Shipping goods from Canada to Brazil

12/13/23  @Canforbra.  Talk to a moving company, particularly one that has Brazil experience for comparative prices.  But for a load small enough to fly it for CAN$500 - 1000, you're probably not going to save enough by sea to justify the delay and risk of damage. 

You might also want to talk to express companies like DHL and FedEx about the possibility of air freight.

My personal opinion is to bring it in the airplane with you. However, there are some things to think about.

1) Are you moving to Brazil? While I don't know all the rules but if you are you can get a letter from the local consulate so you don't have to pay customs. Show the customs agent your letter when you arrive in Brazil and you get by customs without paying.

2) If you are not moving here or not eligible for a customs exemption - your best bet may still be bringing it with you on the airline. As expensive as it may sound shipping will be a whole lot more and you will still have to pay customs AND port taxes. (Even if you are eligible for #1 above you still have to pay port taxes even if you are exempted from customs taxes!)

3) Shipping to Brazil has gotten outrageously expensive and probably not worth it unless you are shipping a whole house load.

4) Bringing it with you on the airplane is safer and securer. You will have it immediately without waiting for it.

I shipped to Brazil a whole lot of household goods back in 2008 with wonderful door-to-door service. That was then. In 2021 we shipped twenty 50lb boxes with us in the airplane and paid about $2,000 total. We left and came back this year and shipped the remaining things. So far we have paid $6,000-$7,000 and are being hounded by the port people already going through our packing lists to see how much, or what, they can get out of this and that is with customs exemptions on both trips. It is faster so far than expected but I have already heard horror stories about whether things will even get here or not and how much to expect to pay, or have confiscated, before it will even be delivered in early January.

My recommendation for what you have? Bring it with you!

12/13/23 If you are not moving here or not eligible for a customs exemption - your best bet may still be bringing it with you on the airline. As expensive as it may sound shipping will be a whole lot more and you will still have to pay customs AND port taxes. (Even if you are eligible for #1 above you still have to pay port taxes even if you are exempted from customs taxes!)

   

    -@Brazil Bill

In addition, the union of the Customs Officers conducts a semi-permanent "Work to Rule" job action on a rotating basis at all ports, which guarantees delays that will add demurrage charges that will eat up a lot of any of the savings from import tax exemption anyway.  That happened with our shipment.  We had a great Customs Broker, Manaus is a relatively "clean" (i.e., not notoriously corrupt) port, and not a very busy one one, but we still had plenty of demurrage and every single box was opened.  Nothing taken or damaged, but it took time, and the meter was always running.

Hello,

I was leaning towards just bringing it and paying the added baggage fees.

I did have another question.  Would I be able to bring package foods such as kraft dinner and stove top and the likes?

I don't see much point but the wife wants to try it.

Since it is dried and labeled and so forth, I don't see an issue. I should just declare it to customs and I don't think I should get a fee charged, but maybe I am wrong.

Only fresh fruits, veggies, and meats are problematic. Boxed or canned foods, frozen, etc. are not usually a problem either coming or going.

Yeah, most of it will be subject to inspection and possible import taxes, One thing is coming but recetia federal at the airports lol. its not like a canadian airport, everything can be subject to change. if you want kd. just order it online, I was on the same thought path when I came to brazil - only thing i bothered bringing was a backpack and a real expensive flight for a restricted breed dog.

@Mikeflanagan well I sent an email to the brazil embassy asking if they can provide a letter for tax exemption on my personal property.

I also talked to an airline and I will have a small amount of things my oru kayak and gear and a few paintings, photo albums and personal clothing.

I am not moving a whole house of stuff.

KD or as we say crap dinner. I have no wish to bring my wife wants it is all.

They won't give you a letter.

You get one chance to make a "declaration do bems" or whatever it is called with the RF in Brasil, and then you have 6 months to import those declared items as personal goods due to your immigration.

I am a Canuck moving permanently in a few more months.

Bring your stuff in the plane. Do not container ship. Buy the rest in Brasil.

@Gasparzinho 777

Yes they said they won't give a letter for that.

I asked if I would be taxed on my old kayak I want to bring and I am waiting on the answer.

I bought it before covid started and was planning to kayak from canada to brazil. However, covid stopped that plan.

I just got the "request" for taxes for my shipment coming into Brazil on 27/12/2023 and I will have to pay an extra R$14,900 for the privilege of it coming into the Sao Paulo port.

SHIP IT THROUGH THE AIRPLANE!!!

And again, I have my Atestado de Residência to not pay Brazilian taxes on my shipment, these "port taxes" are extras!

@Brazil Bill so you had to pay taxes on the shipment to bring it to port even though you arranged for it to be un-taxed.

I might as well fly with it on my person or just leave it in canada.

I am waiting on the consulates reply currently.

@Canforbra

Getting the letter means Brazil won't tax you. The port is different, they make their own rules. I would say they are more like the teamsters or the mafia. You want it, you pay to get it.

I was wondering how much they were going to charge since I was forewarned but I didn't expect that much. Interestingly, the guy accidently sent me someone else's bill as well and it was the exact same amounts so everyone pays regardless of how much or little you ship.

We had no trouble with 20 boxes through the airline in 2021 and I would do it again unless the shipment gets too big. I shipped 73 boxes by boat this time and so far the total is about $12,000 US now with this amount.

@Brazil Bill sounds like a total scam if you knew someone at the port probably it would have been free.

    @Brazil Bill sounds like a total scam if you knew someone at the port probably it would have been free.
   

    -@Canforbra

That's the point, it is a legal scam or at least an allowed one. But like all the tollbooths going up all over you have a way around them - don't drive or take public transport ( you still pay with the latter but the cost is offset by the number of passengers). In short, don't ship unless it is important things that can't be brought otherwise!

yeah even if its just kayaking. lol its honestly cheaper to just buy the local products and nightmares absolved. though be careful of the water, like the amazon rainforest. everything wants to kill you lol

like for a top tier kayak, run you about 600 - 700 cad. offset that by shipping nightmares and time spent looking for other solutions, how the economy is right now brasil is in a better state than canada by far so, if you can sell your kayak for over the cost of a new one, you just won yourself some headaches!

@Mikeflanagan my kayak is an oru, folding kayak. I bought in for almost 3000cad and I have taken it from the water to a backpack and hopped on a bus.

It is almost 17 feet all set up and can carry a large amount of gear as well 400lbs or more.

The company was on shark tank years ago. I love it for its ease and portability. The kayak is about 34lbs and gear maybe another 20lbs at most.

It is designed for the ocean but I have used it on lakes too. It is very easy on the ocean though.

12/16/23    @Mikeflanagan my kayak is an oru, folding kayak. I bought in for almost 3000cad and I have taken it from the water to a backpack and hopped on a bus.

    -@Canforbra

If it's portable enough that you can put in in a backpack, you may have no problem:  Customs at Brazilian airports is used to seeing people disembark from planes with all kinds of personal sporting equipment.  In Manaus where I live, every plane from North America disgorges some guys -- almost always guys -- with plenty of oversize and clearly expensive fishing equipment, and Customs neve bats an eye.

If you don't need everything all at once, consider bringing it in stages every time you visit home.  You can do what every middle class Brazilian family does on their trips to Disney World:  go north with a lot of semi-empty suitcases, and come back with them all chock full.

I bought two very large nylon Samsonite duffel bags and filled them in the US to return to Brazil.  They’re really cheap and quite durable.

@Canforbra yes i brought KD but go to amazon n buy the kd shakers since Costco  no longer carries them. Will last you ALOT longer. There are comapnies that ship smaller boxes porta e porta is one from TO. But if you can bring it in a duffle bag do thst. Everything is pricey. N bring tea if you drink it cus the tea here sucks. Feel free to hit me up on fb for more info. I shipped a 40 ft container to here...being stored in whae n i hope my shit didn't  get stolen.

12/17/23 I shipped a 40 ft container to here...being stored in whae n i hope my shit didn't  get stolen.
   

    -@Cserebogar

It sounds from what you wrote like your container is already in Brazil.  When do you expect it to be delivered to you?

I have always shipped regular cardboard boxes through the airline. Since Brazil stopped the 70lb limit about 10 years ago cardboard boxes don't hardly weigh anything so you get 50lb maximum protection and when they arrive they bring it to the oversized/delicate counter so you don't have to wait at the turn style. Make sure you thoroughly cover them with strapping tape.

When we shipped 20 boxes here I remember them bringing them out to us on a wheeled cart (talk about personal service) and some lady looked over at us and said (in Portuguese), "How did you do that?" referring to what she saw as special service. So, for almost 20 years I have been using only cardboard boxes (check the pressure rating or use Heavy Duty ones) with no problems even when security opens them.

Shipping to Brasil is by no means safe, affordable, or guaranteed.  My last shipment took 9 months to arrive and some items were damaged in transit.  I never ship anything that I would consider irreplaceable.  I only shipped items that my Brasilian spouse insisted she  needed.  It also is not cheap, anywhere from $350 to $600 for a medium sized box.  I have found over the last few years that it is actually cheaper to pack items into an oversized luggage and pay the airline the extra fees.  The only issue you may have is of course bringing "luxury'" items into the country and getting caught by customs.  In 20 years of travel we have only been targeted once by a customs agent, but I have seen others stopped when they obviously had way too many bags for a vacation.  Be prepared to pay a heavy tax or give up an item if you are one of the  lucky ones