THE BIGGEST TIME AND MONEY-SAVING TIPS
FOR SKIPPERS HEADED TO MEXICO:
This from a Facebook post:
Buy all the specialty and big-ticket items you think you might need before you cross the border.
There is no West Marine, Downwind Marine, or Marine Exchange in Mexico. Zaragoza Marine in Puerto Vallarta is the biggest marine store we know of in this area, and there are a number of smaller ones. While Zaragoza has a decent inventory of sailing stuff, many of the smaller ones don't. So you can go crazy trying to source marine bits and pieces you'd find at any West Marine, particularly if you need them right away. The same is true with engine parts.
The second issue besides availability is cost. Marine products are from expensive to extremely expensive in Mexico because almost none are made in Mexico. So it all has to be imported, which means there is often sales tax in the States, the cost of shipping, an import duty of 20%, and a VAT of 16%. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching!!! It adds up fast.
So it's not uncommon if you have to pay 40 to 50% or even more on many items than in the States.
Here's an example: We recently needed 50-feet of 3/8" chain for a lunch hook. The quotes from our best sources in the Vallarta area were $1,250 USD, or about $25/foot. In the U.S. you would pay more like $5/foot for the same thing. You also have to consider what is now a not-very-favorable exchange rate.
As we explained above, your source in Mexico is not trying to screw you, it's just that shipping, duty, and VAT add up fast.
Perhaps the most expensive things in relative terms are the big and heavy ones, where the freight bill can be really expensive.
So if you have a dicey inflatable, or will need an outboard motor, anchor chain, windlass, bottom paint, or similar, it behooves you to think about buying them before you cross the border.
Again, it's not just price, it's also availability. A lot of skippers like to have backup pumps, starters and alternators for their diesel engines. You're going to save time and money if you buy them in the States.
One thing to keep in mind is that if Aduana (customs) decides to inspect your boat, which they often don't, they won't like to see gear in its original packaging. For example, if they see you have a Honda 2000 Portable Inverter/Generator in it's original box, or a big Engel refrigerator/freezer, they are likely going to decide that you are importing them and will hit you with duty and tax.
For smaller items, such as shackles, blocks, computers, cell phones, and whatall, the best and cheapest way to get them to Mexico is to order them from Amazon or whatever and have them sent to a friend who will be flying down. If it's something expensive like a computer or cell phone, take it out of the fancy box and make it look as though it's been used all along. Or else you might get dinged duty and VAT on those items.
I don't claim to be the ultra expert on this subject, so if Rich Boren or anybody else wants to chime in, please do so.
Here is Rich Boren's Facebook comment:
You nailed it, Richard!
Shipping using UPS, DHL, or FedEx has a 5% failure rate in shipping to Mexico. So that means 5 out of every 100 boxes either go missing or get held up in customs for duty which can often be more than the cost of the item! So it’s a roulette wheel for ordering and shipping things down through the normal carriers. This isn’t all “Mexico’s Fault” because oftentimes the shipper doesn’t have a clue on how to fill out the proper Mexican Customs Forms. Filled out wrong and it gets lost in the bureaucracy.
The only way we ship to Mexico is by using an importer like Deko Marine based out of San Diego. (There are others, ask around). You ship the item to Deko Marine and they ship it to you in Mexico. The cost will be somewhere around 25 to 35% of the value for service, taxes, duty, and freight.
Forget provisioning 100lbs of flour and rice, Mexicans eat better and cheaper than Americans. Stock up on boat parts and spares! Watermaker prefilters are $5 - $10 each in the USA for example and $300 pesos in La Paz ($17.65 USD).
See you soon in La Paz for a Taco Tour.
Rich Boren
La Paz Cruisers Supply & Brokerage
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