Early this month, my wife and I arrived in George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas (IAH) from our vacation. We declared some “commercial merchandise” on US Customs Form 6059b. Those goods are samples and articles for sale (childrens toys and accessories). I have a small bookstore in our hometown. We estimated the “total value of all goods” was less than a $1000 for both of us. My wife bought several replica handbags on our trip for her friends in the US.
When the customs officers (at least three officers) searched our luggages, they didn’t believe those handbags are personal items. They also said they look like the real, brand-name bags that cost easily over $2000. We gave them the receipts that show the purchase prices in foreign currency. They totaled the prices, and converted the total to US Dollar. Still, they didn’t believe they cost less than $500. They said our luggages would be shipped to our hometown, and we needed a customs broker to clear our commercial merchandise. They also said they tried to contact our airlines (Singapore Airlines) office in Houston to get the proper forms, but could not reach anyone.
A week later we went back to Houston and stopped by SQ cargo and Houston Customs (CBP) with a detailed list of all the goods that we purchased on our vacation. We talked to a CBP officer in the front office, and showed him the list. He said he would personally open our luggages and destroy
anything improper or not labeled correctly. I signed a form saying it’s OK for him to do so.
About three weeks later, the same CBP officer called me, and said our luggages are cleared and ready for pickup. We went back to SQ cargo to pick up our luggages. When we got home, my wife found out her personal items were taken in the second round of confiscation:
. Several replica ladies handbags,
. One new ladies watch she bought at Macy’s in Texas before our vacation,
. Several new ladies scarfs, and
. One new table runner.
I was fortunate none of my personal belongings (books, medicines, food, etc.) were taken in the second round of confiscation. Also none of childrens merchandise (stickers, toys, arts and crafts, etc.) for my bookstore were taken.
In retrospect, IAH CBP cost us much time and money by prolonging this ordeal for about a month when they could have confiscated the ladies handbags in the first round of confiscation on the day of our arrival. We clearly told the CBP officers they were replica handbags, and we showed them their sales receipts as proofs. However, they chose to ignore our claims and sales receipts, and asked us to get a customs broker to clear our goods instead.
Our mistake was that we brought the ladies handbags to IAH with us, and we did not ask the CBP officers to take and destroy them in the first round of confiscation.
What would you have done in this situation?
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Hot Car Tattoos
Nice rant, dude.
October 31, 2010 at 10:58 pm