Just avoid DHL. I know it is always nicer to get it quickly. Using the slow Hong Kong or China Post service will however greatly increase your chances not only to not pay customs but also to receive the item at all. Best wishes, Christian
I just read i should definitly use DHL Express over anything else. By doing this i am charged with customs 100% of time but the package is most likely to not be opened if i provide the bill and the confirmation of payment. Really don’t know what to do now.. Do you have any experience what happens if you decline the package and it is sent back to the seller? How likely are you to receive your money back when buying on aliexpress.com?
Hi there,
I bought already quite a lot in China, and I will quickly summarize my experiences with the different shipping options (shipping to Germany):
#####DHL and the shop declares the real value on the customs form:
+Very fast, they usually write up to 10 days but for me it arrived mostly after 3 to 4 days.
-Very high probability of paying customs (for me nearly 100 %)
+You can pay the customs when you receive the package or when you pick it up at the post office
-Can cause problems on items without CE logo and/or counterfeit items
#####DHL and the shop declares a value below 22 Euro on the customs form:
+Very fast, they usually write up to 10 days but for me it arrived mostly after 3 to 4 days.
+Medium possibility of paying customs (if you are lucky, they don’t open it and the package slips through)
-If they open the package you have to go to the customs office to present an invoice. This takes usually a lot of time and can be very annoying. Sometimes there is a lot of explaining to do. (e.g. I bough a RF remote for a plane in the States and they needed to find out if it works only with planes or also with helicopters as these are different custom categories, spend more than an hour there.) Due to the custom processing time, it also cancels the speed advantage.
-If they open the package, the usually also check for CE logo and/or counterfeit items. This can be problematic as items without CE logo are send back and counterfeit items will be destroyed (NO MONEY BACK FROM THE SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
#####China/ Hong Kong post and the shop declares the real value on the customs form:
-Painfully slow, can take up to one month. Sometimes however it arrives already after one week. It depends how lucky you are.
+Medium probability of paying customs (if you are lucky, they don’t open it and the package slips through)
+Most times you can pay the customs when you receive the package or when you pick it up at the post office
-Can cause problems on items without CE logo and/or counterfeit items.
#####China/ Hong Kong post and the shop declares a value below 22 Euro on the customs form:
-Painfully slow, can take up to one month. Sometimes however it arrives already after one week. It depends how lucky you are.
+Lowest probability of paying customs (most times it slips just through unopened)
-If they open the package you have to go to the customs office to present an invoice, however, it doesn’t happen very often if the package is declared as something like “toy with a value of 15 – 20 Dollar”. If it should happen, it will take a lot of time and it will be very annoying. Sometimes there is a lot of explaining to do.
+Low probability of having problems with the CE logo and/or counterfeit items as the package is usually not opened.
I hope this small summary helped. There will always be a small risk by importing things from China. It is not like buying it in a shop in Europe. As the Cube i7 stylus is not counterfeit item, the biggest risk is gone. If the CE logo is missing, they will send it back in the worst case and you will have to negotiate with Aliexpress or with the seller to get your money back or to try again. However, be aware that you may have to pay the customs.
EDIT:
Just to give some numbers: I definitely bought > 50 items in China:
The CE label was checked 4 times, 3 of them were with DHL. One time, it was send back. Luckily it was just a not overly expensive battery charger and I could get my money back.
So don’t worry, usually it works fine. Just be aware that you may have to the customs.
Best wishes,
Christian
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The USB ports should be then on the left because stylus pen is on the right. 
