This is a thread to provide tips on checking airline baggage and experiences (good and bad) with Brazilian customs in clearing checked bags . If you had to pay fees due to a customs inspection please list arrival city in Brazil and reason why customs assessed a charge (i.e. had new bike which they assessed over $500 limit).

Also please list your airline if you had an issue and had to pay extra fees on a bag you thought would fit within their standard size/weight requirements.

To start off the thread here is a tip on a decent and relatively inexpensive container to use as a checked bag:

I highly recommend the Rubbermaid ActionPacker Container as it is very sturdy and is much better at protecting items than using cardboard shipping cartons.

The other benefit is that it is useful to use as storage after you reach Brazil and it has latches so the cover can be locked.

The dimensions on the 24 gallon size total to 61.6 inches so it is just under most airlines 62 liner inches size limit. The 24 gallon size container weighs 11.5 lbs so can add about 58 lbs of contents to stay under most airlines' 70 pound limit on standard baggage.

If you have larger items and are planning to pay the excess baggage fees for luggage larger than 62 linear inches the 35 and 48 gallon sizes containers are options to consider.

The 24 gallon size is $45 shipped on amazon and also available at Target stores.
Rubbermaid ActionPacker Storage Containers

Edited by floripasurfer - 28 May 2012 at 02:35

Originally posted by floripasurfer To start off the thread here is a tip on a decent and relatively inexpensive container to use as a checked bag: I highly recommend the Rubbermaid ActionPacker Container as it is very sturdy and is much better at protecting items than using cardboard shipping cartons

That's truly a great idea FS, and a container like that, just in and of itself, would be quite expensive in Brasil (I doubt in Fpolis I could even find one like this).  Certainly a good choice for checking items which are very fragile, and also only if you know you haven't gone over your $500 limit (and have receipts to prove this).  I think having this container as part of one's baggage, would get you flagged each and every time.  What has your experience been using it?

I tend to favor what I call 'body bags'... simple large, lightweight canvas bags, which can be either stuffed with cardboard boxes of assorted sizes containing a variety of things (makes it easier for TSA to root through your stuff), and/or really light yet bulky items, such as towels.  I always stuff books, usually the heaviest items, in my roll-aboard suitcase.

From personal experience, I've found GRU to be easier to pass through than GIG, without being flagged.  The times I have been flagged in GRU (where I usually fly into), resulted in rather routine, and polite inspections.  Yet the few occasions I've had the (dis)pleasure of enduring inspection at GIG, they made me feel each and every time as if I was a suspected traficante, and certain I was hiding something.

On a few occasions at GRU, when I know I'm well over my $500 limit, and voluntarily enter the Something to Declare line, I have actually been allowed to leave without needing to pay any extra duty.  The personel always seemed surprised when I enter directly via the red channel, and since the items in my possession, which brought me over the limit, haven't been tablets, laptops, or an LCD tv, the Customs officer, approx. 50% of the time, tells me I can go.  For the other times I've had to pay, when I even factor in the duty into my total expenditures, I still come out way ahead, than if I'd purchased the items in Brasil (and if they could even be found at all).

Originally posted by Gringo.Floripa That's truly a great idea FS, and a container like that, just in and of itself, would be quite expensive in Brasil (I doubt in Fpolis I could even find one like this).  Certainly a good choice for checking items which are very fragile, and also only if you know you haven't gone over your $500 limit (and have receipts to prove this).  I think having this container as part of one's baggage, would get you flagged each and every time.  What has your experience been using it?I tend to favor what I call 'body bags'... simple large, lightweight canvas bags, which can be either stuffed with cardboard boxes of assorted sizes containing a variety of things (makes it easier for TSA to root through your stuff), and/or really light yet bulky items, such as towels.  I always stuff books, usually the heaviest items, in my roll-aboard suitcase.From personal experience, I've found GRU to be easier to pass through than GIG, without being flagged.  The times I have been flagged in GRU (where I usually fly into), resulted in rather routine, and polite inspections.  Yet the few occasions I've had the (dis)pleasure of enduring inspection at GIG, they made me feel each and every time as if I was a suspected traficante, and certain I was hiding something.On a few occasions at GRU, when I know I'm well over my $500 limit, and voluntarily enter the Something to Declare line, I have actually been allowed to leave without needing to pay any extra duty.  The personel always seemed surprised when I enter directly via the red channel, and since the items in my possession, which brought me over the limit, haven't been tablets, laptops, or an LCD tv, the Customs officer, approx. 50% of the time, tells me I can go.  For the other times I've had to pay, when I even factor in the duty into my total expenditures, I still come out way ahead, than if I'd purchased the items in Brasil (and if they could even be found at all).

I have used this container once but almost always get x-rayed and asked questions as I usually have 3 to 4 large checked pieces so I don't know if this container attracts extra attention. On my next trip I am planning to have two of these containers plus a large duffel bag. I no longer use cardboard boxes as even though I have taped them up very well if TSA opens them they do not retape them as securely and of course cardboard boxes aren't very good at protecting contents compared to rigid suitcases and containers.

I purchased a couple of high quality wheeled duffle bags a few years ago as it much more convenient to transport bags with wheels and I bring one of these on each trip,

I agree that canvas/duffel bags are good for non fragile items as I assume that anything i pack in a duffel bag will be tossed around and be stored on the plane on the bottom of other luggage weighing several hundred pounds. The ActionPacker container is rigid and is useful for more fragile items. Plus as you indicted these are nice storage containers that are difficult to find in brazil.

I haven't arrived in GIG in many years so my experiences have been with GRU and in my trips they have been most interested in large items (i.e. lcd tv, bike) rather than smaller items. The time i was assessed a penalty was with a new bike and I didn't have a receipt for the bike. When i brought in the tv i had a receipt as it was a new TV still unopened in the manufacturer's box and they let me through after verifying the model number with the receipt. In this case the TV was $499 as I bought a model that was less than $500 but I still had other new smaller electronics that they didn't question.

On my next trip I will try what you have done and voluntarily declare an amount over $500 and see how that goes at GRU.






Edited by floripasurfer - 07 June 2012 at 13:19

Originally posted by floripasurfer On my next trip I will try what you have done and voluntarily declare an amount over $500 and see how that goes at GRU.

After constantly being sent to x-ray, if I was going to be anywhere near $500 I would declare what I have. (well, not everything. mainly electronics, they don't really care about certain things.)
They treat you waaaay differently if you declared stuff and will let things slide if you are only slightly over the $500 limit.

They were even nice in GIG when I did it.

How does the TV ship.
I have my LED 37' that I want to bring back from Europe but I don't know if the airlines would allow it as baggage and if it would get damaged.