I decided to make a blog post about my experience on TesterKorea and all the difficulties that I've been through because of delays and customs examination! Maybe this post may help you if you are planning to purchase anything in TesterKorea, or any online store/sites internationally.
(Please take note that it depends on your country, okay?)
(Please take note that it depends on your country, okay?)
First of all, I am from Philippines. If you live in the same country as mine, you would probably think of one thing when it comes to buying anything on international shops or sites. and it is 'CUSTOMS TAX'. But before I tell what happened to my parcel, let's go to the first thing that happened.
So during TesterKorea's december sale, I decided to order from them, I was so unsure if I will really try it or not but deep inside my heart I know that I waaaaaaant it! (I can't resist cosmetics!) but kidding aside, I just wanted to try TesterKorea, because the prices of their products were good, and during the time that I purchased in TesterKorea it was 30% sale, but now, they offer 30% to all members. & ofcourse a gift for myself (Yes, I didn't recieved any gifts from anyone so I choose to give myself gifts. Lol sounds like a tongue twister :P) And another factor that I considered is that, I didn't had any problem on the previous parcels that I recieved, like for example Memebox & Benton for sending me products and samples. (THANK YOU MR.LEE!) So by that, I decided with all my heart to take the risk. (YES THE RISK OF BUYING ONLINE WHEN YOU'RE IN PHILIPPINES)
So, after I decided to finalize my orders and everything, TesterKorea sent me an email that shows the summary of everything that I purchased and the total of my orders. I made sure that I won't be spending too much more than $25 because for sure, customs will tax my parcel an unreasonable tax that you didn't even know where did they get that.
The prices of their products are in WON.
So you can see here that I placed my order on December 30, 2014, and it was on standby for a long time! I am so impatient because I know 1 week is already long, plus TesterKorea doesn't work on Saturdays & Sundays. It was a big disappointment to me because it was my first time, and my experience was really not that good. I kept on messaging TesterKorea on their Facebook page, and they will reply late. They said that it will take more time than the usual because of their Goodbye 2014 Sale. But it was more than 2 weeks.. and I was really getting so disappointed that I sent complaints on TesterKorea, and they promised to ship my parcel via EMS as a compensation.
It was shipped on January 23, 2015. THE AGONY OF WAITING. I am so disappointed, and I still have to wait for it until it gets safely to our local post office. I really don't have an idea why TesterKorea gave me a two different tracking number, the first one was shipped on January 19, 2015, but when I checked my account again, the tracking number was changed, and I checked & tracked the first tracking number that they placed on my account, it's status is still in Posting/Collection in short it's not moving at all. But upon checking the second tracking number it's status has already 'DEPARTURE FROM OUTWARD OFFICE OF EXCHANGE' and I asked TesterKorea what happened and why did they gave a different tracking number, but they said to me that there is no problem on my parcel. BUT another thing that disappointed me was, TesterKorea forgot to ship my parcel via EMS. My parcel ended up being shipped via Registered Air Mail.
I. AM. SO. DISAPPOINTED. They promised to ship my parcel via EMS but they ended up forgetting it! They just gave me 5,530won as a refund and sent it on the wallet of my account in TesterKorea (but I don't know if I will purchase again in TesterKorea because of this experience.)
Your patience will really be tested when it comes to situations like this, waiting for your parcel to arrive at your country.
I was so happy when I tracked my parcel and saw that it's already in the Philippines and I prayed hard that it will be soon forwarded to the Post Office, but as I waited for more days....
NOW THE HORROR BEGINS.
IT WAS HANDED OVER TO CUSTOMS!!!!!!
I swear I panicked and I don't know what do, I asked different people, and tried to contact the numbers that was in the website of Customs but it was not working, & I also emailed them. I wasted a lot of prepaid load calling to different contact number that will not give you any response! Mind you, it was my very first experience that my parcel was handed over to customs. I've been hearing a lot of negative feedbacks about customs placing an unreasonable tax on your parcel and sometimes they even steal some of the things inside your parcel. I really made it to the point that I would not exceed to $25 cost of purchase, but I am really confused why was my parcel in customs for examination.
I've been waiting for a status update for almost 1 month and I'm already losing hope if I will ever get it, or without paying too much tax like I don't even know where it came from. Everytime I go to the tracking websites and track my parcel, without getting any update is so much pain like I don't even know where the heck is my parcel!!!! (It sounds like I'm overreacting but if you have been buying internationally I'm sure you can relate on me.)
THANKED GOD! After almost 1 month I recieved a status from Korea Post, it seems that the status of my parcel in Philpost is not showing any signs of update so I immediately emailed them, and they informed me that it will be forwarded on Monday. March 2, 2015.
So, I went to the Post Office immediately after my class, and asked if my parcel was already there, and they said, they have not been receiving any item in my name, so I went home disappointed because I was already expecting for it, but then on the same day it was like around 3pm, I recieved a card from a postman, that means that I have something to pickup on the Post Office, & I immediately stormed on my room and dressed & rushed to the Post Office, while I was on a traffic jam I was praying hard... not to pay an unreasonable tax. My prayer was answered. It took a long time for the post office employee to find my parcel, and voila. After the long wait. I got my parcel and I was asked to pay only PHP100 ($2) How awesome is thaaaat! My prayer was answered!
Voila! My TesterKorea Haul.
I am excited to try out these products.
I hope this post will be useful to everyone and some who are planning to purchase on TesterKorea or any stores internationally. Let me hear your opinions or if you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer that. :)
21 comments
I think that weird that you have tp pay customs, I don't know how it works in your country, by here where I am, if the packages get the 'gift' mention for the customs declaration, I never had to pay any customs, and Testerkorea send always those packages with this mention to be safe for their customers.
ReplyDeleteMaybe in your country, even if this mention appeared on the package, they are strict and still control them.
Yes. It is very weird, because I already paid for the shipping fee and it was also declared as a gift and TesterKorea also lowered the value of the parcel. It is actually not TesterKorea's fault that this is what happened to my parcel but the Bureau of Customs here in my country. It is just a matter of coincidence that my parcel was examined, because before I never had an experience like this that my parcel is being hold in customs for examinations, and I made it sure that the things that I bought will not be so expensive, but if your parcel's value exceeds to $25 then you must expect that you will be paying a high tax for that. and the amount of payment that I have to pay depends on the decision of the Bureau of Customs, but upon picking up my parcel at the Post Office here in my place the standard fee is P100.00 = $2. Anyway what country do you live? :)
DeleteI live in France ^^
DeleteWell, if I am right, when a package is a "gift" the customs should not examine the package, as it's a gift, imagine someone really send you a gift and you have to pay some customs? Damn lol. So it's really weird that your country examine those gift packages.
Yes, if I had to pay for a gift then it's not really considered anymore as a 'Gift'. Yep, because honestly the Bureau of Customs is considered as one of the corrupt government agencies in my country, no wonder. By the way nice to meet you!!!! :)
DeleteHi, i'm french too, my friend who lives in seoul sent me a package via ems, it was a "gift" but the post lady also wrote a value of 80$ on the package, customs took my parcel and i had to pay 40$ to get my parcel. I don't know why the hell the post lady wrote 80$ cause there was maximum 50$ of beauty products in the parcel. Now i'm worried cause i did a huge order on testerkorea, still on standby status...
DeleteHello Josephine! Sorry for the late reply, im sorry to hear that but what's the update to your parcel right now? Maevamilk already recieved her parcel. You may want to ask her. :)
DeleteI currently live in Hungary - after having lived in the United States - and customs are a hit & miss here, too. I order from a lot of online stores, one of them being Strawberrynet.com, and for the second time in a couple of months, the customs office has decided to charge me a 27% VAT for orders marked as "gift," neither exceeding the value of about $25. Strawberrynet actually reimburses you the full fee within 48 hours, but still, others might not (and why would they, really, it's not their problem) and if they don't, you might end up not getting a good deal at all, at the end of the day. :/
DeleteNice to meet u too! I was searching for TesterKorea review to see how much time they did for the shipping cause these time, they take a long time to send the parcel, and I found your post!
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm also from PH and I'm scared of the tax -.-' Can I ask you for advice? Though my order just got shipped today via registered mail, if it was handed to the customs, should I wait for a few weeks or should I go to customs? I ordered a hoodie, $80w/sf, the seller said he'd mark it as a gift and lower the value... but I'm still scared -_-' Do you think it'll be examined too? thank you~
ReplyDeleteHi Sharmaine! First of all, are you from Manila or do you live in province? If you live in Manila then I think you need to go to customs if ever your item was handed over customs, if not, if you live in province you have to wait your item to be forwarded in your local post office.
DeleteHiii I read this because I ordered a hoodie from ebay via registered mail. I'm also from PH and I ordered from Korea. and I'm scared of the tax -_-' hoodie&sf costs $80 but the seller said he'd mark it as a gift and lower the value. Can I ask you for advice? :) If my order got handed to customs, should I wait for days or go to customs? And do you think my hoodie will be examined? thank you! PS. This is the first time I ordered internationally and the first time I commented on a blog ;;;; I had to repeat this the 3rd time cause the 1st two didn't post <///3
ReplyDeleteHi! Welcome to my blog & thank you for visiting! You may want to ask the seller if how much did he/she put in the item value, as what I have been reading, if your item exceeds to $25 then it will be inspected in customs BUT it still depends sometimes when your parcel gets lucky they might skip inspecting it, well I also don't know but let's pray for the best! I hope you will get your item without paying too much tax & may this post helped you. :)
DeleteHi im from ph, cebu specifically. What is your payment method and do you think it will take long for me to receive the package? And do i alsoo get it through my local post office?
ReplyDeleteHello Kat! I used Paypal as my payment method in TK. Uhmm actually it is very hard to predict. Yes, I think so, if you live in province you have to get it on your local post office, if you live in Metro Manila if ever your item was inspected or examined in customs I think you need to go there personally. I hope my post helped you. God bless!
DeleteThank you so much!!!
DeleteYou're welcome! :)
ReplyDeleteSame problem in my country. Customs also well-known as the most corrupt one LOL. Lucky me, I never pay more than $1, it's fee for re-package my parcel after examined by them.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you from anyway? Haha I envy you! You are lucky that you didn't have to pay anything!
DeleteHi, I ordered six times on tester until now, I really like their prices and products selection. The first three times I ordered everything was fine besides the slow shipping. But the fourth time My parcel went to customs and I received a letter to go there pick up the parcel. I didn't pay anything but is kinda annoying have to go there. When I was tracking the fifth order I saw that It went to customs again but wait a week and received my parcel at home. My sixth order, I ordered last month went to customs again and here I have to go there picking up the parcel. I noticed that the problem is the fact they write "Fancy goods" on the description and the customs want to know the exactly what kinda of products are. I try to not order more than 34$ (is the limit to not to pay anything) in my country) so i not worried about the money but the fact of going to the customs is really annoying!
ReplyDeleteOh I feel your pain! You must tell TesterKorea to write 'Gift' in the Custom Declaration and you really have to make sure to avoid exceeding your orders on $25 higher. Shopping at TesterKorea is so tempting as it is, because they offer good prices but then we should be always careful most especially if you are in a country where in the customs acts like a crocodile! Taxing and taxing your items like crazy!
DeleteI recently ordered from there and asked them to write cosmetics instead of fancy goods. Let's see how works ^^
Delete