This is a little bit about that '4-letter word' that only has 3 letters.
Of the hundreds of packages we receive each month from the USA and other countries, on average, every other month, there is a taxable item. That is to say, they are few and far between.
In Ecuador if you are shipping an item that is valued at $400 or is 2 kilos (8.8 lb) or more, that item is going to be taxable in almost all cases.
This is the reason that we want to identify in advance an item that is going to be taxed and we ask you for the paid invoice for the item. We send that paid invoice to the Customs Office in Guayaquil, and they issue what is called a Liquidacion, which itemizes the tax.
The tax and Customs Clearance Fee need to be paid within 36 hours of their issuance of the tax documentation, and for us that means immediately, so that we can avoid expensive late fees, and so that we can get release of your item.
We send to you an invoice showing the tax due, along with the Customs Clearance Fee and and we attach the documentation. This invoice needs to be paid by you same day that we send you the invoice by payment into one of our four bank accounts that we have for the convenience of our customers.
Anytime documentation is going to be issued by Customs there is going to be red tape and delays. For this reason you can be confident that it will take longer for your item to be released from Customs. We don't have control of their processing of the documentation, and we don't know why it takes as long as it does. Please take this into consideration when you are shipping expensive items, or items that are heavy.
The amount of tax will vary based on the value of the item and other factors, because the Customs tax laws in Ecuador are complex. Please do not hesitate to let us know in advance if you are planning to have us ship something valuable or heavy, and we will be able to give you an general estimate of the tax on the item in about 24 hours.
A quick newsflash...
You may already know that Violetta, the girlfriend of our pigeon mascot has been on a mission of transporting important secret documentation. We are sorry to have to inform you that she's been the victim of an assasination attempt by an attacker pigeon. (Picture of attacker pigeon is below.) Fortunately, Violetta escaped safely thanks to our mascot, Victor, who came to the rescue. It was a close call but all is well. This is a picture of the attacker; below the picture you can hear Victor's courageous song to Violetta.
To keep your finger on the pulse of what is happening in the adventurous world of our carrier pigeon, as well as other USA Valet important information, please REGISTER.