Snus and China Customs

[Nicko]

This is not a good day for me! China customs have apparently never seen Snus. My first ever order arrived in China a few days ago, but customs won't let me have it until they "test" it. They probably suspect it's something else.

I did a little research before ordering and at least one other westerner has been successful importing this to China. He had to wait three months for customs to decide what it was. But that was years ago, so I figured by now they would let it through.

Not a good day at all. And this is on top of my Stonewalls and new mod simply getting lost in the mail.

 

[vocr]

If China customs has flagged it, don't hold your breath. I assume you are a foreigner in China working for some western company? If so, check if your company has a shipping broker and if they will allow you to use them to help you. Hopefully they are a big one and call them, tell them your situation. My broker in China gets my crap stuck in customs out fast. Have you learned the phrase 关系 yet? This is what is needed when dealing with customs. However, I've never had an issue with customs not knowing what something is but problems with taxes and similar bureaucracy. Good luck.

 

[rothenbj]

I thought that might be the issue when you first posted.

 

[Nicko]

Thanks for the replies. It seems a customs broker is what I need. I will look into that. I don't work for a foreign company but I know some local people who could help me find a broker.

 

[hittman]

Good luck to you. It sounds like a real hassle.

 

[ec!gg]

Thanks for the replies. It seems a customs broker is what I need. I will look into that. I don't work for a foreign company but I know some local people who could help me find a broker.

Good luck... Sounds like a pain. Please keep us posted.

 

[vocr]

If you are going to seek out a broker on your own, find out what customs office your package is stuck in. Then the first question you need to ask a prospective brokerage is have they ever extricated a small package from that office, then if so, how many times. The key here is if they have a relationship with someone high enough in the bureaucracy to make retrieval routine.

Be careful, like everywhere in China, there are many shady businesses in this field. If the price they are asking seems high, but you feel its worth the cost, do a 30-70. 30% up front and 70% upon retrieval of the package. If they are not a big national firm, everything is negotiable.