50. Take Furniture to India

Question: Sir, I am a PIO card holder and own a flat in Mumbai. I would like to ship to Mumbai, some of my used household goods (furniture & appliances) to furnish this flat, since my family will be staying in it every time we visit India. I have purchase receipts for most of the goods. Would I be charged customs for used goods (from 3 - 10 years old) ? If yes, how do the Indian customs calculate how much duty I should be charged? Any other relevant information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance! C Crasto Answer: Since you are not taking advantage of a transfer of residency the items you wish to take will require payment of customs duty (approx 35%)The value of the original price is reduced by yearly depreciation. You will need a forwarder for sending your furniture and they will surely be able to tell you the exact duty. There are many aspects used to classify items for calculating customs duty. A good customs broker can save you a lot of problems and help classify the imported items at the lowest applicable rate saving you money. Personally I would suggest you check out the prices of goods in India. The prices and quality of furniture in India is quite reasonable when compared to prices abroad. Furthermore while old furniture may be appropriate, taking old appliances to India may eventually lead to maintenance problems due to unavailability of parts. Just a suggestion.