Sending and receiving packages in Dominican Republic

Although we have covered this completely, its good to have it all in one place.

How easy is it to send and receive packages in Dominican Republic?  ITS EASY IF YOU KNOW HOW

Is the public postal system efficient? NOOOOOOOOOOOO, DO NOT EXPECT TO RECEIVE ANYTHING THIS WAY OR SEND ANYTHING THIS WAY.

Do people tend to prefer using private shipping services? Which ones? YES.  YOU NEED TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT WITH A MAIL FORWARDER. THERE ARE MANY. I PERSONALLY USE BM CARGO BUT HAVE USED CPS IN THE PAST. 

How do the costs of the private shipping services compare? THEY ARE ALL VERY VERY SIMILAR BUT IT IS THE DETAILS THAT MATTER.  PRICES ARE PER POUND NORMALLY AND SOMETIMES BY SIZE AS WELL.   SOME COMPANIES ROUND UP THEIR  WEIGHT CHARGES. FOR EXAMPLE 1.2 POUNDS BECOMES 2 POUNDS. THAT CAN BE A BIG DEAL IF YOU BUY AND OR SHIP A LOT.

How long does it take generally to receive packages from abroad in Dominican Republic?
WITH A MAIL FORWARDER IT IS 3 BUSINESS DAYS ONCE IT CLEARS ADUANAS.

Do you have to pay taxes on items received by mail from abroad? TAXES ARE CURRENTLY APPLIED ONLY AFTER THE PACKAGE EXCEEDS US 200 DOLLARS. THAT INCLUDES SHIPPING TO MIAMI.  IF YOU EXCEED US 200 THEN YOU PAY 18 SALES TAX (ITBIS) AND YOU WILL PAY DUTY.  THERE IS OFTEN NO CONSISTENCY IN THE RATE TO BE APPLIED. AND IT APPLIES TO THE STATED VALUE ON THE  RECEIPT - IF YOU TRY TO SHIP USED ITEMS YOU MUST HAVE A RECEIPT OR ADUANAS WILL ASSESS HOW THEY WANT TO.

Are packages delivered right to your doorstep, or do you usually have to go collect them somewhere? NORMALLY YOU COLLECT THEM AT THE MAIL FORWARDER. SOME HAVE HOME DELIVERY FOR AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE. BM CARGO CHARGES 100RD (2 DOLLARS) IF YOU ARE WITHIN SPECIFIC AREAS. 


Additional points:

Mail really does not exist.  Do not wait to receive your electricity bill or you water bill, bank statement etc etc by mail.  They do not use the mail service either.  You may receive a bill delivered by a messenger on his  motorcycle, but then again you may not.

It is your responsibility to track when your bills are due for paying, call or go online and get the  current balance, or go to the office and get the current balance and pay the darn bill.

Suppliers can and will cut you off and there is not excuse of "I didn't get the bill". They will laugh in your face on that one.

I have walked past  garbage containers and seen hundreds of envelopes of what looked to be bank statements turfed in the can!   I always get my bills and statements online!

As I wasnt completely clear: the mail forwarders have addresses in  or near Miami. Whatever you buy or ship you send to your address with the shipper in Miami. From there to the closest office in the DR you pay to have it forwarded!

Unless I missed it when I read over your blog, you forgot the cost to ship from the D.R.

I ordered a swimsuit and I did not like the bottoms and wanted to return them back to the company. WRONG! For ONE POUND I would have been charged $60 U.S. So I kept them. Waste of money because I haven't worn it and I will never wear it.

Then on another occasion, I needed to ship an original signed paper for the van I am selling back home in the U.S. and I was charged $50 to shipped it FedX. One sheet of paper. $50.

So if you want to ship something to someone from the D.R. you will pay double or triple what you would pay in the states.

Yup very good point. I never buy anything online that I am not willing to keep or give away!  I buy lots and lots of things online and have given a few things away rather then send them back. 

Sending from here to anywhere is very expensive!!!

You pay Fedex rates for 3 day shipping.  EPS charges abot $2.50 to send a manila envelope to the U.S. It takes 10 days to two weeks to be delivered to the address you sent it too. If you don't request the slow method, they will send it the high priced way.

If you live in the states, FedX does not charge that much to send a letter to someone. CPS is who I use and yes, they did charge me that much. But it IS a lot more expensive to ship ANYTHING from the D.R.

Yes it is but you cannot compare costs in the US to here. You will make yourself nuts so let it go. It is what it is!

I let it go months ago. I was just responding to the tinker40's post.  It's all good.

1. How easy is it to send and receive packages in Dominican Republic?

Very easy, but using a third party cargo company. I personally use EPS.
You can set up an account at: https://www.eps.com.do/

2. Is the public postal system efficient?

No, don't even try.

3. Do people tend to prefer using private shipping services? Which ones?

Yes. There are many. Google is your friend.

4. How do the costs of the private shipping services compare?

You pay by the pound and I mean by the pound, too. Avoid receiving junk mail and try and get all your statements ONLINE and set up to be paid ONLINE, otherwise you will be getting charged for things you don't even need like catalogs and other BS.

With EPS I get a set rate per pound as a return customer. I even shipped my car here via EPS.


5. How long does it take generally to receive packages from abroad in Dominican Republic?

It depends. EPS sends snail mail in bulk. So a letter received at their Miami office may take 7 to 10 days to get to me here in Sosua.

Packages that don't have problems at customs. meaning you have a receipt included which shows the value or you Pre advised them, which they recommend and done via their website, may take about 3 days once the Miami office has it. They ship packages every day except Sunday and you can see the package status and location on their website once you set up an account.

6. Do you have to pay taxes on items received by mail from abroad?

Yes. You pay taxes on ANYTHING over $200 dollars and you pay taxes on cellphones REGARDLESS of the cost.

I shipped a car here. On a 2017 CHEVY I paid 37% which was the ITBS and the LIcense plate. I did not pay IMPORT taxes because of it being an American made car and the CAFTA agreement.

However, ANYTHING not produced under the CAFTA agreement like Mercedes or most BMW's, as and example, are assessed an additional 18% to 20% depending on the value. So if I wanted to import a Mercedes, that 37% I paid would have easily been 54% or 56%!!! and its their assessed value and not what you paid for it.

When I paid ITBS on my car it was THEIR assessed value.

For more information go to: https://dgii.gov.do/ciudadania/vehiculo … ianos.aspx

TO ship my car from the port of MIami it only cost me $900 with insurance. That was the easy part.

Why ship a car here? Well the value of my car almost tripled and I knew what I GOT and its not as complicated as you think.

7. Are packages delivered right to your doorstep, or do you usually have to go collect them somewhere?

EPS will deliver large items I know for sure. I purchase a generator for my home and they delivered it to my home otherwise I go to the office and pick them up.

They will send you and email when you have mail also.

For shipping household goods, I use Peralta Brothers.  The have locations in Toronto and Montreal.  For a 22" by 22" by 22" box, the cost is $140 CA.  It is waiting for me in my condo when i arrive for the winter.  Shipping times are approximately 3 weeks.  I think if you are shipping electronics you have to pay taxes on it.  Electronics must be declared.

I typically ship things I can't get in DR, or items that I prefer a better quality.

I called, emailed, called, and called Peralta Brothers in Toronto before we moved.  No reply.  None.  Glad somebody has good service with them.

Everyone's info was very helpful.  I'm waiting for my marriage certificate to arrive from DR to me in Los Angeles.  I used AIM PAC.  I've used them to send to DR before no problem.  But sending an receiving could be different.

There is an EPS office in the town I visit so I want to open an account with them.  The online member application won't work without a cedula number, which of course I don't have.  How do I get around this?

Usually a Passport number suffices.  Try emailing the office for some advice.  And you'll also need to register with customs afterwards.

Very frustrating.  The website won't accept it with only my passport number, and I got an error message when I used the “contact us” link provided.  I'm sure this is a sign, one I shouldn't ignore, but I really need a shipper.

Try MailBox etc or BM Cargo!

I was able to find EPS on FB and an email address.  Hopefully I will hear from them during business hours tomorrow.

Understand that all these offices are exceptionally busy right now.  It's 9 days till Christmas, busiest shipping days are in full swing!

Good point, thank you for the reminder.

@Priscilla Are packages delivered right to your doorstep, or do you usually have to go collect them somewhere?

MIne were always delivery right to my door. Once or twice those I sent were picked up at my door but generally I went to the office.

I think it depends on which freight forwarder you use. I know that CPS can deliver for an additional fee but we always pick them up at the office.

I pick mine up at BMCargo............local office

In most cases you pick them up at the office location. That is something you should consider when picking a provider. Do they deliver? What's the extra cost?  How easy is it to get to their office? Is there a parking lot? Etc etc