The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (JKDM) reminds the public that barring a few specific exceptions, goods exceeding RM1,000 in value are subject to duties. This is typically at 10% based on the declared value, but but can range from between 5% and 30%. It can also be subject to multiple additional charges, which include import and excise duties as well as sales taxes.
In case you missed it, back in October, a Singaporean landed at Changi Airport was stopped by the country’s customs. The reason was the hundreds of Pokemon cards, reportedly worth over SG$30,000 (~RM95,108), thought to be for collection and resale. Which prompted Malaysians to also wonder: what is taxable when we fly back home from overseas?
The New Straits Times cites Customs director-general Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin as saying nearly all goods brought into Malaysia were taxable. More specifically, she narrows down the exemptions to a litre of alcohol, three pieces of new clothing, a pair of new footwear and food items capped at RM150. Everything else is only exempted if their value does not exceed RM1,000.
“Personal belongings are not a magic spell for duty-free immunity”, the report quotes her saying. And in the case of Pokemon cards, these are classified as playing cards. Which means a 10% import duty, 10% excise duty and 10% sales tax when exceeding said RM1,000 value threshold. She also says that commonly undeclared and therefore confiscated items include electronic devices, cosmetics and fragrances, as well as accessories like handbags, watches and jewellery, in addition to foodstuff and alcohol.
Beware TCG Tourneygoers With Expensive Meta Decks
With all that in mind, avid TCG players travel to compete in tournaments frequently should probably check your decks’ worth. The last thing you want is to be stopped by Customs because you run very meta decks, and the cards within cost over RM1,000 collectively.
On one hand, you can check for yourself what is taxed and their respective amounts via the Customs website. But on the other, the page itself comes with a disclaimer that defeats its purpose of existence. In essence, it says that reliance of info here is “at the user’s sole risk”. So as much as I’d like to say tabletop RPGs like Warhammer 40,000 are safe, I really can’t.
