Returning to US, Customs duty?

Closed Thread
  1. #1

    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    22

    Returning to US, Customs duty?

    Hi everyone

    I will be returning to the US soon and am wondering if I will have to pay customs duties. I will be bringing back clothes (most of which were not purchased in the US), a few books, laptop, iPod, guitar and not much else besides that. Are the customs officers thorough and uptight or will they not care if I'm a US citizen and if I just tell them that I didn't buy anything?

    Port of entry is LAX.

    Thanks in advance.


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Posts
    49

    I've never declared stuff like that i usually just say nothing to declare... I've been inspected and they just ignore common stuff as far as i can tell. Dont know what they're looking for.. maybe if u had some booze or a big thing of tobacco... or like had 50 ipods stuffing yer bag.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Mid-levels
    Posts
    131

    That's a good question. I guess if half your stuff has the HK power plug, then it'll be a little suspicious. But technically, you can bring stuff back to the states up to a certain dollar amount, correct (2000USD?)? I'm just thinking, if you've made a few return trips to the US before --let's say 4 trips since you've been in HK-- then can you claim that you had brought some of the items back to the US during previous trips ? and therefore could argue that you should be allowed 4x2000 = 8,000 USD worth of "duty free" ? just thinking out loud.