howdy, dear visitor

Welcome on board!

Ex-UOM student, I live my passion for programming as a senior associate software engineer. Online since October 2006, yashvinblogs.com has a growing number of visitors and a very encouraging participation rate. This success and the passion for blogging drove this blog among the most popular ones of the island.
 
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Yashvin

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• Pingback: Buying on eBay from Mauritius | Yashvin, pages of my life

• http://themediaguru.blogspot.com carrotmadman6

  I guess that includes mobile phones. Suckers.
  2/3 weeks to process a permit? So you have to apply for a permit before purchasing the product. Brilliant.

  Oh, another tip. Shipping costs are not included in the VAT calculation.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  If am not wrong, you need to apply for the permit when your item reaches Mauritius, lol. Anyone correct me if it is not the case.

  @carrotmadman6:disqus , thanks for your much appreciated contribution to the blog

• http://profiles.google.com/reena.dkl Reena Devi Kissoon-Leste

  Thanks for the updates Yashvin…really helpful…

  It sucks though…coz 30% + 15% vat on bags!!!???

  Thank again

• Yadhav

  Can you cheat? Can you tell the seller to make the item look as if it is new? How do they know if it is a refurbished/used one? Damn, I was planning to buy a refurbished item. Thanks for informing.

• Tushal

  This sucks BIG TIME. ICTA is already a joke. Now I, literally, have to beg them. I already made a few wireless camera last week.
  Jeez, I prefer to live in a forest now!!!

  “Your Paypal receipt or any other receipt/bank statement which shows the value of the purchase (very important)” 

  Complete bullsh!t. 
  just another way to make the government richer. 

• Tushal

  After it reaches Mauritius? So 2 to 4 weeks for the item to reach Mauritius and another 2 to 4 weeks for some lazy fat a$$ to deliver a permit. AWESOME!!!!

• Tushal

  *Cough* No product undervalue *cough*

• Mehfooz

  Hi Yashvin,Thanks for clarifying that Cellphone issue about the ICTA,by the way,could get rhe iphone,for tunetely knew someone who could clear the item for us,if you knew what goes on at the Parcel Office there..I will only say that didnt even needed the Permit to clear the item,The reason you make know..Any way thanks for these useful updates..

• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=821204501 Kash Ik

  Merci boku Yash, really useful infos.

• http://themediaguru.blogspot.com carrotmadman6

  @d39a7bcf182c2ac48591126b369a41a1:disqus
  They don’t know if it’s used unless you tell them.

  @456c569b4d9dbb879eda873e3de22144:disqus
  Easy to undervalue product using the Paypal “receipt.”

• Torpedo

  Cyberisland?

  “Only registered Custom Brokers can complete the procedures by acting as
  some sort of intermediary between the you and the ministry of commerce.
  It takes 1-2 days for the permit to get issued.”
  And, dear Sir, we presume that these Custom Brokers don’t work benevolently – so what’s the fee for obtaining the permit?

  “Now, the permit delivered by the ICTA (…) can take up to 2-3 weeks for the ICTA to process your request.”
  Again same question: how much does it cost to get the permit?

  And now the final question:
  What is the total cost of importing an item via eBay (or other outside sources) into Dodoland?
  Please give the breakdown as follows:
   - time taken to confirm the order on the internet (connection cost)
   - distance travelled to reach parcel post office (travelling cost)
   - if parcel post office doesnt work on week-ends, time off required to retrieve item from the PPO
   - if transactions with Customs Broker and ICTA cannot be done over the phone,
     – distance and time off required to travel to Customs Broker
     – distance and time off required to travel to ICTA
   - Customs Brokers’ fees
   - ICTA’s fees
   - purchase price, including shipping, handling and insurance (whichever applicable)

  Now, please feel free to add any other cost component that did not come to my mind at the time of writing this…

  OK, when you’re done adding up all the little rupees and cents from here and there, what’s the TOTAL cost now?

  Now my two cents:

  - “Note that you may need medical certificates to prove that you need some
  medicines(drugs) and all drugs are verified and approved by a pharmacian
  at the customs”
  Oh man! I used to be lactose intolerant, and needed lactase (an enzyme) tablets to prevent the (very uncomforatble) effects of accidental ingestion of milk by-products hidden in almost every product. No pharmacy knew of lactase tablets, and this food supplement (as they call it abroad) was simply unknown by local regulations. So what if one has to import food supplements which are not found in the official list – does the pharmacian reject the thing and lets you feel the joys of acute diarrhea? And what about those who wish to get some para-medical stuff (cosmetics, hair/skin serums from ultra-rare manufacturers and what not that only girls have expertise on…) that have the appearance of medicines?

   - “these measures are now strictly taken into consideration to control the
  entry of purchases into the island and also, to ensure that items are
  not forbidden by law.”
  I get an uncanny feeling that this is actually now that some related to Customs Brokers realise that Customs Brokers would be getting more fees by the enforcement of this long-forgotten / now-remembered regulation. In the name of transparency and equality, why don’t the customs authorities open every single luggage that transits through the airport? And every single container that goes through the port? Guess how the “cigarettes électroniques” found their way to shops until
  people reported to the Ministry of Health that these gadgets resembled
  actual cigarettes…? So, why penalise only people that need their (private) goods to transit through the post?

  Mon cul est plus efficient à traiter des merdes que ces connards dans leurs boîtes à traiter leurs procédures à la con!

• Torpedo

  Cyberisland?

  “Only registered Custom Brokers can complete the procedures by acting as
  some sort of intermediary between the you and the ministry of commerce.
  It takes 1-2 days for the permit to get issued.”
  And, dear Sir, we presume that these Custom Brokers don’t work benevolently – so what’s the fee for obtaining the permit?

  “Now, the permit delivered by the ICTA (…) can take up to 2-3 weeks for the ICTA to process your request.”
  Again same question: how much does it cost to get the permit?

  And now the final question:
  What is the total cost of importing an item via eBay (or other outside sources) into Dodoland?
  Please give the breakdown as follows:
   - time taken to confirm the order on the internet (connection cost)
   - distance travelled to reach parcel post office (travelling cost)
   - if parcel post office doesnt work on week-ends, time off required to retrieve item from the PPO
   - if transactions with Customs Broker and ICTA cannot be done over the phone,
     – distance and time off required to travel to Customs Broker
     – distance and time off required to travel to ICTA
   - Customs Brokers’ fees
   - ICTA’s fees
   - purchase price, including shipping, handling and insurance (whichever applicable)

  Now, please feel free to add any other cost component that did not come to my mind at the time of writing this…

  OK, when you’re done adding up all the little rupees and cents from here and there, what’s the TOTAL cost now?

  Now my two cents:

  - “Note that you may need medical certificates to prove that you need some
  medicines(drugs) and all drugs are verified and approved by a pharmacian
  at the customs”
  Oh man! I used to be lactose intolerant, and needed lactase (an enzyme) tablets to prevent the (very uncomforatble) effects of accidental ingestion of milk by-products hidden in almost every product. No pharmacy knew of lactase tablets, and this food supplement (as they call it abroad) was simply unknown by local regulations. So what if one has to import food supplements which are not found in the official list – does the pharmacian reject the thing and lets you feel the joys of acute diarrhea? And what about those who wish to get some para-medical stuff (cosmetics, hair/skin serums from ultra-rare manufacturers and what not that only girls have expertise on…) that have the appearance of medicines?

   - “these measures are now strictly taken into consideration to control the
  entry of purchases into the island and also, to ensure that items are
  not forbidden by law.”
  I get an uncanny feeling that this is actually now that some related to Customs Brokers realise that Customs Brokers would be getting more fees by the enforcement of this long-forgotten / now-remembered regulation. In the name of transparency and equality, why don’t the customs authorities open every single luggage that transits through the airport? And every single container that goes through the port? Guess how the “cigarettes électroniques” found their way to shops until
  people reported to the Ministry of Health that these gadgets resembled
  actual cigarettes…? So, why penalise only people that need their (private) goods to transit through the post?

  Mon cul est plus efficient à traiter des merdes que ces connards dans leurs boîtes à traiter leurs procédures à la con!

• Torpedo

  Cyberisland?

  “Only registered Custom Brokers can complete the procedures by acting as
  some sort of intermediary between the you and the ministry of commerce.
  It takes 1-2 days for the permit to get issued.”
  And, dear Sir, we presume that these Custom Brokers don’t work benevolently – so what’s the fee for obtaining the permit?

  “Now, the permit delivered by the ICTA (…) can take up to 2-3 weeks for the ICTA to process your request.”
  Again same question: how much does it cost to get the permit?

  And now the final question:
  What is the total cost of importing an item via eBay (or other outside sources) into Dodoland?
  Please give the breakdown as follows:
   - time taken to confirm the order on the internet (connection cost)
   - distance travelled to reach parcel post office (travelling cost)
   - if parcel post office doesnt work on week-ends, time off required to retrieve item from the PPO
   - if transactions with Customs Broker and ICTA cannot be done over the phone,
     – distance and time off required to travel to Customs Broker
     – distance and time off required to travel to ICTA
   - Customs Brokers’ fees
   - ICTA’s fees
   - purchase price, including shipping, handling and insurance (whichever applicable)

  Now, please feel free to add any other cost component that did not come to my mind at the time of writing this…

  OK, when you’re done adding up all the little rupees and cents from here and there, what’s the TOTAL cost now?

  Now my two cents:

  - “Note that you may need medical certificates to prove that you need some
  medicines(drugs) and all drugs are verified and approved by a pharmacian
  at the customs”
  Oh man! I used to be lactose intolerant, and needed lactase (an enzyme) tablets to prevent the (very uncomforatble) effects of accidental ingestion of milk by-products hidden in almost every product. No pharmacy knew of lactase tablets, and this food supplement (as they call it abroad) was simply unknown by local regulations. So what if one has to import food supplements which are not found in the official list – does the pharmacian reject the thing and lets you feel the joys of acute diarrhea? And what about those who wish to get some para-medical stuff (cosmetics, hair/skin serums from ultra-rare manufacturers and what not that only girls have expertise on…) that have the appearance of medicines?

   - “these measures are now strictly taken into consideration to control the
  entry of purchases into the island and also, to ensure that items are
  not forbidden by law.”
  I get an uncanny feeling that this is actually now that some related to Customs Brokers realise that Customs Brokers would be getting more fees by the enforcement of this long-forgotten / now-remembered regulation. In the name of transparency and equality, why don’t the customs authorities open every single luggage that transits through the airport? And every single container that goes through the port? Guess how the “cigarettes électroniques” found their way to shops until
  people reported to the Ministry of Health that these gadgets resembled
  actual cigarettes…? So, why penalise only people that need their (private) goods to transit through the post?

  Mon cul est plus efficient à traiter des merdes que ces connards dans leurs boîtes à traiter leurs procédures à la con!

• Torpedo

  Oops! Forgot to add:
  Mehfooz’s comment also proves that the “enforcement” of the regulations carries a significant dose of gett-figir arbitrariness in the process…

• Mehfooz

  Hi friends. @ Torpedo,Just pour dire toi que tousa ban zafr la,c just kan banla envie ki zot mettre en vigeur sa,comme je lai dis a Yashvin lot fois la,moti commande n iphone 2nd hand,banla ine cummence fr n ta maniere laba,bizin al tire permit ect,,mo pane kas tete,in dir ok,but finally,moti deja conne a custom officer.and la suite tu le c deja,in al apply pou permit mais pane servi a rien,iphone already in my hands.just pou dire toi que la corruption est partout.These Customs Officers are just money minded thts all,give some money and u get ur items,la loi c zot ki fr..si figure passer corek dresser partout..Seul conseil bizin mari courtois ek zot laba,Tk Cre

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Approve.

• mehfooz

  Hi Yash,normalment non,to bizin fini gagne to permit avant to gagne to lartik,sinon ena n lamende a payer sa,a moin ki to pas au courant ki bizin n permit..if nt they will charge you number of days zot pou garde to lartik la poste,as li pou dir toi “outi bizin fini apply pou ou permit,nu papu kav donne ou portab la”en dautre mots si possible zot pou ralier li parski ena bcp dimun papu al fatigue zot al rode permit,dans sa ban case la c nu ki perdant,alors bizin pas baisse les bras..parski nune payer pou gagne sa ban item la..

• http://twitter.com/rwishi Gireek Ramrachheya

  Just great, now it’s gonna be a greater pain tin the arse to receive mobile phones. and@carrotmadman6:disqus , knowing WomWorld, they’ll wash hands on this one, if their phones get blocked in customs for 3-4 for each new reviewer to get a permit, they’ll soon refuse to send to Mauritius(they don’t like sending places where there are a lot of custom complications).

  And how is omebody under the age of 18 supposed to get the permit?!

• Approved.

  FTFY

• http://pramoduniverse.com/ Pramod

  Damn, now I realize why I was charged Rs. 500 for my bag :S

• mehfooz

  Gireek,this doesnt apply to New ones.so dnt worry,we are just talking about Refurbished and used ones ,so no worries.Import permit only applies to Refurbished and used ones…by the way someone was asking if we can ask supplier to declare refurbished one as new,Yes you can but prices of refurbished one are lower and i dnt know how these custom guys will react to this,will be taking one soon,will keep you updated,for the time being just took an unbranded one,will see how it goes one and let you know..

• Torpedo

  “pou dire toi que la corruption est partout.These Customs Officers are
  just money minded thts all,give some money and u get ur items,la loi c
  zot ki fr”
  You mean: if some decently hard-balled ICAC officers took the pains of doing their work if investigating and prosecuting as they are paid for (from our taxes), these corrupt people could go behind bars ek ramasse savon…?
  Ki zott pé attann…?

• Torpedo

  “pou dire toi que la corruption est partout.These Customs Officers are
  just money minded thts all,give some money and u get ur items,la loi c
  zot ki fr”
  You mean: if some decently hard-balled ICAC officers took the pains of doing their work if investigating and prosecuting as they are paid for (from our taxes), these corrupt people could go behind bars ek ramasse savon…?
  Ki zott pé attann…?

• Tushal

  This will surely be a huge pain in the a$$ now. . 
  Let me reply to Torpedo.
  I wanted to buy a new laptop from Dell US. 

  It was costing me around Rs35,000.
  The shipping cost was around Rs4,500Custom tax on the laptop is around Rs5,500.
  Custom broker will charge Rs1,500 to get the laptop out of the useless customs.
  Transport from my place to PL and vice versa: Rs72.

  Total cost: Rs46,000 (approximate)
  Which almost tally the laptop price in RapeLand.

• Bhoot

  Thanks a lot for the clarification Yashvin. A few comments.

  Generally if you use a courier service instead of Post/EMS, they will do the declaration and payment of any tax on your behalf, of course, after getting your permission. DHL, FedEx, UPS, they all do that very fast (same day). Sometimes you’ll need to sign and fax them but it’s quicker than going to Parcel office.

  However, I haven’t bought anything since the change it seems. The last thing was my HTC phone two months ago which Customs valued as a no-brand Chinese phone which meant low low tax…

  Bhoot

• Jp

  “Any purchases above Rs10,000 need to be cleared out of the customs by a Custom Broker”

  Glad I already bought my music gear online at the beginning of the year. Kinda sucks for this category considering there are only 5 places in Mauritius that sell music equipment, and they all sell (except 1) at 200-300% the online price

• Torpedo

  “RapeLand”
  Waaahahahah!
  Wai do!!

  Kinz-cent roupi pou clearance from customs: Pfiouuw!! Si mo ti konné, mo ti ava alle étidié customs regulation o-lié saki mo gagne-pain zordi-zour…

  Bein, Rs 46k, dans sa prix-la, mo’nn gagne enn MacBook Pro avec so MS Office tout, la-oussi kass inn rester…
  Bon, loin de moi l’idée d’engager un débat inutile PC vs Mac , mais li flagrant ki bann revenderr PC ek pièces PC content viole nou porttfeiy bien mem! Vive RapeLand!

  Atann, tiommbo!
  - “A permit issued by the ICTA is necessary to clear all
  transmitter/receivers/routers from the customs. In short, everything
  which uses wireless transmission/frequencies to operate”
  Enn Dell sorte lamerik: Laptop-la bizin Wifi-enabled ha! Et, puisque c’est un “wireless” device, ICTA pas ti bizin etc etc… ça? Non?
  Kii goo-blé…!
  re-vive RapeLand!

  Pourvu qu’ça dure!

  Yashvin, sorry mo bien bien négatif pou çann post-la, mais c’est enn post ki’nn réveille enn nivo frustration contre Dodoland* ki mo pas ti conné mo capav ena en-dans moi. Bez ça.

  * – now, thanks to Tushal, also known as RapeLand

• Kevin

  Kindly note that any purchases above Rs1,000 are not necessarily taxable, Amount of VAT depends on the product type. Example: computer accessories have absolutely no tax even if price exceeds 1000 MRU.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Duty depends on type of products. However, VAT is applicable for all above
  Rs1000.

• safe

  Hi Kevin,oui to ena raison ena certain produit ki depasse Rs 1000 et ki pas taxable,example lot fois moti ht n lecran portable Rs2700,mo pane bizin paye nanien et lecran la in vine lacaz direct facteur mem ine amener,so i think you are right,si zot declare item as computer accessoires,u can be exampted

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Approve.

• Anonymous

  Cyber island, duty free island????

• Frantz

  A permit issued by the ICTA is necessary to clear all
  transmitter/receivers/routers from the customs. In short, everything
  which uses wireless transmission/frequencies to operate.

  Note: if the transmitter/receiver is declared as gift by vendor and of small size(for e.g an usb wifi transmitter), it will be delivered free of charge to your nearest post office.

• Torpedo

  “si zot declare item as computer accessoires,u can be exampted”
  Bein, si mo comman enn sac pou mo laptop…? Pa compte couma enn computer accessory ha??

  @ Pramod 1 day ago
  Damn, now I realize why I was charged Rs. 500 for my bag :S”Abé, ki mo pou dir ou: ou bizin prend enn sac ki moinss ki Rs1,000 ek declare li couma enn computer accessory… Ek coummence / termine tou ou phrase ki ou dir par “missié” (missié bonzour missié, siouplé missié, sorry missié, merci missié…) ki konné…?

• Torpedo

  Wai, hamem ki pe vinn dans mo l’esprit-la. Ki zott envie: facilite les choses, ou bien mett baton dans la-roue? Ki ça-bann slogans creux la ça hein?
  Heureusement que le ridicule ne tue pas…

• Tushal

  For EVERY product above Rs1,000 there is VAT. A 15% useless amount to pay to the Parcel post office. I’ve yet to meet a product where I have to pay both tax and vat.

  @364ece096841439f595e156d955a01e4:disqus : 
  Rapeland la. . in vini acoz mo ti pe dire sa article kot 1 frere in have sexual intercourse avec so sister a plusieur reprise and made her pregnant. . zordi zour, nek tend viole dan pays la. . 
  mais it will be really fun si pou bsn 1 permi pou tire 1 laptop wifi. . will that mean 2 permits?  
  One for above rs10,000
  and another one for wireless stuff?

  Ah Mauritius c’est un plaisir. Vivre Rapeland.

  au fait Rs1,500 la. c fees ki 1 broker ti  pe prnd pou retire item la. mais aster mo pa koner si banla pou charge plis since pou ena some paper works aster. .

  Yash kpv trase 1 pli cheap pou nu.

• http://roushdat.wordpress.com Roushdat

  Can we import arrows (under category of sports equipment)?

• dragon

  Purchased a wireless home alarm system. customs said I needed permit from ICTA as it was a wireless device.
  ICTA told me they needed technical details which I sent. However, they wanted things which the ebay seller could not provide:
  name of product ( it was a chinese no-name product)
  proof of international standards or certification

  Ebay seller agreed to refund me if  returned.

  Customs told me they will return the item back but they never did…….

   

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Give it a try, and let us know if the police takes you under custody
  Serious now, you should call the Customs department, they can answer that because I did the same thing before I purchased a swiss knife.

• http://roushdat.wordpress.com Roushdat

  Yeah…will try to call them. (do you know if they can be contacted using emails btw? )

• Anooj Muljee

  pu tire mo laptop 1 @$%@$* ti p dmand mwa Rs. 3,000 :@

• Ajay

  Hello thank you very much for this detailled update! Hell an import permit, pfffffffffffffft

• i.e.b

  Ahh! Perfect Post! Exactly what I was looking for! Unfortunately it’s only today thatIi’m seeing it  I should have read this article before going there on friday! I went looking for the parcel post office asking everybody on my way..(maybe they thought I was a tourist :p)

• Zoe

  Great article indeed.

  I think its good to restrict some kind of hazardous items but damnnn.. dont charge us addtional charges man!!! Nu aster online poo gaigne plis bo marC papi!! Ab si zot met enetas charges gaspiyas aster online…

  pffff

• Crusader

  Gift by vendor? Noted.

• Crusader

  In short, if I buy that USB TV Receiver

  http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-USB-DVB-T-TV-Receiver-Remote-Vista-Wins-7-P219-/250843618310?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6771dc06

  it’ll take

  7-15 days shipment
  1-2 days permit to get issued
  14-21 days for the ICTA to process the request.

  In total, 38 days to get a small device I pay for a mere Rs302.

  That sucks.

• Crusader

  In short, if I buy that USB TV Receiver

  http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-USB-DVB-T-TV-Receiver-Remote-Vista-Wins-7-P219-/250843618310?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6771dc06

  it’ll take

  7-15 days shipment
  1-2 days permit to get issued
  14-21 days for the ICTA to process the request.

  In total, 38 days to get a small device I pay for a mere Rs302.

  That sucks.

• Mehfooz

  Hi..u need not worry,i bought one and received it at home

• Crusader

  Ok. Thanks. Will buy it and see.

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  “how is omebody under the age of 18 supposed to get the permit?!”
  Ahem,  they assume that someone under 18 years of age cannot purchase online because that person is not supposed to have a credit card.
  Well, as usual, those who make assumptions expose themselves to their assumptions being proven wrong at any time. Like in the case you mention.

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  “@$%@$*”-la enn Custom Broker-ça ou bien enn post-office officer en-bas latab?? Some more precision will not hurt…

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  Faire tention, ena fermé la-dans mo bourzwa: ena 2 bourboné (Réunionnais, pour faire freunssé) ti gagne case la-polis lakoz zott ti pé transit par RapeLand avec bann fizi “sports” (tire koutt-ball la-peintirr) dans zott valise. PLis bez, ti ena enn grand palto (enn dirizan enn ONG local) ti gagne case la-polis li oussi parski li ti amenn cartouches fizi dans so valiz.  Alors, un homme averti en vaut deux….

• Anony Mouse

  Mo sigzérr ou prend inpé fléss depi ar nou camwad Roushdat ek véiy zott quand zott isolé / péna témoin… Lerla ferr zott regretter ki Dodoland inn remplacé par RapeLand.

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  Rs 302, plus charges for ICTA permit, custom borker charges, transport, etc, etc…
  Rs 3,020 pou vini la… Sorry, l’ami, mais c’est la dure réalité de RapeLand!

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  Let me add one further comment:
  eski ça-bann révenderr lapareiy electronik ki servi wireless-la (portab, laptop, TV card, tuner, tomtom, loto gran-palto (weh, certains loto permett ou branss ou portab avec loto-la so prop system communication ek communiké par activation enn ti-bouton lors volant), loto téléguidé, l’antenne TV (pa blié ki quand enn maron dans l’endroit pa’nn bien isole so l’antenne li brouille signal tou so voisin) etc, etc ), eski zott ena enn permi ICTA?
  Mo ti-a bien content konner, parski guette bann la-banque zott display zott banking permit delivré par Bank of Mauritius, bann ki vann lalkol zott montrer zott permi “on/off”, bann ki VAT registered bizin display zott certificat, abé ki-ferr pa lezott??

• i.e.b

  Hello..do shoes have additional duty as well just like bags? Thanks

• Mehfooz

  Dear friends,stop worrying about that import permit,I PRECISE THAT “it is only needed when you buy refurbished or used ones”,i just ordered a cellphone last week and i received it at home itself,postman just gave it to me,so stop being afraid to buy,

  A permit issued by the ICTA is necessary to clear all transmitter/receivers/routers from the customs. In short, everything which uses wireless transmission/frequencies to operate.
  An Import Permit issued by the Ministry of Commerce is needed to clear any USED/REFURBISHED items from the customs.)Only applies to used/refurbished one.hope this may help..cheers

• Joe1121

  can anybody please give us a link  of the customs which shows the list of products that can be bought and if there is duty or not.

• Nidish7

  Hey yashvin, I’m trying to buy a sennheiser headphone(New) from ebay which cost around $55 and for the shipping, it says
  US $25.00MauritiusStandard Int’l Shipping
  The $25 shipping fee is ok but what about the Standard Int’l Shiiping? You’ve never mentioned about that afaik, just the usps thingy. How much time will it take to ship to Mauritius under Standard Int’l Shipping? Albeit Seller is top rated.

  Thanks and very helpful blog you’ve got

• Nidish7

  Hey yashvin, I’m trying to buy a sennheiser headphone(New) from ebay which cost around $55 and for the shipping, it says
  US $25.00MauritiusStandard Int’l Shipping
  The $25 shipping fee is ok but what about the Standard Int’l Shiiping? You’ve never mentioned about that afaik, just the usps thingy. How much time will it take to ship to Mauritius under Standard Int’l Shipping? Albeit Seller is top rated.

  Thanks and very helpful blog you’ve got

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Well, that would be difficult to estimate. In these situations, I usually mail the seller to get more info. Most probably, you won’t be getting any tracking number. To avoid if your item is costly.

• Nidish7

  Ah ok, will do that. So in your opinion, the USPS will be better since we can track our order? You have any idea of the USPS Priority? I know it’s slower than the express one but have you ordered stuffs via the Priority one which cost less? How much days would it take to ship it to our Island?

• Nidish7

  Another thing I just forgot to ask in my last post, how do i choose between the USPS Priority and the USPS Express? It automatically sets the shipping to USPS Priority.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  The comparison between the different USPS shipping is already on the article : http://www.yashvinblogs.com/ebay-mauritius/

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  If the seller does not offer you the choice for shipping, you can’t do anything about that.
  These info are usually displayed in the “Shipping” tab.

• Muncher

  thx for the article… i am planning to buy a rather cheap tablet/ereader with wifi it is around rs.8,000…. will i need a permit from ICTA? how do i apply for a permit? need to go to ICTA or can be done online? any fee needed for that permit?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello. Sorry for late reply.

  That’s a good question but unfortunately, I do not have an answer right now. I will try to call the customs to ask that piece of info.
  Keep tuned.

  Y.A

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello. Sorry for late reply.

  That’s a good question but unfortunately, I do not have an answer right now. I will try to call the customs to ask that piece of info.
  Keep tuned.

  Y.A

• kirikou

  this is what happens when we give power to fools.. deja nou malheureux roupies la pa vaut boku ek ki nou dja p paye vat lor ban l’article ki p vini laa ek sois disant tro bizin broker asterla to bizin apply pou 1 permit osii ( kan tne fini atan 2-3 semaine pou l’article la vin moris) kot nou p aler dan nou ti pays laa akoz saem mauricien pou plus hesiter enkor pou aster zafr par ebay au lieux donne nou faciliter zot mette la main dan nou la gorge

• Vish

  last year i bought a 2nd hand iphone on ebay n ze custom officer refused to release ze iphone as zey told me dat i need a permit to release any item above RS 10,000. i tried to convince the guy dat i was unaware abt ze permit, but the custom officer told me that it was impossible to release ze item unless i contact a broker and ive a permit.
  Three days later i sent my cousin (a young n beautiful lady) to collect the iphone on my behalf. Ze custom officer was a big flirt. li kumance dialoguer ar mo cousine et li release mo parcel telling her dat next time she must have a permit to release such parcels. li aussi done so mobile number et li dire mo cousine call li si ena ban kitchose ki li p amener by post !!!!!!!

• Yusuf Hasanmiyan

  Be careful of undervaluing products now guys; i just went to the parcels post office today, and they actually verified the product with the item number on ebay directly!

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  The MRA officer there told me about this verification process but someone asked me how they could verify that. Do they have some access to verify and access price of purchased products?

  You can perhaps help us to understand this process.
  Thanks a lot in advance.

• Pink-Freud

  I have never ever paid any VAT neither any broker fee. And most of the purchases were quite bulky  and in the $1500-2000 range.  

  Here’s what I usually do:

  - Tell the seller to send as gift (a risk, but worth it) and put some sort of fake happy birthday note inside (hide the receipt)
  - Act over-confident at the post office and do not ask any payment questions 
  - Kick ass.

  If everything else fails, walk around a little bit and try to chat up some of the workers there. Some of them are willing to take 500rs to get it out for you. I did that once when I forgot the gift thing and avoided rs10,000 VAT and the other trouble. A 15 kg, 1 meter long hard case, imagine that.

  Alternatively, if you know someone who works there or know someone who knows someone whose uncle’s remarried wife’s second husband works there, it’s worth the  15percent + broker fees, especially on high purchases. 

  Additional experience with USPS, if your item’s tracking hasn’t been updated for a long time and there’s no mention of it arriving here, try to call the EMS office here and force them to check if it reached customs. One of my items updated 4 days after I went to collect it. It can be stressful at times. Also, adopting an English accent while calling them, guarantees instant verification. 

  This month I will be evading taxes on a $1000 purchase again. 

• Pink-Freud

  I have never ever paid any VAT neither any broker fee. And most of the purchases were quite bulky  and in the $1500-2000 range.  

  Here’s what I usually do:

  - Tell the seller to send as gift (a risk, but worth it) and put some sort of fake happy birthday note inside (hide the receipt)
  - Act over-confident at the post office and do not ask any payment questions 
  - Kick ass.

  If everything else fails, walk around a little bit and try to chat up some of the workers there. Some of them are willing to take 500rs to get it out for you. I did that once when I forgot the gift thing and avoided rs10,000 VAT and the other trouble. A 15 kg, 1 meter long hard case, imagine that.

  Alternatively, if you know someone who works there or know someone who knows someone whose uncle’s remarried wife’s second husband works there, it’s worth the  15percent + broker fees, especially on high purchases. 

  Additional experience with USPS, if your item’s tracking hasn’t been updated for a long time and there’s no mention of it arriving here, try to call the EMS office here and force them to check if it reached customs. One of my items updated 4 days after I went to collect it. It can be stressful at times. Also, adopting an English accent while calling them, guarantees instant verification. 

  This month I will be evading taxes on a $1000 purchase again. 

• Mustun

  Hi,
  I have read your post from top to bottom, and it is very instructive (thanks dude). But one point remains unclear; what is the price I should consider when calculating the tax. Is it only the ((cost price-1000)*15%), or should the shipping price be included: ((cost price + shipping price – 1000)*15%) ?
  I am willing to buy a headphone worth $40 (Rs 1156), and shipping price $50 (Rs 1445), on Amazon. So should the tax be ((1156-1000)*15%)=Rs23.40, or ((1156+1445-1000)*15%)=Rs240.15 ?
  And is the tax still 15% for this electronic component?

  Thanks

• Vedish_07

  hey can some1 help me..am planning to buy this..will it contain duty..its price is approx..3000rs..will i need a permit.or i can tell some1 who has a permit to go and collect it..

• Wawa

  Great site Yashvin!!!
  Moi mo servi ebay zis pu aster ban bodybuilding supplement parski ena boku produit pna dan moris ek zt cheaper dehor.
  Btw mo utilise mo debit card lor ebay. ban seki pna credit card zt kpav servi debit card. selma ena zis 2 labank (mo kroir) dan moris ki offer sa debit card la:
  1.Banque des mascareignes (seki mo servi)
  2.Bramer (mo kroir 1 mam ti sit sa labank la mai mo pa sir)

  mo fek command 2 produits:
  Jack3d on 22/7/11 ek xtend on 28/7/11 by usps first class international – no tracking

  zordi mone gagn mo 1st product, mo ti kroir jack3d la, letan mo ouvert mo truv xtend ladan…
  pourtan jack3d mo ti pass command 1 week avan xtend ek mem seller. la mone contacter seller la pu geT kt produit eT. dmin mo pu al lapost.

  mai 1 kam ti p dir moi ki jack3d la illegal dan moris. dan sa cas la eski lapost gagn droit sezi ou detruir mo produit sans averti moi???

• Vedish

  1 ti resignmnt ar tw..eski ton essai aster whey optimum..mo p ggn per tension zt saisie li koz li aC chere..mai selmen certain pharmacie ena produit la..b mo kroire li legal..aprs si nek protein ha..b avant to aster to bizin esai contacT dan post office la et prnd information lor ban produit ki illegal..aster ena 1 lot problem sa produit ceki mo p prnd la li 10lbs et li vin dan 1 gro sac..eski li compte dan bag(30%)..vat deja ena mem ha..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Mo penser li depends ki qualiter sac nu p kozer.
  Definitivement, si li ene genre sac plastik mo pas croire. Mais aster si li ene gros sac hiking sipa marque nike sipa koi, bane douaniers pu cpv charge sa aussi.

  But a call to the central post office should provide you with the answer and dont forget to share with us

• Vedish

  b selmen li p vini par free shipping..et dan free shipping ban produit vin dan 1 boite.eski zot pu ouvre et pu checker,pu tesT,pu diman mw sipa bizin prescription dpi doctor..mai protein,tut ban dimum ki ale gym prnd protein.so prix 3000rs mo pa kroir bizin permi ha…sa zafr prescrition la p fatig mw la..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Not all medication/drug products need a prescription. Some of them might need one to justify their use and ensure that they are legal in the country.
  I dont think that you need to worry.
  Most probably, you will have to pay the 15%VAT and the postage storage fee of about Rs50-Rs100.
  

• Vedish

  ahh ok..bein dreC alors..hey man merci buku..ha site la in mari aide mw pu komprnd ban trasaction ek system ebay..et mo pa kroir ti pu facile pu mo ale rod ha ban info la par mwa..merci kan mem..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Le plaisir est pour moi.

  Pas blier recommend mo site r to bane camarades
  Ene ti click lo “Share”

• Wawa

  optimum whey 10lbs pu Rs3000 + free shipping 1 mari bon deal tne ressi fer sa…kot universal 5lbs - Rs3100 mo esperE selma seller ena bon rating…
  definitivement pu sac la bizin pna problem parski produit lamem so packaging sa (li pa kont dan bag)
  ek produit la bizin legal weh parski universal + pharmacie p vend li…
  pu mo xtend pane dman moi prescription naniE (sauf ki seller la ti mark li as gift)
  zis mo pensE to pu biizn paye 15% vat lor Rs2000 la…a moin to seller ine reduce price lor receipt la (kouma pu moi line met zis $7

  sinon mo seller fek reply moi pu jack3d la..li dir moi “please allow another week or two for delivery as it could be delayed in customs.” pff

• Vedish

  wai dan maurice banla tir lavie lor ban produit gym..seller ena positive feedback..wai vat la ok sa..jack3d 1 mari top produit ha.mo ti envi aster mai aprs mo pu gueT.mai aster to p dir mw ha zafr illegal.mo prefer wait..bizin bat 1 lokol ar seller dir li baiise prix la enkor eupeu..

• Vedish

  is amazon good to buy things..certain items zat ar availble on amazon are not on ebay..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Several persons do buy on Amazon. I purchased only my Kindle there. I must say that I am not quite used to Amazon, especially when it comes to filter by items shipped to MRU.

  To reply to your question, my only experience on amazon was nice and I guess loads of people use it for other items.

• Arvind

  That’s a very good write up. I’m a regular eBay buyer and I have recently been hit in the ass with this used item import permit. I bought lots of used mobile phones before but never encountered any issue and found out that they started to apply those laws more strictly now. I had to get a customs broker to apply for my permit after the phone reached the post office and yes what a royal PITA! I’ve been growing a lot of hate for our customs over the past years and I can only be more and more frustrated living in our little banana republic. We are just an island, and as such it’s quite difficult to get stuff directly here and we depend on importing things. In the end, we have to fork a lot of cash and time to get what we want. Everything’s damn expensive here. *sigh*. I would have suggested starting a revolution but us Mauritians are too sheep

• l!do

  Any more development on the protein being legal?
  I have ordered vegeterian protein over ebay and the pst customs are giving me so much sh!t to bring it in here. 
  Its natural made from wild brown rice and it is just protein.

• http://twitter.com/silv3rdevil Boo Silver

  hi! ive read ur blog articles about ebay and im hoping that you could help me. The mob which i bought seems to have disappeared from earth surface. the parcel office says that they dont know anything about it and the customs say that its none of their concern what should i do now i wanted the mob. its the second time in a row that a mob disappears like that. i dont know what to do! Help! 

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Oh. too bad but that’s not the end of the world.
  1. Do you have a tracking service for the mob? Is it updated in that case (does it show where your mob reached?)
  2. When the mob was shipped? And through which shipping? Allow some 1month, 1.5 month in case you have taken a simple shipping package.
  3. Contact your seller in case some weeks have elapsed. Tell him/her that you have not received anything yet.

  If your item really got lost, dont worry, you will get your money back. In case the seller does not coperate, lodge a complaint in eBay resolution center and eBay will take care of the case and refund you back.

  Keep us informed.

• http://twitter.com/silv3rdevil Boo Silver

  yeah i know its not the end of the world c juste ke i really wanted this mob. I bought it 2 months ago. and i had bought the same mob 4months ago (from a different seller) and i didnt receive that one either. Yes, there was a tracking number (the shipping was through USPS First Class Mail International) and as you know this service shows the item only when it is in US. I dont know what happened to my item when it left US.

• Toriden1203

  just wondering how much time does it take to get a parcel from china?? (hong kong) by china air mail?? its free shipping by the way??

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Free shipping can take something like 1-1.5 months.

  I once ordered a lens and paid $50 for shipping through hong kong post, and it took 2 weeks! I was nearly mad for the price I paid and the tracking was not even updated!

• Toriden1203

  even if it is free shipping they gave me the tracking number and said it would take 20-30 says im not so sure though but thnx

• Yasser

  mo in deja import materiel pou la peche depuis USA et zot in charge only Rs 69..BTW the way when you import using cheapest way, the report will show that your item has left …..sort facility..pas croire ki item la in bloker labas mais li in transit ki kpav prend 2 mois pou rentre dan maurice.

• Gonzales

  guys what has been the longest you have had to wait for to recieve an item and by which shipping method was it…??

• San Jay

  Yashvin,
  I have checked the laws at Ministry of Commerce.
  For imports, the only second hand thing of concern is for ‘vehicle spare parts’.
  There is no mention of other type of second hand items as far as electronics, appliances… are concerned.
  So did anyone of you actually ask the customs officer under which law and which paragraph is he/she requesting a permit through a broker?
  Thanks for answering, I will follow up.

  Sanjay

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Unfortunately, I am not ‘law knowledgeable’ enough to think to ask about those questions but I think that you can give them a call to ask them about this question

  Don’t forget to keep us updated! Thank you!

• San Jay

  I have requested the help of ACIM. If any of you are aggrieved by the situation, please contact the Director Mr Jayen Chellum. EMail: acim@intnet.mu
  Cheers

• Avi_nash197

  Ey WAWA, t lor fb ? Fr moi gneto email add.

• Avi_nash197

  Wawa plz fr moi kner si tne resi gne jack 3D la ! Moi osi m p envi pren li mais pas sure si li pu gbe paC laba. Fr moi thanks !

• Toriden1203

  what does Customs Clearance mean i tracked my item it said it was processed through sort facility at mauritius then Customs Clearance???

• Vedish

  hey fini fer 9 zur ki mo ban order in vin maurice..pa konE ki zot p fou ar ban order la..depi ler pankor ggn lettre narien..eski mo bizin call customs sipa ki zafr…

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  If your item tracking shows that piece of info, it is adviseable to call either to your nearest post office or inquire directly with the parcels office about why you haven’t got any letter yet.
  Normally, they will ask for your item tracking number and will check on their own systems.

  Good luck!

• krishnen chedambarum

  Hi,
  Did you get a permit from ICTA then?

  Thks,
  Krishnen

• Krishnen

  Hi all,
  According to this publication from ICTA, mobile phones are excluded from requiring a permit if its for personal use.http://www.icta.mu/mediaoffice/notice10/telecom_equip_en.pdfNeed to confirm with them though.Anyone else has gone through the process of buying a phone online recently?Krishnen

• Tushaar

  so i just bought an iphone 4 on ebay and it left the us on the 1st october its now 2days since it left USA is there a prob? 

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  What does your tracking say?
  What shipping is being used?

• Tushaar

  USPS

  Class: Express Mail International®
  Status: Processed Through Sort Facility

  Your item was processed through our ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS) facility on October 01, 2011 at 6:52 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination. 
   Detailed Results:Processed Through Sort Facility, October 01, 2011, 6:52 pm, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)Arrived at Sort Facility, October 01, 2011, 6:51 pm, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)Processed through Sort Facility, September 29, 2011, 7:41 pm, PHOENIX, AZ 85026Electronic Shipping Info Received, September 29, 2011Acceptance, September 29, 2011, 5:02 pm, TEMPE, AZ 85282

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Give a call to the parcels office in MRU and ask if they can check the tracking info. Probably it is stuck somewhere or the tracking is not being updated.

  Express Mail International should not have these kind of delays.

• Tushaar

  phoned them and they said the item already left the us on oct 1st.. so its nearly 3 days do u think it is in another country? bacause i think from us to mauritius there must be at least 2 planes for travelling?

• Wawa

  o fek mo pa konE kouma ban customs la check items….parski ban produits mo ti pran mo ti gagn 1 lot produit apel tribulus en cado…
  mo ti gagn xtend + tribulus sans problem….
  pu jack3d mo ti bizin al parcel office…laba banla ine ouvert parcel la…finalement zt ine sezi tribulus la…mai mone gagn mo jack3d XD
  la mo p repass command 1 lot jack3d mo esperE li pu paC…

• krishnen

  Hi Guys,
  From my expericence recently…you can;t really underprice a mobile phone as yashvin said.They will check your paypal receipt with the ebay listing.I bought my phone and it shipped via DHL..I had to pay the whole VAT and a handing fee to DHL since the item cost more than rs10,000. In the end it was worth it,, i’d rather get what i bought rather than seeing it seized by customs.I don’t know about used phones though..maybe its a different process…i hear they have a mobile phone valuation dept at the MRA..if they have a doubt on the price you quote on your receipt they might value your item at an arbitrary price which could be worse in the end.Krishnen

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Indeed, better be on the safe side.
  You might pass the customs once, but luck might not be with you all the time.

• Kingshah007

  hey wats up guys..
  First of all nice enriching blog..Ecoute mo p pense pur acheter 1 Ps3 sur ebay.. et tout PS3 par default zot wireless..alor eski mo pu biizin pays xtras frais akz sa option la?ou li pa applied pu tou zafr sa?Merxii d’avance les gars..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  lol. nice question but unfortunately, I have no idea
  I guess no. The best thing to do is to call the customs on the phone numbers provided above in the post.

• Kingshah007

  the custom (post office) ?

• Kingshah007

  anybody else on my ps3 dilemma ? 

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Yeah. The phone number is somewhere in the post. They can provide you with more info.

• Kingshah007

  sorry guys to bother you again…

  if i buy refurbishd or used stuff..i need a permit or custom broker?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Yes, that’s clearly written in the post.

• Kingshah007

  even if it is manufacturer refurbished?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  As long as it is not new, it needs the permit

• yagami

  can you tell me approximate fees for ICTA for permit (wireless)? 

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Unfortunately I do not hold this piece of info. So, if anyone can share, please go on.

• Yagami

  a friend told me.. icta permit only apply if the object bought is for reselling ( business purposes )…

  personal use it ain’t apply…is it true..?any clarifications on that guys would be very appreciated…:)

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Nops. Totally wrong. You need the permit even if it is for personal use.

• Vishal

  Hi…. Im Vishal from UK… i intend to buy an iphone (market value above Rs 15,000) n send it BY POST as gift to my brother in Mauritius. My question is: WILL MY BROTHER NEED A PERMIT TO CLEAR THE ITEM FROM CUSTOM? Thanks

• Krishnen

  Hi Vishal,
  If the phone is new its not a problem. No permit is needed. But your brother will need to prove the value of the phone before he can remove it from customs as he will need to pay the VAT for it. So make sure you enclose the original receipt of your purchase with the parcel or give him a way to prove the value of the phone if you bought the phone online.Also since the product is above Rs15,000 he will need to retain the services of a custom broker for the MRA documentation  Its much easier if you send it by a courier service such as DHL, since they will handle all this for you.They will charge an extra handling fee of around rs800 for this service.
   Source: i just bought a phone online myself.
  Cheers,
  Krishnen

• Vishal

  Thanks Krishnen…
  Pa facile sa, bizin paye VAT aussi… I already preordered an iphone 4S from apple n im getting it on 14 oct. The cost is approx Rs 24,000, Mo ti pense pu envoye sa by post as gift to my brother mais avek tou sa ban cost la mo croire iphone la pu fini arrive Rs30,000…
  Ici (london) tou seki to bizin to nek order from ebay uk n ur item is delivered at ur door within one or two days. I bought so many things… From mobile phone to 55 inch tv, everything delivered at ur door… U pay only the postage cost n most of the small items are free shipping… But in mauritius, ena trop bucu complication et cost avan to reussi gagne to produit from customs…
  Anyway, fanks a lot bro….
  Cheers

• http://pulse.yahoo.com/_N6PGTXZSKAZQUCAPUNKAGJGAJA anas

  No,i bought one,the did not ask for certificate

• Kingshah007

  prices over Rs10,000 need a broker to release the product..

  Prices including shipping sa ??

• nabila

  hi yash i wud like to no wether zer is custom duty on purchase of casual dress from ebay?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Difficult to say. But I dont think so. Only the Vat most probably.

• Vedish

  hey kan to clear 1 product by calling custom broker eski to oblizer ena permi,oubien bizin paye zot 1 ti kas,eski 1 produit ki pa authorizer kapv paC si mo pass par custom broker,et enkr 1 zafr si to kone dimun labas eski to kapv fer nirport ki produit  paC

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  “eski 1 produit ki pa authorizer kapv paC si mo pass par custom broker,et enkr 1 zafr si to kone dimun labas eski to kapv fer nirport ki produit  paC”

  Sorry, you are on the wrong track. We do not give advice on how to smuggle illegal goods!

• Vedish

  non..mo pa fer ban illegal transaction mw..c ban produit bodybuilding..kan mo amener zot dir pa suppozer amener mais purtant ena li dan ban pharmacie maurice mem..mais ici li 4 fois pli chere…

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  To bisin prend nom la, al ministere ou faire check li dans la liste produits ki gagne droit vini. To bisin faire imper recherches lo sa et lerla presente sa la douane ki to gagne droit faire ammener.

  Oui, mo koner zotte cher. Mone fek aster 1 morice, et lo ebay li presque peanuts.

• http://www.geekscribes.net Inf

  What a gigantic pain in the rear! Permit, broker and whatnot, WTF!

  Thanks for the very informative article btw. (CarrotMadMan has just pointed it out to me, lol).

  I wished Mauritius Post would set up branches in the US and UK and provide mail forwarding service. Or if that’s not possible, at least find some agreement with some local company and provide us with preferential rates.

  Then, when you ship at sites that don’t ship to Mauritius, you can still have them ship to the forwarded address and have it delivered to you by Mauritius Post afterwards.

  At the moment, other mail forwarding services are way too expensive when you want to ship small items, say < 2kg.

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  This guy is sharing the joys of buying online…

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Everyone has their own experience, especially bad when you are told that you need to bring a broker or your item is not allowed. That’s life, you just need to know which things are more profitable (in terms of money, effort and additional procedures) to import than rather to buy them here.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  @Roushdat :
  I once contacted them regarging the list of items and corresponding duty amount, they replied to me after a few months, just to say “Look into our web site”.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  @Roushdat : 
  I once contacted them regarging the list of items and corresponding duty amount, they replied to me after a few months, just to say “Look into our web site”.

• Tushaar_chady

  Hi can i ship BB guns to Mauritius Thanks.

• Akhil Ramlugun

  It is free. The guys at the Parcel Post Office call it an ICTA permit but actually it is a “Type Approval of Radiocommunication/Telecommunication Equipment”. For every device that you have to collect there that has Wi-Fi, you have to apply for its approval.

  For this you need to fill this form: http://www.icta.mu/documents/applicationforms/typapp.pdf and hand it over/mail it along with the following documents concerning the device:

  1. Technical Brochure
  2. User Operating Manual
  3. Declaration of Conformity issued by manufacturer

  The Technical Brochure and Declaration of Conformity are compulsory. They can be obtained from the manufacturer’s website if they are not in the package of the device. As for the User Operating Manual, you can omit it if it is not included in the package as they will cost quite a lot to print and nor are they of much use to the ICTA technicians.

  The technicians will then verify that this device conforms to local norms on wireless connectivity. If the device is approved, you will get a letter by mail stating the approval and clearly mentioning the make and model of the device. If the device is not approved, then I do not know what happens!

  Then, you have to show this letter along with your parcel card at the Parcel Post Office in order to get the device.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Thanks! +1

• Celebralassassin

   Do we have to pay Duty for computer components such as graphics card and processor?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  No, Only Vat, 15% (if total purchase < Rs1000)

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• Ektomorf

  Hi yash i want to buy a tattoo machine kit around $89. but i can’t seee any shipping for mauritius.

• Jordan

  Do you think if i try to buy something like that.. I will be in trouble?

  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Smith-Wesson-Knives-Swat-Medium-Linerlock-4-1-8-Closed-Black-Knife-SW4000B-/170729364174?pt=Collectible_Knives&hash=item27c0435ace#ht_2006wt_1344 

• Slayer

  @ yashvin awootar , well i have a question, do you need a permit or collect your items at the parcel office for cheap and small items below 1000 rs. like screen protectors, movies, pc games etc…

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello. No. Dont worry

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  I purchased a swiss knife some months ago, and everything went well. I received it at home itself.
  You can try to call them just for confirmation purposes.

  Link : http://www.yashvin.net/2011/05/my-swiss-knife/

• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003212888543 Niu Ming Zhao Zzammil

  yashvin what do i add as CITY on amazon?:S

  State/Province/Region:  

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Not really important. Just put your village/town and for state put “NA” (for not applicable).
  It should be ok.

• Sarvesh

  hi Yashvin, i need your help man! I bought a blackberry last month, last week i got the yellow card for parcel pickup at Parcel Office of p.louis. I often do purchase on ebay but it was the first time that i bought a second hand item. The custom officer told me that i’ll need an Import Permit. I guess how many days this will be taking. Could you please advise me on which custom broker’s service i could retain and according to your experience how many days this might take me…. Thanks bro

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Oh my! Since these second-hand regulations have been taken seriously, I highly discourage people from buying second hand/refurbished items. Too much paperwork and additional cost.

  I never had to go through this procedures so might somewhat difficult to give you further details on that but if you need the phone number, just mail me on yashvin[at]awootar[.]com, I will do the needful.

• Slayer

  did the deliver you directly or you have to go to the parcel office?

• Slayer

  got to buy a bag of 400 rs -  35 + 15 % = 580 rs do i need to go to the parcel office to collect it ?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  If the bag’s parcel is quite small, there are chances that it might reach your home directly. And since it is cheap too, there are big chances that you wont need to pay anything additional. Keep us informed!

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  News update : 

  A Mauritian went to take delivery of his parcel to the the Parcel Office yesterday. He was arrested because he tried to import a STUNT GUN, which is illegal in Mauritius.
  On the media, he declared that he ignored such prohibition.Note that STUNT GUNS as well as PAINT BALL GUNS are not allowed into the island.
  Whenever you are having doubts, do call the customs to enquire. I did that before I purchased a swiss knife.

  Take Care,
  Yashvin

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  News update : 

  A Mauritian went to take delivery of his parcel to the the Parcel Office yesterday. He was arrested because he tried to import a STUNT GUN, which is illegal in Mauritius.
  On the media, he declared that he ignored such prohibition.Note that STUNT GUNS as well as PAINT BALL GUNS are not allowed into the island.
  Whenever you are having doubts, do call the customs to enquire. I did that before I purchased a swiss knife.

  Take Care,
  Yashvin

• Lost Wanderer

  Hello. Is importing of second hand items allowed ? Do I need to an import permit for it ?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  You need to go through the blog article again dude.
  I talked about that a few times, I quote :

  “An Import Permit issued by the Ministry of Commerce is needed to clear any USED/REFURBISHED items from the customs.”

• Bryandylan20

  kot mo bizin ale pou kapav  gagne permis pou aster portable

• Anonymous

  kot mo bizin aller pou mo gagne permis pou aster portable plz                                         

• Anonymous

  ene ti reseignement ar zot mo envi aster n sony ercsson xperia ray NEW eski mo bizin permis. si bizin permis kot mo bizin al rode sa permis la….

• Anonymous

  ene ti reseignement ar zot si mo bizin aster n sony ericsson xperia ray NEW eski mo bizin permis…  si bizin permis kot mo kapav gagne permis???

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello.
  As mentioned above, I quote : ”A permit issued by the ICTA is necessary to clear all transmitter/receivers/routers from the customs. In short, everything which uses wireless transmission/frequencies to operate.”You must find the number of the ICTA and call them to get more details.

• Anonymous

  kot ma kapav gagne numero ICTA ???

• Anonymous

  how many money  did the customer broken take to me if i buy a sony ericsson experia ray    .  Did he post the item via the post office near my house ???

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  The phone directory. Nothing simpler. Or call 150.

• Slayer

  @yashvinawootar:disqus  HI , i would like to know if you need to buy a pc game that cost 820 rs including the shipping cost dou you have any additional fees to pay here in mauritius e.g DHL OR POST OFFICE fees ?? 

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  @Slayer : As stated in the articles, you only have to pay a postal fee if the cost is below Rs1000. I think that you should read the articles thoroughly. Most probably, the game will land directly to your house, so no need to go to the central parcel office.

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• I_sugar

  Yashvin ,
  Your blog is very helpful, i started to buy on ebay almost 18 months after reading it.
  I have bought speedlight,golf polo shirts,lens,several Lowepro bags etc.On some articels i was requested to pay the vat and others under RS1000 ,none,only once that i was requested to storage fee at parcel post office.
  In all i have ordered over 40 articles from various location,USA,UK,HK and China.
  Some items are shipoped directly to my home.

• VIP_MAIL

                                 Bizin broker pou ipad(wifi only) ? 
  Price (9,678 ) + Shipping(
  1,534) =  RS 11,213
  REPLY PLZ

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Mo pas croire. Zotte cpv faire toi passer etant donner li juste lo border line.

• Stefan

  List of duties on items to be imported are on the MRA website :
  http://mra.gov.mu/index.php/importexport-a-others/more-topics-gg/updated-info
  Look for :
  11. integrated tariffs

• http://pramoduniverse.com/ Pramod

  I had to go to the parcel’s office since it was quite a huge size…

• Jesh27

  Does anyone have some information about purchasing Bodybuilding Supplements online.

  Do we have additional tax
  Do we need to pay duty, etc..

• Stevenzik22

  janvier mo ti guete ene custom’s broker..li ti prend Rs1000 pou mo Pedal L;effect laguitare..li ti fair ebane demarse la vite..moins ki 1 semaine mo ti fini gange mo import permit tou…

• New buyer

  Mo p envi aster 1 laptop toshiba 
  Kan mo convert to Rs 60 000(approx) 
  mo ti pou content ship  par fedex[ ban la apie tax la pou moi ek mo gain li dans 1-2 jour max couma en dimoun fek dire]
  Eski ban la pou vine kit devant mo la porte 
  Komier bizin paie fedex?
  Please reply fast guys 

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Bein, fedex so prix shipping, to pu gagne li depi to page eBay meme. kant to pu aster meme, li pu deja fini dir toi combient to p payer.

  Aster, la li different akoz to pu bisin ene courtier maritime pu dedouane to laptop. to bisin telephone fedex maurice avant et confirmer eski zotte pu tire li pu toi ou to bisin faire to propre demars. Mone deja aster 1 portable ki ti vine par fedex (si mo rapel bien), mais mone bisin al prend li parcel office.

  Tone deja gagne reponse pli vite ki sa lo ene lot site ou blog?
  If you have any more questions, just shoot!

• New buyer

  @yashvinawootar:disqus 
  Ton reply mari fast man …ek to site bien interessant
  si mo aster en laptop  avek wifi mo pou paie  Price of Laptop + ICTA+ Custom Broker + 13% Price of laptop 

  Eski sa mem tou ou bien ena encore dans sa pays pissar la xD 
  Mo ti pou mari content si to cav done moi en courtier maritime so num (1 ki pa trop cher)

  Great Blog:)

• re0077

  On 02 February 2012, i.e, forty-one days ago I paid eBay through PayPal for a car window switch. I haven`t received the item yet ! On 26 February 2012 I informed eBay by email about this lateness. On 27.02.12 eBay replied that some international shipments take 3 to 4 weeks via USPS. It is already six weeks now ! It is very disappointing.

   They also said that if I do not receive the item by 29.02.12 they will reship another one after I confirm my address.But the next one that they want to reship will take many more weeks again.
   I feel that I should ask eBay to refund my money now. I can also appeal to eBay buyer protection. What do you advise? Thank you.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello.
  You should try to ask them on this specific question. They might agree or perhaps not. Sorry for not being of any useful help here

• Genesis01_87

  thxs for the post man and pls do you know how much it will cost to take out
  a phone costing 18k at the post office ,everything included??

• Shabaz

  Si mo envi asT 1 earphone ki coute Rs 200 lor ebay mo bizin permit? Just  turned 18
  Damn

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  No No, don’t worry.
  You will get it directly to your home address or perhaps you might need to fetch it at the local post office.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello. I imported a swiss army knife without any problem. no extra charges.
  But it is advisable to give them a call and confirm before importing these kind of stuff.

  The blog post : http://www.yashvin.net/2011/05/my-swiss-knife/

  Good luck!

• Evilchatter_yan

  Thanks for all the infos man ….. TOP

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  Defimedia gave an article about the subject recently:
  http://www.defimedia.info/defi-quotidien/dq-economie/item/9164-commerce-en-ligne-%E2%80%93-comment-se-calculent-les-frais-de-douane-?.html

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  We already said that on the blog

• Max

  Hi,

  I bought recently an IPA2 new generation and want to import it from US to Mauritius. right now my friend in US received the IPAD2. My questions:
  1) How should he send the item? Insurance etc?
  2) How much tax will I need to pay for it?
  3) how long will the shipping take?
  4) how long will the customs do their job with the item before I receive it?)))
  5) what permits and other shit I need to get to get my item?
  6) Is it safe to send device like this one to Mauritius? Is there a possibility that a customs officer might wanna keep my ipad2?

  thanx guys!

• jbr

  hi sorry to disturb you but i am new to ebay and i want to what should i do to buy articles on ebay.plz help me if possible

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  You probably need to read the article again.

  As for your 6th question, I don’t think that the customs officers are so much after ipads. There are so many better things out there.

  Cheers,
  Y.A

• I forgot my name eh.

  OMG >.< Biensure, govt envi ki locally produced goods vender plis.Ou bien ban magasin oci kapav vend zot ban products vue ki zot p buy bku electronic goods. Sa govt la li vive r nu kass apres li met la loi contre nous. VDM. NavinLand sa

• Stevenllc

  Mone fek acheter ene equipement sport second hand avec 1 dimoune USA usd 275. Seki mo compren mo pu bisin ene custom broker ek 1 import permit?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Weps!

• Stevenllc

  what customs broker in port louis do you recommend? need an import permit for 2nd hand sport equipment

• Yudishant911

  Anything for sport supplements ?? like protein powders etc..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  You should call the post office and inquire about the exact product you are trying to import.

• Stevenllc

  Yashvin, what agent do u recommend me? Send the name to my mail.

• RitZ

  For details of custom duty I think its this big 3mb doc: http://www.google.mu/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CGkQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.mu%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fmra%2Fdownload%2FIntegratedTariffs260608.pdf&ei=dV6lT4uhL6KR0AWuq5jtAw&usg=AFQjCNGnDwqchLs7qx_hB362BDvhwrN99w

  In it’s chapter 91 it says duty on watch 0%… so if am buying a Rs350 worth watch from ebay am not paying any duty right? Anyone can confirm?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  No duty on watch. I confirm since I called the customs a few days ago. And yes, if your item is below Rs1k, you are vat exempted.

• khush

  Hi,

  If I want to buy on ebay for
  less than Rs 1000 ,and to be shipped by post or courier, should I register
  myself at the MRA-Income Tax Department to obtain a Tax Account Number (even if
  I am not eligible to pay for income tax). Because I see at http://www.mra.mu ;” If you are a first time importer, you will be required to register
  yourself at the MRA-Income Tax Department to obtain your Tax Account
  Number (TAN). “

• han2fast

  i bought an htc. the device only cost around rs 21k (including shipping via DHL
  which was $65). and dhl clearance was Rs400. i paid full VAT which was around
  3400rs. so it cost me around rs 26k overall. the phone was new, with
  manufacturer seal. wat i liked abt dhl is tht u just sit at home and wait for
  their call. they will contact u to sign some documents via email abt the customs
  clearance, and the next day ur product will b delivered to ur given address; no
  need to go to post office or look for custom broker or watever , thts the
  biggest advantage of these shipping company like DHL, fedex or UPS..
  personnally, i dnt mind paying a few extraa bucks for the shipping. u get every
  detail abt ur product, abt the tracking, even on which flight it is coming. the
  seller had other shipping options as well, i think the one from USPS was around
  $50. tht extraa $15 worth it. i got my phone on the 6th day from my purchase
  (within one week, shipped from USA, Houston texas), and i had nothng to worry
  abt, just sit tight at home and wait for the delivery guy to knock at ur door ”

• RitZ

  Thanks for the confirmation. I got another question if I may. I won like 5 watches on auction (kan gagner gagne en gros -_-), all worth Rs580, now say all 5 of them arrive at the same time, does the number of similar items affect anything? Like raise suspicions at customs and apply tax? Also about the less than Rs1k worth thing, is that per transaction or per month or something? Like this month I did 3 Rs600 worth imports, will I be taxable as from the 2nd transaction?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  They might be suspicious about your activity.
  Are you trading those watches? I mean, you are importing for commercial purposes?
  Everything said in this post is applicable for personal imports only. I don’t know much for commercial purposes.

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• Fardeen27

  i want to buy a mobile on ebay and it will cost around rs15000 + shipping… should i issue a permit before ordering it??..
  what happens if i order it without any permit??
  and also can the application of the permit be done online??

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  @Fardeen27 : From what I heard, you dont need any permit for mobile phones. However, you might need a customs broker to clear it out of customs.

• Fardeen27

  around how much more will it cost me

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Absolutely no idea. I dont have updated prices. You need to find a customs broker.

• Fardeen27

  what if i ask a relative from abroad to send it as a gift??
  will i have to pay vat or customs broker???

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Customs guy might not be dumb but genuine gifts do exist

• Fardeen27

  any chance it works??????????

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  If you are lucky. You should inquire with the customs themselves.

• Fardeen27

  btw how much did you pay the customs broker for your nikon d5000??

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  euh, i forgot. You can check on the blog post itself

• Pingback: Price of watches in Mauritius | Yashvin, pages of my life

• n.bar

  Hi yashvin. I am planning to purchase some clothes (new) online (not ebay though). Just wondering if you have any idea if there is any extra charges apart from the 15% VAT? Thanks in advance

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello.
  There are no duty on clothes. However, as for any other item, you might be required to pay a postage storage fee ( Approx rs50-100) and of course, 15% vat as you said. (Applicable on items > Rs1000, chargeable on the cost of purchase – tax exemption on first Rs1000.

  Mathematically;
  Cost = Postage Storage Fee + ( 15% x (Price of item – Rs1000) )

  hehe

• n.bar

  Thanks Yashvin, thats very informative, will go and make my purchase now

• Stevenllc

  There are some good customs officers at the post office. Luckily one of them told me that he would declare my camera backpack as a leather bag so that I wont have to pay 30% duty.

  Et plitot gagne zafaire ar banne hommes douaniers ki banne femmes. Ar femmes tasser sa.

• http://www.bodybuildingbestsupplements.com/ bodybuilding supplements

  Thanks for informing.Can you tell the seller to make the item look as if it is new? How do
  they know if it is a refurbished/used one? Damn, I was planning to buy a
  refurbished item.Thanks a lot in advance………….

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  lol. I don’t think that you are trying to do something legal in here, and I dont want to be accused of anything because of that

• http://www.bodybuildingbestsupplements.com/ bodybuilding supplements

  i visit this side.so i thing .You should call the post office and inquire about the exact product you are trying to import.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  That’s the best thing to do. They can advise you accordingly, especially when it concerns this type of products.

• Parma

  I recently bought a samsung galaxy s3 through e-bay.After a week the product reached Customs for procedures in Mauritius.And I received a card to collect te parcel.But i was told I should bring a receipt or invoice for the purchase.So I presented the invoice & I was told that since the product costs $624 I have to pay 15% vat & have to find a custom broker to retreive the parcel since the product cost me more than Rs 10,000.I was told that the custom broker will take around Rs 2000.I contacted one & am receiving the product soon.It took me around two days to get the parcel.But it was just a bad experience anyway.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  i guess that if u had found this post earlier, you would have been better informed beforehand

• http://pramoduniverse.com/ Pramod

  Hello,
  Does the price not come up to the same as the one being sold in Mauritius with all the taxes and fees to the custom broker.

  And if possible can you also let me know which seller you bought the mobile from?

  Thanks!

• http://pramoduniverse.com/ Pramod

  I would like to know whether I can register myself as a custom broker!!! Pas ti pou mal non? ;P

• ND

  Hey yashvin,

  I have a question that’s a bit off topic.

  Have you ever used a freight forwarding service?

  Like you buy items from US stores(newegg for example) that ship only to us, you give them the address to the freight forwarding service, then you pay a fee + shipping fee to MU so that they send your package?

  Examples are myus, shipito, usa2me amongst others…

  Thanks

• Matt1204

  Hi friend.. Do we actually need any kind of permits or whatever(i mean for every types of goods: mobile phones,shoes,laptops etc..) before receiving your parcel via DHL?

• Jenesaisquoi

  What are the current prohibitions with regards to brining sex toys? I see some are banned. Does anyone know what is actually allowed?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Unfortunately no. I do not remember the name/type of prohibited sex toys. I think that you should go there directly or to remain ‘unseen’, just give them a phone call.

• Jenesaisquoi

  Ok, thanks for your help, do you recommend I contact the customs office? Or….?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  If you really want to import these things, they are the guys you need to advise you properly.

• newbie

  Hello base on your blog and advice 1 made my first buy on ebay from mauritius and i have one question .what postal code do you use? Shall i leave that blank or input 0000.Thanks

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello.

  You should read this post, with exactly what needs to be written

  link : http://www.yashvinblogs.com/postal-code-zip-mauritius/

• bird.dodo

  has anyone bought a laptop on ebay or something? what was the process to get it delivered here? bzn courtier as in the case of your camera?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  I know people who purchased laptops. Definitely, you will need a broker if the item exceeed Rs10k. However, once a friend got a good deal for a laptop (below Rs10k) and he cleared the item out of customs without any problems.

• Kavish Wildboy

  i dont know the postal code for …. Mauritius , and i dont know what to put on the city , State / Province / Region . Can anyone help me please

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  This page should help you : http://www.yashvinblogs.com/postal-code-zip-mauritius/
  

• http://www.facebook.com/munaib.rumjaun Munaib Rumjaun

  what if i order a pocket knife from ebay?:?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Yes you can. I did buy a swiss knife some time back : http://www.yashvin.net/2011/05/my-swiss-knife/

  However, just to make sure that laws/regulations have not changed, it is advisable to give a call to the customs office.

• Leena

  Hello, i know this is not exactly the right platform to ask this question because it’s not directly linked to ebay but i find nowhere else to ask this, so here goes: i bought small items from a seller on ebay and the seller has put a tracking number on the parcel. The item reached mauritius 2 months back.

  I live at Coromandel. I found it strange that i wasn’t notified or received the item 2 months later. I called the Central Post Office (EMS) and they told me they sent the parcel to the Beau-Bassin Post Office since August. I called Beau Bassin, they said they sent it to Coromandel post office long ago. And the Coromandel Post office does not have it… Quite a match of ping pong. So despite having a tracking number, the item got lost along this long chain. Anybody went through a similar problem? any advice?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  I’m so sorry that you are going through all this. This is definitely a problem with the local postal office.
  Can’t be of much help but I would advice you to call them again and again and ask to report the problem to a higher level. On a second note, you should contact the seller and tell him that you haven’t received the item yet. You are definitely not at fault neither the seller but in this case, you have no choice.

  To tell you the truth, for my first ebay purchase, I feared the same thing. Fortunately till now, I haven’t got any big problems. Just 2 parcels lost but I got either my money back or the parcel resent.

• dragon

  I had 2 items not received from coromandel post office. I did receive refund from my seller. But they said they posted and address was correct.
  I am not posting anything to coromandel now….
  Other addresses that I have used, I have received them all.

• akash

  Hi Yashwin, any updated info regarding import of sex toy?

• yan115

  I wanted to buy an airsoft gun.Anyone know if its legal to buy it or not in mauritius?

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2:MU
  Ki pou ferr ar sa?

• grim

  Late but A.H. always get me going… for future generation of A.H.

  Oh man! I used to be lactose intolerant,..
  (used too?)

  , and needed lactase (an enzyme)
  tablets to prevent the (very uncomforatble) effects of accidental
  ingestion of milk by-products hidden in almost every product

  (self medication? There’s no doctor in Mauritius? No substitue?? Wow!!!!)

  No
  pharmacy knew of lactase tablets, and this food supplement (as they call
  it abroad) was simply unknown by local regulations

  (You bet they call it food supplement. The US FDA do not even recognize lactase as really effective).

  So what if one has
  to import food supplements which are not found in the official list –
  does the pharmacian reject the thing and lets you feel the joys of acute
  diarrhea?
  (Go see a doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!A “Pharmacian” whatever he may be, is not a doctor)
  And what about those who wish to get some para-medical stuff
  (cosmetics, hair/skin serums from ultra-rare manufacturers and what not
  that only girls have expertise on…) that have the appearance of
  medicines?

  (have or have not, bears or does not bear any resemblance/appearance, is not the real concern but chemicals and health are the real concern. If we follow your logic I can import lsd because it only has the appearance of aspirin??)

  below there’s Tushal Oh my…

  So You guys thinks that someone in the US that want, let say “Pima rodrig”, that cost around Rs 100 (because we are nearly industrialized but not really out of third world etc) 1 liter will pay only $4 ??? may be $ 5? Stop being childish and naive

• Am

  hey my nexus 7 just arrived at customs and now i need an import permit as item is refurbished. Anyone knows of a customs broker for this permit thing?

• http://www.facebook.com/R.bhavish Bhavish MistySky

  This will be the first time I’m buying from ebay. What do i need to do to retrieve my item costing more than rs 10000? Will the custom broker do everything for me?

• Crisislord

  Awesome blog is amazing lots of useful info.

  BUt i have a question. Lets say i bought 4 object on ebay and i receive all of them on the same day. But they are all from different sellers.

  How do i pay the custom? Do they add up all the values and i pay tax off of this or pay tax on each item separatly?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Thank you.
  I can’ say for sure but it is logic that they calculate everything separately since they are different parcels.

• Crisislord

  YEa now that was quick. I am off to buy some stuff !!

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  

• Suhayl

  Hello, i appreciate your articles and is indeed helping me out.
  I have a question. I ordered a tablet pc online. The seller had already shipped it to Mauritius, but i havnt received yet. Will they charge me for this? and in how many days more will it takes to receive the product? it was shipped to mauri on 31th oct.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello.
  It all depends on the country where you purchased the tablet, the shipping method you used and also, the price you paid. We can perhaps help you if you provide these information.

• Suhayl

  I purchased it from China. and is coming by singapore post. it cost me at about Rs2800.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  From my experience, parcels from china take at least 2-3 weeks but since it has been sent using Singapore post, I can’t say if it will come faster.

• Crisislord

  guys what is best? smile card or bramer’s cards.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  I guess that nothing replaces a credit card.

• Crisislord

  which is best between these 2 above, i cannot get a credit card.

• Pingback: Major Technological Provisions in the Mauritius Budget 2012 — GeekScribes

• pravinsalaye

  postal code for mauritius:742CU001

• Pingback: [Post-budget 2013] – Buying on eBay from Mauritius (Nov 2012) | Yashvin, pages of my life

• http://www.facebook.com/mohhh16 Mohseena Pawtoo

  Great Blog! Keep going!

  Can u plz tell me if there is any fee applicable on shoes bought for less than Rs.1000?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  I don’t think that there’s any duty on shoes but you should call the tariff unit to confirm.
  Now, you won’t be paying VAT because the the amount is less that Rs1000. So the only fee you might pay is the postage fee.

• http://profiles.google.com/akashsky Akash Gura Goredo

  Hey ignorant fucktard grammar-cum-punctuation-cum-chronoligcally impaired human being, thanks for having taken so much time and grammatical and punctuation errors to give such a profusely absurd reply to my rant.

  1 – “(used too?)”
  Abé alor?? Yes, some years ago, I used to (not too) be lactose intolerant – even a biscuit with traces of milk would upset my digestive system, but now I can tolerate a glass of milk – why does this surprise you? Why is it that your tone suggests that some fundamental scientific law may have been violated in the process??

  2 -”self medication? There’s no doctor in Mauritius? No substitue?? Wow!!!!”
  Abé alor?? Ki pou éna sinon? What’s your bloody problem when not one but two local doctors themselves (like you? Hope not, else I’d ensure that no-one consults an uncouth heartless bitch like you) told me that lactase is not available in Dodoland? No, madam, there was no ‘subtitue’; If you were selling them, I’d come to you, but you seem to be more at ease riling at my health condition than to offer a solution…

  3 -”(Go see a doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!A “Pharmacian” whatever he may be, is not a doctor)”
  I did, ma’am, I did. I reply same as above.

  4 – “(have or have not, bears or does not bear any resemblance/appearance, is not the real concern but chemicals and health are the real concern. If we follow your logic I can import lsd because it only has the appearance of aspirin??)
  Ah, you have LSD? You mind sharing some? With Gro Derek, I meant… Who the bloody hell told you that I wanted LSD??? My simple (but you’re blinded by your destructive sarcasm since the beginning) question was: what happens when you import para-medical stuff that are packaged to resemble medicines, like the special cosmetological things that are marketed as luxury items, especially for affluent females. Get yourself a dictionary if you cannot understand this kind of proper English, but please don’t put words I did not intend in my mouth.

  5 – “below there’s Tushal Oh my… So You guys thinks that someone in the US that want, let say “Pima rodrig”, that cost around Rs 100 (because we are nearly industrialized but not really out of third world etc) 1 liter will pay only $4 ??? may be $ 5? Stop being childish and naive”
  So what? Why not? Well, I got a USB-powered LED light for my keyboard from obostore.com for just 2 (TWO) USD and free shipping, what’s your problem with low-cost bargains? Since when it was wrong to have bargains? If you are angry about it, you are free to go and shut down e-bay and the like, but please, keep your value judgments to yourself…

  So, your obscene and destructive sarcasm and half-attempted pseudo-intellectual irony mixed with the approximately good ingliss makes you an adult and non-naive “super-intelligenter” than us…? Bravo! I, the puny little human non-being that you despise so much, hereby allow you to be “super-intelligenter” than the whole world, now you can go and tell everyone and have an orgasm about it.

• pprav05

  Hi, I’ve bought a pair of wing mirrors for my car from Great Britain.. It cost me around MUR 6500.. I have received a kind of ‘green card’ yesterday from the parcel post office.. I guess there will not be any need for a broker, right? I just have to pay for the 15% tax..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Yeah, only the VAT as of Rs(15% of (6500-1000)) + some postal fee of Rs50-100.
  I just hope that there’s no duty of these car products.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Hello all!

  For those who haven’t come across the new post concerning measures announced in Budget 2013, directly related to your online purchases, please read this new article : http://www.yashvinblogs.com/ebay-mauritius-3/

  To sum up, No customs broker needed for purchases below Rs30,000 and new limits for duty/vat.

• http://pramoduniverse.com/ Pramod

  Ene ti question, if I buy a mobile that is sent to be via FedEx, do I still need that ICTA permit?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Don’t know but it might be that FedEx takes care of everything. I think that I will try to call FedEx or DHL to get more information.

• http://pramoduniverse.com/ Pramod

  Cool thanks… do lemme know! ^^

• anujpunk

  Smile

• http://www.facebook.com/Prince.PrAv Ashvin Gaupol

  yahoo!!!! I finally collected my wing mirrors yesterday but I had to pay a total Rs 578 to get them. Well I’m satisfied..

• Vicky

  hey nd wat abt the shipping cost ?

  6500 was including the shipping or free shipping …..pls let me know as am planning to buy a point nd shoot cam frm ebay..:)

• Sky

  I am importing a guitar From usa to india which costs about $335
  How much custom duty fee will i have to pay??
  Can u give me a rough total?

  Thanks
  Sky

• http://www.facebook.com/kenny.ahchion Kenny Ah-chion

  hey i have got a question, hope you can help. Well if somebody is send me a mobile phone as a gift, i know i will have to pay 15% tax, but what if i don’t have a receipt and also will the item be delivered to my local post office or will i still have to pick up at P.Louis??

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  They are quite cautious with the ‘gift’ marked items. You will have to go to the central parcel office and there, the custom officers will see if it is a genuine gift. In case they find it a non-gift, they will evaluate the mobile by themselves.

• faxity

  is a pocket knife legal to order?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Totally yes.

• UrCrush

  Kiken confirm moi ki ban sex toy capV faire importer mais saki legal ?Please reply ASAP

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Try calling the customs for exact details.

• Shaan

  A week ago, I have purchased an ipod (used) for USD 90. should i get a broker to apply for a permit for me?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Wait for the letter calling you to the customs first.

• James

  Whenever you are ensure, do give a call to the customs office to inquire. The phone numbers are available on this page itself.

  Correction: Whenever you are UNSURE, do give a call to the customs office to inquire. The phone numbers are available on this page itself.

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  lol. Merci James

• ilyaasa1

  i can’t buy anything,

  it says:One or more of the items below cannot be purchased because the seller has not specified shipping costs to the location selected

• mamet

  hi, i want to know if i can buy indian dvd movies online for personal use, is there any restrictions or do i need to consult Board of Censor .I am buying for personal use not to re-sell.

• http://www.facebook.com/yasine1912239 Yaasine Abdool Auckbarally

  what do we need to do to become a customs broker ??

• mamet

  hi, can we buy used items on amazon or all imported goods to mauritius for personal use must be new.

• Shu bhum

  Hello, i want to buy a music controller online and it s costing me Rs 27000, i want to know how much actually must pay in all??? (tax and others) and people have told me taht i may get problem with “la douane” or whatever.. I just want to coinfirm wether i can buy this without getiing any problem?? and how much will it cost me?? Thanks in advance, am waiting for ur reply..

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  As stated in the different articles, for this amount, you will be paying only VAT. No problems with electronic devices. Be careful, if your total goes more than 30k with the shipping included, you might need a customs broker.

  Don’t be bias by listening to all kind of people. Information obtained on this blog is trustful, ask anyone

  Cheers!

• http://www.facebook.com/navin.gopaul Navin Gopaul

  “Easy to undervalue product using the Paypal “receipt.” ”
  how?

• http://twitter.com/PromoCodeName PromoCodeName

  tiewww

• IRS

  Hello dear well if i didn’t receive my parcel can i phone the post office???

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  Only if you have a tracking number. Even then, they won’t be of much help.

• Clark kent

  Hello, please i would like to know if a plastic toy knife is also prohibited?

• http://www.yashvinblogs.com Yashvin Awootar

  No. You can import it without problem. I personally purchased a real swiss knife. Only guns or similar items are prohibited.