Why do you need to list them on the customs form?

Patty, if you have more than $800 (0r has the amount changed again?) worth of merchandise you are bringing in with you, you have to itemize it on your customs form.

The general guideline is to provider a descriptive classification, such as "jewelery" Accessories sounds a bit too generic to me, but it would depend on the agent who looks at your form. I'd suggest "purses" or something like that.

If you have less than $800 (and remember, that's per person, so if you are going with a spouse or child, it's $800 each), you don't have to list anything at all, just the total amount of money you spent on items you are bringing in.

Kathie,
I'm aware of the requirement to itemize if you have goods over a certain value. I guess I just don't do that much shopping abroad as I've never brought home that much (plus I usually have my husband's allowance to use ;) ). I also find it ironic that one would list counterfeit articles on a customs declaration at all, since, with the exception of one article, you're technically not supposed to bring them in anyway.

The only time I itemize is when I need to bring in commercial goods on business trips (there's no free allowance). And half the time they charge me duty, half the time they just wave me through.

Really? People who don't use their whole allowance?

I usually do bring back more than $800 worth of goods, though many enter duty free (handicrafts, unset stones, etc).

My policy is to declare everything.

oops - I didn't quite finish that thought...

My understanding is that if you declare something that you can't legally bring in (a food item, for instance) they will simply take it away from you. If you don't declare it and they find it, there are significant penalties.

Believe it or not, there are those of us who don't use up our entire allowance. What a waste, huh? :D

yes, what a waste! lol!

Exactly!....you don't want to list any "illegal" items specifically on the form. What we do in those situations is be as general or as vague as possible, such as using the term "accessories."

Well, let's blame it on the airlines. Check luggage, and I fear it lost or have things stolen, and waste my time waiting at the carosel. Carry on, and more airlines (like BA or Ryanir) are now enforcing ridiculously low weight limit. It's just becoming so hard for me to bring $800 worth of merchandise back to the US.

I also blame deflation and falling prices around the world. I mean, $1 a DVD from Shenzhen, and that's 800 of them. Think about how heavy would that be! Fake Guccis or LV for $10/each? How many suitcases will be needed to stuff 80 of them in?

:p

Exactly, rkkwan. $1 here, $2 there. Sometimes it's just not that easy to rack up $800 worth of merchandise. I'd have to spend my entire trip shopping. Guess I could always buy some overpriced fake antiques or something ;)

gee it's sooo hard to deceide.."free' enterprise?.. whether to buy a CD from Walmart to line the pockets of Hollywoods moguls and a real Louis V handbag made in Asia with cheap labor or get a DVD made in a theatre from a handheld camera or a bag that will fall apart in a month.

It would be just my luck to buy a knock off in NY and have it confiscated in HK