Sending Goods to Colombia

jay1234 says on Jan 1, 2007, 16:10:

It is expensive I think others here are more knowledgable on the subject, but I just had a bad experience sending a small package (a watch) to Barranquilla...I used DHL, which I understand is the preferred way to ship stuff. It cost $91 dollars for shipping just a watch. I was not happy about that, but it was a Christmas gift, so I sent it on. I was told by the DHL clerk to ensure that I put "Gift, not for reslae," on the customs declaration/waybill, which I did. Still when the gift got to Colombia, the recipient had to pay taxes on the value of the gift. It basically cost more to to send including taxes than the cost of the item. I am guessing there has to be a better way, but I don't know it. I have also heard that regular mail is prone to "getting lost."

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sailbum says on Jan 1, 2007, 16:45:

Send it with servientrega Servientrega is a reliable service for delivery of packages to Colombia. Their website is in Spanish.

They have a Miami office and the contact there, Beatriz, was very helpful. Again, communication by phone was much easier in Spanish, though english is possible.

The contact info I have for Beatriz at the Miami office is:
Beatriz Bejarano Diaz
bettybejarano at hotmail.com
1-(786)-331-9001

Send your package to:
Servientrega
ATTN: Beatriz
2234 NW 82 ave
miami fl 33122

Place your package into a box along with:
a list of the box's contents
Your address and contact details (email/phone)
the address you are sending it to (including email/phone)

Cost is:
US$1.80/pound 28% duty
I charged it to my credit card.

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miamimike says on Jan 1, 2007, 18:27:

DHL is about the most expensive way to ship, most everyone here in Miami uses Servientrega, very dependable located just off the palmetto Expwy in Hialeah next door to Avianca Air Express. I don't know any Miami Colombian who uses DHL as a "preferred shipper" at their sky high rates. The watch, shipped with servientrega, would have been $15-$20, guaranteed 2-3 day service, door to door,,,

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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anonimo says on Jan 1, 2007, 18:31:

I remember seeing
I remember seeing Servientrega all over the place in Colombia

Hopefully they have a location in Canada as well.

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Robert Jorge says on Jan 1, 2007, 20:12:

Believe it or not, I sent a small, 2 1/2 Lb. package from here in the Florida panhandle to Villavicencio, Colombia via US Postal Service. The cost was $22.50, and it got there fine, but took exactly 25 days. I also heard Servientrega is the way to go as far as shipping things to Colombia. I have heard nothing but good things about them, and the poster(s) above confirm what I had heard. I wish I had the info they gave you, before I used USPS. I have already saved the info they gave you, and will use Servientrega next time I have to send something down there. I saw the price quoted as $1.80 a Lb, with 28% tax. Does this mean an additional 28% tax on the $1.80, or is the 28% included in the $1.80?

He who farts in church, sits in his own pew.

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Miguel says on Jan 2, 2007, 01:24:

RJ The rate is $1.80 a pound, plus an additional 28%, based on the value of the item you are sending.

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miamimike says on Jan 2, 2007, 03:11:

Any Items I have sent with Servientrega, used or new,,, I have never been charged any additional cost over the $1.80 per pound.This 28% Tax was already included in the$1.80 charged. The inital first pound was around $15 and $1.80 for each additional pound. The recipients in Colombia have never been charged any additionaal taxes of any kind on delivery. Not so in Brazil where the receiving parties were charged 25-30% Tax on delivery at the door. I also use a small mailing service(colombian owned) in my north miami neighborhood, same cost with the same service.I wonder at times if he isn't subcontracting with Servientrega.

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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JMCana says on Jan 2, 2007, 06:02:

Good and Bad news Over the last 3 years I have sent about 40 boxes to Colombia from California. Many of the boxes have contained clothes. Every box was sent by the USPS. Every box has arrived intact though many have been beat beyond belief. Great care in packaging is highly recommended.

However, I shipped only to a business address in Zona Rosa of Bogota. When sent by air the average time to arrive in Bogota was 4 weeks with a minimum of 2 weeks and a maximum of 8 weeks. When send by the less expensive boat method the average arrival time was 4 months. Prices ranged from about $5 a pound for small packages to just under $4 a pound when shipping packages of over 35 pounds by air.

One package did not arrive for over 4 months and my girlfriend spent much time on the phone getting the run around from various departments of the Colombian postal system who kept telling her that the package never arrived from the United States. Then after enough complaining for two weeks, the package magically was found at a storage area.

At one point I did a experiment with the Colombian mail by numbering envelopes. 50 were sent to residential addresses in Bogota and 50 were sent to business addresses in Zona Rosa Bogota. To residential addresses about 60% of the letter arrived. To the business addresses 77% of the envelopes arrived.

I have sent about 5 packages through DHL to businesses address and never had a problem other than the extreme expense.

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jfsawatzky says on Jan 2, 2007, 15:39:

Servientegra in Canada? I sent some documents to my gf in baranquilla recently, and I did not find any Servientegra outlets in Canada (although I think I found a contact in Calgary... but I do not remember the details, or maybe this was something else).
Anyway, I sent the docs to Beatriz at Servientrega (miami) by Canadian express post... arrived within 3 or 4 days from Ottawa as I was in a rush. Beatriz sent the items to barranquilla, and I contacted her the next day to arrange payment (I thought this aspect was very good... she sent the item before payment... based on trust). Very good service. I would recommend Servientegra (otherwise, using Canada Post, you are at the mercy of the colombian postal system (and customs) once the item arrives in colombia... a parcel I sent took more than a month after it was in colombia to be delivered...but this was to barranquilla, not bogota). The price for documents is/was slightly less expensive than quoted above... i think i paid 10 or 15 for up to 7 lbs (about 3 kg) in Sept or Oct.

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Terry2 says on Jan 2, 2007, 16:16:

Servientrega it is! My one experience with DHL was for a single envelope containing 5 pictures and a Bank Money order. The cost to send to Barranquilla was exactly $141.21 CAD. On later equiries, I found that Fedex would have charged $86.00 CAD and I did find out that they use Servientrega from Bogota to Barranquilla. This was from BC Canada.

I will now try Servientrega! Thanks all for the advice!

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Miguel says on Jan 2, 2007, 23:02:

Servientrega rates explained by Servientrega "Hola, primero necesito saber si el paquete lo quieres enviar a una persona
cliente de nosotros en Colombia o si es particular.

Si es el primer caso, debes identificarme claramente el nombre y codigo de
nuestro cliente, nos haces llegar el paquete a la direccion que te di en el
otro e mail y nosotros hacemos llegar el paquete.

Si es el segundo caso, debes pesar el paquete, podemos enviar hasta 44
libras por paquete, multiplicas el numero de libras por US$1.80 y asi
obtienes el valor del flete (ejemplo, si el paquete pesa 10 libras x 1,80
daria 18US). Debes ademas incluir factura, se cobra el 28% del valor
declarado en la factura (ejemplo, si el contenido del paquete tiene un
valor de US$20, el valor del impuesto seria 5,60). Sumas los dos valores
fletes mas impuestos, en el ejemplo seria 18 + 20 = 38, y nos envias el
paquete con una money order o con un cheque, tambien puedes hacernos llegar
el paquete y via telefonica una vez nosotros verifiquemos el valor exacto,
podemos hacer la transaccion con tarjeta de credito via telefonica."

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