Number 1, you're not supposed to send cell phones via the postal service as they have lithium batteries and postal regulations say thats a no no.
Number 2, declaring the phone will probably result in custom duties above the value of the phone.
Number 3, US postal guarantees end as soon as they hand the package off to FilPost in Manila.
Number 4, all the delivery companies, including the postal service have had trouble with theft and or extorted fees.
Given all that, we just sent a small package to my sister in law via the postal service. We declared the vitamins, shirts, and other small items. We did not declare the unlocked iPhone 4S we sent. That is just asking for it never to arrive, or a huge customs fee and likely an extortion fee on top of that. We've been at this game for a while now. My sister in law was charged like 200P duty on the items we shipped. Packages through the postal service always make it to the recipient for us, although customs fees and extortion fees are common where my wife's family lives in Davao City. Cards sent to that same location stand only about a 50% chance of making it, as they're grabbed up looking for inserted cash.
All shippers into the Philippines are supposed to be collecting custom duties on the items being shipped. So don't think that just changing shippers exempts you from duties. The problem comes in when the local delivery people take a 500P duty and turn it into 1000P or 5000P duty. Or a duty free item and turn it into a big duty. Like when I time I mistakenly wrote immigration documents on the customs for and my now wife was charged 5000P to get them. There is no duty on documents, but when they saw immigration, they saw many pisos to be made.
If you want your package to arrive, what I suggest is list a few things they can charge a duty on, even maybe a little over charging to, if its the custom in the area. But leave off those big ticket items that flag the package for theft and/or extortion fees. Yes there's a chance it may never arrive, and different shippers have differing levels of reliability to get it there depending on location.
Actually false, they have changed their rules since this post
Is Shipping USPS to Phils Safe via Registered Mail?
in Philippines
Posted
Actually false, they have changed their rules since this post