@tigertiger may be right on that. Also, it's not just UPS. I've had packages with FedEx and DHL get held up at customs and had to pay duties.

Customs have really upped their game on international deliveries in recent years as they try to clamp down on grey market imports.

Interest rates are generally low. If you're looking to earn interest, you should look at the various CDs on offer. Talk to the bank about 理财产品. Basically, they'll offer a higher rate if you're willing to park the money with them for fixed terms (3, 6 or 12 months).

@Geezer: There's one important difference, which is that China follows a version of what's called "Residence-based taxation." Any Chinese citizen who lives abroad long-term and does not maintain a Chinese domicile is exempt. For Americans, the obligation never ends. Only a handful of countries in the world follow the US system of "citizenship-based taxation"

Interesting, and I hope the business does well.

A word of advice though: the spiel on your website basically boils down to repeated assertions of "this is the best and everything else is crap." It would be helpful to include a bit of information about how the product works, what kind of water it produces and the like.

For instance, you say it's purified water. Is it actually pure, like distilled water? If that's the case, it wouldn't be good water for tea or coffee, as both rely on trace minerals to aid extraction.

Also, what's wrong with the many filters available in China? Is it just that you have to keep buying replacement filters? Are there known quality or safety issues? Again, some specifics on this end would help you with sales.

It's one thing for employees, but any freelancer or contractor will tell you that this is a pretty universal thing around the world. That's why there are standard late fee schedules.