tuttu47

I had brought a 42" LED TV from Dallas to Bangalore. The comments in this thread has helped me a lot and thought will share my experience:

TV - LG LM6200 - 42" LED 3D SMART TV.
Flight - British Airways.

The voltage conversion was not an issue because the TV supported 100-240V, 50/60Hz. - Make sure you check this in the specs before buying this. Many models are offering thus.
The transmission is India is PAL while Most US TVs support NTSC. Make sure you buy a TV with HDMI port (Most TVs have now) - and get a DTH HD box (I took videcon). It has an HDMI outlet and works perfect on the TV. You need to get only normal HD set top box and not a HD - DVR as mentioned in many posts. Both have HDMI ports and the frequency can be adjusted in settings.
Make sure you pack the TV well - I got this packed by UPS (65$) - as they will just toss it during flight changes and there was sharp piercing @ the center when I got it in Bangalore - thanks to the good packing - TV was intact.
The check in baggage limitation in BA was 81" overall. My TV was 82" overall (packing dimension - W+H+L) - LG mentions this in their specs sheet - so you will know how big it is in advance. The airport staff will not physically measure it - He 'll just place it on the reception and see if it crosses the length of the belt- if it is within that, you are in - the choice largely depends on the staff. Also, B.A allows upto 109 inches by paying an extra (roughly 60$, same as overweight baggage).
The biggest problem is in bangalore customs. You are entitled to carry upto Rs.35000/- worth goods without paying duty. So they will charge you (Price of TV in India - 35000) *duty %.
For my TV, the price in India was 86000/- (Yes, they have sheet of Model - Price for most popular TVs; you can get the price in India by searching in some online sites like flipkart). I was asked to pay (86000 - 35000) * 15% (approx, not sure about actual %) = 7500/- as duty. Considering that I got the TV for ~38K + 3K (packing), it was still worth it. When I said it was a used TV, they asked me the bill (if you have one, carry it), but I said I forgot and negotiated for sometime, for which they applied some 6% depreciation (< 1 Yr use). Again they amount was reduced to 6K.
I said I had only 40$ in hand and tried negotiating. They gave out options like "you can keep it here, and collect within 2 months when you have the money" etc.I was not ready to pay, neither leave it, so again negotiated. After sometime, the officer threatened of noting "duty not paid" on the passport (he even took my passport, opened the page, and dotted with pen). I kept on negotiating and had a feeling he will not note in passport. All my co-passengers left by then it was almost an hour. Finally, I got the lucky question - "How much can you pay?". I said I can 20$ more from my friend and pay 60$ total. he agreed to it, I remitted the money, and got clearance - Happy :-)
And one most important thing - If you have a TV, they will be only looking at it. They will never check your luggage for laptop, Mobiles etc. Carry as much as you want.

oliver2002

Thank you for the comprehensive report! So you ended up paying 60$ (aprox 3600 INR) into the pocket of the customs officer or formal receipt?

What would a remark like 'duty not paid' in your passport entail? I would have let them write away... no one gives a hoot about customs entry in the passport anymore... the obligatory customs check when you leave the country is long gone.

SuperFlyBoy

I think it was simply "pocket-money" for the officer!

GoyalVipin

I would like to bring a 42 inch LED TV in my next visit to India. I have heard that now there is no duty free allowance after rupee got tanked last month.

May I know if someone has brought such article and how much duty he / she had to pay at India airport after the ban of duty free TVs in India.

Thanks in advance.
Vipin

SuperFlyBoy

I brought a 42 inch one in some time ago (before the new regulations), and this size was not exempt.

(They were letting anyone and *everyone* with a 32 inch flat screen through the x-ray machine without problems at that time. However, as you have noted, the Customs regulations have changed and you will have to pay duty on any TV, apparently)

I had to pay the duty less any (single pax) allowance for the same.

As of now you would anyway have to pay the duty. (whatever is prevailing at present)

So, just be ready for them to calculate the duty based on their "book" pricing they maintain...

hserus

dont waste your time doing that. buy it in india.

abhilife2001

+1..

oliver2002

So, my mothers TV is about to go belly up from what I hear over the phone. First up, I'm not planning on importing a TV.

That said, can some of you recommend a good online store? With the INR at 84 to the €, I could order it ahead of time & have it delivered to install it when I'm there in 4 weeks. @:-)

Keyser

which city are you looking to get it delivered to????

SuperFlyBoy

Yes - this is most important - as various vendors in each city have better service.

Mumbai and Chennai for example, have varied stores that are good/bad/not represented.

oliver2002

Kolkata. I guess its better to ask Abhilife2001

678flyer

A simple Google search says its 36% on the declared value.

abhilife2001

hi..
unfortunately, I don't have a clue on the online stores since nor me nor anyone I know has bought a tv online in Kolkata.. specially since we get better discounts when we go and shop at a store ..

oliver2002

OK, let me figure out what TV I need to buy for her

kochu

I have a 46" LCD (Samsung LN46A650) that is 4 years old and is in great condition. I am sure I can use it for another 5 years. If I try to sell it here in the US, I won't get anything. It is kind of worthless. But, if I want to buy one with similar features in India, it is going to be very expensive. Also, I don't think the Customs duty is going to be much for used TV. So, I have a good reason to ship it to India. With packaging, it will weigh about 65lbs, I guess. The size is going to be a problem to take it with me as an additional baggage item. I once contacted Emirates cargo. They told me to contact a forwarder.

If anyone of you have any useful information, please let me know.