American guitars

[Rob Smith7]

I’m going to the states in October and after ten minutes on the internet I’ve realised that I can get a Fender Tele (lefthanded) in the states for $399 (£200) compared to £350 here in the UK.

What’s the chances that I’ll get through customs without being stopped and charged taxes etc? Should book a guitar case (empty) on flight out to make it look like I was bringing back a UK guitar and not one I've bought in the US?

[miggy man 3]

Good question - I'm off to the States later this year and was toying with bringing a Jackson or Ibanez back with me.

[kiwisr]

Wouldn't even bother, you are allowed £145 of goods anyway and you'd only be taxed on the £55 - they wouldn't bother.

[LikesBikes]

I bought an ESP Explorer in the States. It worked out at £369 and came with a custom fitted flight case, would've been £699 here with no case at all!!

I strolled through customs with it in plain sight and they never batted an eyelid. This was 10 or 12 years ago however, so don't know if they've tightened up on this sort of thing since?

[SaliMali]

I think C+E have caught onto this as it's now relatively common-especially with Ebay US purchases. Ive got away without the dreaded VAT and import duty a few times but I've also had to pay it a few times as well.

My friend usually buys a guitar, disassembles it and carries it through customs in a normal suitcase- a lot less suspicious than carrying a guitar case.

[gbbird]

I would just risk it - i think customs have more importatn things to worry about than guitars nowadays.

Good luck

g

[crmcatee]

I did just that in December. Bought the Fender Strat and a new hard case for it to come home in.

Only problem I had was I got stopped at Customs. Lots of questions - where I'ld been, how long etc.. They then started asking questions about did I know the law about bringing in firearms / knifes etc.. Then it clicked.

They wanted to see inside the hard case. Once opened and they saw it was a guitar, they were happy and off they went.

Depends where you're going as you might even be able to get the local state tax back. I bought mine from the Guitar Store in Houston which didn't do the tax back but some of the others did.

[BirdDB9]

With the whole tax thing, if you buy loads of stickers out there and put them on the case it looks as if you have brought it in to the states with you and not bought it there. Therefore no tax.

[collateral]

Beat up the case and sticker it up. Job done.

[loadblower]

Hi,

Well, having crossed the pond quite a few times, customs will more often than not stop you just because you have a guitar. Probably their perception of musicians...wondering if you have anything else in your case!

What some people do is find the crappiest, cheapest no name strat (£25), bung it in a hard case, take it out there, pawn it, bring the new one back in your case.

If stopped, they will ask you questions. They asked me if I could prove purchase of my Strat, which I could. But then it could have been a gift or anything like that, so it doesn't make much sense. Make sure you buy the new one in cash I suppose.

Well, I suppose thats how someone might do it...

Hope that helps.

Cheers,

Russ

www.myspace.com/heliumsoul

[tim the pool man]

Reading these replies suggests that they will know whether you took a guitar with you when you left, how would they know that? Not likely to record it in your passport surely? Do they also log your other luggage and check the same stuff comes back?