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jspaxton
·Well I'm spending 2 weeks on vacation in Great Britain soon. I know what I'll be shopping for
Uh oh. Did it again!
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Donn Chambers
·On the off chance that I got randomly pulled for inspection the one time I actually had something to declare, I guess I'd just say, sorry, wow, totally forgot about it/didn't even think of it. It's not like they're going to arrest you, is it? LOL
I guess, based on what you said, they could hit you with a steeper rate than they would have. That would suck, but I think the odds are extremely low any of this would happen in the first place.
You are correct the odds are in your favor of not getting stopped, but the potential penalty if caught is much higher than you think. It’s not just a higher duty - customs can seize the item AND fine you an amount up to the price of the item. That’s US law.
I’m not willing to risk losing $10,000 to avoid a $100 duty.
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jankymutt
·You are correct the odds are in your favor of not getting stopped, but the potential penalty if caught is much higher than you think. It’s not just a higher duty - customs can seize the item AND fine you an amount up to the price of the item. That’s US law.
I’m not willing to risk losing $10,000 to avoid a $100 duty.
Good point! I'm going to Italy and the Czech Republic this summer. Maybe I can make a stop in London for a new watch!
For reference: When I was connecting via Doha last week, a new Seamaster 300m was running about $4400, so better than full retail, but no wiggle room on price and if honestly paying the duty, then it didn't make much financial sense.
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Skrv
·I don't have any plans to buy a new watch in this manner, but it does cross my mind when I am traveling and browsing watches in the Duty Frees: would I declare it if I bought one? Judged by your story, I see most people must think like I do and say, nope LOL. I'm not a shady person who tries to get away with stuff, but in this case it's just that I look at how customs works upon re-entry and can't see how they'd ever know if you didn't tell them. It's not like they go searching through everyone's bags looking for purchased items. On the off chance that I got randomly pulled for inspection the one time I actually had something to declare, I guess I'd just say, sorry, wow, totally forgot about it/didn't even think of it. It's not like they're going to arrest you, is it? LOL
I guess, based on what you said, they could hit you with a steeper rate than they would have. That would suck, but I think the odds are extremely low any of this would happen in the first place.
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rainking
·I see. Good to know, thanks dudes for the info.
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hbombkid
·Congrats. I like it on the brown strap
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