I feel like crying :-(

41CL  $ 235

Send  $  38 ?!?!?!

      -------

Total $ 273

Tax   $ 191.10 (70%) fee charged on the import Customs (Brazil)

      --------

total $464.10

I'm already crying. :-(

Bye 41CL. I will continue with you in my thoughts. Snif! Snif!

Edited: 8 Nov 2011, 7:37 a.m.

Sorry. :(

Is there any means to reduce the "shipping price" to, let's say, 25$. In consequence, the customs would treat the device at that rate.

Of course, the actual price may be still 235$ + X$. A sum which will be payed in advance anyway, and which, of cource would not be disclosed to the delivery service.



Would that be fraud? Would this have any consequence for the sender if discovered?

Mount Dalrymple sent an explanation and a form to fill me

                       41CL Order For

.

.

.

We use Priority Mail and insure every package for the full value.

:-(

Ouch. At that point I think it would be cheaper to get a plane ticket to the US to buy one, install it in your 41, and if asked at customs declare it as "1980s Electronic Calculator - Value $10"

Another interesting question is wether your incitement would inflict a penalty, and if so, judged by which country.

70% import duty explains why HP built calculators in Brazil.


As far as declaring a lower value, yes, that is fraud. It is

also an easily uncovered fraud, since the Systemyde website

lists the price. (Although based on my experience with customs,

discovering that information is probably beyond what they are

capable of.) But it would also be obvious if the package was

fully insured.


The shipping/handling is expensive because I don't use the

small flat-rate box because then the package can't be

insured. A catch-22 that is expensive. The small flat-rate

box is 13.25 to Brazil, while an 8 oz package is 24.23 plus

another 5.40 for insurance. The box and packing material is

another 3.00, and I tack on another 5.00 because it's a PITA

to fill out customs forms and deal with the Post Office.

Import tax fraud is a crime prosecuted by the country that you import the item to.

Note: I don't condone tax fraud (even if Brazil's import tax is ridiculous...), however the claim could be made that the 41CL board is "repair parts" or "upgrades" for a non-working 41C. If I put an $3000 new engine in a 20 year old car with a blue book value of $300, the car's still 'worth' $300 for tax purposes.

The idea to declare the 41CL as a repair part of a system brings me to the idea
of "divide et impera".

Pricing is all of the manufacturer (or intermediate) and the policy might be

adjusted for foreign customers in a way that the actually sent hardware makes

only a fraction of the system. The other part, the software, would then be the

major part. The software will be traded via a download page and is therefore

inherently customs-free.

For the 41CL the circuit board would constitute the hardware and the flash ROM/RAM

the software. Would there be a means of customs to check for a pre-installed RAM/ROM

on the board?



This are only free thoughts. I don't want to incite nobody.

Quote:

---

70% import duty explains why HP built calculators in Brazil.

---

It's actually 60%, extortive nevertheless. Even when HP built (assembled) calculators here they were very expensive. My first HP-28S came from UTAH, not from Samson's but aboard a Cessna Caravan (thanks to a coworker, a flight mechanic). It cost me $211.00 then (here the price tag was well over $500). Not illegal as it fitted in the duty-free import quota.

Cheer up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMaF2QmfTRQ

You just reminded me of something. Back in the 90's i worked at a place that performed a service for a group from Venezuala. When they were ready to go home they would hit Wal Mart and buy as much electronics as they could possibly carry. Us Americans were puzzled by this. Since being on this forum i understand why. I still smile thinking about them making several attempts at lifting off till they had burned just enough fuel to get airborne.