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champ

Aug 13, 2011, 11:25 AM

Post #1 of 15 (3293 views)

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Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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I would like to bring one or two 32 inch flat screen tvs to mexico, but am not sure if the aduana currently allows that, or if there is an import tax. The airlines charge a US $150 oversize baggage fee per tv because they slightly exceed 62 inches L+W+H, and I imaging the are likely to break in transit.

So I am thinking to cross a border town, perhaps Brownsville or McAllen or Laredo with the tvs and take the bus to Michoacan from there.

The tvs I want to buy cost about $250 dollars less each in the US so it is worth the trouble. Just am not sure about Mexican customs.

(This post was edited by champ on Aug 13, 2011, 11:44 AM)

YucaLandia

Aug 13, 2011, 12:05 PM

Post #2 of 15 (3277 views)

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Re: [champ] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Aduana has charged us between 15% and 25% of actual costs of electronics on past trips through the airport checkpoints. They have substantial discretion over the size their valuations, even if you have receipts.

A number of expats go on-line and print-off very low $$ ebay early-auction prices as if they were receipts for official prices. Aduana officials are not dopes, and sometimes they accept low-ball receipts and other times they set their own valuation.

I've watched my Mexican daughter argue aggressively with them, particularly over X-mas presents, and she gets substantial reductions in the final duties charged vs the original duty demands. I've gotten roughly 5X reductions every time I negotiate with them, but it can mean a trip to some Aduana office in the airport and can take an extra 15 - 30 minutes.

Can you find your TV on sale here?
We've found sale prices (inc. IVA) here within 20% of the US price, and they threw in a free DVR = the same price.
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E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

esperanza

Aug 13, 2011, 12:35 PM

Post #3 of 15 (3259 views)

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Re: [champ] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Plus, if you bring your TVs across the border with their original packaging, you will definitely be hit with duty charges. It's worth mentioning that some electronics made in the Far East can be charged at up to 500% of their actual new value. And if you're traveling by bus, you're going to want to protect your merchandise in some way--but without original packaging, how?

It goes without saying that you are an upstanding citizen who would not want to defraud Mexican customs.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

champ

Aug 13, 2011, 2:17 PM

Post #4 of 15 (3235 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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I guess I'll try to find one here in Mexico then....

chinagringo

Aug 13, 2011, 2:29 PM

Post #5 of 15 (3234 views)

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Re: [champ] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Probably not a bad decision, especially if you consider that some of the US warranties may not transfer to Mexico.
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

YucaLandia

Aug 13, 2011, 3:22 PM

Post #6 of 15 (3217 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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In Reply To

Plus, if you bring your TVs across the border with their original packaging, you will definitely be hit with duty charges. It's worth mentioning that some electronics made in the Far East can be charged at up to 500% of their actual new value. ...

It goes without saying that you are an upstanding citizen who would not want to defraud Mexican customs.

I agree about paying fair duties. I only negotiate the duties when they are not realistic. On one trip, I had a used satellite TV receiver that I had taken back NOB to get all the updates, and since it was in very good condition, they wanted charge $75 duty. I argued that it was several years old, we went back and forth for awhile. I pointed out that I had paid duties on importing it on an earlier trip. That temporarily stymied the young Aduana agent.

He paused, looked glum, then grinned, and asked for my receipt from the earlier payment. Busted. I did not think to travel with it. All other passengers on all other flights had left the terminal, so, we settled on $15. I thought this more than fair, because under the law he could have easily charged $400 or more and I really should have carried the previous receipt.

Best of luck finding what you want,
steve
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mexliving

Aug 13, 2011, 7:40 PM

Post #7 of 15 (3176 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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sam's club has amazing sales during december on all flat screens. if you can wait....

robt65

Aug 18, 2011, 9:42 PM

Post #8 of 15 (2930 views)

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Re: [champ] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Hello champ,

I sent you a PM on this.

robt65

robt65

Aug 19, 2011, 6:01 PM

Post #9 of 15 (2869 views)

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Re: [mexliving] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Hello Mexliving,

I have a friend of mine who recently retired from Wal Mart out of Bentonville, AR. one of his jobs during his long time with Wal Mart / Sam's clubs was to open new out of country stores. One of the problems with the Mexican stores (both Wal Mart and Sam's Clubs among others) was that the same (for example televisions or Zip Lock Bags) as they were not up to the American manufacturing standards (not that they are always so great). What is a (for example) Toshiba Flat Screen in Mexico is very different from the (supposedly) same product in the USA. All the naysayers’ can sure voice their opinions here, I am solely passing on what I have learned from my friend who actually experienced the differences in the retail market in Mexico among other countries. In fact he retired instead of having to return to Mexico from another opening in Mexico of a large box store company. Buy what and where you will . . . . . just remember . . . buyer beware. For sure personally I have found many good Mexican products but not televisions or for that matter Zip Lock Bags. Another thing I found very interesting talking to my friend was his prediction was . . . . watch the selection of styles and numbers of drop side baby cribs grow exponentially in the next year in Mexico . . . . Why I asked? . . . . .because they are now outlawed in the USA as being a (health of risk (several babies died in the drop down sides) and they are all being shipped to the nearest out of country markets for fast sales. Something to think about . . . . . . in other words, not only quality but also safety issues.

robt65.

YucaLandia

Aug 19, 2011, 6:59 PM

Post #10 of 15 (2857 views)

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Re: [robt65] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Robt65,
Do you think the lower-quality name-brand goods is a Walmart specific problem?
I've bought Motorola cell phones, Nokia cell phones, etc. locally and found them the equal of US versions. Do you think that Costco is also selling seconds of brand name merchandise? We've been happy with out Panasonic flat screen from Radio Shack for the last 2 years.

Bayer and other German chemical & pharmaceutical companies have histories of dumping products onto Latin American markets, stuff that European customers will not buy due to safety or quality issues, making the Walmart story just another chapter in Modern Colonialist activities.

Walmart has so many less-than-friendly management, business, and employment practices, that I could believe Walmart intentionally shafting their Mexican clients,. but I hope not. The Sam's Club office, secretary, and desk chairs we and friends have bought over the past 4 years have universally had bad welds, etc.**, which would fit your premise.
steve
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**You might think we're nuts to keep buying defective goods, but I enjoy using my wire-welder and a little black spray paint.
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Read-on MacDuff
E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

(This post was edited by YucaLandia on Aug 19, 2011, 7:07 PM)

robt65

Aug 19, 2011, 7:57 PM

Post #11 of 15 (2842 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Hi Steve,

I cannot comment on Cosco as I did not receive any real factual on that box store company, but my friend did say, that competition being what it is in these big box stores most are suffering from the same problems. In certain categories of good perhaps, not but in others for sure. So given that, I could not really comment on the Cosco chain in Mexico, but televisions he assured me are mostly the same. He even told me, that some electronic goods can be bought (for example) up to Japanese standards or American Standards and imported and some of the same brands can be bought only up to (for example) Mexican standards. Personally that makes sense to me.

Another example is cars. I bought my wife a 2007 used Nissan X Trail and it has on the door a label "For Export only" and if I remember it clearly stated there "to Mexico". Why not just ship Nissan X Trails from Japan to Mexico without the qualifier on the door? Makes a person wonder . . . . doesn't it?

I remember buying a washing machine from Wal Mart for my in laws in Tampico (Made in Mexico) and it works just fine. The ones I brought from the USA didn't work as well in Tampico of for that matter now in Queretaro, until I added higher pressure in the water line servicing the washing machine I bought NOB. Seems maybe the machines are made in Mexico to accommodate the lesser water pressure. I am sure there are many reasons to buy some brands over others.

Someone (It may have been you Steve) sent me some information on electricity when I was looking to replace the original 100 Amp service with a 220 service to my home renovation and I learned that the variances in volts and watts in the CFE electric lines of Mexico have a higher variance (they are not exactly 100 Amp or 220) than do the electric lines of American electric companies. Maybe certain manufactures make variances in components for such things, I really don't know, but it certainly is plausible and smart if they do.

It seems to me that we the consumer usually never really learn of these things during the normal course of our lives unless we are directly connected to one type of industry or another.

Another product I bought from Sam’s Club in McAllen was a corner metal shelf unit that was of commercial grade (strong and well made, I must say) under an American mfg label. I wanted to buy more and called the company in L.A. and asked some pointed questions as to size of adjoining straight line shelf units and was told by the company that indeed they are also available in the Mexico Sam's Club, but they are not quite as tall. I thought this may be just the difference between metric and American measurements of inches . . . . . . but no. These units were actually made by the Chinese manufacturing company as an end product and only sold under the American company brand name. The units sold in Mexico Sam’s Club evidently were made geared to the average height of the Mexican male and not the average height of the American male and that was why the difference. In fact when I went back to the Sam’s Club in McAllen again to look for a pair of straight line shelves to add to my corner unit, I met a man from Monterrey who owns a pretty good size tortilla company and had already bought 26 of these same units and was there to buy another 15 units. He said the ones he found in Mexico Sam’s Club by the same company were shorter by one full shelf height and not nearly the strong qualities of metal that the ones sold in McAllen were.

I guess it all boils down to study all points . . . . known and unknown of what it is you are looking at buying. Or . . . . . “buyer beware” We are all at the mercy of the sellers, they sure aren’t going to tell us everything.

Regards,
robt65

Bennie García

Aug 19, 2011, 8:44 PM

Post #12 of 15 (2832 views)

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Re: [robt65] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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I'd love to hear the differences between Japanese standards vs American standards vs Mexican standards, especially when it comes to electronics.

(This post was edited by Bennie García on Aug 19, 2011, 8:45 PM)

YucaLandia

Aug 19, 2011, 9:16 PM

Post #13 of 15 (2826 views)

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Re: [robt65] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Thanks Robert!

Your points make very good sense.

The car stuff gets mucky for several reasons: Nissan sells X trails (like yours) for sale here in Mexico vs. X-terra's in the States. The X-Trail is "below" the X-Terra according to reviewers. X-Trails are made in Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Cairo, Phillipines, and Indonesia, which means they do not qualify as NAFTA cars for importing into the US/Canada. They also likely do not meet US or Canadaian emissions and safety standards = cheaper for sale in Mexico. Similar things exist for European cars, where past European grey market cars like BMW's and Mercedes needed substantial improvements and modifications to meet US standards. I describe all this to identify why your XTrail has the "for export" label.

Parts issues also arise for Nissan Sentras, etc, where the Mexican models can have different brakes, different starters, different alternators, different transmissions different clutches, etc. and Ford Rangers have different transmissions than their US counterparts (Mitsubishi manual for US vs Argentinian model for Mexico - where my Mexican family thinks the US drive train is better).

Re Standards for Mexico: Remember that Volchos were sold in Mexico for at least another 15 years after they stopped being sold in the US, due to safety issues. Mexico's rules on drugs and chemicals and pesticides/herbicides are also much more lenient than US & EU standards.

Some of this stuff makes sense, but other bits make me run for the cover of caveat emptor .
While we have been burned by Sams Club, Costco still ranks high in our estimation.
steve
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E-visit at http://yucalandia.com

Bennie García

Aug 19, 2011, 9:39 PM

Post #14 of 15 (2819 views)

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Re: [YucaLandia] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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I know an American auto industry executive that spent a number of years working here in Mexico and is now working in China. According to him, for overall build quality it is Mexico, USA and then Germany.

AFAIK there are no longer any televisions manufactured in the US. You're going to most likely find Asian built or Mexican. The plants in Mexico all have ISO 9001 ratings so it is very unlikely that there is any difference between the same model Mexican made Sony sold in the US than the one sold here. And I wonder if they still make them in Japan. I know that many of the Japanese brand electric power tools I buy, and I own many, are no longer made there.

Moisheh

Aug 21, 2011, 3:21 PM

Post #15 of 15 (2733 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] Has anyone brought a flat screen tv into mexico?

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Bennie Garecia has given the best answer in this thread. Although Wal Mart Mexico does carry some second grade electronics they are usually brands that no one has heard of. The Toshiba, Sony, etc. are virtually the same as the units sold in the USA. The model #'s will be slightly different sometimes to identify Spanish manuals or the hook up names on the back of the TV. I have found that if you want second grade products in Mexico they are available but so are the first class products. Just be prepared to pay 40 to 50% more for flat screens. An example of class "2" products are ovens. The units sold in Mexico often do not have an oven thermostat. Even when they do it is not accurate. The oven doors are flimsy and the whole stove is about 50 lbs. lighter. The gas valves are neither ULC or AGA approved. But there are stores that sell the high end Whirlpools and GE's that are built in the USA. Again one must pay the premium.

Moisheh