there's no way this chunk of 3D printing kit of awesome will pass as a 'gift']

Anyways, that gets me to about R 8636.60... then there's the ol' 14% to get the VAT, which is R1209.14. Potential Grand tally = R9845.73ish.

Locally, I've been waiting for someone to stock it and now, I can finally get a CR-10 for R9799.95 from diyelectonics [once they're friggin stock shows up on their site, hopefully tomorrow]. So, balancing the spiderweb calculations for customs and VAT, I'd rather buy local, get 6 months local
warranty, local support and free shipping over R1000.

------

I wouldn't want to be in @Chilo_92's shoes, I waited over a month for UPS to finally get my Oculus Rift delivered (amazon UK order). Shipping and import of high value stuff to SA sucks ass. The original prusa i3 ($699) had free shipping (±R2000ish) last weekend, I passed simply because I don't want to fork out the VAT and duties of a $699 item.

I also recently imported a R160 item from amazon US, used Aramex Global Shopper. for freight forwarding at a "cheap and convenient, hassle free price".. :facepalm: what a farce, just getting it here cost me an additional R400 and delayed it by over a week... thats R400 on a R160 value item that arrived late, nuuuupe
Click to expand...


Expensive items are a very complicated thing to handle mainly if stopped from customs. Due to under declaring (done by almost every Chinese company now days), there are higher risks on importing. What I did notice though is that if the company makes it too low, it can have issues.

Under declaring is illegal as the item should have the correct amount that was paid for it. I have escalated to get them to declare properly.

What I did notice though is that if you are nice to the people doing the clearance, it can help. Had a friend recently who had a package that was declared over the original price for some reason. There was a extra 0 on the value so came in and customs was at 3x the original costed price.

We called them and advised that the invoice is incorrect and we requested for a new invoice for the correct value. Supplied it to them and they resubmitted the customs with the correct invoice. We supplied all the required documentation and a few weeks later, it was released and we paid the correct customs charge.

The main thing is that if it is under declared, you know how to handle the situation and at that point. It is the reason why I do not mind helping anybody as I do not find it fair to be fined if it was not your request to under declare.

KavZ
 
Dolby said:
Nothing to do with Gearbest, but a friend of mine ordered some drone parts the a few months ago and the company also faked the value (without him asking).

SARS or customs somehow found out the true value and slapped him with a fine! He told them that he didn't know or request anyone fake numbers, but they didn't care and he had to pay up.

He did get back from the drone company after moaning though
Click to expand...

I would never want to be in that situation. When one of the main express companies is doing clearance for you, they can re-submit customs again. But think once the fine has been allocated, it might be to late. You can ask them what the declared amount is at the point of it arrived so that if it does get stuck, you know not to submit the proof of payment showing the full value. At that point, you will be fined. I do notice that with GearBest, they do not go to low on the value. Maybe 50% as they believe they might be saving you money.

KavZ
 
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