Amazon ships to Vietnam - anyone have experience with this?

I came across this thread looking for something else related to Amazon, but thought I'd chime in since I have a lot of experience with Amazon (I am a FBA merchant), and also with other expat consumer purchasing options here in Asia.

Occasionally I make purchases from Amazon for delivery to Thailand (where I currently live) but you really get nicked not only on shipping costs through Amazon Global, but also on their assessment of import duties. 

There is also the issue that many products on Amazon can not be shipped to Asian countries simply because the majority of Amazon merchant do not want the headaches of offering this option.

However, there are services you can use as an alternative to Amazon Global that allow you to order any product off Amazon you desire, and get it delivered here in SE Asia at very reasonable cost, and if you pick the right one, it will be a easy and reliable experience.

If you must purchase from Amazon, it is far better to use one of these reshipping service from the  US.  There are many of them to choose from.  I use one called Planet Express.

The advantages of using a US based re-shipper:

    ✓    If you want to order multiple goods over time, a reshipper can warehouse your items and then consolidate them into one shipment, thus saving you a lot on shipping costs, which are FAR less costly than Amazon Global, or even if you were to arrange postal shipping through a friend in the States, because, just like Amazon, they enjoy bulk discounts from the post office, but unlike Amazon, they pass the savings on to you!. 

    ✓    Their charges for this services are miniscule.  In the case of Planet Express, their customer service is outstanding.

    ✓    Reshipper give you the option to ship by postal services, rather than couriers such as FedEx or DHL.  At least in Thailand, there are far less hassles with Customs if you ship through post office.  If you ship by Amazon Global, FedEx, or DHL, the shipper determines the Customs duty (which will always be estimated higher then actual), and such courier deliveries are always scrutinized far more by Customs then Postal deliveries. 

    ✓    If Customs decides to arbitrarily re-assess your package (which they often do), fighting them on this can be a nightmare, so postal delivery is preferably, and contrary to what many think, it is safe and efficient. 

BUT an even better option to buying and shipping from Amazon is to first look on AliExpress or Lazada.  Both online platforms, while not as sophisticated or comprehensive as Amazon, often surprise me by having just the item I was looking for. 

That should really come as no surprise since most items on Amazon come from China, so both platforms are likely to have the same items, and in the case of AliExpress which is China-based, the prices can sometimes be a fraction of the price you see on Amazon.

AliExpress, in particular, is very good.  All product listings are in English.  They have a very comprehensive “buyer feedback” feature just like Amazon does, excellent communication with merchants through direct messaging, and VERY FAST delivery (at least to Thailand, it's often 1 week or less).

Hope this is helpful.

Hi, Wavehunter
    Thanks for sharing. I just signed up with Planet Express.
      I was just reading about the de minimis last night and I was wondering if you could confirm my understanding.
      Can I order any packages up to the stated amount (1,000,000 VND in Vietnam) without incurring any duties or taxes?

I would be interested to know if there is a maximum value also ? Otherwise will get clobbered with taxes.

Not sure how or indeed who does the clearance for amazon

Jlgarbutt wrote:

I would be interested to know if there is a maximum value also ? Otherwise will get clobbered with taxes.

Not sure how or indeed who does the clearance for amazon

===

If you use Amazon Global, valuation will be determined by Amazon's FBA Global Export department (on behalf of the merchant).  Unfortunately, the assessed value is often higher than necessary to preclude Customs at destination from re-assessing for higher value.  The same is true if you use a courier service like FedEx or DHL.

While Amazon Global is an easy way to ship, it is going to be expensive, and many merchants on Amazon simply do not participate.

YOU need to be sure the item you want is not on the destination country's prohibited items list.  Sometimes what is on that list for a particular country may surprise you, so check first.  If you do use Amazon Global, if an item is prohibited, the shopping cart will alert you, so that's an easy way to find out, even if you decide not to use Amazon Global.

There is no maximum value on a shippable item.  You will be assessed according to the destination country's tariff schedule, which can vary widely depending on what category the product belongs in.

You can look up tariffs for particular products for Vietnam here:
https://www.customs.gov.vn/SitePages/Tariff-Search.aspx?language=en-US

As I mentioned, using a re-shipper allows you to specify "postal" delivery, which generally will give you the most favorable outcome as far as custom duties are concerned in Vietnam (or any country for that matter).  I ship all of my packages from the US through a re-shipper and always specify EMS Postal. 

Reshippers have very low shipping rates due to economy-of-scale, and EMS through the postal service is relatively quick, Customs generally accepts the stated value, and to date I have never had a package go missing since the tracking for EMS is very good.  And if you pick a good re-shipper, customer service will be there for you should you have any issues.

For a good overview of some of the best re-shippers based  in the US, you might want to read this:
https://tech-vise.com/best-parcel-forwarding-services-for-international-shoppers/

I guessed as much when I see the Amazon ship to VN option that the prices would be inflated to take into account import clearances etc.

I used to ship to VN using DHL regularly for my wife.. never had issue with prices or clearance.

Guess it depends what you are shipping and the type of account used

Sorry but this forum takes forever to "review" links.  PM me for the link, and sorry for the entire paragraph being underlined and containing typos; this furum does not not allow editing while a link is being reviewed (so lame IMO, but what ya gonna do?)

Jlgarbutt wrote:

I guessed as much when I see the Amazon ship to VN option that the prices would be inflated to take into account import clearances etc.

I used to ship to VN using DHL regularly for my wife.. never had issue with prices or clearance.

Guess it depends what you are shipping and the type of account used

Yeah, there is no rhyme or reason when it comes to Customs for any country.  In Thailand, everyone here has nothing but bad things to say about their experiences using FedEx and DHL for delivery of consumer products. 

I used DHL early on for a shipment from Japan.  The declared value was 4,000 yen (well below the duty free amount).  Thai Customs confiscated the package and re-assessed for close to ten times that amount (equivalent of close to US$ 400.  The items in question was a pair of cycling shorts valued at about US$40 so it should have been very obvious to Customs that the declared value was correct and proper.

It took me over a month to file a written petition by mail (no other option), and I had to include the store's website snapshots of the item (all written in Japanese of course), and then to add insult to injury, Customs charged me a fee for the process of re-assessing their incorrect assessment!  Can you believe that?  It was only 150 baht but now that meant the package could not be delivered to my door since a payment was due  

Courier delivery?  Never again for me LOL!

Wavehunter wrote:

Jlgarbutt wrote:

I guessed as much when I see the Amazon ship to VN option that the prices would be inflated to take into account import clearances etc.

I used to ship to VN using DHL regularly for my wife.. never had issue with prices or clearance.

Guess it depends what you are shipping and the type of account used

Yeah, there is no rhyme or reason when it comes to Customs for any country.  In Thailand, everyone here has nothing but bad things to say about their experiences using FedEx and DHL for delivery of consumer products. 

I used DHL early on for a shipment from Japan.  The declared value was 4,000 yen (well below the duty free amount).  Thai Customs confiscated the package and re-assessed for close to ten times that amount (equivalent of close to US$ 400.  The items in question was a pair of cycling shorts valued at about US$40 so it should have been very obvious to Customs that the declared value was correct and proper.

It took me over a month to file a written petition by mail (no other option), and I had to include the store's website snapshots of the item (all written in Japanese of course), and then to add insult to injury, Customs charged me a fee for the process of re-assessing their incorrect assessment!  Can you believe that?  It was only 150 baht but now that meant the package could not be delivered to my door since a payment was due  

Courier delivery?  Never again for me LOL!

You couldn't find shorts in Thailand ? Probably where they were made in the first place.

dbrutter wrote:

Hi, Wavehunter
    Thanks for sharing. I just signed up with Planet Express.
      I was just reading about the de minimis last night and I was wondering if you could confirm my understanding.
      Can I order any packages up to the stated amount (1,000,000 VND in Vietnam) without incurring any duties or taxes?

===
Hi Dbrutter,
For some reason my original reply is not updating with the link to Vietnam Customs Tariff Lookup page, and my typos and format make it hard to read.  The link is actually in Post #5, and here is  a recap of my original reply:

Everything changes with Customs so best to check their website but as of today, no duty is payable if shipment is less than 1,000,000 VND.  Just remember that Customs includes cost of shipping in that amount.

For more details, there is a good FAQ on one of another reshipper's website for Vietnam Customs  that includes a category breakdown of different Customs Tariffs.  The range is from no customs duty for computers, mobiles, and tablets up to 30% for other items.See the FAQ at:

https://www.easyship.com/countries/shipping-to-vietnam

Again, it's best to check the Vietnam Customs website (see link in post #5) regarding an item you might want to bring into Vietnam to be sure of the following:

1) that it is not on the "prohibited items" list (some things are prohibited that you might not expect)

2) what the official duty for the particular item you have in mind will be, especially if it is a high-ticket item.

I think you will be happy with Planet Express.  It's run by a really good bunch of people that are very careful about getting shipments done correctly, and very good at customer service.  I couldn't be happier with them!

Jlgarbutt wrote:

I would be interested to know if there is a maximum value also ? Otherwise will get clobbered with taxes.

Not sure how or indeed who does the clearance for amazon

Sorry, I forgot to mention, Amazon handles everything including clearance, through their FBA Global Export department on behalf of the merchant (but only if the merchant has signed up for this, and many do not.

IMO, much better and cheaper to use a reshipper, especially if there are more than one item you wish to purchase from Amazon since reshippers will consolidate a shipment, and even hold your items in a warehouse for free if you are making purchases over an extended timeframe. 

Consolidated shipments through a reshipper are how I always ship my purchases overseas; the cost of a consolidated shipment ends up being "pennies on the dollar" compared to using Amazon Global, and a good reshipper like mine makes the process just as easy as Amazon.

There is also  an added benefit that you can makes purchases from any online store in the US including eBay, not just Amazon.