deskthority

Shipments eligible for duty waivers
Gifts
As indicated earlier, bona fide, unsolicited gifts will clear Customs duty‑free as long as their fair retail value does not exceed $100 and the recipient does not receive more than $100 worth of gifts in the same day. (See 19 CFR Section 10.152.) There is no duty waiver for shipments containing alcohol‑based perfume or tobacco products unless the entire shipment is worth less than $5 retail. (19 CFR 10.153(e))
The duty‑free limit is increased to $200 fair retail value for bona fide gifts sent to the United States from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, or American Samoa.
The duty waiver for gifts does not apply to “gifts” mailed to oneself or mail‑ordered from the United States. It also does not apply where two or more persons traveling abroad together mail gifts to each other. But in these cases, the personal‑use waiver of $200 would apply, which is more generous than the gift waiver.
Gifts intended for more than one person may be consolidated in the same package if:

They are individually wrapped,

Each gift is labeled with the recipient’s name, and

The value of each gift does not exceed $100 ($200 if sent from the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or Guam).

Gift packages, including consolidated gift packages, will clear Customs more easily if they have the words “Unsolicited Gift” marked on the outside wrapping. Gift packages should also be marked with:

The donor’s name,

The nature of the gifts in the consolidated package (e.g., toy, sweater, glassware),

Each gift’s accurate, fair retail value,

The name of each recipient.

Here is an example of the correct way to mark a consolidated package:

Christmas Gifts
To John Jones—one belt, $20; one box of candy, $5; one tie, $20.
To Margaret Jones—two blouses at $30 each; one belt, $15; one skirt, $25.

Customs duty will be collected on all improperly marked consolidated packages.

Should any single gift within a consolidated package exceed the $100 limit, then all the gifts in the package will be dutiable. In such a case, each gift is dutiable at the rate that would normally be assessed on that item. However, if the sender has not clearly marked all gifts so that the quantity and value of each can be readily determined, duty will be based on the highest duty rate applicable to an individual gift in the consolidated package.
United States products returned
Articles that are the growth, manufacture, or product of the United States and that have not been processed or enhanced in value while abroad are not subject to duty when they are returned to the United States. Packages containing United States goods only should be clearly marked on the outside wrapper “American Goods Returned.”
Articles acquired abroad and mailed home
Articles purchased during a trip abroad and mailed back to the United States will pass duty‑free if they are worth less than $200. (There are some exceptions; please see 19 CFR 10.153.)
Mail‑order goods from overseas—those ordered from a catalogue or over the Internet, for example—will also pass duty‑free if they are worth less than $200.
Travelers sometimes confuse the $200 waiver, which applies to goods mailed to the United States (unaccompanied merchandise), with the $400 exemption for goods that accompany the traveler upon his or her return. The $400 exemption from duty is applicable only to goods that actually accompany the traveler back to the United States.
There is one exception to the $200 waiver, and that is for goods sent to the United States from the U.S. insular possessions, as noted in the following section.
Goods for commercial vs. personal use
When assessing duty, Customs generally distinguishes between goods imported for personal use and those imported for resale or other commercial purposes. For instance, the $400 personal exemption applied to tourist purchases acquired while traveling overseas may not be applied to goods that the traveler has purchased to sell in the United States.
However, the $200 waiver for goods you mail to yourself while traveling abroad may also be applied to goods you mail to yourself for future resale. (Certain exceptions might apply to this allowance, however. Please see 19 CFR 10.151 and 10.153 for a description of what would disqualify goods from the $200 personal waiver.) But if the total value of the package exceeds $200, the entire package will be subject to duty.

mintberryminuscrunch wrote:bought mine here
karton-ab-werk.de

7bit wrote:@mbc:
can you pleasse read the text and tell me the actual content in 3 lines?

ripster wrote:I've never paid custom fees.

America is the land of the free.

ripster wrote:America is the land of the free.