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US Customs and FDA are Attacking Pipe Smokers

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lukasstrifeson

lukasstrifeson

Lifer
Jun 23, 2019
1,848
12,768
I'm currently filling out some forms for DHL as I write this.

It's definitely annoying but the way I see it it's a reasonable tax (that I tried to by-pass in the first place by ordering from Europe) it's just annoying to have to fill out these unnecessary forms and all the back-and-forth. It used to be: DHL came to your door with the bill, you write them a cheque, and voila you're smoking some Elizabethan Mixture in your new pipe within 20min. Now.... I can't even sleep tonight! ?
 
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PaulTheScandinavian

PaulTheScandinavian

Lifer
Jul 28, 2016
7,633
36,765
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
npod said:
It's actually not an overreach per se. It is a customs tax issue and they are flagging pipes over a certain dollar amount for customs tax. I have only had the issue with pipes from Italy this year. But it happened twice and I owed an extra $450 total in fees/tax. I thought it was a FedEx issue, but it appears that is not the case.

And I have had many orders from Denmark arrive with no issue whatsoever.

I recommend contacting the company once you place the order and recommend that they split the shipment labels to multiple packages and all <$350 USD if possible. That appears to be a good solution if the company is willing to do this for you.
Click to expand...
Thats the reason Id never order anything from the States if I'm seeing only shipping options DHL,FEDEX or UPS EXpress, whereas when the USPS I have option to do all them customs clearances on line by my computer and thus avoiding additional brokerage fees of $ 20)
 
badbeard

badbeard

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2017
284
585
Kentucky, USA
No offense, but talk about a click-bait title on this thread. I frequently order stuff from the U.K., Isle of Man, and Germany without a single hiccup. Granted, I am not buying artisan pipes from Italy.. so who knows, maybe they aren't out to get us all.

Wondering when people are gonna let go of this need to spread FUD.
 
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L

loadclear

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 13, 2017
111
4
I think a lot of you guys are giving far too much credit to US CBP. As I mentioned in another thread awhile ago, I've had literally hundreds of interactions with CBP as a cargo aircraft crewman. If there's any constant in CBP, it's that there is no constant. In my experience, no federal agency is less professional, and less educated (on their own regulations) than the CBP. In my MANY entries into the US, I've gotten more than 10 different opinions on the same type of snacks I'm allowed to bring in on the aircraft. I'm not kidding here- I've had a CBP agent take MRE's (military Meals Ready to Eat) from my passengers because they had meat in them (despite me showing him the USDA stamps).

I'm not shaming the USBP guys out in the field protecting our borders, but the CBP agents handling cargo and passenger entries to the US are pitiful.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that a single CBP agent stationed in (or assigned to) Italy is inserting his own ignorant understanding of the law to pipe and pipe related shipments to the US.
 
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mso489

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,459
That puts me off ordering from outside the borders. Unless one has a degree in customs law, they can tell you any amount and you are stuck assuming it is legitimate. Whether its a revenue stream for the agency or a little side business of employees.
 
alexander87

alexander87

Might Stick Around
Aug 8, 2017
78
92
loadclear said:
I think a lot of you guys are giving far too much credit to US CBP. As I mentioned in another thread awhile ago, I've had literally hundreds of interactions with CBP as a cargo aircraft crewman. If there's any constant in CBP, it's that there is no constant. In my experience, no federal agency is less professional, and less educated (on their own regulations) than the CBP. In my MANY entries into the US, I've gotten more than 10 different opinions on the same type of snacks I'm allowed to bring in on the aircraft. I'm not kidding here- I've had a CBP agent take MRE's (military Meals Ready to Eat) from my passengers because they had meat in them (despite me showing him the USDA stamps).

I'm not shaming the USBP guys out in the field protecting our borders, but the CBP agents handling cargo and passenger entries to the US are pitiful.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that a single CBP agent stationed in (or assigned to) Italy is inserting his own ignorant understanding of the law to pipe and pipe related shipments to the US.
Click to expand...
This is a good point but also very scary. I deal with this with the Army all the time. There is no “CPB” but just hundreds of little pencil pushers who often act independently with little oversight. They often interrupt the laws and regulations differently and do what they want not what the rule actually is. Oh I made a mistake? Well put in a complaint if you want but nobody reads those and nobody cares....
 
O

oldgeezersmoker

Lifer
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,196
mso489 said:
That puts me off ordering from outside the borders. Unless one has a degree in customs law, they can tell you any amount and you are stuck assuming it is legitimate. Whether its a revenue stream for the agency or a little side business of employees.
Click to expand...
Well, no. It has been a while since I had a real issue, but when I did two phone calls straightened it out. Savings were worth the time. I didn’t find any Nazis or people from the FDA out to get me. Which is why this clickbait title should have been deleted.

“Oh I made a mistake? Well put in a complaint if you want but nobody reads those and nobody cares...”

Not the attitude I found at all. Talked to an employee and a supervisor, they wanted to get it right. They did. I have never been on a public payroll. The people I dealt with were totally professional.
 
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PaulTheScandinavian

PaulTheScandinavian

Lifer
Jul 28, 2016
7,633
36,765
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
alexander87 said:
This is a good point but also very scary. I deal with this with the Army all the time. There is no “CPB” but just hundreds of little pencil pushers who often act independently with little oversight. They often interrupt the laws and regulations differently and do what they want not what the rule actually is. Oh I made a mistake? Well put in a complaint if you want but nobody reads those and nobody cares....
Click to expand...
well Customs office has not the same tense discipline thatwe are seeing at Military and law Enforce formations ,plus them orders and give instructions are often hazy and changing all (yet many a times they have this case by case approach to things)
 
anotherbob

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,793
29,622
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
maybe don't order that many pipes at a time and make it look like you're running a shop and not just getting pipes for your own enjoyment. Sounds to me like that's happened. Like someones said before about using interpersonal skills to deal with customs, I've had things just waved through after explaining I just like tobacco a lot and pipes. Oh well guess it's too late for that.
 
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