Import tax for shoes bought online

[zotium]

I will be buying shoes costing $80 online from the U.S., and it will be shipped via FedEx to Beijing.

Any idea how much I will be charged for import tax when it gets here?

It is HARD to get shoes size 12 and over!

[Xiao Kui]

A friend bought sandals from Land's End and had to pay a tax of half the value: $50 for $100 shoes. (This wasa 4 yrs ago, don't know if things have changed or if they're different with FedEx, but if they're shipped from the company you might have to pay a hefty tax abt 50%) Anything in the original package that is shipped directly from the company may be subject to such taxes. I don't know a lot abt this but since no one else responded to the post so far, this is my impression.

[fatchance]

Just received 2 pairs via USPS. Had them sent from retailer to a friend Stateside, who checked that the sizes were right (14--what a pain) and wrote "*For personal use*" in marker across the invoice. I recieved them in Dalian a week later, no import tax, no problem.

Have also recieved other things this way, including a PDA and other electronics via UPS, and have never paid any extra charges at all.

[MarkKang]

I have had stuff send FedEx in the past, and each time the package was stopped by the customs. Just the inspection fee was almost $100 rmb. Now I never ship anything but regular mail. I have never had anything stopped by them.

[parasite]

Hrm. Well you guys are lucky. Just before I made my exit from a year in Japan, I shipped a laptop to an important friend in China, and even paid for it to go airmail... I was scared it was completely lost or stolen, because several other packages arrived in a week flat. Well -- I got an e-mail from Japan the other day (its been like a month), and sure enough the package was RETURNED. I have no idea why, because it is the same laptop I carried into China like TWICE and obviously not illegal. So now I have to pay shipping to USA, and then I don't know what! I guess I have no choice but to wait until I can go to China, and just take it with me. It isn't worth the postage to mail it another time.