Clueless Newbie, here to hang out.

[JJBrewbus]

Hi, all!

My name's Johnathan. I'm a Brit, living and working in Bali. Just joined because the monsoon season has arrived and I need a project to keep me going until dry season returns.... sometime around May next year.
So, I thought I'd get into armchair hammock camping: i.e. designing and building one, ready for a trans-Indonesia camping adventure next year.
To be honest, I don't have any money. On top of that, Indonesia has some of the most ridiculous import changes (over 100% for many goods), so even buying a BB or HH becomes pricey for me -- thus: I'll have to poke around here and glean what I can from you guys so I can make my own.
Lightness isn't a main factor for me -- I won't be doing much hiking; motorcycling is my thing (and a damaged back and heart have stopped my hiking days, I think).
I look forward to badgering you all with questions but please be patient if I haven't caught up with all the terminology in your posts and explanations

JJ

[Bannerstone]

Welcome and good luck with your import challenges.

Seems like lot of folks are looking to Dutch for their diy hammock blanks. They offer a number of interesting fabrics, argon, polyd, etc. You'll probably be building a bug net as well. http://dutchwaregear.com/diy-stuff/

David

[hanggirl]

Welcome JJ no worries, the HH and BB are out of reach price wise for lots of folks and that is before paying import charges.
I remember not many months ago when I found this group it seemed everyone was talking a foreign language, you'll catch on quickly I'm sure.
I would imagine there is fabric to be had where you are and you will be making a hammock from that rather than import fabric to save money. Remember, the pioneers used a bed sheet and gathered it up. Where there's a will there's a way. And again, welcome to HF.

[raiffnuke]

Welcome to HF from Massachusetts.

[humer91]

Are the import taxes on purchases or on everything including "gifts"?

[runningwithscissors22]

Welcome! There's a wealth of information here and a bunch of awesome people, too!

[JJBrewbus]

Thanks for the welcome, guys -- Bannerstone, Hanggirl, Raiffnuke, Hummer91 and runningwithscissors22.

@ Hummer91:

I don't know if you are actually thinking of mailing something to Indonesia, but if you are... here goes:

Basically, if the total value of the goods+packaging+freight+insurance you are sending is less than USD 50, then it is usually duty exempt. However, the package must be clearly marked and a receipt of the contents needs to be shown to prove this. If the customs officers do not accept the 'proof of price/value', then they base the import tax on how much it would cost to buy that item in Indonesia (which is going to be high).

As they calculate the value based on goods+packaging+freight+insurance, so the percentage of taxes and duties added can grow quite quickly.
Import duty can be as much as 40% on some goods.
VAT is levied at 10% but sales taxes vary a lot.
Luxury Goods tax can be anywhere between 10% and 75% !

Add all that up sequentially, and that is how much the receiver may have to pay to get their package.

A friend of mine ordered a roll of material from the States. The tax was way more than what she'd originally paid for the material.
I'd love to have a half-decent motorcycle for off-road camping trips, but whatever the cost would be in the States, it would have 130% + added here. And you cannot import any used, second-hand vehicle!

By the way, if you are sending anything like alcohol or tobacco, tax is 275% !! (very odd, considering this is a major tobacco producing and smoking-friendly country, eh?)

Thus, if you need to send anything here, do your homework first and calculate if it is better to send goods in several small packages with a low dollar value, a few weeks apart if possible. Maybe marking the package "Sample item" or "Gift" can help, too, but frequent mailings might eventually get identified and caught.

My final advice: dig a trans-Pacific tunnel and smuggle it: it'd be quicker and cheaper ; )

J

[Boomer]

Welcome from the West Coast!

I made a couple of hammocks this week using table cloth and home made whoopies. If you were so inclined, add in a bug net like Fronkey's (Dutch has them pre-made).