Aerolineas Argentinas is breaking into the "door to door" business through a service that seeks to fight the main players in the sector.The flag line has just launched an online platform where every user who registers can centralize all their purchases made in the United States and have them ship in a single order to the door of their house in three days, if they live in Buenos Aires, or in four, if it is in the interior of the country.Thus, the client will have the advantage of not having to carry out any customs procedures and not having to go to Ezeiza to look for the packages, as it happens at present.As iProUp reported in this note, the first step is to register, generate a username and password and validate the mail on the Aerolíneas Argentinas Cargo page.As soon as this form is completed, an address is received in Miami of the deposit that the company has near the airport of that city, with a code that is unique and exclusive.With this address, the user makes sure that every purchase made on portals such as Amazon or eBay, is centralized in that logistics warehouse. All you have to do is upload the invoices online and send the internal tracking numbers for each ecommerce operation you make."With these two data, the package arrives with the purchase to our warehouse in Miami, we know who it belongs to." Then, that user is informed that the package is in the warehouse and we consolidate it with the other packages that it has. , if it carried out other operations ", explains Maximiliano Pozaric, cargo manager of Aerolineas Argentinas, to iProUP.Once it is set to "send", the system will already have calculated - based on the invoices charged - the cost of the shipment and also the taxes that the Customs will charge. All this is canceled by credit card via PayPal.The courier system has several advantages:-There is no need to perform any customs operation. The company is responsible for all procedures and managing the payment of the corresponding taxes.-Under the Courier regime, five operations per year can be carried out but one or several items can be brought in each shipment, as long as the order does not exceed 50 kilos and US $ 3,000.There are some products that are not allowed, such as drones, jewelry, works of art, food, alcoholic beverages or medicines, among others.Taxes, key pointAlthough this system has many advantages, two variables must be taken into account:-When making a purchase in a US portal -either electronic, clothing, footwear, perfumes, toys, etc.- it will be very important before checking with the virtual calculator the customs taxes that are charged for each category, which can reach represent 50% of the value of the product.-To this we must add the cost of freight -US $ 21 per kilo, although Airlines launched a special promotion with a reduction of 30% in this first stage-. A cost called "handling" is also added, linked to the management of the encomienda in the country.There are items, such as notebooks, where the tax burden is much lower, so that in these cases interesting opportunities may appear.However, it is a set of variables where the buyer must analyze and compare everything: the price in both countries, the aforementioned customs duties, the incidence of freight and whether or not there is the possibility of paying in installments without interest in Argentina. , an aspect that becomes a great advantage considering that the purchase abroad is made in a payment.From Aerolíneas they emphasize that the company does not intervene in the purchases made by users. But they did recognize that this courier service will tend to be used more to bring technology of low volume and high price or products of brands that are not available in the country.Next, a comparative analysis that allows to establish in which cases it is convenient to buy in the United States and in which cases the advantage of doing so in Argentina is imposed:1. Cell phonesTo establish if it is business to acquire a team in Miami and contract the door to door service of Airlines, iProUP established three categories of smartphones: high, medium and low.In the case of a top-of-the-line phone, such as the 256 GB iPhone XS, a premium reseller in Buenos Aires is offered for $ 129,300.At the official exchange rate, it represents u $ s2,810. The key point is that the two main stores that sell it in the country do not have interest-free installments for this product, so financing it at six months would add $ 20,000 more to the account.How much is this same model obtained abroad? Released is worth about $ 1,200.Now, if the shipment to Argentina is managed through Airlines, then we must add the customs tax set by the AFIP, which is 50%; In addition, $ 50 more are added between shipping and "handling". All these items total $ 680 and carry the final price of this smartphone received at the door of the house at $ 1,880.The following virtual calculator, which is available on the platform, allows you to see each item and estimate the final price of the product you want to bring:In spite of everything, the difference with respect to the local price is wide, of the order of the u $ s930 that, at the official exchange rate, represents a saving no less than about 42,700 pesos.What happens with a mid-range cell phone like a Samsung S8 64GB? This model in Argentina costs $ 38,000, about $ 826. And except with the card of a punctual bank, in two of the main retail chains they do not offer interest-free installments.On Amazon, this same unlocked device costs $ s400. Freight, customs management and taxes add another $ s238. Thus, the team will total $ s638. Conclusion: the savings to buy it in the United States and bring it by Aeorlíneas would be u $ s188 (about $ 8,500) compared to the local alternative.With regard to cheaper equipment, the advantages of "door to door" are completed by liquefying. When dealing with smaller amounts, the weight of the freight has a greater influence and, at the local level, there is more possibility of obtaining financing.A Samsung J6 is obtained in a Buenos Aires store for $ 11,000 and offer the possibility of paying it in up to six installments without interest.In the United States, this model is achieved but "refurbished" -that is, when the equipment is repaired but with a guarantee- and at a price of US $ 140.Adding taxes and freight ends up costing $ s234, practically the same as in Argentina and without the advantage of financing. This is repeated with many other entry-level models.2. NotebooksIn the case of laptops, a similar logic is given. If you take into account high-end equipment, the price gaps are remarkable: those who opt for a MacBook model with a 12 "screen and 256 GB, can get it in Buenos Aires to $ 89,800 and without 0% financing. official exchange are u $ s1.952.How much does it cost in the United States? About $ 900. In these cases the "door to door" is convenient because the customs tax is really low after the changes implemented by the Government, given that it is less than 15%.Thus, considering this item, the cost of shipping and the "handling" - the handling of the order in the country, this notebook will end up costing $ 1,050, meaning that the saving compared to the local price would be $ 900 .The conditions are reversed when it comes to cheaper equipment, as is the case of an Acer notebook with a 15.6 "screen and a 1 Tera disk, which is quoted in a Buenos Aires store for $ 33,000 (u $ s717).This same model, purchased on a US page and brought by Airlines, will end up selling $ 660. However, savings -which in itself is low- "evaporates" when considering that there are businesses that offer 6-installment plans without interest here.3. TelevisionsIn a context of a sharp fall in demand, TV prices have been moving below inflation. This, added to the customs taxes of the category, generates that it is not a big business to bring an LED from outside, unless a mega-offer is obtained.In Argentina, a 32-inch smart TV averages $ 13,000 ($ 282). How much does it leave in Miami? A similar team can be purchased via ecommerce for $ s160.However, we must add more than 50% tax and also freight. Thus, the final price shoots up to US $ 318. That is, it will be more expensive than in the country.In parallel, a 65-inch Smart TV with 4K technology and a well-known brand, which can also be brought by air, is priced at an average of $ 600 on Amazon or Best Buy, however, depending on the customs tariff, the weight - which can exceed 25 kilos - and freight, will end up costing a total of more than US $ 1,300, which represents about $ 60,000.In an electro chain of Buenos Aires the same model is obtained for $ 64,000, and with the possibility of paying it in 6 installments without interest with cards from a wide range of banks.In short, unless they are obtained in the USA. a TV at a bargain price, the "door to door" does not allow to make big differences in this category.4. ConsolesAnother of the most purchased items outside of Argentina are game consoles, given the historical price gaps.In Argentina, a PlayStation 4 Slim model with a game is quoted at an equivalent price of $ 600.In Amazon, this device is offered for US $ 340 but, with a tariff close to 40% and logistics costs, its value climbs to US $ 540.The difference is $ 60. However, the possibility of having a local guarantee and of getting some interest-free installments will surely end up tilting the balance towards the local option.5. Clothing and footwearIn the case of clothing, taxes and, to a lesser extent, the cost of shipping, they end up making it inconvenient to opt for door to door.As an example, if a buyer decides to buy a winter jacket for women from one of the most recognized brands in the market, you will find that it costs about US $ 230 in Amazon or eBay.How much does the same model quote in an official store that the same brand has in Buenos Aires? About $ 19,900, that is, $ s432. At first glance, it looks like a round business to get this garment from Miami and wait for it at home.However, taxes start with adding $ s143. To this we must add the cost of freight, which will raise the total bill to $ 395.The savings, which seemed significant at the beginning, will be reduced to only $ 37. To this equation, in addition, we must add another key variable: financing, given that with certain cards some interest-free installments can be obtained.To show how the "door to door" loses its appeal due to the influence of taxes, iProUP has put together a basket of women's clothing that includes several Forever 21 jeans, two pairs of brand shoes and a jacket.The same costs, in Miami, about $ 527. A similar basket in stores in Argentina would be worth $ 749, a gap of $ 222 that, at the official exchange rate, represents a not inconsiderable difference of more than $ 10,000.However, a detail is not minor: we must add $ 441 of customs taxes and freight. Result? This "basket" of clothing would end up costing less in Argentina.Something similar happens when trying to put together a basket with men's clothing. If you include several jeans, two pairs of shoes and a jacket, you will pay $ 400 in Miami, but the figure skyrockets to $ 891 once the corresponding taxes and freight have been paid. In Argentina, meanwhile, said basket would move around U $ S712.As seen in both tables, there are no differences in the prices of branded shoes and clothes in general as they did until a year ago. It is that the devaluation made it more expensive to buy abroad and, locally, the sales crisis that hits these companies prevents them from raising prices at the rate of inflation.In these cases, whoever wants to make a difference with the "door to door", must wait and take advantage of the large seasonal liquidations.