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Hello All,
I was vacationing on St. John last February and have decided to make the move to St. Thomas this November. I was wondering if there were any other eBayers out there making a living on the island selling part-time or full-time? If so, what shipping company do you use to get your supplier's merchandise to you and how much do you pay for customs, duties & taxes on imported merchandise? I know many of us work at a low margain and was wondering if anyone esle has made the move from the lower 48 US to the USVI and how much it has taken off your bottom line. I have been running a home-based apparel company for about 2 years and would hate to let it go while on the island, even if I must scale down becuase losing that income would hurt. I use USPS to get my customers the goods - which works out great from the island, but the biggest question I am having is about importing heavy boxes 50-70lbs. Any opinions? Suggestions? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Jon
Posted : July 26, 2005 11:08 pm
USPS is basically the same here since there is a US zip code, so shipping from STT is no different than FL...BUT, it is considered International with FedEx, UPS and so on. Now, do a few searches and you can find out most anything!
Good Luck
Posted : July 27, 2005 1:02 am
Topic starter
Thanks for the quick response Yesterdaze. I understand shipping from the island inland (to the lower 48 US), but was specifically concerned with importing items to the island and the duties/taxes. I searched the boards and could not find anything. Any help?
Posted : July 27, 2005 2:00 am
If the incomming shipment weighs less than 70 lbs and has a value of less than $1,000 per shipment it can come in by the postal service, no problems. Yous just have to decide if you want to have it sent by Priority Mail (leass than one week for delivery) or standaard parcel post ( three - six weeks). You probably have the same requirement to pay taxes on purchases as you do stateside when you buy something mailorder from another state now. We all self report our out of state purchases when we pay our state income taxes, right?.
If the incoming shipment is heavier or bulkier than the post office will handle then you will probably need to use a freight consolidator such as Econocaribe Consolidators. They can arrange shipments from several major US mainland cities to the USVI. Check out their web site. Cost will be approximately $0.50 per cubic foot, plus taxes, fees, duties, etc. Documentation requirements fairly rigourous. I have had good luck using them. My total cost for shipping, and all fees, for a small desk, chair and generator was $280 from Chicago to my fron door on STX.
The next step up is a container load if you have a full shipping container of stuff. Less per cubic foot, but still have all the other costs and paperwork.
All shipments sent by the USPS back to the mainland US will require that you complete a customs declaration form.
Jim
Posted : July 27, 2005 2:30 pm
