US Customs discussion - airports, importing

[tensgrl]

Apologies to all @880 @stupidolive @QuelleFromage @Bdbunny @MmeM124 for being a complete newbie here! I am traveling to Paris next month going direct to/from SFO and don’t know how this whole system works. I’m not sure if I will be purchasing any new items (will of course be related to if I get an appointment at any of the Hermes boutiques as I am primarily looking at leather and possibly twillys if I am successful) and will also be looking for vintage bags. Could anyone kindly lay out how the system works upon return given the new tariffs? Also, I understand declaring something new, but is there any reason I would need to declare a vintage bag which ostensibly has already been taxed as it’s not brand new? Is there any connection either getting your VAT refunded being somehow known to USA customs? And do vintage shops even return VAT like a boutique would? Lastly, is it better to ship home from a vendor (ie resee or Sothebys) vs carrying a bag on the plane? I am not going to make many purchases, perhaps just one or two, and have never shopped abroad so this whole thing is new to me!


@stupidolive Are you open to sharing what type or example of such a list?

@Bdbunny are you open to sharing what type of list you mean (or an example of it without personal info of course)?

Huh, this sort of goes to my original questions above… do you truly need to declare or is it optional? Apologies for the uber-newbie questions!

I posted previously about my recent experience in May, returning into SFO from France. I’d previously never been asked to pay duty, even when above the exemption and declaring. My BFF was also stopped and we both had to pay duty. We’d made a list of all items, price etc to make it easy and we had to pay a flat 5%. They told us we could be charged much more but because we were honest, it would be less. SFO is definitely aware of what we have purchased with VAT and seems to be aggressively applying duty.

 

[peonies13]

I’ve never been asked at CDG for original packaging, but definitely they want to see the items. However some of our members have been asked.

Re the issue of not taking VAT and not declaring on the other side, I believe legally upon entering the country, you are still required to declare. Same as Duty Free. Declaring stresses me out enough that my shopping abroad is relatively minor in comparison to local. Running the risk of not declaring is NOT worth the stress IMO; declaring is always easier and the duty is not all that much

@880 ahh thank you, good to know packaging might be required! Replying below re. vintage items...

As I believe @880 points out, you owe duty on the value of whatever you bring in to the States, so the fact that it may be vintage really isn’t relevant (Jane Birkin’s recently sold bag was vintage but should the buyer wish to bring it through customs there could be be some discussion about the difference between the $10M the bag sold for at auction and the current retail price of a BBB 35 ).

My best advice is to familiarize yourself with tariff rates for things you’re likely to bring home and, as you’re shopping, and calculating the price with respect to the current exchange rates, add in the expected tariff. That way you’ll know what you might be facing on your return home, and you can assess in real time whether the purchase is worth it. If you’re lucky enough to be waived through, all the better; if you aren’t, at least there’s no sticker shock.

Customs agents are well aware of the resale market. If they see an expensive purse they are entitled to ask for proof of purchase. If you cannot provide that or proof that you had it in situ before leaving, it could be seized and you could face serious consequences. I promise you, it just doesn’t pay to be dishonest.

💯 A fellow TPFer who always declares (she actually does a spreadsheet) was carrying her own Kelly (one that she normally travels with) and was asked to empty it; allow it to be inspected; and provide proof of prior ownership, which of course she was able to do. Customs agents really have seen every scenario. I also know of another TPFer who failed to declare, whose luggage was basically examined with a fine tooth comb on that and on subsequent trips.

ETA: your goods could be confiscated; you could be fined; your profile could be flagged; and your global entry could be revoked, and I believe this has happened to some members here, so most of us think it’s easier to declare

@880 @textilegirl @A1aGypsy Thank you all for this clarification! I am certainly not trying to be disonest - merely mistakenly figured that duty applied only to the creation and subsequent first sale of the item, rather than to the concept of bringing anything across borders. My thought was that simply paying VAT and not putting my passport in the system would streamline things, but now that I understand, it obviously makes sense to just be prepared for the worst-case costs (and use that info to evaluate purchases in the moment) and to declare whatever I buy As I said, I have no interest in skirting rules. I will be honest, come prepared with a list/spreadsheet and cross my fingers for a nice agency and for leniency in the duties percentage!

My home airport is ORD. As for the boxes, I usually travel very light (I hate baggage claim) so I often just leave boxes behind or refuse the box in the store. I'm still a little sad about that but the reality is they just sit in my closet anyway. I have the items in the dust bag in my carry on. At CDG you can do the détaxe before you check your suitcase if you wish to have the box also to show (in case they want to see it) but for me the bag and dustbag was sufficient for the agent. And of course, don't check your purchases - carry them on! (risk of theft/lost luggage too great)

@MmeM124 Ahh thank you for clarifying that détaxe is before suitcase check. I wouldn't ever check a bag, but would entertain checking just empty boxes? But that's an interesting idea to decline the box. If you were to be stopped and ask for original packaging that you didn't have, how would you explain it? Is there some "mark" the store can put to indicate that you declined the boxes, or if you just throw them away, would you take a photo of the boxes left behind or something? I bought a bag during domestic travel last year and getting the box home was a PITA (but since I do store this bag flat in the box, perhaps it was worth the hassle) Internationally thought i'd be very tempted to make a different choice.

Yeah I’m scared of something like that so I always take pictures of all designers clothes, shoes and accessorizes and jewelry before the trip abroad. So in case when I come back I can just show a picture to officer with time stamp and location to prove I took with item on trip and not bought them abroad

@mmvv22 Great idea- thank you! Do you do something special to time stamp / location date them (i.e. to avoid assuming photos are AI-generated) like photograph them with the current newspaper or something?

DH told me we just received and paid the customs bill from Feb 2025. If I recall correctly, we purchased 20K- 24K+ (leather coat, wool skirt and a few other items). DH didn’t recall the exact amount or percentages, but he told me the bill was for 700USD.* To me, that’s completely reasonable given that we get the VAT back and FSH is 30% cheaper than local). So, FYI, the bill can come after many months 😂

ETA: my grasp of basic math is awful, but I think it’s more than 3% but not by much? We provide a list of receipts (expensive item first) and a simple breakdown ; not to the third decimal, but we don’t include personal allowance : 800x2 people).

In my limited experience (I don’t shop as much abroad as other members), US customs is good about deducting the 1600USD. And it’s my belief, that if I am honest about fabric blended with synthetic (which is charged more) they appreciate it. They give us the benefit of the doubt and charge the lower rate for 100% natural.

Once in the US, when we give them the receipts and stuff, they rarely ask to see the merchandise. Even with asking for VAT on the other side, they only ask if it’s an expensive bag.

Note: we always make it clear that we are ready to unpack for inspection. A few times, we’ve been behind people who clearly aren’t ready to unpack their purchases. In those occasions, CDG customs seem positively determined to see everything.

So the rest of us on line have to wait while some tourist unpacks their soon to be checked luggage.

The few times that we use hotel transport to get to CdG (sometimes we are charged for this and sometimes not), the driver has come in with us and seen us through VAT claim. I think that also helps expedite. But, usually we use black lane car service which I assume is generally more reasonable than hotel car.

NOTE: one last thing and apologies for such a lengthy post. If anyone is thinking about buying a watch or fine jewelry abroad, even in duty free, always declare. If it’s a high value, the store will automatically provide the exact amount you need to pay (including VAT/ Tax etc). At this time, the store will also include a friends discount if it chooses (VCA does not do this, but some premier brands that I will not name, may do so).

The store will send a representative with the item and its paperwork to meet you at your final departure airport within that country. I believe the assumption is that you do not want to vacation with the item. Customs ALWAYS flags these items. I have considered buying such items two times , but decided against bc it just seemed like such a production.

@880 goodness don't appologize for a long post, this is extremely helpful!! I'm very grateful for these details. It's info like this that helps me be prepared for the whole endeavor (especially being prepared to unpack!) Curious - when you took a hotel car to the airport, did you ask for the VAT-claim help or was that explicitly included in the cost of the car (or was the assistance a surprise?) I'd be open to paying for a specific car if that were included My French is good, but not that fluent anymore! It's wild that jewelry purchases will include an airport escorte. I get it but gee, what a production. I'm only looking at bags but that's cool to hear about.

I do the exact same thing. In fact, I have two albums on my phone, one for jewelry the other for bags etc were I not only have time stamped photos of the items, but photos of the receipts, Cites etc. Helps for insurance as well. One time I lost a piece of jewelry and having a photo of the piece and the latest appraisal and receipt made the claim very easy.

@CTLover Oh this is a fantaasitc idea... photos of the item(s) plus the receipts. Solid advice! Thank you!

I posted previously about my recent experience in May, returning into SFO from France. I’d previously never been asked to pay duty, even when above the exemption and declaring. My BFF was also stopped and we both had to pay duty. We’d made a list of all items, price etc to make it easy and we had to pay a flat 5%. They told us we could be charged much more but because we were honest, it would be less. SFO is definitely aware of what we have purchased with VAT and seems to be aggressively applying duty.

@tensgrl Ug, thank you, this is helpful to know that SFO is agressive with duties. At least 5% is still less than the book rate of 9% but still... if other airports are being kind and letting folks pay less or nothing, that's a big difference. Appreciate you giving me this info up front.

 

[880]

Curious - when you took a hotel car to the airport, did you ask for the VAT-claim help or was that explicitly included in the cost of the car (or was the assistance a surprise?) I'd be open to paying for a specific car if that were included

Didn’t mean to imply that the driver expedited in a VAT way. Thr last time we were there. The hotel offered us an airport ride so we didn’t have our travel agent book a car. . We didn’t ask for/expect/pay for either the ride or the driver to come in and physically help us wheel our luggage through Vat, but he did. He mainly stood there as a courtesy in case we needed anything. We were not the only ones whose hotel drivers hung around to assist (I saw one help with someone else’s oversized piece) which is why I believe this was a generic courtesy some hotels extend to guests.

ETA: as far as I am aware, everyone at customs speaks English at CdG