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Yikes! Is that because the main distributors (RS/Allied Electronics/Newark) charge more to ship it to Brazil, or do they just not ship there at all and make you

Yikes! Is that because the main distributors (RS/Allied Electronics/Newark) charge more to ship it to Brazil, or do they just not ship there at all and make you purchase through more expensive re-sellers? (Or is it something else like tariffs?)

rescbr 10y ago
Of the main Pi distributors, only Newark had local operations, and they closed shop last year. Now the cost is higher due to low volume imports, so you end up paying more for shipping the boards. Also, taxes are higher if an individual is importing stuff, as customs use a simplified 60% tax over the retail price vs using the specific import tax (around 45% for the Pi) over the reseller price.
khedoros 10y ago
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/starting-a-business-with-a-raspberry-pi/ https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/starting-a-business-with-a-... That page has a few anecdotes. In summmary: Case one: $35 (product cost) + $40 (international UPS shipping) + $100 (import and administration taxes) Case two: "I bought one R-Pi from Farnell Brazil (http://www.farnell.com.br/ http://www.farnell.com.br/) and I paid R$185,50 ( ~ U$90) with taxes and postage." I remember trying to help some Brazilian users find the cheapest way to get a hold of one a couple of years ago, and I heard similar stories: high import taxes even when there were official distributors operating in the country, and high shipping charges when there weren't and they needed to order the devices internationally. I don't think that it's resellers trying to fleece their customers. I think it's just a fact of the Brazilian government's policies.
soapdog 10y ago
Taxes and greediness play a strong role in Brazil. For example, I just imported 10 Tessels to start a class on IoT. So they charged 98% taxes, (60% import taxes + 20% icms + 18% of administrative fee from UPS).
- gol706 10y ago
  Not an endorsement of this, but nothing that I have order directly from China has ever had an honest customs declaration on it. It's always a "gift" of "soap" or "lotion". I'm guessing if you charge 98% in taxes it's worth it to have customs agents who actually inspect things though.
pjc50 10y ago
Brazil has extremely high import taxes on all electronics.

rescbr 10y ago

Of the main Pi distributors, only Newark had local operations, and they closed shop last year. Now the cost is higher due to low volume imports, so you end up paying more for shipping the boards. Also, taxes are higher if an individual is importing stuff, as customs use a simplified 60% tax over the retail price vs using the specific import tax (around 45% for the Pi) over the reseller price.

khedoros 10y ago

https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/starting-a-business-with-a-raspberry-pi/ https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/starting-a-business-with-a-... That page has a few anecdotes. In summmary: Case one: $35 (product cost) + $40 (international UPS shipping) + $100 (import and administration taxes) Case two: "I bought one R-Pi from Farnell Brazil (http://www.farnell.com.br/ http://www.farnell.com.br/) and I paid R$185,50 ( ~ U$90) with taxes and postage." I remember trying to help some Brazilian users find the cheapest way to get a hold of one a couple of years ago, and I heard similar stories: high import taxes even when there were official distributors operating in the country, and high shipping charges when there weren't and they needed to order the devices internationally. I don't think that it's resellers trying to fleece their customers. I think it's just a fact of the Brazilian government's policies.

soapdog 10y ago

Taxes and greediness play a strong role in Brazil. For example, I just imported 10 Tessels to start a class on IoT. So they charged 98% taxes, (60% import taxes + 20% icms + 18% of administrative fee from UPS).

gol706 10y ago
Not an endorsement of this, but nothing that I have order directly from China has ever had an honest customs declaration on it. It's always a "gift" of "soap" or "lotion". I'm guessing if you charge 98% in taxes it's worth it to have customs agents who actually inspect things though.

pjc50 10y ago

Brazil has extremely high import taxes on all electronics.