Please help me send a small parcel to Ukraine? - Russian Ukrainian Belarus Travel Music Woman Dating News

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Please help me send a small parcel to Ukraine?
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Posted by: jlyandco

Will someone please help me by "showing me the ropes" in sending a small parcel to Ukraine?

I have a small parcel containing a few items not prohibited by Ukraine customs (sweater, photo and frame, etc.), and I am ready to send it to my Beloved through the Agency I'm communicating through at present. (Wish I would have known about the "no jewelry" rule before I bought her necklace... unless anyone knows how I can do this, I guess I'll just have to give it to her in person in the Spring when I am finally able to visit her in person!)

It seems that the best way is through the U.S. Postal Service. However, what I'm having issues with is the costs on the "other side" (Ukrainian duty, customs, taxes, etc.). I cannot seem to find a definitive answer anywhere... I've even contacted freight forwarding companies, as well as the Ukrainian government -- all to no avail. Either no return calls, or messages that say "we don't do that, nor do we know any one else that does".

Rather disheartening... :-(

I simply want to send my parcel to my Beloved, so that she will not have to pay for anything.

Can anyone help me with this? It would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

Kind regards,
Jeff

Posted by: Chrismc

Jeff

I have sent many parcels to Ukraine from the UK and never has the recipient been charged any taxes or import duties. I always put on a Customs Declaration sticker on at my end, label it as a gift with low value and voila!! never a problem. Shouldn't be much different doing the same from the US.

Chris

PS I also pay extra for it to be signed for by the recipient.

Posted by: joelunchbox

Someone in another post made a suggestion to put some chocolate in the package for the inspector, just in case. thought that was cute.

Posted by: markgm

I have sent around 30 parcels to Ukraine in the last 18 months if i put a value on the parcels then sometimes they get charged at the post office. I usually put down value of goods$5.00 - $10.00 sometimes they ask for $15UAH in tax other times nothing.
One parcel i put down value $20 and gift they were charged $30UAH Grivnea to get parcel.

Posted by: so cal rick

hello, there is a tax if value exceeds certain amount......i believe it is approx. $150 If you are below that no sweat.

also declare lesser value, say $35 or such.

I have never had problem in having packages received. guess the Russians are a honest lot, un like the Mexicans, I have never had report of pilfrige.

from USA it typically takes about 12 days using airmail....if it goes by boat it takes much longer.

I even sent phrobited item "Batteries" once and it all arrived fine. (not supposed to send battries by airmail)

However once you drop it off, it is always a crap shoot, package could get snached from our side or theirs.

Rest easy lad, send package, value it at $40 and WAIT

good luck

So Cal rick

Posted by: jlyandco

This would be fabulous!!! I've been stumped with how to determine what these charges would be. This makes perfect sense! I'll make sure that the total value of my parcel does not exceed the value limit... and let you all know how it goes!!!

Posted by: markgm

Quote:

Originally Posted by so cal rick

hello, there is a tax if value exceeds certain amount......i believe it is approx. $150 If you are below that no sweat.

also declare lesser value, say $35 or such.

I have never had problem in having packages received. guess the Russians are a honest lot, un like the Mexicans, I have never had report of pilfrige.

from USA it typically takes about 12 days using airmail....if it goes by boat it takes much longer.

I even sent phrobited item "Batteries" once and it all arrived fine. (not supposed to send battries by airmail)

However once you drop it off, it is always a crap shoot, package could get snached from our side or theirs.

Rest easy lad, send package, value it at $40 and WAIT

good luck

So Cal rick

Might be to Russia but Ukraine it is different if you put $150.00 value on the parcel she will end up most probably having to pay 20% of the value of goods sometimes you can get it through as a gift but most times not.

Posted by: jlyandco

Argh!!! This is SO confusing!!! :-( With this new U.S. law -- IMBRA (International Marriage Brokers Regulation Act of 2005) -- it has become a MAJOR challenge to pursue a relationship with a FSR woman. To send my parcel to my beloved Yuliya, I have to go through an Agency for the time being... until I can visit her in the Spring.

Even with this limitation, it would be SO nice to simply know a set amount... a gift of less than $100 is no charge, 10% if value is between $100 - $1000, etc.

'Scuse my rant... I'll get back in my cage!!! :-)

FYI: I've sent messages to both the Ukrainian Consulate in San Francisco (for clarification), and the Agency (in Luhansk) asking them for their assistance.

Incidently, the Agency (though not a member) has a satisfacory history with the Better Business Bureau... no complaints have been filed against them within the previous 36 months. This was a major factor in choosing a trustworthy Agency and, so far, they have been wonderful to work with since I started with them a little over four months ago.

Okay, more info than anyone probably wanted! ;-)

I'll let y'all know what I find out...

Carpe diem!!!

Posted by: markgm

The duty is 20% as i stated above sometimes you can get away without paying other times they hit you for it if them deem it to be a valuable gift does not matter if its $10.00 the duty is 20%. If it is Jewelery then the tax is 100%. I have sent many gifts to my partner and daughter that live there sometimes we pay sometimes not i find that if it is a gift and i put value of $10 or $5 we do not pay but if i put $20 + then we pay.

Try here might take you a day or so to navigate site but should be here somewhere.

http://www.sta.gov.ua/english/page.php3?r=4&id=q8

Posted by: markgm

It virtually says that anything up to 100kg and 1000 euro attracts a 20% tax rate after this it is higher.

The Supreme Rada of Ukraine simplified the declaring system of goods importing to Ukraine and established the single rate of import duty at size of 20% (earlier the rate was 30%). The Law of Ukraine “On the procedure for import (sending) to Ukraine, customs clearance and taxation of personal assets, goods and transportation means importing (sending) by citizens on the customs territory of Ukraine” adopted by the Parliament on September 13 specifies particularities. The Law provides that goods directly imported by citizens in an accompanied baggage by any kinds of transportation means on the customs territory of Ukraine and sent in no accompanied baggage or as international mail those sum customs charge doesn’t exceed 1 thousand euro and total weight shall not exceed 100 kg are the subject to written declaring by a customs body in the order provided for citizens and are imposed import duty upon at the rate of 20% of customs value, value added taxed and in established by the legislation cases they are imposed an excise duty and other duties upon.
A new edition of the law also provides that personal assets directly imported by citizens in accompanied baggage by any transportation means on the customs territory of Ukraine or sent in no accompanied baggage are not the subject to taxation. So, the mentioned order (procedure) spreads also on import personal assets by diplomatic service employees and other state officials being in official journey abroad to Ukraine.

One more amendment containing in the edition of the law is the exemption of agricultural products received by citizens-residents as natural payment for performed work in CIS countries Ukraine signed agreements on free trade from taxation.

Besides according to the law fruit and vegetable products grown by citizens- residents at own land plots of states being contiguous with Ukraine are exempted from taxation under the stipulation of affirming the amount of grown products by references of local public authorities, the ownership right on such plots, submitting the certificate of conformance or documentary evidence of standard pattern about recognizing the certificate.

Prepared by the Mass Explanatory Work Central Department
of the State Tax Administration of Ukraine under
the materials of the Information agency UNIAN.

Posted by: jlyandco

Thanks, Mark... I greatly appreciate this info! I see what you mean by it taking awhile to find what I'm looking for, but it looks like a good place to "dig"!

Can you tell me how you pay for the duty fees?

I really would rather pay these myself right up front, as I'd rather not burden my Sweetie, and I'm sensing some hesitation from the Agency -- who has to "broker" my communications, courtesy of IMBRA -- to accept parcels that have a potential tax liability.

Thank you SO much for enlightening me... it is greatly appreciated!!!

Kind regards,
Jeff

Posted by: markgm

Unfortunately you cant pay them up front they make the receiver pay for them at the other end i send money over to my girls everymonth and a little extra so that they can pay for the duties when hit with them.
I just put value $5 or $10 dollars on parcel and they usually get through without any taxes but we do get hit by them everynow and again and some parcels go astray not many but some have.
If you can somehow get your girl away from the agency.

Posted by: Spakoyna

Quote:

Originally Posted by so cal rick

We had to send my wife's local passport to her mother in Russia. We wanted to be safe so we sent it Gloabal Express Gauranteed(actually Fed-ex). Came with an automatic $100 insurance. We declared the package as documents with $100 insurance. We were taxed $35! What a bunch of crap. Now we just send Registered airmail or global express with a declared value of 0. Many packages and no problems so far this way!

Posted by: waiting123

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spakoyna

I use DHL, just write Documents on the receipt with no value. I have not yet been taxed on mailing to my wife.

I have sent her 8 or 9 DHL's... even if it has insurance you declare 0 value, it is documents

Posted by: jlyandco

What I wouldn't give to be able to simply be able to communicate directly with my Lady!

Unfortunately, with this IMBRA law, legitimate Agencies are afraid of repercussions from the U.S. Government, and the illegitimate ones don't care. Its the old analogy, "locks simply keep honest people honest..." at work. (In case you've never heard this before, the rest of it is, "...if a thief truly wants in, they will find a way!")

Another wonderful example of a bad law that is "a ton of prevention for a dram of cure". :-(

Posted by: Chrismc

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlyandco

What I wouldn't give to be able to simply be able to communicate directly with my Lady!

Unfortunately, with this IMBRA law, legitimate Agencies are afraid of repercussions from the U.S. Government, and the illegitimate ones don't care. Its the old analogy, "locks simply keep honest people honest..." at work. (In case you've never heard this before, the rest of it is, "...if a thief truly wants in, they will find a way!")

Another wonderful example of a bad law that is "a ton of prevention for a dram of cure". :-(

Jeff

Under the new IMBRA law, it states "Marriage brokers are required to conduct background searches on their clients" have they done this on you?

If they have why can you not communicate directly with her?? sorry I don't know much about this law, but are agencies now applying it in the US? or is this agency using this law as a way of preventing you from communicating directly therefore bumping up their fees?

It is much harder if all your communications have to go through a third party all the time!! I know I have done it, but I would never do it again! you need to be able to communicate with each other directly in my view.

Anyway back to your question, as I stated above I have sent lots of parcels to Ukraine, labelled them as a 'gift' and put a nominal value on them and never yet has the recipient been charged any fees! I have sent all sorts of things and it has always worked OK. However I would be a bit cautious about sending things via an agency first!

Chris

Posted by: jlyandco

Unfortunately, it seems that there is a great deal of confusion about what a "background search" consists of...

I've done many of them, especially back when I was in law enforcement, and it's a pretty straightforward process.

With this law, it appears that many folks -- not simply this Agency -- are trying to get a handle on how to move forward and provide services in a legal way, and decent Agencies, in an ethical way.

I've been assured by the Agency that my parcel, as long as it is under $200 USD in value, it will be considered tax-free and should have no problems.

I was curious: have you sent any jewelry to Ukraine? I purchased a modest pendant for my Lady (valued at ~ $100. USD) and had intended to give it to her for her birthday. However, due to some unforseen and unavoidable challenges, I have been forced to postpone my travels until later, possibly as late as the Spring. :-(

There's no way it could reach her by her birthday, but it could still be a wonderful surprise! ;-)

Thanks for your assistance... it's because of you -- and everyone here like you -- that makes this site an invaluable resource!

(P.S. Thanks especially to Khashyar and Lena for their vision and passion!!!)

Posted by: Chrismc

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlyandco

I've been assured by the Agency that my parcel, as long as it is under $200 USD in value, it will be considered tax-free and should have no problems.

I was curious: have you sent any jewelry to Ukraine? I purchased a modest pendant for my Lady (valued at ~ $100. USD) and had intended to give it to her for her birthday. However, due to some unforseen and unavoidable challenges, I have been forced to postpone my travels until later, possibly as late as the Spring. :-(

There's no way it could reach her by her birthday, but it could still be a wonderful surprise! ;-)

Thanks for your assistance... it's because of you -- and everyone here like you -- that makes this site an invaluable resource!

(P.S. Thanks especially to Khashyar and Lena for their vision and passion!!!)

Jeff

If they confirm under $200 is tax free then that should be OK. That has certainly been my experience.

I have never sent jewellery but I did send a bank card once, I wrapped it up in something else and sent it and had no problems. I have sent many other things too and never had a problem, apart from the odd package going missing, but luckily that was in the early days before I used to get a signature at the other end and fortunately was only for chocolates etc.

Jeff...do you know anyone in the UK? why not send it here first and then get the person here to send it on to Ukraine, does that get round any problems??? of course it would be better if you had her personal address to send it direct to!

Just a thought!
Chris

Posted by: Spakoyna

Quote:

Originally Posted by waiting123

Yeah! We learned that lesson the hard way! So far we have been very lucky! Have sent many packages by expressmail and simply registerd airmail with no problems yet!(knock on wood) I gave this example because the tax rate was about 1/3 of the value of the package! (Russia)

Posted by: That1Guy

I have not sent anything to Ukraine, but I have sent many things to Siberia (jewelry, documents, CDs, bank card, etc). I have used USPS Global Express, USPS Registered Mail, and FedEx. In my opinion, USPS Global Express is the way to go. I have not had one package "lost", but both FedEx and Registered Mail took much longer than Global Express. Also, normally FedEx is much more expensive (except once when they did not meet their promised delivery date, and refunded my money).

For what it's worth...

Posted by: jlyandco

Well, I know from previous experience that the commercial carriers (e.g., FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.) are extremely expensive and provide no real difference in the level of service offered by USPS.

I went to the Post Office, where the clerk said that the only expedited service available was Global Airmail Letter Post, and that there was no tracking, signature or delivery confirmation service available in the Ukraine.

Flying on faith, I sent my 2 lb, 12 oz parcel (containing warm clothing, a tasteful window decoration, and a card) and am waiting to hear from the Agency (who has to broker my delivery, courtesy of our new IMBRA law) or my Lady if/when my parcel is received.

I've tried to contact the Ukrainian Customs Department to see what options may be available for sending a modest gift of jewelry, such as a pendant or earrings -- none of exceptional expense -- with a combined value of far less than the $ 200. ceiling that I heard mention somewhere.

According to the Customs information provided by both the U.S. and Ukrainian governments, they simply say "no jewelry"... with no elaboration.

The price of a round-trip plane ticket, along with funds for a week's accommodations and activities (even modestly priced!), are not in my present budget. At present, mid-April 2007 seems quite possible... but, right now, seems like an eternity! :-(

It would be nice to be able to send these small tokens of affection to my Lady but, at present, it does not seem possible unless I take them myself.

I considered sending them discreetly, but would hate to lose them in Customs or -- FAR worse -- that my Lady (or the Agency) could somehow get in trouble for simply receiving my gift.

I'll post what happens to my parcel here, but if anyone has any first-hand experience sending such a gift from the U.S. to Ukraine this year... I would GREATLY appreciate your "two cents"!

This is an awesome community that we have here... you all rock!!!!

Posted by: JoneWad

I have sent three packages to Sevastopol, Ukraine. All sent by U.S. Postal Service either Registered Mail or Insured Mail. All arrived in about twelve days from Florida. If your package is over 4 lbs it can not be sent Registered Mail but can be sent Insured mail. Do not send any food stuffs, liquids or flamables. I put both the English version and Russian version of the addresss on the outside and inside of the package.(google "Russian Translation Online" and you will find several sites that translate English to Russian). YOU MUST tape over all open edges even if they are already taped or glued down.YOU MUST use a special re-inforced paper tape that can be bought at Office Depot so that the postal clerk can round date the edges of the paper tape. This is to show if the package has been tampered with once mailed. This is why plastic tape or shiney tape can not be used because the ink will not adhere to the tape.

You will need to fill out a PS form 2976-A, also known as a Customs Declaration and Dispatch Note which you can pick up at the Post Office beforehand. You will be required to fill out your address and the recipent's address (and phone number if known). You must also declare what is in the package, how many of each item and the weight of each item (estimated) and also the value. Personally anytime I have sent jewelry or small amounts of money I have not declared it and it has always arrived safely. Try to keep the descriptions as mundane as possible so as not to arouse anyone's curisoty and keep the total value under $100 even if you have to fudge the numbers. You can go to WWW.USPS.COM and download the rules and regulatios on mailing items to Ukraine if you have any questions

Posted by: jlyandco

Fabulous insight, Jon!!!

Although I did not send my parcel as "Insured", it is insured for $100. -- more than the value of it's contents. Perhaps next time..

I did use the "shiny" packaging tape, ensuring that every seam was sealed. The Postal Clerk said that everything looked fine. Maybe I'll get some paper tape for next time...

I did not address the parcel in both languages... I wondered about that, but wasn't sure how the USPS would deal with it and a Ukrainian governmental commerce site said that it would be okay. I have a couple of decent online language translation sites (I think that they're okay, based on previous experience with them... back before IMBRA and when I was writing to other women.). Again, maybe on my next parcel...

I did use the 2976-A form, so that was good... I'll "push the envelope" with my jewelry gifts later, once I know that my parcels are arriving without incident.

Thanks SO much... I'll keep it all in mind, as I evaluate how well my shipments are going, and share my results as I go!!!

Posted by: That1Guy

When I sent jewelry, (Global Express) I packed it with some other items (CD, clothing, etc.) and simply "forgot" to mention the jewelry on the customs form. So, declared value was very low (20 bucks maybe). As I mentioned earlier, I have not had any lost packages, and these were no exception.

Guy

Posted by: jlyandco

Thanks, Guy... it sounds like the consensus is that, if I just fly under the Customs radar, all should be well.

Still waiting to receive confirmation on the delivery on my initial package. After this succcessful delivery -- and one more, using the suggested "two language, paper tape" method -- I'll take a chance with the jewelry.

ANY other suggestions regarding "packaging", and helping it appear "nondescript" to that it does not raise any notice or concern from Customs officials, would be greatly appreciated.

How wonderful! At this rate, I should be able to send the gift that I originally purchased for my Lady just in time for the holidays!!! ;-)

(Gee! It sure would be nice if we could simply do things with integrity... so that we wouldn't have to "sneak" around to simply honor those whom we care about! Perhaps one day...)

Posted by: That1Guy

No problem jlyandco,

As far as packaging goes, I sent lots of documents - these were in 8-1/2" x 11" white envelopes, that were then placed in the Global Express envelope. The other items were shipped in a Global Express box. I never printed the address (in Siberia) in Cryllic - only in English. Although you can track packages online with USPS, once they leave the U.S. they were always delivered before this information was displayed at the website.

I checked around as you are before I sent anything of any value, and learned that many others have used the same technique with good success. At first I was concerned, but after a few successful deliveries, I worried a lot less. I agree, that it's too bad we can't just do this above the board because although it is against the rules, I think from a moral or ethical standpoint, (no one is being hurt by it) it should be ok to send a gift.

Guy

Posted by: jlyandco

To date, I've successfully sent two parcels to Luhansk: brown cardboard box... clear shipping tape... English only addresses... all contents listed as "gifts", with a combined valued of less than $200. USD.

Shipped second parcel USPS/Global Express Mail... which took 7 days, but I was unable to confirm exact delivery/confirmation details with the receiving lady (another story...). First parcel was sent Air Parcel Post (which, again, I could not confirm when it was received), but I believe that it was about four weeks.

I sent another parcel to Simferopol via Global Express Mail, and it is in transit as this moment. We'll see how this shipment goes, but I'm not expecting any surprises.

Thanks again to everyone for your input! It has been very helpful!

Kind regards, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!!!
- Jeff

Posted by: jlyandco

Hi Folks,

Just an FYI...

My parcel, sent to Simferopol from Colorado via USPS Global Express Mail, took 13 days from the time I dropped it off at the Post Office until it was delivered into my Lady's hands.

I thought that, given the time of year (immediately before Christmas), that this was quite reasonable!

As I shared: I just wanted to pass this along!

Kind regards and, again, Merry Christmas to you all!

Jeff