Shipping HH goods to Guatemala

I have clients and friends who have been shipping used goods and new...and it is very costly... average 15% of custom tax plus 12% VAT and yes it end up being cheaper to buy in Guatemala..

I shipped half a cargo container from Chicago through a Guatemala based shipper with offices in Chicago, medrano express. While it ran a couple thousand, I chose to ship many things, including a couple of dressers that could never be found here in the land of huge and massive furniture. I also sent my favorite personal things that would likely never be for sale here. It is cheaper to ship that opt abandon things in the US and buy new here. My shipper did not charge me for weight, or for tax, it was all figured into the price of the size of the box being shipped. I called at least fifteen shippers, including the UPS people that had a very good rate for business to business shipping for smaller sized boxes. Medrano delivered to my apartment in Antigua, and it only took ten days from one door to another.Good Luck!

Antiguanian wrote:

I shipped half a cargo container from Chicago through a Guatemala based shipper with offices in Chicago, medrano express. While it ran a couple thousand, I chose to ship many things, including a couple of dressers that could never be found here in the land of huge and massive furniture. I also sent my favorite personal things that would likely never be for sale here. It is cheaper to ship that opt abandon things in the US and buy new here. My shipper did not charge me for weight, or for tax, it was all figured into the price of the size of the box being shipped. I called at least fifteen shippers, including the UPS people that had a very good rate for business to business shipping for smaller sized boxes. Medrano delivered to my apartment in Antigua, and it only took ten days from one door to another.Good Luck!

Thanks for the feedback. Did Guatemala customs accept the shipper's valuations for the goods or were there any monetary surprises in that respect?

Info that I have found says that once you have residency, you can ship your HH goods, car, etc., without taxes or vat or anything. They are looking for things you are "selling or reselling" that's the point of the vat/tax/fees.

I am currently looking for the right shipper, so please contact me if you have a company you can refer.

Thanks

I used Medrano express, although each shipper used a different formula for their charges. Medrano did not care about weight, only size of boxes.

Ok, I just called Medrano In Los Angeles, CA, they are the closest to me in Seattle, WA. They were extremely friendly and helpful and patient   They would arrange a 20' container to be shipped and delivered to me here in Seattle, we would fill it up, then they pick it up and store it in their Los Angeles facility until we are ready for it to be delivered. Once I call them and give them the new address in Antigua, they would deliver it there, we would unload it and send them on their way. Sounds great!

Thank you Antiguanian for your referral -- I greatly appreciate it, and it has taken a ton of stress from my shoulders   I look forward to meeting you when we arrive in June

I am always glad to help, especially newcomers to Antigua. There are so many things to learn and so much is different than in the States. I lost a couple thousand in errors of judgement the first two years here. I hope I can save others the extra expense.
If there are any other issues that you have, please let me know. I will try to skype sometime soon. Do you have housing all set here?
Barb

In my experience dealing with Guatemalan customs is the problem. They severely corrupt and doesn't really matter if your paperwork is correct or not. In the past I had 2-4 containers shipped here per month (Business) and had them literally rip the containers apart and break many things. This is why companies wont do business here I wont have anything shipped by container here anymore. sorry to say have your bribe money ready just in case. Good Luck

Hi Barb: I have a couple of places scoped out to see once I arrive, but will make a tentative commitment before leaving here of course.

I am currently going through a nightmare with my furniture coming through Puerto quetzal. Our agent keeps giving us surprises daily with one increase after another. We are in Amatitlan, and have the house ready but no furniture. Will see today. Does anyone know if there is an agency here that I can report this to?

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Hello, I am a relocating from Arkansas to Retalhuleo.  I have a container scheduled to arrive at my home in a week.  The shipping company is charging us $4,400 for a 20 foot container from AR to Santo Tomas de Castilla.  I am taking all household belongings including appliances.  Does anyone know what the process is once the container arrives at Santo Tomas port? Fees, duties , taxes?

Hi. Do you have residency status in Guatemala? I believe they allow one shipment tax-free if so. Otherwise, you are going to have to pay a large sum on the total value of all the goods you shipped as well as extra fees and I think an additional 12% value added tax. I wouldn't be surprised to come across additional fees that aren't listed, too... it can be tricky. If you aren't a resident, this might be a really big hit financially. A lot of people tend to sell and discard what they can in the states and replace once here as items can be purchased and made for very little and help support the local economies. Since it sounds like you've already sent your items, I might suggest STRONGLY that if you have not already, that you hire an agent on the Guatemala side (and maybe the US side, too, even if already shipped) to assist you with this. You might also require a NIT number in order to pay the taxes. Do you have one yet? Getting our cat through customs/shipping was difficult without an agent. I can't imagine trying to do that with a container. Good luck.

While itmseems a lot, buying all new here involves extra costs on top of us price. Appliances sent from us for sale here have a vat of 10 to 12 %. Shopping for it can be nightmare. Ethics are very different here. Quality is different here. There are shipping places that include all taxes and fees and go by volume not weight. Medrano express if its still around. I shipped from Chicago. Reasonable to me. Also, furniture is hideous here. Most uncomfortable chairs in western hemisphere. Dressers made of huge thick wood. The best thing I did was ship down my oak dressers. Keeps my clothes from getting moldy and smelly.

Hi. Do you have residency status in Guatemala? I believe they allow one shipment tax-free if so. Otherwise, you are going to have to pay a large sum on the total value of all the goods you shipped as well as extra fees and I think an additional 12% value added tax. I wouldn't be surprised to come across additional fees that aren't listed, too... it can be tricky. If you aren't a resident, this might be a really big hit financially. A lot of people tend to sell and discard what they can in the states and replace once here as items can be purchased and made for very little and help support the local economies. Since it sounds like you've already sent your items, I might suggest STRONGLY that if you have not already, that you hire an agent on the Guatemala side (and maybe the US side, too, even if already shipped) to assist you with this. You might also require a NIT number in order to pay the taxes. Do you have one yet? Getting our cat through customs/shipping was difficult without an agent. I can't imagine trying to do that with a container. Good luck.

Well, I have gone through the whole ordeal of getting my furniture here and it was a total nightmare. As ANTIGUAN commented "Ethics are very different here".   If I had to do it all  over again I would have sold everything in the US and started over here in Guatemala.  Having said that, I have not seen nice quality furniture and appliances here, so its very convenient to have our nice household items here.  The town is beautiful and the people here are very nice.  I do miss the comforts of the US, like AC, screened windows and nice paved roads; to mention just a few things.  I have enjoyed the local farmer's market where you can buy everything pretty much organic and fresh for very low cost in comparison to US prices for organic foods.  I have the advantage of being bilingual but even then I find myself not understanding some things.  My 9 year old son has picked up on the language quickly and is now able to carry on a conversation in Spanish with his new friends; "of course with a very heavy accent".