TAGster 5 Posted March 4, 2011 Hi Mates! I want to ask for your help, advice, tips, etc. As some of you may know, last week I received a PAM288 from Mary, which stopped working the day after I received it. So, I contacted Mary and she ask me to sent the watch back in order to be repaired, she provided her address and contact info to send the package. The thing is, today I was about to send the package using Express Mail International service from USPS, so, I was filling out the forms on-line to print out the label and drop the package to the post office when I saw this "Restrictions and Prohibitions" from Chinese customs on interational mailing: "Country Conditions for Mailing — China Prohibitions (130) Arms, ammunition, weapons. Articles in hermetically sealed, nontransparent containers. Chinese currency. Coins; banknotes; securities payable to bearer; traveler’s checks; gold, silver, platinum, manufactured or not; precious stones; jewelry; and other valuable articles, unless sent as an insured post. Manuscripts, printed matter, photographic negatives, gramophone records, films, magnetic tapes, video tapes, etc., which could do political, economical, cultural, or moral harm to the People’s Republic of China. Meat and meat products. Perishable infectious biological substances. Radioactive materials. Radio receivers, transmitters or receivers of all kinds, walkie-talkies and parts thereof; valves, antennae, etc. Used clothing and bedding. Wrist-watches, cameras, television sets, radio sets, tape records, bicycles, sewing machines, and ventilators. Restrictions The importation of personal articles is limited to those intended for personal use and imported in reasonable quantities. The value of the items contained in each shipment must not exceed RMB (renminbi) 100 yuan and the total value of the shipment received annually by each family may not exceed RMB (renminbi) 800 yuan. However, the following articles are admitted in the quantities/values indicated: 1. Pocket electronic calculator, 1 per year. 2. Magnetic tape 5 cassettes 3. Cotton or synthetic fabric. 10-1/4 yd (10 m) Width must not exceed 50 inches (130 cm). 4. Medicines or materials used in Chinese medicine RMB 40 yuan 5. Philatelic stamps 100 stamps Observations Articles that do not meet the requirements mentioned above will be returned to origin or confiscated in accordance with their internal laws." So, As you can see, the wrist watches are prohibited items on mailing to China, then my question is: I know some of board´s members has sent back their watches to China, for repair or replacement, so could you please tell me what did you write on the "package contents" description??, how did you send the package?, I mean which service did you use?. Mary already told me to declare 5.00 usd as the item value in order to avoid the import taxes in China, and send it as a "gift", but in the USPS form (customs declaration) they require a detailed description for the package contents. Thanks in advance for your help. Cheers!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gB. 0 Posted March 4, 2011 TAG, I would send it regular USPS airmail registered parcel. Will take longer, but will have less customs scrutiny. Just make sure it's registered though. I have sent several back this way and never had any issues, except for one when I forgot to send it registered and it was lost with no recourse... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAGster 5 Posted March 4, 2011 TAG, I would send it regular USPS airmail registered parcel. Will take longer, but will have less customs scrutiny. Just make sure it's registered though. I have sent several back this way and never had any issues, except for one when I forgot to send it registered and it was lost with no recourse... Thanks for the advice G! Just a question: should I go to the post office and ask for that service?. I was taking a look in the USPS website and I do not see the service option for "Airmail registered parcel". Also, what does "registered" means?. I see you lost a package because it was not "registered". Maybe is a dumb question, but this is the very first time I will send something to the other side of the world and I want to do it right and make the package is delivered without issues to Mary. Thanks again!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gB. 0 Posted March 4, 2011 Registered just means it is given a tracking number and is guaranteed by the USPS to be delivered internationally. USPS will track it down in the destination country if it goes missing. No registered number, the USPS washes their hands of it after it leaves the US and is at the mercy of the destination country postal system. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAGster 5 Posted March 4, 2011 Registered just means it is given a tracking number and is guaranteed by the USPS to be delivered internationally. USPS will track it down in the destination country if it goes missing. No registered number, the USPS washes their hands of it after it leaves the US and is at the mercy of the destination country postal system. Ok, got it! Thanks again! I´ll go tomorrow to the post office to send the package. Cheers my friend!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AllergyDoc 40 Posted March 4, 2011 GBOGH gives good advice. Registered mail is the best option for shipping watches back to China. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAGster 5 Posted March 4, 2011 Thanks Doc! I´ll use that service. Tomorrow my 288 is taking a flight to China Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAGster 5 Posted March 4, 2011 Hi my friends, I haven´t sent the watch yet, he he. I am hesitating: went to the Postal office today and asked for the first class mail registered and the guy on the counter suggested to use the Express Mail service from which I can get a tracking number. The thing is, on both cases I should fill out the customs form, so maybe it would be more convenient to have a tracking number (Express Mail) than just having the envelope registered. In that way I can send the tracking number to Mary via email and both be pending on the package. But I am not sure if Express Mail is treated different than First class mail upon the arrival to customs in China. What do you think? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tardman91 0 Posted March 5, 2011 I sent one to Mary via regular old international trackable mail. I forget what the post office called it. I had to fill out the small customs form. Mary had me remove the band from the watch, so technically its not a wrist watch anymore. I wrote pocket watch on the form. Cost me about $6 to mail it to China from Florida. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TAGster 5 Posted March 7, 2011 I sent one to Mary via regular old international trackable mail. I forget what the post office called it. I had to fill out the small customs form. Mary had me remove the band from the watch, so technically its not a wrist watch anymore. I wrote pocket watch on the form. Cost me about $6 to mail it to China from Florida. Thanks for your comment mate! Mary sent me an email with the same instruction: to remove the watch band, so it is no longer a wrist watch. Today I sent the watch back to Mary, got a tracking number and I followed your suggestion and declared the contents as "pocket clock" and added the word "fashion" as per Mary´s instructions. It is now a matter of time and patiente to have my watch repaired and back with me. Thank you all for your valuable suggestions, comments and advices, it really helped me with this issue. Have a great day and a better week!! Cheers!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
613Kid 0 Posted March 7, 2011 Don't mean to threadjack, but i have a similar situation. I am supposed to send my B&R 03 back to Mary to get the glass replaced since it broke. I dont have the hex tools to remove the B&R straps, so I was planning on declaring the value as $0 and labelling it as a "broken timepiece". Any thoughts on my plan? (I'm shipping from Canada) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
