I am really happy by how closer to me Eleanor (my Kindle) is getting everyday. Amazon has shipped it using DHL and given me a tracking number as usual. I have never got anything shipped from the US before and I am fascinated by the updates that it is giving me. It took about 24 hours for it to reach from the West Coast to the East Cost. Now in less than 24 hours it has not only reached London, but also began its journey towards home! It is already in the air having left Heathrow airport and I assume will be taken out and scanned at the Mumbai airport in the next 24 hours. So I assume it should be in my hands by 2nd of September (as Amazon estimated) or before that depending on the efficiency with which our Custom officials work.
Speaking about customs, I know I will have to pay the duty to get it shipped from the US direct. However, inspite of the fact that I declared myself as un-Indian for doing that, I could not refrain from trying to find a loophole. Customs rules say, that if you are getting an electronic item shipped in, you have to pay duty on it. However, if that shipment is a gift that you are receiving, the value of which is below INR 10,000, then it is exempt from duty. I have got it shipped from Amazon as a gift. So it will be marked as a gift, but the value would still be printed on the box. The value being USD 139 which works out to around INR 6,512. The problem with this is, the billing and the shipping address both are mine. This might work against me. It would be better to give a local billing address, which I could have easily done. I shall however find this out in a couple of days time when the local DHL/Blue Dart guys give me my package and the duty receipt along with it.
Note: Amazon charges Import Fees Deposit for anything that it ships abroad. I was charged USD 56.34 over and above the Priority Shipping charge of USD 20.98 (which I think is not that high). They will then pay the duty on your behalf and credit back the amount that is left over. It saves you the hassle of dealing with the Customs guys directly (which however also negates the possibility of you evading the duty altogether by greasing a couple of palms).
Ideal Musings 
Hi Aditya, can u pls let me know the overall price that you had to shell out for your Kindle. Was it 56.34 + 20.98 over and above the listed price of $139 if one gets it shipped to India? (considering its a gift). Or these extra charges are only when it is ordered as not a gift.Thanks a lot and enjoy reading.
Hi Shalabh. I am not yet sure of how much customs I have finally been charged. I am sure the process of the payment receipt going back to Amazon and then they crediting it back to my account would take a while. Only then can I confirm how much I ended up paying in all. However, I know for a fact that 56.34 is too high and even if I did have to pay customs it will be a lesser amount. I shall update my blog when I get the credit back. And I really do enjoy reading. Thanks 🙂
Thanks for the prompt info. One more question, as you were earlier planning to get it from US directly, do you know if there are any Region specific changes in the device, specially in browser as their site mentions that it is not available in certain countries. Or does Amazon ship the same product to US as well as to India. I noticed that for shipping to US, the site is mentioning "In Stock", but when I changed the shipping location to India, it says out of stock and will be delivered on or before 27thSep. Not sure why this delay is there.
I am not really sure about the difference in the product that is available for the US and the one that ships internationally. I would recommend to not take a chance. However, ideally both should work the same way especially if you are buying the WiFi only Kindle. I would suggest you do a little more research on this. I think they are basically making sure they are always in stock for the local customers first as they have just started promising shipping in 24 hrs in the US.