What is the custom's tax for a Submariner bought in Europe?

[rom33]

Yesterday I flew into San Francisco from Germany walked up to a custom's officer at the airport and asked to pay the federal import tax on a watch.
He at first was a bit shocked as I was standing several feet from the exit but after I picked up my bag there were no signs as to where to pay the tax. In my readings I had read of a severe penalty for not paying the tax.

When I was finally asked to place my bags on the counter the officer started to say the tax is free for the first $800 and then 6.25% on the balance. She also confidently told me "they" knew how to find the cost of the watch.
The percentage she told me sounded incorrect as I had read on several threads it was about 3-4 %.

Today I went to the Federal customs website and it appears that a steel, automatic watch has a tax of 3.1%. A watch with diamonds or made of a precious material is 6.25%.


Can anyone confirm the correct tax percentage for a Rolex Steel Sub?

I repeatedly asked the agents for a final detailed account. They told me they would give me a copy at the end and all I received was a cash register type receipt for total taxes paid. This was a Rolex sub with date and they took a long time to I.D. the MSRP of the watch.

BTW the ordeal was not pleasant at all and I paid a tax of 6.25%. The officer also tore apart several wrapped packages and after they flipped through the luggage I was left to re-pack. Their "tone" if you will was because I could not produce a receipt I was trying to somehow deceive them.

I did not have the original receipt from the store as this was given to Global Blue to receive the VAT refund.

[beshannon]

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...toms-duty-info

[amh]

Rookie mistake: offering to pay the tax

Last time I flew in I simply declared my purchase on the blue form that everyone fills out. I made sure to put gifts, chocolates and booze before & after the watch when itemizing.

Wasn't asked to pay a thing, customs officer threw the form into his little trash heap

[Jim Smyth]

Looks like to got what you asked for.

[superstarmar]

Always get 2 copies of the receipt... on high priced items!!!
you never know when crazy stuff happens and
you’re left with your pants down cause you can’t
procure one...

[kdphan]

When walking through the line and declaring. I've only once been asked to pay the tax.

All other times (5-6 times), they simply told me "happy holidays" or nothing at all and told me to keep moving.

Steel automatic watch should be about 3% from what I remember. This is what I paid a few years back on the BLNR I purchased in Paris.

[rom33]

From the Federal Customs webpage:

r wrist watches, whether or not incorporating a stop watch facility:
9101.21 With automatic winding:
Having over 17 jewels in the movement:
Straps, bands or bracelets entered with watches of subheading 9101.21.50 and classifiable therewith pursuant to additional U.S. note 2 to this chapter; all the foregoing whether or not attached to such watches at the time of entry:
9101.21.10 00 Of textile material or of base metal, whether or not gold- or silver-plated
No.
3.1%

The officers kept saying 6.25% but on the customs page that is for watches with jewels and/or PM.

On the blue form I did put a dollar amount , submitted it and no one said anything. As I mentioned the exit sign was only a few steps away when I asked the customs officer about paying.

So I am asking if anyone knows the tax on a steel watch brought into the U.S.?

Thank you

[No SUBctitute]

Originally Posted by amh

Rookie mistake: offering to pay the tax

Last time I flew in I simply declared my purchase on the blue form that everyone fills out. I made sure to put gifts, chocolates and booze before & after the watch when itemizing.

Wasn't asked to pay a thing, customs officer threw the form into his little trash heap

Did you put down a dollar amount or just leave that field blank for all of the declared items?

[vman]

Originally Posted by amh

Rookie mistake: offering to pay the tax

Last time I flew in I simply declared my purchase on the blue form that everyone fills out. I made sure to put gifts, chocolates and booze before & after the watch when itemizing.

Wasn't asked to pay a thing, customs officer threw the form into his little trash heap

A bad advice especially to those people who are traveling on visas. Essentially, that's a fed offense, buddy.

If you buy a watch in Europe for the right price, the amount of taxes you pay is negligible.

[Ruud Van Driver]

Originally Posted by amh

Rookie mistake: offering to pay the tax

Last time I flew in I simply declared my purchase on the blue form that everyone fills out. I made sure to put gifts, chocolates and booze before & after the watch when itemizing.

Wasn't asked to pay a thing, customs officer threw the form into his little trash heap

Not helpful

OP did the right thing by declaring his watch.

If he'd started a thread saying he walked through without declaring and then got a tug from customs, a huge fine and his watch confiscated, would you then be saying he acted foolish by trying to fool customs?

[RolexNorth]

Next time mail the box home from wherever you are, and wear the watch back. The odds of being questioned about it are very very slim.

Been 4 times to Jamaica in the past 5 years. Always wearing one of my Rolex's. No one's ever asked me a thing about them, either to provide evidence of where I bought it, or if it was even mine. Ever.

[68deluxe]

Originally Posted by vman

A bad advice especially to those people who are traveling on visas. Essentially, that's a fed offense, buddy.

If you buy a watch in Europe for the right price, the amount of taxes you pay is negligible.

Agreed. Not worth taking the chance.

[amh]

Originally Posted by No SUBctitute

Did you put down a dollar amount or just leave that field blank for all of the declared items?

I put down the full dollar amount I paid. In my book I declared it on the sheet they provided.

You mean you do more? (I highly doubt it)

Originally Posted by vman

A bad advice especially to those people who are traveling on visas. Essentially, that's a fed offense, buddy.

If you buy a watch in Europe for the right price, the amount of taxes you pay is negligible.

It's not a fed offense. I complied.

Originally Posted by 68deluxe

Agreed. Not worth taking the chance.

There's no risk whatsoever. I was fully transparent. I would have even showed the receipt and filled out additional paperwork if they had asked. But they didn't.

Originally Posted by Ruud Van Driver

Not helpful

OP did the right thing by declaring his watch.

If he'd started a thread saying he walked through without declaring and then got a tug from customs, a huge fine and his watch confiscated, would you then be saying he acted foolish by trying to fool customs?

Totally different scenario.

[Boaters]

It is really sad when a man tries to do the right thing and gets treated this way both at customs and on this forum.

[rom33]

Thanks to all for the replies.

My travels to Europe are every two months. I know the routine but have never declared a watch before.

BTW I was detained TWO HOURS. None of the hundreds of arriving travelers were checked while I was there.
Prescription medication was poured out into the non-sterile gloved hand of the officer.
The meds are now contaminated and useless.

[DoctorA]

Your honesty has to be commended and sorry you had to go through all this!
It’s real sad that doing the right thing gets punished!!

[No SUBctitute]

[QUOTE=amh;8201930]I put down the full dollar amount I paid. In my book I declared it on the sheet they provided.

You mean you do more? (I highly doubt it)

Nope. I was just curious as to what you did. Interesting that the customs officers pay so little attention that they don't even notice when someone does have goods on which they should be asked to pay duty.

[TudorSnowflake]

What would we do without government to take our money.