US Customs and FDA are Attacking Pipe Smokers

[spartacus]

It's not just tobacco and pipes. I ordered some bike ridding gear (Assos) from their outlet store at really great prices. I got a customs bill much later after the stuff arrived. Customs valued the items at the full retail price and charged me a duty tax.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

It's not just tobacco and pipes. I ordered some bike riding gear (Assos) from their outlet store at really great prices. I got a customs bill much later after the stuff arrived. Customs valued the items at the full retail price and charged me a duty tax.

Oh Yeah, that must be a surprise on its own, but you could a be laying low' no answering the phone nor letter,in so you were ignorant, say was traveling overseas

 

[jojoc]

SO all in all I finally received the pipes after paying a $79 duty fee. Never again!

A couple questions:
Why did you not place your order from a domestic supplier? My guess is, the price was lower?
Did you still save money? If so, why "Never Again"?
Why should you/we be exempt from paying the same import taxes that SP or other suppliers have to pay?
There is a real easy solution to customs issues, order from domestic suppliers who have already paid the customs taxes.

 

[shanez]

SO all in all I finally received the pipes after paying a $79 duty fee. Never again!

Was the fee from customs or from a middleman who filled out paperwork on your behalf?

Customs fees and taxes are usually not that bad. I once brought in 9 bottles of tequila ranging in value from $40-$400/bottle. The customs agent had me fill out the paperwork myself so all I ended up paying was the tax which amounted to all of $2.38.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

Finally after about a week and a half of emails and forms and scans and (to my surprise) a fairly reasonable customs tax, I finally got my Dunhill delivery. Celebrating by popping open a new time of .... [can you guess?].. Ready to walk the dog and lunt'n'grunt a little.

 

[tiberiusjones]

A couple questions:
Why did you not place your order from a domestic supplier? My guess is, the price was lower?
Did you still save money? If so, why "Never Again"?
Why should you/we be exempt from paying the same import taxes that SP or other suppliers have to pay?
There is a real easy solution to customs issues, order from domestic suppliers who have already paid the customs taxes.

First of all, the pipes I wanted were not avaialble from Domestic suppliers, second, the prices were very reasonable.

 

[shanez]

After re-reading this thread I ask, rhetorically, how much are you guys spending to incur these size of customs fees/taxes?

Sure, if you ordered a dozen or so pipes from the likes of Balleby, Chonowitsch, Eltang, etc., I could see it but the odd pipe for a few hundred bucks? Surely you're being charged by a broker and not customs?

 

[jojoc]

First of all, the pipes I wanted were not avaialble from Domestic suppliers, second, the prices were very reasonable.

I guess that was part of my point - "the prices were very reasonable". Was it still reasonable with the $79 tax?

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I guess that was part of my point - "the prices were very reasonable". Was it still reasonable with the $79 tax?

No pipe after the added taxes &duties is no more reasonable,but sometimes You simply has no choice

 

[sandollars]

Can I find flux capacitors on Etsy? Come on Embers, you can jar one of them and send the empty square tin to me. You tease.

I have one you could use, but it only works one way....

 

[paulfg]

probably not tha

After re-reading this thread I ask, rhetorically, how much are you guys spending to incur these size of customs fees/taxes?

Sure, if you ordered a dozen or so pipes from the likes of Balleby, Chonowitsch, Eltang, etc., I could see it but the odd pipe for a few hundred bucks? Surely you're being charged by a broker and not customs?

probably not that much
I am hit with 24% tax plus a fee of about 15-20 euros so about 250 (275 usd) euros would equate to 48 euros (66 usd) tax plus 15 euro (16 USD) = 82 USD

275 USD hardly a astronomic price if buying a Dunhill,Castello from Italy

Of course I dont know the taxes in USA this is just a rough guestimate based on my Greek experiences

 

[anotherbob]

Carriers like UPS are more likely to hit you with fees then regular mail. They're more stringent. In fact they once destroyed a package because they were not sure if it was legal (it certainly 100 percent was but they said since they were not 100 percent sure if it was o.k. just destroyed it not sent it back to the seller.) Never had customs charge me a dime through the regular old mail even with packages that should have been charged, where opened, labeled and everything.

 

[shanez]

Well I just ordered an estate Larsen out of Germany so I will wait and see if anything at all happens.

 

[gerryp]

Fines, taxes, delays...minor inconveniences when one considers the many, many children whose lives were saved because of these important and effective measures.

Shame on you for not remembering the children.

 

[hawky454]

Sounds like I got very lucky or it was just good timing, I was buying boat loads of Condor Plug from Ireland all throughout 2015-16 without ever getting slapped with more taxes in customs. I only buy from Germany maybe once or twice a year these days but I’ve never had any issues there either. I only buy tobacco though, never bought a pipe from overseas.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Was the fee from customs or from a middleman who filled out paperwork on your behalf?

Customs fees and taxes are usually not that bad. I once brought in 9 bottles of tequila ranging in value from $40-$400/bottle. The customs agent had me fill out the paperwork myself so all I ended up paying was the tax which amounted to all of $2.38.

This, at least on pipes.

 

[eddiedds]

I have one you could use, but it only works one way....

I don't mind going back and staying.

 

[cohibajoe]

NJ Tax sent me a letter that I owe $25...2nd letter this year ($35)...Looking at the order dates this was from IR&C. 30% Tabacco Product Tax and 6.625% Sales and Uses Tax. For me I will not be ordering from IR&C...goodbye Esoterica.

 

[Chasing Embers]

For me I will not be ordering from IR&C...goodbye Esoterica.

Just mailed a bag of Penzance to Texas this morning. Looking like gifting may be the only way to avoid taxation...for now.

 

[crashthegrey]

Well this has escalated quickly. IBTL