Baggage question

[hakkaboy]

Hello. I am going to Yunnan Shida in February. I want to take 3 large suitcases including books as I intend to live in China for several years. Is there a problem with personal effects attracting "import tax"? What about unaccompanied baggage, as I found a company that will take my luggage for me cheaply to Kunming? Is there any problem with tax on personal effects if you are not actually there at the airport to tell them it's just personal effects?

[Xiao Kui]

I don't have any experience with unaccompanied luggage except domestically. internationally, I have never been hassled over personal items that i've brought in. Some friends have had problems with things shipped in , but only when it has been brand new and in the original package. Under this circumstance they were asked to pay a tax of half the item's value. I think that if you don't have multiple copies of the same item and they're not in the original package (so no one can say you're importing sth. to sell in China ) then you shouldn't have a problem, but i can't say for certain. I think that if there are any questions if you have a student visa that should help you in explaining you're going to be there a long time and the items are for personal use. If you can find a company that will bring it in cheaply, that's great, because they sometimes hit you hard for overweight baggage. And then again sometimes they just look the other way. Wish i had better answers for you. BTW, if they're Chinese books, maybe leave them at home except for a favorite dictionary. Chinese books and textbooks are so cheap in China.