US Customs Personal Use Pipe Tobacco

[solideogloria86]

I am planning a trip to Europe summer of next year, and I will most likely purchase some pipe tobacco wto bring back while I'm there. I am having trouble location the customs info on pipe tobacco. I see cigarettes, Cigars, snuff etc listed, but I can't find the personal use amount listed for pipe tobacco. Can anyone here point me to where to find that info?

Thanks

 

[AJL67]

What would you buy in there to bring back to the US, not only is it incredibly cost prohibitive but i believe about anything you can find there you can find here and again for much cheaper, i think this might be the first there to here thread rather than here to there.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I am planning a trip to Europe summer of next year, and I will most likely purchase some pipe tobacco wto bring back while I'm there. I am having trouble location the customs info on pipe tobacco. I see cigarettes, Cigars, snuff etc listed, but I can't find the personal use amount listed for pipe tobacco. Can anyone here point me to where to find that info?

Thanks

Clear as mud! Customs Duty Information - https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/customs-duty-info

 

[bluegrassbrian]

If you want to ship tobacco from Europe to US, find a DHL store and use them. You won't have to worry about Customs.

 

[captainsousie]

It used to be 200g if I remember correctly. Not sure what it is now.

 

[sablebrush52]

Looks like "other" tobacco products - those that are not cigars or cigarettes, may have limitations that vary from entry point to entry point, at least according to this page from US Customs:

CBP Customer Service

My experience is that whether or not you pay duty can have a lot to do with the mood of the agent behind the counter. Hopefully they "got some" before you show up.

I agree with what was expressed earlier about looking for blends that are not distributed in the US. There's some great stuff that never makes it here, like Georg Huber Virginia Golden Flake. You can only buy it in Munich.

 

[telescopes]

Looks like "other" tobacco products - those that are not cigars or cigarettes, may have limitations that vary from entry point to entry point, at least according to this page from US Customs:

CBP Customer Service

My experience is that whether or not you pay duty can have a lot to do with the mood of the agent behind the counter. Hopefully they "got some" before you show up.

I agree with what was expressed earlier about looking for blends that are not distributed in the US. There's some great stuff that never makes it here, like Georg Huber Virginia Golden Flake. You can only buy it in Munich.

Absolutely agree. I travel to Europe enough to know that indeed some tobaccos for pipes are not only cheaper, but more readily available. I was smoking some this morning, Germain's Mixture #7 which I purchased in Germany. Also, Condor was readily available in Spain. I wish I had brought more back with me. Also, remember that at some shops the VAT will be removed from the charge OR you can have it removed at the airport if you keep your receipts and the appropriate VAT paperwork.

In regards to the topic of the thread, I've traveled to many, many countries and have never had anyone question the amount of tobacco I brought back in - generally around a pound.

HOWEVER, in Peru I was escorted to the airport basement at gunpoint and told to open up my bags.

My wife was not allowed to come with me and the military nabbed me as I was boarding the plane.

What was revealed? Pipe tobacco. One of the solider s quipped disappointedly, "Oh, it's pipe tobacco."

They let me board and the tobacco arrived safely back in the USA with me.

 

[telescopes]

I utilize Global Entry for returning to the USA. For the last two returns I didn't even show my passport to Port Authority. I just walked to the exit gate, bags at hand.

 

[Scottmi]

I brought back 350g new tobacco and the 100g I took with me when I left so ~450g total on return to USA. Was never asked about, never had to fill out a form stating anything, and was never checked. If they would have, I'd just say, yes this is for my personal use. If they said I had a duty to pay or confiscated it, c'est la vie. Over there I purchased three pouches in UK that I could not get here (Condor, Condor Long, Clan) and in France (Scaferlati Caporal Bleu, Caporal Export, and Saint-Claude).

Frankly, would skip the Clan next time, but the Condor is good!
Scaferlati not doing much for me. Not opened the Caporal Export or Sainte-Claude yet...

Agree with @AJL67 prices at least twice as high over there, and availability is better here for everything except the very few blends that aren't sold here.

 

[telescopes]

I suppose for the tobacco that is readily available here, prices in the USA are better. But... for many tobaccos that you can't get here, especially in Germany, the prices are very reasonable - remember, tax and shipping can be removed from the cost.

 

[pappymac]

What would you buy in there to bring back to the US, not only is it incredibly cost prohibitive but i believe about anything you can find there you can find here and again for much cheaper, i think this might be the first there to here thread rather than here to there.

I don't know why you believe what you do. I make one order a year from Esterval's and it is neither cost prohibitive as the individual tin prices are usually less than an equivalent size tin here in the states. There also are numerous blends you can find in Germany that you can't find here. I have even found a number of Rattrays blends that are not shipped to the US. As for shipping costs, I paid around $48 for shipping through DHL Express. For the number of tins I ordered, the raised the per tin cost to about $4 each. The per tin cost with the $4 shipping was still less than the average per tin cost in a brick & mortar pipe shop.

 

[AJL67]

I don't know why you believe what you do. I make one order a year from Esterval's and it is neither cost prohibitive as the individual tin prices are usually less than an equivalent size tin here in the states. There also are numerous blends you can find in Germany that you can't find here. I have even found a number of Rattrays blends that are not shipped to the US. As for shipping costs, I paid around $48 for shipping through DHL Express. For the number of tins I ordered, the raised the per tin cost to about $4 each. The per tin cost with the $4 shipping was still less than the average per tin cost in a brick & mortar pipe shop.

Yes the point is to make the shipping worth while. Ordering a couple items and adding the shipping is more cost prohibitive as with anything. So you'll pay way more in taxes in EMEA than ... ok well wasn't calling you out just don't see the point from my point of view. YMMV

 

[solideogloria86]

I am planning a trip to Europe summer of next year, and I will most likely purchase some pipe tobacco wto bring back while I'm there. I am having trouble location the customs info on pipe tobacco. I see cigarettes, Cigars, snuff etc listed, but I can't find the personal use amount listed for pipe tobacco. Can anyone here point me to where to find that info?

Thanks

My goodness! I just reread this post, and it's blatantly obvious that I didn't proofread before hitting "Send".

 

[solideogloria86]

What would you buy in there to bring back to the US, not only is it incredibly cost prohibitive but i believe about anything you can find there you can find here and again for much cheaper, i think this might be the first there to here thread rather than here to there.

I'm not planning a trip to Europe for the express purpose of buying tobacco. I'm under the impression that I might run across a tin/pouch or two of something interesting that isn't available in the US. In the event that happens, I want to be in the know about the amounts that I'm allowed to bring home. You never know, I might meet a Scotsman selling 500g boxes of Gawith flakes out of the back of a castle for £25.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I'm not planning a trip to Europe for the express purpose of buying tobacco. I'm under the impression that I might run across a tin/pouch or two of something interesting that isn't available in the US. In the event that happens, I want to be in the know about the amounts that I'm allowed to bring home. You never know, I might meet a Scotsman selling 500g boxes of Gawith flakes out of the back of a castle for £25.

You won’t get a deal from a Scot!

 

[TN Jed]

I made my first post vid trip to Italy this summer and had no customs coming or going. I brought home 2 pipes and several tins of hard to find tobacco. The face recognition at border control made me suspicious they had tracked my purchases, etc.

 

[RookieGuy80]

What would you buy in there to bring back to the US, not only is it incredibly cost prohibitive but i believe about anything you can find there you can find here and again for much cheaper, i think this might be the first there to here thread rather than here to there.

Well, Condor in any form is very hard to get in the States. Many SG&H Lakeland blends are questionably available here. Not to fall into the hazards of assuming, but I don't think he's taking that trip excited about the new C&D limited release or finding a tin of Mac Baren Navy Flakes.