Re: Taxes on basses imported into US...

[loopee]

It depends upon where it's coming from. If its Canada or Mexico, then you'll pay nothing. If its Europe, Asia, Australia, etc., I'm sure you'll certainly pay something.

That really hurts - I bought a bass made in the US and had it shipped to Canada and I had to pay taxes...

 

[Freelancer]

If your goods get caught for inspection and duty fee you should have a form signed by the agent who performed the inspection. You are also charged for the "privilege" of having your gear inspected and processed on top of whatever % of the declared value. If your goods are damaged there is a form you can file for reimbursement so long as you keep your paperwork in order. Most people usually don't waste their time with government paperwork surfing over small damage or whatnot. Good luck with your shipping and DO NOT embellish the instrument worth when you import it in. Last thing you want is falsifying an official government document in order to do low balled tax evasion.

Rock on!
-Chris

 

[BlackElan]

I sent you the PDF with the US VAT guidelines its all in there just hard to understand.

FYI if you go to the UK and pick up a bass and bring it back on the plane its your personal bass and it should not be taxed.

 

[megadan]

My Dingwall came in from Canada with no customs fees. My invoice is even noted with NAFTA (no fee, etc.).

That's cause it was made in Canada.

If someone sent you an SX (for example) from Canada, you'd have to pay duty on it, since NAFTA doesn't apply.

 

[mikeswals]

I bought a Warwick Streamer (Germany made) from a seller in Canada, paid 800 or 850, and got a Duty bill for about $75 bucks.

 

[LouisV]

Hi, I used to work for U.S. Cusoms. You don't pay "taxes" to Customs, you pay "taxes" to the IRS. You do pay "duties/duty" to Customs, when applicable. Some items are "duty free" always, or can be "duty free" dependeing on the country of origin, that is where they were made, not where they were purchased from. Duty rates on basses appera to be as follws:
(this is from the book CBP uses to classify merchandise & assess rates of duty
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (2009) (Rev. 1)
Annotated for Statistical Reporting Purposes
Other string musical instruments (for example, guitars,
violins, harps):
9202.90 Other:
Guitars:
9202.90.20 00 Valued not over $100 each, excluding the value
of the case ............................. No. ..... 4.5%
Free (A,AU,BH,CA,CL,E,IL,J,JO,MA,MX,OM,P,PE,SG)
9202.90.40 00 Other (valued over $100 each).................................. No. ..... 8.7%
Free (A,AU,BH,CA,CL,E,IL,J,JO,MA,MX,OM,P,PE,SG)
9202.90.60 00 Other (other than a guitar)..................................... No. ..... 4.6%
Free (A,AU,BH,CA,CL,E,IL,J,JO,MA,MX,OM,P,PE,SG)

The number "9202.90.20, for example, is the classification number for a guitar.
Where it says "free" followed by letters such as "CA,MX,SG, etc," these stand for the names of countries whose particular products (in this case, guitars) are "duty free." The letters may also stand for particular trade agreements, which again may reduce the rate of duty. You may have to pay "merchandise processing fees," insurance, Customs brokers fees, etc, on top of duty. Best to call your local CBP office before you buy something from outside the U.S. As they say, "know before you go." Hope this helps!

 

[gweimer]

Well, I'm not sure how this fits into the discussion, but I just got a bass from the Czech Republic. It was sent through Customs via the EMS service in Europe. I didn't pay duty fees, but I *did* have to pay a wire transfer fee when making payment to the manufacturer. Shipping and transfer fees added about $150 to the final cost of the bass.

 

[Kael]

Taxes/tariff/duty/the troll-toll/whatever you call it, I think I've enough info to make a go at guestimating the financial hit that importing a bass would involve.

Thanks to everyone for the help.