The buyer from Germany was looking for the “Gold Peter Studio Jozu Resin Statue” collectible figure and found it on Facebook in Indonesia!
By searching “Shipping from Indonesia” on Google, he came across our article,
in our blog “Emigrating to Indonesia – bayi.de” and wrote us an email. After a short email exchange, we switched to WhatsApp and continued our conversation there.
The following problems existed!
- Private seller without their own shop
- Judging from the photos, the figure was real, but whether the photos were of him was still questionable
- Seller only wanted to accept expensive express shipping
Our task was to arrange a meeting with the seller and present the figure to the buyer in Germany in a live video chat.
The invoice was sent via Paypal and paid by the buyer. Of course, we gave him the guarantee that if the purchase contract was not concluded, he would receive the invoice amount back minus our travel fees!
We made an appointment with the seller and met him at a shopping center in Jakarta. The figure was presented to us and we showed the figure to the buyer in Indonesia in a video chat. He agreed to the purchase and we gave the agreed purchase amount to the buyer.
Affordable shipping by sea freight!
The package weighed 3.8 kilograms. The shipping costs here were…
- Express shipping delivery time (5-10 working days) = €281
- Postal parcel delivery time (2-4 weeks) = €143
- Sea freight delivery time (1-2 months) = €48.38
The buyer decided on the cheaper sea freight shipping and saved over €240 in shipping costs!
Our fees that we charged the buyer were 20 percent of the total + €30 for meeting the seller in a mall in Jakarta (distance one way 46 km)
What can the buyer expect at customs?
The package by sea freight usually arrives in Hamburg or Rotterdam and is then transported overland and handed over to Deutsche Post. For shipments of goods, this usually hands over the package to internal customs, which is located near the destination of this package.
Internal customs then writes a letter saying that a package has been deposited and that you should pick it up. To do this, you need proof of payment, which you have with the paid Paypal invoice. Simply print it out and take it with you to customs. The customs officer will open the package in your presence and check the contents.
What other costs are there?
As a rule, shipments of goods up to a value of €25 are duty-free. Only then will import tax be charged. If import tax is levied, this corresponds to the VAT rate of 7 or 19 percent.
Attention!
The import tax is also charged on the shipping costs!!!! So the shipping costs are 100 €, an additional 19 € may be due here.
Furthermore, certain goods may be subject to import regulations. The coffee tax still exists in Germany. This is €2.19 per kilogram for coffee beans and ground coffee and €4.19 per kilogram for instant coffee. This tax is calculated pro rata. So for 200 grams you only pay €0.44.
If you’re lucky, the post office will deliver the package directly to you without customs processing. However, this is a matter of luck.