[Monolithic]

Hey guys, I am looking to buy a dashcam and zeroed in on Xiaomi dashcam Here


But it is only available on Aliexpress. Is Aliexpress a trustworthy site to buy? Did anyone here buy from Aliexpress? Will I have any issues from customs?

[batish]

Originally Posted by Monolithic

Hey guys, I am looking to buy a dashcam and zeroed in on Xiaomi dashcam.

But it is only available on Aliexpress. Is Aliexpress a trustworthy site to buy? Did anyone here buy from Aliexpress? Will I have any issues from customs?

Yes, it's a trustworthy site. There are many people who have bought from Aliexpress. Please go through the thread. You may have to pay custom duty depending on the value/luck. Usually for minor/low priced products they don't charge any duty. BHPian a4anurag had to pay custom duty on his dashcam. Cross posting from other thread:

Originally Posted by a4anurag

I had requested the seller to declare $30 as the value plus marked it as 'Gift' on the parcel carrying the "Viofo A119S V2 dashcam", even then was charged a total duty of ₹2,800.

In my 150+ orders @ AliExpress with item prices ranging from $2 to $136 excluding shipping, no duty was charged but once got charged, when the Dashcam came.

[naveen.raju]

Originally Posted by Monolithic

But it is only available on Aliexpress. Is Aliexpress a trustworthy site to buy? Did anyone here buy from Aliexpress? Will I have any issues from customs?

I have purchased many items from AE including an entry level Chinese dashcam. Ask the seller to mark it as a low value item to exclude it from customs. Don't know how effective it will be but have heard many guys suggest that. You can also try banggood.com. Dashcams have pretty good deals in that.

[batish]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

Ask the seller to mark it as a low value item to exclude it from customs. Don't know how effective it will be but have heard many guys suggest that. You can also try banggood.com. Dashcams have pretty good deals in that.

Aliexpress guys may mark it as gift as well as reduce its declared value. Ask them before placing the order, they'll tell you clearly if it's possible. Banggood guys don't mark their products as gift. I had to pay custom duty on Viofo A119S ordered from them. BHPian blackstallion76 had a similar experience as well, cross posting from another thread:

Originally Posted by blackstallion76

Had ordered Xiaomi Mijia Dashcam from Banggood. It was in GPO for last 11 days and customs had detained it. I went today to check and they charged 41.49% of total bill (including insurance). Actual value of dashcam was 3700.

[Monolithic]

Originally Posted by naveen.raju

I have purchased many items from AE including an entry level Chinese dashcam. Ask the seller to mark it as a low value item to exclude it from customs.

Originally Posted by batish

Yes, it's a trustworthy site. There are many people who have bought from Aliexpress.

Thanks guys, this is probably what I will do. Ask the seller to mark it low and declare it as gift.

[SCORPION]

Originally Posted by Monolithic

Did anyone here buy from Aliexpress? Will I have any issues from customs?

My experience with Ali Express when I ordered a dashcam.
Its not a regular dashcam and its a big multifunctional unit fitted on the dashboard - Phisung E02.

1. No tracking available for almost 2 weeks after it left China, until it reached India. I believe there are sites other than Ali Express to track the product but I only came to know about it later.

2. Product was held by Chennai customs for almost 4 days. I had no way of knowing if it would be cleared.

3. I had to pay duty of almost 25% of the product value to the postman before taking delivery. A notice was stuck on the parcel by the customs stating the duty to be paid and that I could contest it if I so wished.

4. Product was packed neatly and everything works perfectly.

The customs duty put me off a bit. I hadn't told the seller to mark it as 'gift' or to show a lesser value although I had read about it.

Please do tell us your experience once you have purchased from Ali Express.

[Monolithic]

Originally Posted by SCORPION

My experience with Ali Express when I ordered a dashcam.
Its not a regular dashcam and its a big multifunctional unit fitted on the dashboard - Phisung E02.

1. No tracking available for almost 2 weeks after it left China, until it reached India. I believe there are sites other than Ali Express to track the product but I only came to know about it later.

2. Product was held by Chennai customs for almost 4 days. I had no way of knowing if it would be cleared.

3. I had to pay duty of almost 25% of the product value to the postman before taking delivery. A notice was stuck on the parcel by the customs stating the duty to be paid and that I could contest it if I so wished.

4. Product was packed neatly and everything works perfectly.

The customs duty put me off a bit. I hadn't told the seller to mark it as 'gift' or to show a lesser value although I had read about it.

Please do tell us your experience once you have purchased from Ali Express.

Thank you for telling this. I'll let you know what happens. I haven't placed the order yet, so I'm hoping I don't get the tax.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by Monolithic

Thank you for telling this. I'll let you know what happens. I haven't placed the order yet, so I'm hoping I don't get the tax.

As already mentioned by Batish sir regarding my experience, I'll not repeat it.

I'll say go ahead and order from AliExpress. Don't worry much. Just inform the seller to:

1. Mark the item as "Gift";
   
   
2. Declare a low value on the packing declaration slip.

Found AliExpress the best compared to Gearbest and Banggood.

Choose "AliExpress Standard Shipping" and preferably ask the seller to send the package via Singapore Post or Hong Kong Post. A big NO to China post.

Originally Posted by batish

BHPian a4anurag had to pay customs duty on his dashcam. Cross posting from other thread:

[pedrolourenco]

Has anyone installed an internal camera in the car. Something like the CCTV in buses. Ideally I would like to have:
1. Front facing camera (mounted on windscreen).
2. Rear facing Camera (mounted on rear glass)
3. Internal camera (mounted on roof giving view of the full cabin. Ideally mounted somewhere at the rear and facing forward).

[harsh79]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Has anyone installed an internal camera in the car. Something like the CCTV in buses. Ideally I would like to have:
1. Front facing camera (mounted on windscreen).
2. Rear facing Camera (mounted on rear glass)
3. Internal camera (mounted on roof giving view of the full cabin. Ideally mounted somewhere at the rear and facing forward).

I have a Mobius 2 looking inside from the rear. Using it for side coverage, keeping in mind where it's mounted, does alright.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkBWPHFykXM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eQyIBy8-S8

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by harsh79

I have a Mobius 2 looking inside from the rear. Using it for side coverage, keeping in mind where it's mounted, does alright.

So basically you are using 2 separate units; One for the Inside and one for the Outside. That's the option I'll Have to use if I don't find a single unit with 3 cameras.

[harsh79]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

So basically you are using 2 separate units; One for the Inside and one for the Outside. That's the option I'll Have to use if I don't find a single unit with 3 cameras.

Left to right - A129 Duo's rear camera, Mobius 2 looking inward and the Mobius with an 8mm telephoto lens.

Lots of dual-channel options available, haven't see any with three yet.

[caraholic]

Hi,

Request the experirenced guys in this thread to suggest a car camera with hardwiring and recording to record during the time car is parked.I understand that we need atleast two cameras to get good coverage.
My requirement is to keep a check on car keying and car damage when the car is parked,which is prevalent in our society

thanks,

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by caraholic

Hi,

Request the experirenced guys in this thread to suggest a car camera with hardwiring and recording to record during the time car is parked.I understand that we need atleast two cameras to get good coverage.
My requirement is to keep a check on car keying and car damage when the car is parked,which is prevalent in our society

thanks,

Instead invest on a standalone CCTV camera that can cover most of your parking lot continuously since it will give good coverage of the exterior of the car. Using two such cameras arranged diagonally you can achieve 100% coverage of the exterior including the surroundings. If you use two dashcams, you can only cover the front hood portion of the car and the tailgate. Hence, I would not prefer a dashcam for such a use case.

[SCORPION]

Originally Posted by caraholic

Hi,

Request the experirenced guys in this thread to suggest a car camera with hardwiring and recording to record during the time car is parked.I understand that we need atleast two cameras to get good coverage.
My requirement is to keep a check on car keying and car damage when the car is parked,which is prevalent in our society

thanks,

Unless you use your car regularly I don't think its a good idea to have 2 dashcams running off your battery the whole time it is parked. It wouldn't serve the purpose if you have to leave the car parked for a long time. Keying and other minor vandalising would be hard to prove using a dashcam. You would need more than 2 cameras then. I don't wish to explain further needlessly and my suggestion is mentioned below.

IMHO, if car vandalising is a regular affair, for the benefit of everyone in your society, your association should invest in a proper CCTV system in your parking area. You could probably have an additional camera facing your car/s if you are willing to make that additional payment. That could prove a deterrent to these jobless miscreants and provide a permanent solution to the problem. You will also have the added benefit of a proven passive security system in your society.

If this is not a possibility, then the other experts here can suggest a dashcam that best suits your needs.