Inspired by the guy potentially buying the digital camera in St. Martin thread:
What I would like to know is how US customs catches/ proves people are ‘cheating’ on importing items into the US illegally without declaring them and paying appropriate taxes.
I have heard I can save boatloads of money, for example, buying a Rolex overseas. Let’s say I get it in Aruba, Hong Kong, or other exotic location. I decide to brazenly wear it through US Customs while telling them I have ‘nothing to declare’. They stop me because of what appears to be a ‘new’ Rolex on my arm and don’t believe me. Now what?
Who’s to say I didn’t buy it in San Diego right before I stepped on the plane to my exotic locale? How do I prove I bought it in the US, or conversely, how do they prove I didn’t?
That exact situation happened to me about ten years ago. I had bought a Rolex in Florida (half paid for by my Dad as a graduation gift). About two months later, I made a trip to Europe. Upon re-entering the U.S., I was stopped by U.S. Customs, and asked if I had bought the watch overseas. (So they obviously look at the watches/jewelry that people are wearing.)
Basically, I just got asked a barrage of questions: Where had I purchased the watch? When did I purchase the watch? Did I have a receipt? (No, of course not–not on me at the moment.)
Evidently, my answers satisfied them, because they let me go with my watch.
P.S. BTW, you can save even more money by buying your Rolex in Tijuana. I’ve seen them sold for only $5!
P.P.S. I think I’d rather not purchase a Rolex in an exotic locale.
If you think you might get detained for such stuff, you might want to carry a copy of your receipt. I did that for some photographic equipment for a while. Was never detained, but hate the thought of being delayed if someone is waiting to pick me up at the airport. When I buy stuff overseas, I carry the receipts with me.
Man, what a rip-off! I had to pay $13 for mine in Guanajuato!
And in an effort to genuinely contribute to the thread, I was brave enough to waltz right through customs with it on my wrist! The only thing they asked me about was pipes, and silly me, I asked, “The kind you smoke or the kind you make bombs out of?” (this before 11-Sep-01).
You can also register expensive items (although possibly only ones with serial numbers, but I’m not sure) at the airport before you depart to avoid hassles on the way back in.
I scuba dive and regularly travel to the Caribbean with underwater cameras, a laptop and a digital camera as well as a set of scuba gear and assorted other devices. I have always carried the receipts for all of my stuff “just in case” but have never been questioned about it at customs.
I have heard that you can “register” expensive items before you leave so they know about them in advance but have never gone that route.
Back in the mid 80’s I bought all new camera gear before a trip to Europe. I took all the equipment to the US Customs office at the airport and listed it all on a form they provided. They checked all the serial numbers I had listed then stamped the form with their information.
When questioned upon returning to the USA several weeks later, I just showed them the form and had no problems. The receipts would have done the job too, but I didn’t want to chance losing them. If I lost the form I guess they might have been able to check with customs in my home city.
Customs agents are trained to notice the differences between U.S.-manufactured goods and foreign-manufatured. I am not sure how it would work with watches or cameras, but it’s very easy to spot clothes, furs, bags, etc., that are made for and sold in the overseas market. The tailoring, workmanship, cut, are usually different. The dyes, colors, or color combinations are often different. Obviously the labels are different; some people try to sew in “American” labels, which is very obvious.
Customs agents can always spot the salami disguised as a baby, too.
