If you are about to buy at Thomann from Latin America but you have questions about taxes and import, you came to the right place.
Benefits of buying at Thomann
Well, if you are reading this post, you probably already know the benefits of Thomann.
It is one of the music stores with the most competitive prices on the market and there is a wide variety of products.
Also, when you buy from Latin America, the prices are even cheaper because you don’t have to pay VAT (19%) from Germany.
To do this, make sure to change the country in the Thomann Menu.
For Spaniards the price is with VAT since they are within the European Union (I don’t know how it works, but VAT is included in the Spanish prices). Although of course, their advantage is that they do not have to pay any import procedures because they are within the European Union.
Customs taxes in Latin America
In all Latin American countries there are customs rules (or laws). In some you pay more, and in others less. But the point is that it pays for everyone.
I am going to talk in detail about the most visited countries on this site, but the procedure is usually very similar for all countries.
Taxes in Mexico
In Mexico, if your purchase is less than U$50, you do not have to pay taxes. But hey… if you buy from Thomann, you are not going to buy something less than that price because it is not worth it hehe.
So, for purchases over $50 you have to pay VAT (16%).
To pay the taxes, you have to go to the post office, pay the tax and you leave with the package. (Ref)
But be careful, for purchases greater than U$1000 per postal shipment, customs retains it and you need a customs agent to release the package.
Taxes in Argentina
For purchases less than U$50, there are no taxes in Argentina… similar to Mexico.
But, for purchases in excess of U$50, you have to pay 50% (and here it changes quite a bit heh).
But still, you can subtract the franchise from the total price. That is, if the product costs $200, you have to subtract the $50, and divide the $150 in half (that is, you would pay $75 in taxes).
It is worth clarifying that taxes are paid in pesos to the official dollar and you have to do the online management from the Argentine Mail e-payment. The entire process is explained on their page. In my experience, since I am from Argentina, the system works very well (currently) if you follow all the procedures. In the past, many times you had to go to customs and wait in line for 5 hours, but with the pandemic it improved a lot since it is all online.
You can only use the franchise if you use the mailing option. With courier (private), there is no franchise.
Taxes in Colombia
In Colombia, for products valued at less than U$200, you do not have to pay tariffs or VAT (Ref).
Above U$200, you have to pay VAT (19%) plus tariffs.
Taxes in Chile
From Chile, you do not have to pay taxes on products less than U$30, and above this amount, you have to pay VAT (19%) plus 6% customs duty.
From the Chilean customs page it explains how the management is.
Taxes in Peru
Purchases less than US$200 are tax-free.
Above U$200 (and up to U$2,000), you must pay VAT (18%) plus 4% customs duties.
According to the SUNAT page, taxes must be paid in a bank authorized with the DIF.
Postal service vs private service
Another key factor to take into account is whether to choose postal or private shipping.
As Thomann is a German company.. and the German postal mail is DHL, the postal shipping listed on Thomann is DHL. But don’t be confused, it is not DHL’s private service, but they send it through their state mail, and then in your country it connects with the local mail.
Another option Thomann has is to use a private company, which is UPS. Here he is referring to the private shipping company UPS.
What is the difference between postal and private shipping?
With state shipping, you have to follow the procedures I mentioned previously. But, the private shipping company is responsible for the management of taxes and customs clearance.
So, the product arrives at your house and they collect the taxes at your house (or they send you an email beforehand saying how much you have to pay).
Doing mathematical and logical calculations, it is always advisable to use the private shipping option for expensive products… and generally the postal option is suitable for cheap shipments.
The reason is that for expensive shipments (greater than U$500 I would say) it is much safer with a private company. Many times Latin American customs do not make it so easy for expensive shipments, and private shipping companies take care of the management.
Assuming that one is paying US$1,000 for a product, paying an additional fee for management is not much in comparison and is worth it. In addition, private companies take better care of the product during shipping. And in the case of instruments or audio equipment at Thomann, this is super important.
Another point in favor of Thomann
When you buy on pages like Aliexpress, sellers usually put a lower declared price on the package due to customs issues.
But Thomann is a reliable company that declares the real value of the products.
And believe me, this is a plus point, because many times customs can retain the product if the seller sets a lower price than the real one.
So, you can rest assured that Thomann will put the real value of the product on the package.
Conclusions on how to buy at Thomann from Latin America
As a summary, I can say that the most reliable thing for expensive products (more than U$500 in my experience) is to use a private shipping company (in this case UPS is the option available at Thomann). The reasons are clear, they take care of the tax management, the shipping is faster, and the package arrives in better conditions.
For shipments between U$100 and U$500, the postal option is cheaper since it does not charge extra tax management fees. You directly pay the tax rate to the government.