Bought a used guitar from Canada. Does US customs just open it and make sure it’s a guitar and nothing else ?
Pretty much and possibly not even that if its under a certain amount. You need to declare the price you paid.
We just told them we shopped.for cloths last week and they didnt check them or even ask how much we spent. Just asked about tobacco, alcohol and firearms.
IIRC you can bring up to $200 US back without declaring. How much was the guitar? I’d say most people would not declare a used guitar because how can they tell you didn’t bring it with you when you entered. But that would be illegal.
For parcels shipped across the border, as this guitar probably is, there’s a form that’s filled out by the shipper and stuck on the parcel, stating “Used guitar”, value in dollars, and whether it’s a gift. From a quick Web scan on my part : CBP typically judges whether a package is worth opening based on an X-ray scan and common sense. If the form says it’s a guitar but the parcel is the size of a toaster and weighs 50 pounds, it will be opened. Note that CBP may impose import duties based on what’s on the form, which would be payable at delivery.
I’ve probably received at least 50 international packages over the last decade and I’ve never had a single one that bore any signs of having been opened for inspection. There are millions coming into the country every day and they can’t possibly subject most of them to any kind of useful scrutiny. I guess a guitar is going to be big enough that it might be more likely to attract attention, but the median package is just going to sail through unexamined.
I’ve seen some packages from overseas with a small hole, about half an inch wide, use for a borescope for a quick peek inside.
It is uncommon but some people are unluckier than others. There’s a guy with a YouTube channels who collects and repairs things like rare, old iPods. One problem he repeatedly has with customs is they slice open the whole package including the “mint in original packaging” box inside making the thing drop from hundreds of dollars in value to nearly worthless. OTOH, that is Australia but I’ve seen people with similar interests complaining about the US.
I recall an incident with Canada customs where the guy refused to open a package and look. This happened in 1985 and my department had ordered a “mathematics word processor” (I think it was called Scientific Word) and the customs agent when I went to pick it up was convinced a word processor was a machine. There was duty on machines, but not on software. I tried to convince him that a machine could not fit in such a small package and that it was software. Only when I asked to talk to his supervisor did he agree to open it and sheepishly, agree it was software (a bunch of floppies and a manual).
I wonder what they did with the first instant pot shipped across the border.
It cleared customs in a day. Would be here Monday but the holiday is moving it to Tues. It’s an hour away now at a UPS hub.
They were likely pressured into letting it through. Wouldn’t want anyone blowing their top.
Yeah, I’d be steamed if they did that to my package!
Whether or not Customs opens a package depends on a long list of things…where the package is coming from, what is in it, the declared value, etc. Most packages are x-rayed and only opened if the x-ray reveals something suspicious. Custom’s priority is to intercept contraband, so a guitar from Canada would be a low priority for physical inspection if the x-ray is good. Mind you, some guitars can be made from the wood of endangered trees and therefore their trade is regulated. If there is reason to believe a guitar includes components made from endangered species, then it would likely be inspected and the species verified. Items of concern may be detained for extended periods to allow an expert to examine the item.
In the 90s, I ordered a radio scanner from a Canadian company. This scanner was not cell-blocked (for the US AMPS frequencies) and so US Customs seized it. They sent me a very nice letter telling me I could file a claim, appear before some nameless official, and basically make an argument about why I should be allowed to have it. In the end, it boiled down to “we’re going to keep your scanner and won’t take any other steps unless you want to waste time and money fighting us for it.” They had very quickly identified the scanner as a “prohibited” item from the accompanying statement of contents.
I notified the seller in Canada and they immediately added a new scanner to their weekly run across the Canadian/US border for shipping items from within the US. I had a new scanner five days later.
Traffic police don’t pull over every driver for every single infraction; there’s not enough of them out there to do that. Instead they just pull over one here and there, now and then, and count on the deterrent effect to keep most other drivers in line.
The EPA is the same way. They don’t test every single make/model of vehicle for emissions and fuel economy; they generally trust the data submitted by manufacturers, and don’t bother testing at their own government facilities unless they suspect a problem.
The IRS is the same way. They trust taxpayers to submit honest returns, and just audit one here and there if there’s something hinky about it. Can’t afford to audit every single one.
TSA? Same deal. They don’t open flyers’ luggage unless a quick scan of the X-ray suggests something that needs a closer look. (I once checked a suitcase containing a pair of bolt cutters and an electric chainsaw. You bet your ass they opened that one for a closer look.)
Customs? Well, you see the pattern. Many ships and planes arrive daily, brimming with packages, and there’s nowhere near enough customs officials to inspect each and every one. In fact, most will not get inspected. But if they do, they’re going to verify that the contents of the package substantially match the customs declaration, including the declared value.
No sign it was opened , he said value was $100 which is off by a factor of 15. 