Fyi on board buyer beware

[peanutbutterjelly]

Wow unreal how rude people are. I never said to "LIE" on the customs form. I DID put the entire cost of the item on the customs form, I did NOT try to cheat the system. I was informed by the salesman there would be no additional fees/taxes etc. the words "it will be no problem" was told to me when I specifically asked about getting off the ship and dealing with customs. It was a surprise to have to pay an additional $500 that I didn't plan for. In NO WAY was I being shady, I just trusted the salesperson, lesson learned. I was unaware of the taxes/duty/laws. I was "pre flagged" by customs PRIOR to even getting off the ship by RCL who does turn in a roster of all high items bought onboard. Had I known that I would pay additional taxes on the item I wouldn't have bought it.

Edited July 11, 2016 by peanutbutterjelly

[Pratique]

On a side note- it would be interesting to pay duty on an item that was made in the US. Quite possible, as there are high end watches that are made in the US and sold abroad. Probably a good idea to buy them in the US....

 

There is no duty on U.S. made items, but make sure the seller provides you with documentation to show the customs agent.

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/375/~/duty-on-u.s.-made-goods-returning-to-the-u.s.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Pratique

[Thetrail]

No bashing please. This is just a quick FYI for those that may not know. If you buy anything onboard of high value ie;diamonds, gold, watches, jewelry be advised although you may think your getting a good deal you will have to pay customs more money when you get off the ship.

We specifically asked and were told "no worries, it will be no problem" however when getting off the ship apparently RCL turns in a rooster with every large purchase made to customs and we were flagged, needless to say it cost us an additional $500 we weren't prepared for.

Best bet is to buy from reputable dealer in the islands DON'T buy onboard.

On the ship or on an island your supposed to declare a purchase, your post is lame to say the least. Just spent a nice chunk of change on the Freedom recently and guess what, customs had no clue what I bought on the ship, go figure?....

[marci22]

I always declare the liquor we buy and they usually just wave us through, but one time they did make us pay. It was like $3 per bottle for 3 bottles over. I think that guy was having a crabby day.

[setsail]

Wow unreal how rude people are. I never said to "LIE" on the customs form. I DID put the entire cost of the item on the customs form, I did NOT try to cheat the system. I was informed by the salesman there would be no additional fees/taxes etc. the words "it will be no problem" was told to me when I specifically asked about getting off the ship and dealing with customs. It was a surprise to have to pay an additional $500 that I didn't plan for. In NO WAY was I being shady, I just trusted the salesperson, lesson learned. I was unaware of the taxes/duty/laws. I was "pre flagged" by customs PRIOR to even getting off the ship by RCL who does turn in a roster of all high items bought onboard. Had I known that I would pay additional taxes on the item I wouldn't have bought it.

 

You should also know that rci does not run the shops onboard nor are the people staffing the stores rci employees. Starboard cruise runs the shops and the people are their employees. Maybe you should contact them

 

http://www.starboardcruise.com/support/customer-service/royal-caribbean/contact-us/

Edited July 11, 2016 by setsail

[alfaeric]

Best bet is to buy from reputable dealer in the islands DON'T buy onboard.

 

Wow unreal how rude people are. I never said to "LIE" on the customs form. I DID put the entire cost of the item on the customs form, I did NOT try to cheat the system. I was informed by the salesman there would be no additional fees/taxes etc. the words "it will be no problem" was told to me when I specifically asked about getting off the ship and dealing with customs. It was a surprise to have to pay an additional $500 that I didn't plan for. In NO WAY was I being shady, I just trusted the salesperson, lesson learned. I was unaware of the taxes/duty/laws. I was "pre flagged" by customs PRIOR to even getting off the ship by RCL who does turn in a roster of all high items bought onboard. Had I known that I would pay additional taxes on the item I wouldn't have bought it.

 

So if you are offended by people questioning you, can you please explain what you meant by the line I quoted from your original message?

 

Why would one need to buy from a different source at all? (other than raw cost)

[johnjen]

No bashing please. This is just a quick FYI for those that may not know. If you buy anything onboard of high value ie;diamonds, gold, watches, jewelry be advised although you may think your getting a good deal you will have to pay customs more money when you get off the ship.

We specifically asked and were told "no worries, it will be no problem" however when getting off the ship apparently RCL turns in a rooster with every large purchase made to customs and we were flagged, needless to say it cost us an additional $500 we weren't prepared for.

Best bet is to buy from reputable dealer in the islands DON'T buy onboard.

 

And, don't be shocked when you realize you'd have gotten a far better deal ashore - also, don't let ANYONE tell you "This was exclusively designed by me" - we had some shady guy tell us this on anthem, so definitely be cautious....this guy goes to different ships all the time.

 

And thanks for the heads up on this. Good post.

[alfaeric]

???

 

I'm aware of one company that manufactures complete watches (movements, cases, etc.) for some of its watches in the U.S., 2-3 more that assemble watches from Swiss components, that I'd consider moderately high end. Not aware that any of them do any significant exporting. Those scratch the surface of high end.

 

There is one company assembling quartz watches in the several hundred dollar range that recently agreed to remove "made in America" from its products as the FTC determined they were not significantly made in the US or from US materials. Not something I'd consider high end.

 

Duty on watches is actually pretty complicated, and once you've exceeded your exemption and flat fee duty, is a complex formula considering the movement, case material, and band or strap. You could come close to paying more on the 3% flat rate than you would without it on an uncomplicated stainless steel watch...

 

Shinola assembles the movement in Detroit, and other than the parts of the movement- the rest of it are US made- case, band, face...

 

They are right on the edge of $800 watches- some are higher than that limit. Now that Ronda have an automatic movement, it's a matter of time before that, too, is assembled in Detroit, which will move Shinola into a higher price bracket.

 

But I don't see how one could complain that they are not US made.

 

We have seen them in every port we have been to for a few years now- so they are exported quite a bit.

Edited July 11, 2016 by alfaeric

[johnjen]

[/b]

 

And by the way a roster is a list of individuals - a rooster is a male chicken. ;) :D

 

The OP meant "Rooster" and not "Roster" as you've implied. Sorry that you didn't get that the first time. A "Roster" isn't necessarily a list of individuals either.

[Paul65]

Wow unreal how rude people are. I never said to "LIE" on the customs form. I DID put the entire cost of the item on the customs form, I did NOT try to cheat the system. I was informed by the salesman there would be no additional fees/taxes etc. the words "it will be no problem" was told to me when I specifically asked about getting off the ship and dealing with customs. It was a surprise to have to pay an additional $500 that I didn't plan for. In NO WAY was I being shady, I just trusted the salesperson, lesson learned. I was unaware of the taxes/duty/laws. I was "pre flagged" by customs PRIOR to even getting off the ship by RCL who does turn in a roster of all high items bought onboard. Had I known that I would pay additional taxes on the item I wouldn't have bought it.

 

Your advice did seem to carry the implication that you should buy in ports instead of on the ship, because the ship reported the sale to customs. Perhaps that's not what you intended, but it certainly comes across as if you're suggesting land-based shops are better, because customs won't know about it.

 

If you meant to just advise people to be aware of their customs limits and that they may have to pay additional taxes/duties, you did not express that clearly. I didn't jump in to criticize you about it, when I first read your post, but that was the impression I got from it - that you were recommending a way to skirt around customs.

[johnjen]

We have always paid and never had any issues with customs. I'd like to think doing this helped us in getting Nexus/Global Entry.

 

No, but it's a good thought to have. DHS merely conducted a background check on you after you paid $100 for the Global Entry; and the $50 you paid for the Nexus fee (both were for your 5 year pass). You may like to think that you paying for customs fees "helped you obtain" GE/Nexus, but it didn't. Your background was merely checked and you were cleared because you didn't have a criminal record. Just something you need to be aware of. And thanks for paying those fees; it helps keep our programs alive and well, and pays for your background screening.

 

What I did find surprising though, was how CBP in NJ at the time of our debarkation, never bothered to set up a line for GE/Nexus screened so they could bypass the huge line of regular screenings.

[markeb]

Shinola assembles the movement in Detroit, and other than the parts of the movement- the rest of it are US made- case, band, face...

 

They are right on the edge of $800 watches- some are higher than that limit. Now that Ronda have an automatic movement, it's a matter of time before that, too, is assembled in Detroit, which will move Shinola into a higher price bracket.

 

But I don't see how one could complain that they are not US made.

 

We have seen them in every port we have been to for a few years now- so they are exported quite a bit.

 

Briefly, as this isn't the thread for it, but while I admire what Shinola has done, they are in fact the company (along with Filson; shared ownership) that has agreed to remove "Made in America". I thought they did more work in Detroit myself, but the FTC disagreed and they essentially consented.

[alfaeric]

Briefly, as this isn't the thread for it, but while I admire what Shinola has done, they are in fact the company (along with Filson; shared ownership) that has agreed to remove "Made in America". I thought they did more work in Detroit myself, but the FTC disagreed and they essentially consented.

 

I see that now- but I would think that all of the import duty on the products are paid when the parts are imported- which is more my point.

 

The final product, with value, comes from the US.

 

And someone posted the duty on Shinolas would not apply- as the final value of the product was assembled in the US. So US assembled automatic movement watches above $800 would not face a duty.

 

As for the Detroit work- they have implied to me that they are looking to source parts from Detroit. Not sure if it was true, or will ever happen....

 

They do assemble all of the parts there, though.

[foxgoodrich]

Wow unreal how rude people are. I never said to "LIE" on the customs form. I DID put the entire cost of the item on the customs form, I did NOT try to cheat the system. I was informed by the salesman there would be no additional fees/taxes etc. the words "it will be no problem" was told to me when I specifically asked about getting off the ship and dealing with customs. It was a surprise to have to pay an additional $500 that I didn't plan for. In NO WAY was I being shady, I just trusted the salesperson, lesson learned. I was unaware of the taxes/duty/laws. I was "pre flagged" by customs PRIOR to even getting off the ship by RCL who does turn in a roster of all high items bought onboard. Had I known that I would pay additional taxes on the item I wouldn't have bought it.

 

When the ship comes back into port, a roster of onboard purchases exceeding $800 must be submitted to US Customs & Border Patrol. This is a routine part of CBP clearance to disembark the ship. I wonder if the employee who said "it will be no problem" just meant that filling out the Customs form and paying the duty is not a problem. (He/she did not actually say there would be NO duty, right? Only that it would not be a problem, right?) US Customs accepts both cash and credit cards and paying up is pretty easy. Thus, it's not a problem.

 

For future reference, generally US Customs gives you an $800 exemption per person on imported goods every 6 months. The next $1000 above the exemption is dutiable at a 3% flat rate. The amount above $1800 is dutiable at the rate for that particular item - for example a precious metal watch might be around 4.4%. (I'm making a guess here as the duty schedule for watches is complicated according to the materials used to make the case/band and the movement, as another poster mentioned.) Unless your state/city has no sales tax, you may have done better paying duty on your item than you would have if you'd bought it locally.

 

The sales tax where I live is 8.375%. So, for example, if I buy a $12k 14k gold watch locally, I'll pay $1005 in sales tax in addition to the cost of the watch, making my total $13,005. If I buy it on the ship, I'll pay about $479 duty (using my 4.4% estimate above), making my total $12,479. So...it it were me, I might look at that Customs transaction as a SAVINGS of $500+!;)

Judy

Edited July 11, 2016 by foxgoodrich

[markeb]

When the ship comes back into port, a roster of onboard purchases exceeding $800 must be submitted to US Customs & Border Patrol. This is a routine part of CBP clearance to disembark the ship. I wonder if the employee who said "it will be no problem" just meant that filling out the Customs form and paying the duty is not a problem. (He/she did not actually say there would be NO duty, right? Only that it would not be a problem, right?) US Customs accepts both cash and credit cards and paying up is pretty easy. Thus, it's not a problem.

 

For future reference, generally US Customs gives you an $800 exemption per person on imported goods every 6 months. The next $1000 above the exemption is dutiable at a 3% flat rate. The amount above $1800 is dutiable at the rate for that particular item - for example a precious metal watch might be around 4.4%. (I'm making a guess here as the duty schedule for watches is complicated according to the materials used to make the case/band and the movement, as another poster mentioned.) Unless your state/city has no sales tax, you may have done better paying duty on your item than you would have if you'd bought it locally.

 

The sales tax where I live is 8.375%. So, for example, if I buy a $12k 14k gold watch locally, I'll pay $1005 in sales tax in addition to the cost of the watch, making my total $13,005. If I buy it on the ship, I'll pay about $479 duty (using my 4.4% estimate above), making my total $12,479. So...it it were me, I might look at that Customs transaction as a SAVINGS of $500+!;)

Judy

 

ACTUALLY...

 

If you did that, you'd lose money, as you're liable for the sales and use tax in your state.

 

So, the better calculation for your example (and when it starts making sense) is 15% discount on the cost of the watch = $10,200 + duty (448.8) + sales and use tax (854.25) = $11,503, a savings of $1501.95, in theory.

 

However, since you can typically get 10-15% or more off the cost of most watches, other than Rolex, Panerai, Omega through their boutiques, and many Patek Philippe models, your actual US cost would be $10,200 + 854.25 = 11,054.25, less than the full duty free + tax cost of the watch...

 

One reason I don't buy watches at duty free.

[Bailey & Sophie]

Just how does Customs know that someone has spent a lot of money on the ship? I know that Customs is presented with a list, but where is the list? I've never seen anything on the desk when we go through Customs (and I snoop!!). Do they memorize this list? I don't understand how some people are flagged and stopped and others aren't.

[markeb]

Just how does Customs know that someone has spent a lot of money on the ship? I know that Customs is presented with a list, but where is the list? I've never seen anything on the desk when we go through Customs (and I snoop!!). Do they memorize this list? I don't understand how some people are flagged and stopped and others aren't.

 

It goes into the computer, along with bounced credit cards and unpaid bills. Note the earlier comments about the "ding" going "bong" when you go to leave... The ship escorts people to customs, presumably as part of their agreements with CBP.

[makiramarlena]

certainly at least a misunderstanding here. No matter whether you buy an expensive item onboard or in a land-based shop, you have to declare the item and pay any duty you owe on it above the exemptions. I guess what I am having problems with is the suggestion to buy in the islands, rather than onboard, because the ship will report your purchase. It's the same procedure, unless you're planning on sneaking by without declaring the purchase.

Edited July 11, 2016 by makiramarlena

[A&L_Ont]

No, but it's a good thought to have. DHS merely conducted a background check on you after you paid $100 for the Global Entry; and the $50 you paid for the Nexus fee (both were for your 5 year pass). You may like to think that you paying for customs fees "helped you obtain" GE/Nexus, but it didn't. Your background was merely checked and you were cleared because you didn't have a criminal record. Just something you need to be aware of. And thanks for paying those fees; it helps keep our programs alive and well, and pays for your background screening.

 

What I did find surprising though, was how CBP in NJ at the time of our debarkation, never bothered to set up a line for GE/Nexus screened so they could bypass the huge line of regular screenings.

 

We are in Nexus as we are Canadian. For us Nexus and Global Entry cost a total of $50 for 5 years. Our son was free.

 

We were specifically told if we were caught not declaring any goods even if under the allocated amount we would be removed from the Nexus program. It might not be a criminal activity but it is based on the honour system and as a Nexus member I tell the truth. If you were caught lying by not declaring or not paying duty fees why would they trust you at any other time.

 

 

Bolded below is a portion of the terms and conditions of Nexus.

 

As a NEXUS member, you agree to do the following:

 

Comply with all customs and immigration laws and regulations and any other laws or regulations that are enforced by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and United States Customs and Border Protection (U.S. CBP);

 

Report all goods being imported;

 

 

We cruise out of Port Everglades and there is a Nexus/GE line. As for NJ not having a GE line it is the same as the port of Miami. Neither have one.

[Bailey & Sophie]

It goes into the computer, along with bounced credit cards and unpaid bills. Note the earlier comments about the "ding" going "bong" when you go to leave... The ship escorts people to customs, presumably as part of their agreements with CBP.

Interesting.

I've heard that some of the shops in the Caribbean islands ask what ship you are on and report back to that ship when an expensive item is purchased. Can't confirm that, but we have been asked what ship we are on to get a "discount."

We don't buy much any more. There's only so many $10 necklaces I can handle! And I do claim even those.

[mkam2821]

We buy next to nothing on a cruise and I'm waiting for the day when they finally put us in a dark room and grill us for consistently having a zero on the declaration form.

 

Us too. I usually just by t shirts for the grandkids LOL

[Pennyscandy]

There is no duty on U.S. made items, but make sure the seller provides you with documentation to show the customs agent.

 

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/375/~/duty-on-u.s.-made-goods-returning-to-the-u.s.

 

Thanks great to know.

[GTO-Girl]

We haven't purchased anything on our last three cruises. We are not shoppers and honestly it's always the same stuff in all the shops, both onboard and in ports.

 

When going through Customs I always take my ship account statement showing we didn't purchase anything onboard.....but I always get asked are we sure we didn't purchase anything in port.

 

We just tell them at our age there is really nothing we need.....:D.

[iheartbda]

I wonder what customs does with all those roosters? and where does RCL keep those roosters during the cruise...

Didn't you notice the coq au vin on the menu? :D

[Bailey & Sophie]

When going through Customs I always take my ship account statement showing we didn't purchase anything onboard.....but I always get asked are we sure we didn't purchase anything in port.

 

This is a good idea, but I really don't want them to see my bar bill.