Sending and receiving packages in Brazil

At first it took a long time via postal service. Now takes even longer. (only delivers once a week now)
I always use shipping via FedEx, UPS, DHL. You can choose timing. Faster time more expensive and depends on size and weight.
Yes to taxes if you are buying something and over exemption limit.
Yes the carrier will deliver to your door. Many use a sub-contractor if no local office in your city/town.
Be sure to review Brazils guidelines as to prohibited items and exemptions.

For any merchandise,  be sure to have your CPF printed on the shipping label.  I learned this the hard way - by having a very low-value shipment from Amazon rejected by Customs and returned by DHL for lack of it.  In that case, DHL never let me know there was a problem, so be proactive in tracking shipments.

I recommend DHL (100%).  Items from the USA are subject to a "customs tax".  Having a CPF makes things more convenient.  If ordering from Amazon they calculate everything for you.  Items are normally received within 10 days and DHL sends notifications almost daily.  Shippinng is door to door, just be there because a signature will be required.

Only issue is DHL is not in many smaller cities. The closest one we have is on Paraguay and will not deliver to Brazil. Other have offices in Curitiba and contract out to companies to deliver.

Sedex at the post office is very reliable the embassies use this service for national post.

All ways send with a tracking number for all postings. Do not send send food as the customs will hold it and not advise when releasing.

@Priscilla Hi Pri,

Throughout the year, you can send and receive packages from Brazil. However, there is an extremely high tax that you will need to pay in dollar, depending on the item. Some items from Amazon.com are not so bad, for example, buying a book. Amazon gives you the option of buying the book and paying for all the taxes upfront. There are other cases, however, where the taxes can be killer.

Example: I wanted to buy a simple Instant Pot. Instant Pots do not exist here in Brazil so I checked out the price on Amazon, Craigs list and some other sites. The Instant Pot that I wanted was like 120 dollars. The conversion to Brazilian Rios would be like... oh about 700 bucks give or take. The taxes, however, for Amazon to send it over here are crazy. I would end up paying over 4,000 Brazilian Rios just to get the stupid thing here. I called my dad to see if he could buy one and send it here and he gave up too. He tried everything, Amazon Prime, FEDEX, UPS.. trying to find the best price BUT you CAN´T avoid Brazilian taxes. The problem is NOT the price in the US. The problem is that Brazil has a HUGE luxury tax ( what they consider luxury) that can be up to 50% of the cost of the item. So you gotta ask yourself.. is it worth it?

Another negative. Every year around October, Receita Federal goes on strike. They are responsible for the fiscalisation and taxation of imported goods. SO, no one works, they can´t be fired because they are public workers and ALL the goods are stopped at the port. I ordered a book in the beginning of November. It arrived November 21st in São Paulo. It is stopped at the port along with LOTS of other goods from friends of mine (makeup, books, electronics, clothes, all kinds of imported items) with NO RELEASE DATE. I called the Brazilian postal service (CORREIOS) and they told me there is nothing they can do. There is NO date for my item to be processed for delivery because of the strike. It has been almost 1 month and no book. No date. I can cancel my order with Amazon but my book is already here so I am just gonna wait it out some more. But this happens every year, so don´t order anything from around October to February from overseas.

It really sucks.

P.S. I am an English teacher and all my Brazilian students tell me that it is no man´s land here. Nothing works correctly. They always ask me why I ever came here in the first place....

Devorah

Its all relative though.

A can of beer here is 50 cents.  A bottle of rum is about the same as a bottle of grape juice. 

We just got back from a road trip, we stayed in one luxury hotel (actually individual cottages with delicious gardens) for US $60 and then a very basic place for $25, both of course including breakfast.   And since I took the car down a dirt road through a swamp, I needed to have it cleaned, two men took two hours, did the outside, the inside, the motor, the undercarriage, and the wheel wells all for $12 .....

so it works out .....

In my business, the international postal system is essential. We don't have much trouble shipping out of Brazil ... but we certainly do for anything coming here. The Postmaster has a little side-hustle where he charges 10 Rs to make a boleto (from Customs) & says he'll take it to the loterica for you, like a nice guy. The first time, I paid it. But I noticed there were no receipts offered. The next time, he claimed my wife owed him that same 10 Rs. (She didn't, but I paid him anyway) ... then, he wanted 20 Rs for printing out 2 Customs forms in which Customs was demanding payment of more than $600 (without saying what the charge o $600 was based on) .... (The shipment was 2 boxes of used art supplies from my studio n the States) ... I politely took both of those printed forms from his hand and said "No". And walked out. (OK, I said something about Postal System Corruption). Man, did he ever get touchy! .... A few days later, I figured OK, let's keep the peace & give him the 20. (Which I went back and did) ... Don't you know, he slips it in the cash drawer and doesn't offer a receipt ... Sooooo ... I looked him in the eye & asked him for my receipt. Whoa-Baby!!!! He grabs the 20, throws it on the counter & orders me out of the Post Office in some kind of hiss-fit. Moral of the story: don't mess with postmasters when you've got only one post office in town. 

@Priscilla Hi Pri,
Throughout the year, you can send and receive packages from Brazil. However, there is an extremely high tax that you will need to pay in dollar, depending on the item. Some items from Amazon.com are not so bad, for example, buying a book. Amazon gives you the option of buying the book and paying for all the taxes upfront. There are other cases, however, where the taxes can be killer.

Example: I wanted to buy a simple Instant Pot. Instant Pots do not exist here in Brazil so I checked out the price on Amazon, Craigs list and some other sites. The Instant Pot that I wanted was like 120 dollars. The conversion to Brazilian Rios would be like... oh about 700 bucks give or take. The taxes, however, for Amazon to send it over here are crazy. I would end up paying over 4,000 Brazilian Rios just to get the stupid thing here. I called my dad to see if he could buy one and send it here and he gave up too. He tried everything, Amazon Prime, FEDEX, UPS.. trying to find the best price BUT you CAN´T avoid Brazilian taxes. The problem is NOT the price in the US. The problem is that Brazil has a HUGE luxury tax ( what they consider luxury) that can be up to 50% of the cost of the item. So you gotta ask yourself.. is it worth it?

Another negative. Every year around October, Receita Federal goes on strike. They are responsible for the fiscalisation and taxation of imported goods. SO, no one works, they can´t be fired because they are public workers and ALL the goods are stopped at the port. I ordered a book in the beginning of November. It arrived November 21st in São Paulo. It is stopped at the port along with LOTS of other goods from friends of mine (makeup, books, electronics, clothes, all kinds of imported items) with NO RELEASE DATE. I called the Brazilian postal service (CORREIOS) and they told me there is nothing they can do. There is NO date for my item to be processed for delivery because of the strike. It has been almost 1 month and no book. No date. I can cancel my order with Amazon but my book is already here so I am just gonna wait it out some more. But this happens every year, so don´t order anything from around October to February from overseas.

It really sucks.

P.S. I am an English teacher and all my Brazilian students tell me that it is no man´s land here. Nothing works correctly. They always ask me why I ever came here in the first place....

Devorah
-@devorahmichaela

Well then....

That Instant Pot might not be that indispensable, not at that rate.

If I recall, Sony's  Founder,  Akio Morita, at one point, after Japan lost the war.  toyed around with an Instant Rice Cooking Pan, gave up on it, and tried transistorized radios.  You know how it turned out. 

I would love to get some Revere Copper Clads pots here.  But I am not paying the asking price here.

We are spoiled back home. 

Go figure theTotal Addressable Market for this stuff, see if no Chinese can undercut, and set yourself about to make it, if worthwhile. 

Cable TV here has this Home Shopping Channels here.  Go figure it if is worthwhile. Hey, maybe you will become the next Martha Stewart.

12/21/22 Example: I wanted to buy a simple Instant Pot. Instant Pots do not exist here in Brazil so I checked out the price on Amazon, Craigs list and some other sites. The Instant Pot that I wanted was like 120 dollars. The conversion to Brazilian Rios would be like... oh about 700 bucks give or take. The taxes, however, for Amazon to send it over here are crazy. I would end up paying over 4,000 Brazilian Rios just to get the stupid thing here. I called my dad to see if he could buy one and send it here and he gave up too. He tried everything, Amazon Prime, FEDEX, UPS.. trying to find the best price BUT you CAN´T avoid Brazilian taxes. The problem is NOT the price in the US. The problem is that Brazil has a HUGE luxury tax ( what they consider luxury) that can be up to 50% of the cost of the item. So you gotta ask yourself.. is it worth it?

Devorah
-@devorahmichaela

It's true that taxes, fees, and shipping on an Instant Pot from Amazon-US to Brazil, delivered, are ~261% of the purchase price.  But Brazilian versions are available from Amazon-BR at prices comparable to the US, and available in either 127V or 220V.  Comparable products are often available here, even though the brands may not be.

@Texanbrazil fyi, Just accidentally bought from Amazon America vs. Amazon Brazil in the Christmas rush and I am scheduled for a DHL sign and deliver for Tuesday. Can't get any smaller than us with only 2,000+ in Northeastern Brazil

Roddie in Retirement🕵🏽