Read what i went through before you buy any "Cosmetic" products from the internet.
I bought my second batch of Certified Organic Skincare from Australia recently. The first was sometime back in July.
Although it took two weeks to arrive, at least i got my goods. Friends got word of it and asked me to order some for them too. Since i needed a few different items too, i obliged.
I placed my second order at the beginning of August and expected the goods to arrive in about 10 days time. Well, arrive it did, but not at my doorstep. It got stuck at KLIA Customs; cannot clear. It did though, the first time.
I got a call from UPS informing me the status of my parcel at 9am. Asked me for my fax number to fax some documents over. 6 whole pages in all. Soon after, it became a ding dong issue between myself, UPS, Australia and KLIA Pharmaceuticals Dept.
Owing to the weight of this second parcel; slightly above 7kg, it got retained. It weighed 6kg plus the first time. Customs requested for an Import License/Samples Permit from me before they'll release it.
Hey, cant they see from the the invoices that its for Personal Use. Who in the right frame of mind would apply for an import license just to buy some stuff from the internet. If an import license is needed in the first place, how come i got my 1st parcel?
I was given numbers to call, all of which did not return any favourable results nor a solution. I finally called up UPS (not of much help tho) and some friends in the cosmetics importation business to ask them to tell me frankly what's the next best course of action. Further digging revealed that:
1) Abandon the parcel - like fcuk i will. There's Rm1400+ worth of goods stuck, man. Not Rm15.
2) Apply for the import permit/sample license - which would take months and a lot of running up and down KL; not worth the hassle. Why would i want to do that for? Not my own brand of product and cost a bomb too. Moreover i need to register every single damn product that's on the list ( you know, that MAL thing you see on your products) before i can bring them in.
3) RTS - Return To Sender for repacking into smaller packages (no guarantee whether can clear or not when sent back) or refund (how am i to know whether i get a refund or not). But UPS told me have to wait for approval from the Australian side first due to freight charges payment. In other words - who pays for the return charges; me or Australia. If neither willing to pay, then the parcel gets abandoned.
Like i'm gonna sit down and wait for UPS to do their work; no way. After many phonecalls and emails to Australia expressing my dilemma, much to my relief; they finally agreed to RTS the parcel and refund my purchase in FULL.
They have since put up a notice on their website on this particular issue that in the event should any parcels from their Company gets RTSed back to Australia due to failure in producing proper import documents or any other reasons, refunds would only be made AFTER deducting all return freight charges.
I was lucky. I didnt want to blog about this until my credit card's refunded and finally, i received it.
Therefore, lesson to all. Check for refund policy on returns and taxes for your purchases before you buy something from the internet. All items classified under Cosmetics - the list is so damn long; CANNOT be brought into the country unless you have an Import License or Samples Permit (which can only be used once).
Unless your parcel is under 7kg (for Cosmetic items), u can say bye-bye to it or repeat what i went through and see if you have my luck or not. I dont know about other product categories.
Maybe i'll try my luck with other products and see what happens. When will i ever give up???
Although it took two weeks to arrive, at least i got my goods. Friends got word of it and asked me to order some for them too. Since i needed a few different items too, i obliged.
I placed my second order at the beginning of August and expected the goods to arrive in about 10 days time. Well, arrive it did, but not at my doorstep. It got stuck at KLIA Customs; cannot clear. It did though, the first time.
I got a call from UPS informing me the status of my parcel at 9am. Asked me for my fax number to fax some documents over. 6 whole pages in all. Soon after, it became a ding dong issue between myself, UPS, Australia and KLIA Pharmaceuticals Dept.
Owing to the weight of this second parcel; slightly above 7kg, it got retained. It weighed 6kg plus the first time. Customs requested for an Import License/Samples Permit from me before they'll release it.
Hey, cant they see from the the invoices that its for Personal Use. Who in the right frame of mind would apply for an import license just to buy some stuff from the internet. If an import license is needed in the first place, how come i got my 1st parcel?
I was given numbers to call, all of which did not return any favourable results nor a solution. I finally called up UPS (not of much help tho) and some friends in the cosmetics importation business to ask them to tell me frankly what's the next best course of action. Further digging revealed that:
1) Abandon the parcel - like fcuk i will. There's Rm1400+ worth of goods stuck, man. Not Rm15.
2) Apply for the import permit/sample license - which would take months and a lot of running up and down KL; not worth the hassle. Why would i want to do that for? Not my own brand of product and cost a bomb too. Moreover i need to register every single damn product that's on the list ( you know, that MAL thing you see on your products) before i can bring them in.
3) RTS - Return To Sender for repacking into smaller packages (no guarantee whether can clear or not when sent back) or refund (how am i to know whether i get a refund or not). But UPS told me have to wait for approval from the Australian side first due to freight charges payment. In other words - who pays for the return charges; me or Australia. If neither willing to pay, then the parcel gets abandoned.
Like i'm gonna sit down and wait for UPS to do their work; no way. After many phonecalls and emails to Australia expressing my dilemma, much to my relief; they finally agreed to RTS the parcel and refund my purchase in FULL.
They have since put up a notice on their website on this particular issue that in the event should any parcels from their Company gets RTSed back to Australia due to failure in producing proper import documents or any other reasons, refunds would only be made AFTER deducting all return freight charges.
I was lucky. I didnt want to blog about this until my credit card's refunded and finally, i received it.
Therefore, lesson to all. Check for refund policy on returns and taxes for your purchases before you buy something from the internet. All items classified under Cosmetics - the list is so damn long; CANNOT be brought into the country unless you have an Import License or Samples Permit (which can only be used once).
Unless your parcel is under 7kg (for Cosmetic items), u can say bye-bye to it or repeat what i went through and see if you have my luck or not. I dont know about other product categories.
Maybe i'll try my luck with other products and see what happens. When will i ever give up???
7 comments:
What an awful experience you had!! :-O
Good advice, I order often...but not cosmetics. Shipping is always higher than I want, but at least I know total in advance. :)
omni - the actual awful part was having to answer the phone at 9am. the rest i can handle, lol.
mensa b - yup, shipping is always higher. so, it's better to buy bulk.
do you know where we can get a list of items and the conditions for buying things you mentioned (ie. 7kg for cosmestics)? I'm in the US now and would like to send some things home as gifts and personal use later.
resurrected - i'm not sure what u r referring to. but lemme guess. if u intend to just send some of ur existing stuff back, i think can go thru lah if you pack them in smaller packages like they've been used; remove plastic wrapping and label them for personal use only.
if you intend to buy and mail directly from the net, 1 or 2 items for the first time should be ok since customs don have ur record. i think it'll get detained the 2nd time.
for classification, maybe this will help. http://www.bpfk.gov.my/cosmetic%20-%20about.htm
from what i know, toothpaste, mouthwash and body shampoo incurs a 10% import tax - and these are also classified under cosmetic items. i dont have the complete list. the malaysian customs and excise dpt has it.
Thanks! Was looking for a list by googling but couldn't find. Yes, I intend to order online and get them to send to my home address or send to my place here and I send home.
Glad to be of help. I think its better for u to send rather than the company u r buying from.
Post a Comment