US Customs discussion - airports, importing

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#526
@sbelle happy holidays! I am happy to report that I got the refund a few days ago. It was refunded to my card which I used to pay for the duty. I didn’t realize till today. The 9% is the correct rate For leather bags.
It is a pleasant surprise and I thank you for encouraging/pushing me to inquire it. Thank you so much!

maplemoose said:
@sbelle thanks for you help. just to give an update on this:
FedEx required to fill a form for appeal and they will submit on your behalf. I followed their procedure and was informed about a month ago that the form was submitted. But I haven’t heard anything back yet. Will keep you all posted once there is a new development.
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#527
maplemoose said:
@sbelle happy holidays! I am happy to report that I got the refund a few days ago. It was refunded to my card which I used to pay for the duty. I didn’t realize till today. The 9% is the correct rate For leather bags.
It is a pleasant surprise and I thank you for encouraging/pushing me to inquire it. Thank you so much!
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YAY !!! What wonderful news — an early Christmas present! :happydance:

I am so glad you questioned the shipper.
For those who didn’t read our earlier discussion, I have also had shippers make mistakes in the calculation of duty and when questioned they have corrected the calculation . I have never paid more than 9% on a leather handbag whether shipped or carried into the US. I know that other members indicated they have paid a higher percentage, and I don’t have an explanation for that.
 
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#529
nymeria said:
4. Make whatever decision you are comfortable with, but I'm not sure I understand the need to lie or cheat. You bought what ever you did, you will love it and it will always remind you about that particular trip. That's a wonderful thing to have, why add a coda of unpleasantness that will always persist?
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This. I don't know why otherwise puportedly law abiding people think it is ok to lie and cheat when bringing purchases into the country. This and other threads have many posts by people boasting about doing so.
 
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#530
lulilu said:
This. I don't know why otherwise puportedly law abiding people think it is ok to lie and cheat when bringing purchases into the country. This and other threads have many posts by people boasting about doing so.
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You’re risking so much. You’re risking having your items seized, paying 100% in taxes on those item and being flagged for inspection upon every arrival moving forward on top of losing global entry/tsa pre check.

I declared everything this last trip and do so every time. Each time the CBP officer not only doesn’t charge me for all the items, they usually only charge one or two of the highest priced items and they give me discounts on top of the allowance because I was honest. I spent over $13k this last trip and only paid $515 for customs. I still saved THOUSANDS. Is $500 worth it?
 
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#531
@sbelle same here. Thank you for pushing me to do it. I was just so happy to get the SO. I bagged the extra since the price was similar to what I pay in US. The refund is a little less than a grand and it went to Hermes already:)
take care, stay safe and enjoy the holidays!

sbelle said:
YAY !!! What wonderful news — an early Christmas present! :happydance:

I am so glad you questioned the shipper.
For those who didn’t read our earlier discussion, I have also had shippers make mistakes in the calculation of duty and when questioned they have corrected the calculation . I have never paid more than 9% on a leather handbag whether shipped or carried into the US. I know that other members indicated they have paid a higher percentage, and I don’t have an explanation for that.
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#532
Flying back from Milan to JFK. Considering picking up a bag with my wife while we are there.

I understand that we together get $1600 of our purchases duty free. Does anyone know the rate for leather bags and is it applied only to the price after $1600? We arent buying much else besides probably some wine and olive oil, and the bag.

The way im understanding it is that if we spend $2000, I'm charged a duty fee of (I've seen 3%, 9%?) on the $400 over our exemption. So basically like $20 in fees?

Any help would be amazing, thank you!
 
#533
guzman2792 said:
Flying back from Milan to JFK. Considering picking up a bag with my wife while we are there.

I understand that we together get $1600 of our purchases duty free. Does anyone know the rate for leather bags and is it applied only to the price after $1600? We arent buying much else besides probably some wine and olive oil, and the bag.

The way im understanding it is that if we spend $2000, I'm charged a duty fee of (I've seen 3%, 9%?) on the $400 over our exemption. So basically like $20 in fees?

Any help would be amazing, thank you!
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Guzman - check the US rules to see whether you can aggregate the duty free limit. In Canada you can’t combine two or more duty free limits to claim for one item. So in your example only one person can claim $800 towards the bag so you will be charged duty on the $1200. Again check to see if the US has a similar limitation.
 
#534
Suncatcher said:
Guzman - check the US rules to see whether you can aggregate the duty free limit. In Canada you can’t combine two or more duty free limits to claim for one item. So in your example only one person can claim $800 towards the bag so you will be charged duty on the $1200. Again check to see if the US has a similar limitation.
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In the US you can combine the entire traveling parties total allowance. Example: if you have 4 people traveling together you get $3200.
 
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#535
Has anyone experienced a misunderstanding during the customs process? More specifically, I want to take some of my designer pieces to my trip to Europe, and I plan to do some (heavy) shopping as well. I plan on declaring everything of course. But, I read somewhere some people were asked to prove that their old belongings were not new purchases from abroad. Will pictures of receipts be sufficient? (I get paranoid about random things like that). Thank you!
 
#536
xlalala123 said:
Has anyone experienced a misunderstanding during the customs process? More specifically, I want to take some of my designer pieces to my trip to Europe, and I plan to do some (heavy) shopping as well. I plan on declaring everything of course. But, I read somewhere some people were asked to prove that their old belongings were not new purchases from abroad. Will pictures of receipts be sufficient? (I get paranoid about random things like that). Thank you!
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I only limit the pricey items that I bring with me when travelling. And when I do, I bring my receipt. My aunt was held by Customs many years ago at a US airport because of a huge diamond ring she wore. She travelled to Asia and as she entered the US, the officer thought that she had just bought the ring from her trip (she bought it in the US shortly before she left). Of course, she didn't bring the receipt for that..because how many people actually travel with a receipt for her diamond ring, right?! Luckily, the officer eventually made a call to the Jewelry Store and was able to verify that purchase.
 
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#537
xlalala123 said:
Has anyone experienced a misunderstanding during the customs process? More specifically, I want to take some of my designer pieces to my trip to Europe, and I plan to do some (heavy) shopping as well. I plan on declaring everything of course. But, I read somewhere some people were asked to prove that their old belongings were not new purchases from abroad. Will pictures of receipts be sufficient? (I get paranoid about random things like that). Thank you!
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I had a similar thing happen with customs in Europe. We were stopped in Switzerland as we were on a road trip. They checked all luggage and the car for new items (I did NO shopping whatsoever ) but were more interested because of Husband’s watch. I always keep photos of receipts on my phone as proof so this helped to prove item wasn’t new. So definitely keep this information easy for you to allocate as a just in case.
Enjoy your Europe trip !
 
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#538
QUOTE="Build-a-B-K-collection, post: 34963245, member: 608415"]
I had a similar thing happen with customs in Europe. We were stopped in Switzerland as we were on a road trip. They checked all luggage and the car for new items (I did NO shopping whatsoever ) but were more interested because of Husband’s watch. I always keep photos of receipts on my phone as proof so this helped to prove item wasn’t new. So definitely keep this information easy for you to allocate as a just in case.
Enjoy your Europe trip !
[/QUOTE]
Taking photos of your receipts for expensive items is always a good idea in any event. You might need them for insurance or other purposes. Some receipts (e.g. Hermes) fade badly over time. So I take a picture of the bag and the receipt and keep them in an electronic file accessible by phone.
 
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#539
Build-a-B-K-collection said:
I had a similar thing happen with customs in Europe. We were stopped in Switzerland as we were on a road trip. They checked all luggage and the car for new items (I did NO shopping whatsoever ) but were more interested because of Husband’s watch. I always keep photos of receipts on my phone as proof so this helped to prove item wasn’t new. So definitely keep this information easy for you to allocate as a just in case.
Enjoy your Europe trip !
Click to expand...
lulilu said:
QUOTE="Build-a-B-K-collection, post: 34963245, member: 608415"]
I had a similar thing happen with customs in Europe. We were stopped in Switzerland as we were on a road trip. They checked all luggage and the car for new items (I did NO shopping whatsoever ) but were more interested because of Husband’s watch. I always keep photos of receipts on my phone as proof so this helped to prove item wasn’t new. So definitely keep this information easy for you to allocate as a just in case.
Enjoy your Europe trip !
Click to expand...
Taking photos of your receipts for expensive items is always a good idea in any event. You might need them for insurance or other purposes. Some receipts (e.g. Hermes) fade badly over time. So I take a picture of the bag and the receipt and keep them in an electronic file accessible by phone.
[/QUOTE]
Thank you so much for the helpful advice! Didn’t think about all the other reasons why I might need receipts in the future! :)
 
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