Ctg customs to hold e-auction of goods worth Tk20.6cr

The Chattogram Customs House is going to hold an e-auction of 23 lots of imported goods valued at approximately Tk20.6 crore on 5 September.

The products up for bidding encompass a diverse range, including LPG empty cylinders, elastic bands, corrugated plastic sheets, glass beads, Tianshi Lipid Metabolic Tea, cell rejuvenation capsules, grape extract capsules, fabrics, top hangers, plastic hangers, cotton drawcords, cotton, footwear, gum tape, embroidered men's polo shirts, stone tiles, brand new capital machinery, plastic blocks, polar jackets, T-shirts, and more, as stated by Chattogram Customs House.

Following a year-long pause, the e-auction will take place at the nation's largest customs station. The last one was held in September of the previous year.

Nahidunnabi, Deputy Commissioner of the Auction Branch at Chattogram Customs House, revealed that general auctions are conducted in Chattogram Customs nearly every month. Thus far, six auctions have been held manually this year. And the 5 September event will be the first e-auction of 2023.

Imported goods were not released by the importers at the port for a variety of reasons. Besides, customs authorities may suspend the release of some goods due to issues such as smuggling, forgery, the importation of other items under false declarations, or customs evasion.

According to the regulations, a notice is issued to allow the release of these products within 30 days. If the importers fail to retrieve their goods within this timeframe, the customs house authorities will proceed to auction them off.

The Customs House launched an online auction in October 2020. The next e-auction was held on 20 January 2021. Then e-auction was held on 4 November 2021, 13 June 2022, and 25 September 2022, according to Chattogram customs.