Category: Ecuador for Investors

“If they try to stop you, just punch the accelator.” My friend said as we inched closer in our car to the border, about to enter Ecuador from Colombia.

I have never crossed a border by car so I really didn’t know what to expect.

Even my adventures down to TJ (Tijuana) for the day from San Diego were by foot, never by car.

There was a lot of traffic, and my nerves were staring to flare, I had an item I knew would incur a tax if they saw it.

As we inched closer to the border guards I saw them wave some cars through, others had to stop while they checked their trunk.

I was next.

I got the hault sign from the guards.

I started to press the pedal.

The brake pedal. Looking over to my friend, “come on man, you didn’t think I was going to do it, did you?”

They saw the item. And then waved me over to the window where I had to pay the corresponding tariff. $108 USD, ouch.

Got the receipt, and that was it.

The guards didn’t even want to look at it. No one checked that I had paid. But I kind of wanted them to cause I actually did pay.

When you come in by land they don’t seem to care about the small things, but the big things like TVs and refrigerators they are sure to catch and insist you pay the tax.

When coming in by air its different.

You might get chosen for a deep cavity search, but chances are you’ll just walk right through, even if you have some larger items. But TV’s they’ll always catch.

Either way you don’t have to pay the taxes ahead of time, just wait and see if they catch it, because you actually CAN’T pay ahead of time, I tried. They need to see the item and weigh it to charge you.

If you liked this article, you’d love my weekly newsletter, revealing everything you need to know BEFORE you invest in Ecuador. Unsubscribe at any time:

First Name
* Email
	* = Required Field

“This place is a mad house.” I said to my friend.

We were across the border from Ecuador, in Colombia, at a tire shop, and it was choke full of Ecuadorians buying tires for their cars.

I soon found out why.

A set of 4 Goodyear tires in Ecuador in the Quito area for my jeep/SUV would set me back $691 USD. I got the quote in September of 2015 a few days before I came to Colombia cause I had heard whispers.

In Colombia, after converting the Peso to the Dollar with the current favorable exchange rate, the same Goodyear tires came to about $45 each! Total $180 USD!

Wow! Big difference, hard to believe I’m only 4 hours from Quito.

So, as you can imagine, a lot of drivers will drive over the border for the day, get new tires placed on their car, throw the old ones out and drive back over.

As long as you’re not bringing new, unused tires back loose inside your car the border patrol rightly assumes the tires are for personal use and don’t try to charge the steep import duties importing tires would normally incur.

If you liked this article, you’d love my weekly newsletter, revealing everything you need to know BEFORE you invest in Ecuador. Unsubscribe at any time:

First Name
* Email
	* = Required Field

This week I finished installing the irrigation system for my one hectare (2.2 acres) Stevia lot.

There were a few different options… install a drip irrigation system or a sprinkler system. My part-time farm manager with experience in Stevia said for this crop a sprinkler system is fine.

The quotes I was getting for installing the drip systems were $3-4,000 USD for the hectare.

The spinkler system about half that.

All said and done the sprinkler system came to $1,400 materials, $300 for the 5 horsepower Briggs-Stratton American gas pump, and $250 for the installation. Total $1950.

Duration of installation: 3 days.

There were cheaper Chinese pumps available in the $200 range but I went with an American brand.

But as soon as my manager saw the installed system as per the photo below, he said I should have used more powerful sprinklers and I would have put fewer lines and saved a lot, for a hectare he says I should have spent around $800 in materials. Overspent there. Live and learn.

Also, after a week of irrigating the land pre-arrival of the plants I´ve learned an important lesson, DON´T buy a gas pump! Go electric if humanly possible even though the electric pumps may cost triple that of the gas pumps, and it may be a hassle to get an electric connection nearby. It is not only cheaper in the long run but much less of a hassle also to not have to be going to gas stations every other day and filling up the 5 gallon jug.

Little things my manager probably should have told me but hey, now I know.

Only 4 more days left in the HALF PRICE special on my new Insiders Guide to Random Importing to Ecuador, a brief yet useful guide of the most profitable items to bring back from Colombia or the USA to Ecuador for the casual traveler or expat in Ecuador. This guide is ideal for ANYONE looking to travel to Ecuador (or for an expat living in Ecuador) that goes back frequently to the United States or Canada looking to make a few extra bucks.

Why not have your trip pay for itself, and more?

If you liked this article, you’d love my weekly newsletter, revealing everything you need to know BEFORE you invest in Ecuador. Unsubscribe at any time:

First Name
* Email
	* = Required Field

After 3 days here on the border of Colombia and Ecuador it’s become evident where in Ecuador I’d start a business right now.

Ipiales, Colombia.

I know, technically it’s not Ecuador, but it’s close enough, it’s a smallish town about 5 minutes from the border of Colombia and Ecuador.

Why Ipiales?

Ipiales offers a chance to sell to Ecuadorians without actually having to import to Ecuador.

Each weekend a sea of Ecuadorians swarm the shops and fill the hotels and restaurants of this small town.

In just 2 days I’ve spent over $800 USD and of the thousands that come each week to take advantage of the favorable exchange rate, which is currently one of the most depreciated currencies of the last year against the dollar, I’m sure I’m below the average spend.

What specifically would I sell?

I cover that and more in my new Insiders Guide to Random Importing to Ecuador, a brief yet useful guide of the most profitable items to bring back from Colombia or the USA to Ecuador for the casual traveler or expat in Ecuador. This guide is ideal for ANYONE looking to travel to Ecuador (or for an expat living in Ecuador) that goes back frequently to the United States or Canada looking to make a few extra bucks.

Why not have your trip pay for itself, and more?

If you liked this article, you’d love my weekly newsletter, revealing everything you need to know BEFORE you invest in Ecuador. Unsubscribe at any time:

First Name
* Email
	* = Required Field

Day 2 here in Colombia, and I´m quickly learning the ropes.

What´s cheaper than Ecuador, what´s not, and what´s a LOT cheaper.

But I´ve learned that just as important as knowing what to buy is HOW to buy?

To get the best deals in Colombia pay for EVERYTHING on credit card!

Why?

If you take dollars to exchange to pesos you will get a really lousy exchange rate, right now on the street and in the banks its around $2680 pesos to $1 USD.

If you take out of the ATMs using your Ecuadorian or international bank card like I did directly into pesos you will get hit with several nasty surcharges.

To be specific, I took out $100 USD worth of pesos from my Ecuadorian Banco Pichincha ATM card and I got nabbed with about $10 in fees!

But… if you buy things with a credit card you will get without a doubt the best rate once the purchase is converted over to your currency, actually, you will get the official exchange rate of $3125 pesos to $1 USD. No extra fees.

So forget the cash, and take a few credit cards on a side trip from Ecuador to Colombia and take advantage of one of the most devalued currencies in the world over the last year!

So far so good, I already bought one item I need for my business in Ecuador that in Ecuador costs $700, here I got it for $265! Learn about it and many more of the most profitable items to bring back from Colombia to Ecuador in my new Insiders Guide to Random Importing to Ecuador, ideal for ANYONE looking to travel to Ecuador (or for an expat living in Ecuador) that goes back frequently to the United States or Canada looking to make a few extra bucks.

Why not have your trip pay for itself, and more?

If you liked this article, you’d love my weekly newsletter, revealing everything you need to know BEFORE you invest in Ecuador. Unsubscribe at any time:

First Name
* Email
	* = Required Field