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cajomu

cajomu

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 15, 2018
124
0
Is it legal for a U.S. resident to purchase pipe tobacco from a non-U.S. dealer and have it shipped to a U.S. address? My research of the relevant FDA rules and regs leads me to conclude that it isn't, but I've seen internet discussions and YouTube videos indicating that people do it all the time. I tried contacting the FDA about this but was unable to get through to anyone.

 
snowyowl

snowyowl

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2015
885
22
Been doing it for years from multiple EU and nearby countries. So go for it.

Ireland is okay, UK not anymore.

Germany is great, plus other sites thereabouts.

 
cajomu

cajomu

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 15, 2018
124
0
Could you provide me with the URLs for your favorite dealers or tell me how I might learn about them?

 
sablebrush52

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,773
45,355
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I think this is more of a US Customs concern than an FDA concern. It is legal to buy from non US dealers who will sell to the US. You may have to pay Customs duty, I say may because it's not always required. Evidently it varies according to the point of entry. And there's a little extra fillip:
https://www.ttb.gov/tobacco/importer_products.shtml
Which says that in order to import tobacco for personal use, you must have a permit and pay the excise tax on it. So far this doesn't seem to be enforced.
If you are traveling and bring back tobacco for personal use, it's a Customs issue.
BTW, on another cheerful note, according to a conversation I had this morning with a tobacconist, buyers in Colorado are starting to get notices about owing taxes on online purchases. Info on these purchases is being offered up by credit card companies.

 
cajomu

cajomu

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 15, 2018
124
0
The TTB documentation is typical of the fed regs concerning the importation of pipe tobacco. On the one hand, there is language that fails to distinguish between consumers and businesses but, on the other, all the discussion and examples are of businesses.
I also note that the Customs website specifies how many cigarettes and cigars you can bring into the country but not the amount of pipe tobacco. For that, you are instructed to "contact the Ports of Entry."
Seems like the feds don't like pipe smokers.

 
olkofri

olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,049
14,666
The Arm of Orion
Or it may be that your feds know that pipe smokers are such a tiny fraction of the smokers population that they see no need to bother.
On seeing lack of needs, I'd take advantage of their seeing little need to bother and order away quietly. What I mean by this is buying small amounts (a couple of tins) from an overseas seller and see how it gets treated by customs. If they want to charge you tax, they will, worry not. Besides, tobacco is not an illegal substance (unless it's Cuban, for you US residents) and thus there's no reason for them to confiscate it, unless you refuse to pay the duties.

 
anantaandroscoggin

anantaandroscoggin

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 9, 2017
651
1,013
70
Greene, Maine, USA
First, there are the $$ of Importation Duties, (which not every product-type has imposed on it) traditionally collected by the Customs people. Some items are Duty Free.
Second, there are Importation Taxes (can't remember at the moment if there's a "special name" for these) attached on a product-by-pruduct basis, and not every imported product gets this tax imposed.
Then occasionally, there are Import Tariffs, imposed on particular products from a specific country for a while; which is a stupid way to shoot all your own country's consumers in the foot at once, and endanger thousands of jobs when retaliatory tariffs are imposed by the other country(s).

 
snowyowl

snowyowl

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2015
885
22
Bought lots of tobacco from overseas vendors, never paid extra in any form for the purchases.

Never been charged or delayed by US Customs for the shipments.

 
alexnc

alexnc

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 25, 2015
953
804
Southeast US
Cajomu - seems to me it's usually sellers that say they will or will not sell to the US. But I've bought a lot online from outside the US.
try: https://www.pfeifendepot.de/ lots of HU

try: https://mrsnuff.com/index.html condor, more
It can be a little pricey, a big order doesn't suffer the shipping as bad

 
snowyowl

snowyowl

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 21, 2015
885
22
Shipped from Germany on the 13th, arrived at Customs on the 14th, transferred to the USPS on the 16th... arrived today, August 18th in Syracuse NY.

Unopened.

Leather is stamped "Genuine Meerschaum"; stem is stamped "Tanganyika" w/white elephant. The whole meer bowl has been stained brown, which is common for this brand.

I have a small leather-covered pipe collection: this is my fourth.


 
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