Removal of the de minimis tariff exemption
Does anyone know if this affects the $800 exemption for tourists bringing back items in their suitcases?
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Does anyone know if this affects the $800 exemption for tourists bringing back items in their suitcases?
Comments
A totally different thing.
British is absolutely right. De minimis is for packages shipped into the US, generally by mail. If the value was $800 or less it did not go through customs and no charges were applied. Several Chinese companies used it to offer low cost goods to Americans.
That's different from a US citizen returning to the US. You get an exemption of $800 on goods that you purchased abroad.
If you're going to take something expensive with you on the trip, you can declare it to customs before you leave. Otherwise, they may not believe you didn't purchase it on the trip. They've heard that excuse before.
And don't take anything with ivory on it back to the US. String musicians who have a bow with a piece of ivory on it (that was common many years ago,and many bows used by professional musicians are quite old) can have serious problems coming back into the US. They could lose a bow worth many 10's of thousands of dollars (good bows are very expensive).