Border crossing with purchased appliance

[Clemens]

Any pointers how to handle a private car transport over the border with a newly purchased dish washer (concerning tolls etc)? What about throwing away the wrapping and making it look somewhat used?

Or maybe you know where to buy a countertop dish washer locally? They are cheap in the US.

[The Duck]

You don't have to worry about tolls -you have to worry about Aduana -Customs Duty. As an air passenger you are given a $300 duty free clearance. As a road crosser your duty free allowance is just $50 [per passenger] It depends on how Type X you are as its luck of the draw on the Green Light and you have to clear two of them -one at the bridge and the other at KM26 [if in Nuevo Laredo] Get some box cutters - toss all the packing [but it will still look new] and pray. [I always buy a celebratory beer or two [even at 11am] at the OXXO just south of km26

[just made a 39.5 hr successful r/trip]

For local sources you can check this post http://www.gtolist.com/forum/mybb1/showt...ight=dryer

and the other day I was in Leon Centro on Reforma and found a shop called SALDOS where they had washing machines and other items at 1/2 price.

[ohpaco]

Any pointers how to handle a private car transport over the border with a newly purchased dish washer (concerning tolls etc)? What about throwing away the wrapping and making it look somewhat used?

Or maybe you know where to buy a countertop dish washer locally? They are cheap in the US.

I have crossed a number of times with used appliances. I think a new one would not be different. Just have your receipt with you and pay the 17% duty (less the franquicia - which is either $50, or $75, or $100 per person - depending on the phase of the moon and the alignment of the stars). One caution: if the total value of the declaration exceeds $1000 you cannot pass without having applied previously through an agent. Paco (Sta Rosa).

[colleen]

We've brought tons of stuff down and had many experiences. Once brought a trailer w/o a household visa and went in to the Something To Declare lane at the 20some mile checkpoint. I had a list just like the one used for a household visa, with rummage sale prices. They really didn't want to deal with it. They looked in the trailer and sure didn't want to deal with that. Finally they agreed to take the aduana based on my values. The only hassle was that after the man did all the paperwork for me he made me leave his office, walk around, enter thru a different door and then pay him the aduana.

Next adventure was bringing down a hot tub in the back of the Ford Explorer. Of course it was sticking out. I thought we could bring $1000 per person across the border or I would have gotten a receipt for $999. It was near $2000, much, much less than the price here. Well, I had to pay for the other $1000 and not only that, I had to hire one of their buddies stationed just outside the office and pay him very well for his filling out a form. It was still a good deal.

We will be going to McAllen next month with a shopping list. We plan what to buy and how to pack it. All labels off clothing and packed in the empty suitcases we take up. (The US authorities don't take kindly to the empty suitcases and sometimes search the whole car including the engine) We pay for things separately at Sam's Club or wherever. If it is something that will raise eyebrows and isn't easy to hide, we keep that receipt handy in case we are searched and they decide we need to pay. All toner cartridges are unpacked. Everything is taken out of it's store boxes. We are libro traficantes for the bookstore, Donkey Jote. If we get caught we'll pay the aduana and those receipts are kept separate. Books cross w/o aduana under NAFTA but only if you are a licensed importer. (well you may choose to ignore that part of the email since last time I mentioned it, I was put in my place by someone from Mazatlan. I can only speak to my experience)

The cheapest hot tub I could find back then was $6000 so I still had a good deal. I would never bother w/ a large appliance that I could buy here for even triple the price. You never know what kind of jerk you might run into. And then consider if your time is worth anything because you may spend a great deal of time hassling. Over all, we haven't had problems. Now let's see how it goes with Mexican placas on the car. They love to search the Mexicans and take everything out of the car and place it on a table. So who knows?

Good luck w/ your adventure.