Anyone know that duty on medical equipment? What about dive gear?

thanks,
Carlos

Being the Director of a Humane Society here..bringing in medical equipment can be free or expensive..or confiscated...we deal with animals and go through BAHA....call customs prior and ask them how to clear your items....you dont want to loose your medical stuff because you didnt have proper paperwork completed prior to arrival..............

Exactly. The last time I imported scuba gear from the USA I was charged total taxes of about 50%. You can get away with a lot less if you buy from Mexico.

The medical supply would be a AED machine so it is not something that they should be banning or confiscating. But it is very expensive so I'm hoping that it would be duty free!! ha ... ha ... ha.....

Carlos

Have you approached ACER? They have access to good and good value AED machines.

Its not about banning or confiscating its alot about money...a few phone calls to customs..make sure to get names, proceed as they advise, make sure to get names...listen to others on the messageboard as they know more than I on diving equipment. The people that usually have the problems are the ones that dont listen............

Unfortunately they seem to charge whatever they want to on the day. Either the rules are so complicated that they don't understand them, or they do but they're banking on us not knowing. I've never paid the same rate twice, for very similar gear. And I've always been charged duty on educational books (PADI manuals) even though they were officially free of duty. I appealed once, and was told that I didn't have to pay if I didn't want to - but of course I wouldn't get the materials either. I have been offered "cut price" clearance, where of course the money goes straight into someone's pocket, but I've never fancied that.

I once tried to import a single fairly high value item directly, without using a broker. They first refused to deal with me, then they stone-walled and procrastinated. When I printed the relevant rules from the web and showed them to the Customs people at the International Airport they finally relented and accepted the paperwork I'd offered them initially - but after they'd made me go there three times and to their head office at the seaport twice. I was temporarily importing exotic dive gear for someone who was visiting - the gear was actually cleared almost three weeks after it arrived in Belize and several days after the owner had departed, angrily blaming me for the hiatus. Cost me a fortune that of course I couldn't recover.

Most people I know who import on a regular basis have some sort of smuggling scam running. That can also prevent the pilfering that seems to be normal in the Port of Belize - never have I received everything listed on the shipment.

But for an AED it makes most sense to apply to ACER - they will import it for you and charge you a very fair price. And they know which models are much better than others. Ask "ditchdocdiver" at Sueno.

The fellows from Bandage international - Darryl Chickness and John McGillis are the ones to talk to about getting a decent quality AED at a decent price - and they know exactly what you need to do to get them imported. I will send you their contact info.

Sorry, this is not a question about Dive and Medical stuff, but a question about mailing a book and a gift.

So, how about packages that are sent in the mail, do they arrive or get pilfered? Do they usually arrive? How is duty handled at the post office?

Is there a DHL or like station on San Pedro? If a package was sent by DHL instead of by mail, is it more likely to arrive intact?

What is duty on a dictionary? On other items? How is the duty calculated and then charged to the recipient/addressee?

I have good luck with just having it sent to the post office regular mail or priority.
The dive equipment I pay about 35% on. Never lost anything not hassled and I do it regularly and recently.
DHL on the other hand is a big pain in the ass and sticks me with fees they invent themselves and insist i do silly things like fly to Belize City to get it through customs.
Fed X is getting very expensive and I've stopped using them however they have an office here and it runs very smooth.
Gifts- well just expect to pay the duty. DHL FED X or Post office you just cant argue it.
I have a problem with people sending me things thinking they are being nice and i end up paying duty for something i dont really want anyway.
example;my mother sent me a paper toucan mobile, I know she thought it was cute because she valued it at a healthy price on the package thinking if it got lost I would be handsomely compensated, well i paid the duty on that price...Thanks Mom!Just what I've always wanted.

I haven't imported dive or medical equipment but I do import virtually all of our paper/ink/computer and other supplies from the US and have a shipment every couple of months. I have used the same broker for nine years (I use George Bradly but I know others on this board have others they can recommend), my stuff is always cleared through customs in a couple of days, I always pay the same rates and George then takes it to the barge to be sent over to the Caye. I have never had anything stolen from a shipment. So my recommendation is use a reliable broker who knows the system.

I also agree with Elbert on using the post office for small items. I do this with either Priority Mail which takes about 7 days, or Express Mail which is about 4 days. Yes you do pay duty/GST on the items but the PO only charge 75Bz cents to clear any parcel whereas a broker/courier company have varying fees.

OK! Thanks you guys, I'm feeling so much better about things now. I don't intend to insure the parcel, since it's actual "paid" value is only around $70. Regardless, I will have to put some value on the customs sticker, so my next question is, shall I put the entire value of the contents of the package, or no value for the dictionary (as it is a book and should be duty free), whereas the gift portion would be subject to a duty charge (I'm assuming 12.5% of the paid value?).

Oh, and I did hear you about the negative consequences of gifting, regardless, good intents, but in this case . . well, let's just say I'm feeling pretty confident.

I have never imported these items as such, but I take prescription medicines and on one trip into Belize from Cancun I was bringing several months' supply. Customs objected and said I must be bringing the drugs in for resale, even though every package was labelled by the pharmacist with my name and address and I had a copy of my prescription. They charged me duty and asked me what the drugs had cost. I said "nothing" as that was true - these drugs are free for me in England. They assessed duty on what they estimated the drugs would cost if they were purchased in Belize, but did so at a wholesale rate rather than retail (still maintaining that I was in business selling these things). Cost me about US$80.

My point is that it probably doesn't matter what they cost you - they may just look at what they would cost to buy here.

Sigh.

For several month's supply...$80.00 for Viagra sounds like a pretty good deal.