>>> SOme people would consider this cheating, but mark the customs form a >>> "gift" - this will keep the person you're sending it to from having to pay >>> customs fees on the other end. >> >> It's not cheating, it's fraud - a felony under federal statutes. >> >Good thing I don't do it then! :)
"Gift" is no longer an acceptable designation to Canada, and also to other countries. Canada even imposes restrictions on the format of the label (the Canadian province must be on a separate line, with the postal code), and the style of lettering you may utilize (block letters; upper case only, or upper and lower case ... no script), and the name of the addressee (full legal name ... no "Aunt Jane", etcetera). There is a warning prominently displayed at many post offices on account of Canada. Ask the P.O. representative for other country's restrictions. On account of 9/11 concerns, the return address portion of the label should be as meticulously filled out, although I tend to use only my last name, rather than my full legal name. Since many countries no longer impose duties at all, there is probably no good reason to misrepresent the "value", anyway. I recently imported several tens of thousands of dollars of professional motion picture photographic equipment from the former Soviet Union, and there was no duty assessed. On crated goods, the customs inspectors will usually open one crate and one package within that crate, and then make exhaustive notes as to what was contained therein. These notes will be part of the computer records accessible to the agent where you go to declare the goods. If you misrepresent the shipment's contents to that agent, s/he will know immediately from the "comments" section on the computer display in front of them. In the instant case, the agent asked how many (interchangeable) lenses were included in the shipment (there were five), and whether "filters" were included (they weren't ... professional motion picture cameras don't use filters in the conventional sense). A general rule: answer every question honestly, but without volunteering any information not specifically requested. I did volunteer the serial number of the camera's film movement as a "good faith" indication of the approximate age of the goods (92xxxx) ... the camera main body had no serial number ... as that was the number the exporter had told me. Yes, the inspectors seemed to be aware of the serial numbers, probably also noted in the "comments" section of their computer display. Turned out the inspectors never opened the crate which contained the camera main body, just the camera accessories, including the lenses. Oh, any package or crate which has been opened for inspection will be identified with special tape, used to reseal it. Items internal to the package or crate will similarly be resealed, if opened. If the package is relatively small, and is shipped directly national post to national post, most of these problems will be completely eliminated. On the above-mentioned equipment shipment, I was able to avoid using a customs broker (probably saved $500) because I "walked" the documents all over SFO myself. Had a duty been assessed, I would have had to drive to the Federal Building in downtown S.F. to pay such duty. -- PowerBooks is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Enter To Win A | -- Canon PowerShot Digital Cameras start at $299 | Free iBook! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PowerBooks list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/powerbooks.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:" Send list messages to: <mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/powerbooks%40mail.maclaunch.com/> iPod Accessories for Less at 1-800-iPOD.COM Fast Delivery, Low Price, Good Deal www.1800ipod.com
