Prices In The USA.

[gpb]

Hi All,

I'll be travelling to the US later this year. I've noticed their prices on gear are cheaper than here. I was wondering whether there will be any issues with our Austrlaian Customs bringing stuff like eye pieces into the country?

Any advice and ideas on what to do and what people have experinced would be great.

[erick]

One issue will be total value, Chris. Exceeding $1000 will mean that GST of 10% has to be paid.

But I'm not sure if that is the total value of everything, or the value of each single transaction. But if you try to tell them that each Ethos eyepiece from one supplier were several single transactions, don't be surprised if they think otherwise.

I had an order come in of over $900 value. It seemed to sit in Customs for several days. I suspect they were holding it to see if another order turned up some days later from the same supplier addressed to me. (There wasn't one - I had carefully arranged the purchase to stay under the GST trigger limit.)

Declare everything and have your purchase receipts ready for inspection, I recommend.

[casstony]

From the customs website:

If you are aged 18 years or over, you can bring up
to A$900 worth of general goods into Australia
duty-free. If you are under 18 years of age there is a
A$450 limit. General goods include gifts, souvenirs,
cameras, electronic equipment, leather goods,
perfume concentrates, jewellery, watches and sporting
equipment.

[erick]

Thanks Tony, that is interesting - $900 if you carry them in, $1,000 if they are posted in.

[gpb]

Thanks guys, GST will be paid once the item is declared but gee $900 that doesn't leave you much for many toys.

What if I walk through customs with the EP in my jacket pocket and if asked what it is I can say to them it's an EP that was used by my friend and it was given to me because it was going to be thrown out?:P

I won't declare it as a gift or being purchased, maybe more like a hand me down.

[dannat]

take some cheap ep's with you- just dump them & bring back the new toys-when i went to the US i bought several things secondhand, i had no problems & wasn't asked about them

[erick]

The Customs folks will have heard "every story in the book"! I recommend be honest:- declare and pay. It'll take them 5 seconds googling to have the Australian local price on any eyepiece - do you want to pay GST on that price?

[Louwai]

While you are travelling, buy the items & post them to yourself in Australia.
Have a list of 3 to 4 friends addresses + your own. Each time you buy an item post it to a different address.
With 4 addresses, by the time you get back to using the 1st address there will have been sufficient time for the previous package to that address to have passed thru customs.

And when you come home carry your $900 of gear as well.........:P

[Peter Ward]

My job is such that I've spent* a lot* of time going through Customs in the last two decades.

Now -days nearly every bag is X-rayed.

All I can say is *declare it* They are decent people and often just wave you through.

The easiest way you can pi$$ off a customs officer is to take him/her for a sucker.

They know their job, and the cost of stuff is often just a mouse click away.

Even with the GST you have probably saved quite a bit off $AUD retail (nil transport /wire fees/formal customs entry)

The fines can be really nasty...and they can literally squeeze out your toothpaste if you annoy them.... do you really want that grief for a lousy $150-200 ??

[BlackWidow]

Hi Chris. I am about to leave for a trip to the USA.I have already purchased a Vixen scope to be collected when I arrive. This is my third trip in the last two years and I have purchased heaps of stuff and brought it back. I have never been asked to declare my purchased items only Booze, Smokes and Money, Food etc. I anly once got questioned arriving from Bali with my video camera. I told them it was purchased prior to leaving and I was happy to supply a recipt (Truth). They just let me through. Be honest when asked, but don't tell them anything they don't ask about and I think you will be fine. If you are traveling with a partner you have an $800 duty free limit that you can combine also. I have re-entered Australia from many destinations in the last 6 years and have only been askeed once about purchased goods. I have only ever had my bags gone through one also. Customs are very helpfull if you are honest with them, and in most cases you will have a better change going a little over if you be honest, Only if you are asked the question. If not, no loose lips...

Have a good trip

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

Chris, thanks for the thread. Very informative, guys. I am going to Colorado in Aug and intend to buy a OTA, so this is valuable stuff.

Cheers

[casstony]

I've run into good guys and power trippers in customs - you just don't know what kind of treatment to expect. The guaranteed fast way through customs and airports is to have a screaming baby with you - you'll get escorted through faster than a chaser team at APEC :)

[gpb]

Thanks for the responses people. I doubt that I will spend more than $1K on eye pieces but at the end of the day declaring items is the Aussie thing to do. What I was thinking is to ask the retailer to write a receipt well under the maximum limit and if customs queries anything then I can pull out the receipt.

I think Peter Ward puts things into perspective, great post!

What I should do is get off my arse and find out about the rules & regulations about bringing goodies in Australia.

On eyepieces, I was planning on purchasing the Tele Vue Nagler 31mm V (2").
Would this be suitable for a 12" GSO Dob? What are people's opinion on the performance of this EP?

[erick]

Re TV 31mm Nagler in GSO 12" f5 - should be fine, but note you will need to cope with the weight. I don't have the eyepiece, but the previous owner of the GSO 12" f5 I bought used it very happily.

Suggest you search the www.cloudynights.com (http://www.cloudynights.com) forum - look in the reviews and the eyepieces forum - they is plenty of discussion of the 31mm Nagler - often in comparison to other eyepieces.

[wasyoungonce]

At the moment, check out TV and Es eyepieces prices...they are at an all time low.

ES started the 1st salvo with a price reduction, TV have respond with theirs across the range, Ethos and Naglers and more reduced in price.

OS: TV Ethos 10mm $455 + $45 shipping, $500 USD total.
Local: $699 discounted to ..wait for it...$699.

OS: TV Nagler 13mm $220 + $38 shipping, $258 USD total
Local: $329 discounted to ..wait for it...$329.

[hotspur]

:lol: yep,quite correct-seen this before,the only time you like a baby screaming!,quite amazing how 'Chaser' got so close to APEC-even they were shocked,and really did not expect to get as far as they did.

Certainly some very interesting and useful information here,really perhaps a sticky could be made of some of the posters comments here-we are all above board here,but I did not know the $900 walk in limit-yet postage is $1000.I thought it would be the same.So that's a very useful bit of info.

Really,if your in the U.S or similar,to be able to go into a shop a feel and pick up the eyepiece or similar of a life time,that to me is worth paying the 10% GST-your still going to save.Be honest=if not-something will always come back to haunt you.

[casstony]

In addition, AFAIK, with the walk in limit you're only taxed on the amount exceeding $900, whereas you're taxed on the whole purchase price if importing something over $1000.

[casstony]

The TV sale came just in time for me; I was looking at OPT yesterday to order an ES30mm, saw the Nagler 31 on sale and ordered it instead. Nice to get the genuine article instead of the copy. I checked Bintel but they hadn't dropped their prices (they are down today).

[astro744]

Don't expect local warranty with your foreign purchases as any issues will have to go back to the dealer.

I have found Bintel pricing very competitive and after sales service second to none.

[wasyoungonce]

Ah..Bintel dropped their prices as we speak.

OS: TV Ethos 10mm $455 + $45 shipping, $500 USD total.
Local: $559.

OS: TV Nagler 13mm $220 + $38 shipping, $258 USD total
Local: $263. Wow!

I must say those Bintel prices are quite reasonable indeed!

[hotspur]

I purchased all my Type VI nagalars from Bintel,was quite a few years ago,certainly dearer than today's prices,but these eyepieces are just something you have for life-the price was well worth it,My 13 mm lives in the scope,and the 7 mm is amazing for planets.

[OzRob]

If you are hand carrying them back into Australia you can claim that they are used and depreciate them. I was told that things can be depreciated by 30%. If in doubt ask before you leave.

[wavelandscott]

I'd say those are good prices...the difference being GST which is not (yet) charged in the USA.

On imports to Australia I thought I heard that the cost of shipping counts toward the total declared value...is that correct?

[Tandum]

Yes Scott, total value includes shipping.

You'll never see a federal tax on goods in the USA. They would never get away with it, but some states already charge sales tax.

[gpb]

I see that Bintel have massively reduced their prices on the Televue ep's and are only a few bucks more than the USA prices. Weighing things up I'd rather purchase here than o/s now. I just hope they can hold these prices for a while so I can save up. Does anyone know if layby is an option at Bintel?

Edit: Sorry I just noticed a few on here have already mentioned it.

[casstony]

Bintel's prices will hold until the Televue sale ends or until our currency falls against the US dollar - we might stay near parity for a week or a year, depending on if/when our 'house of cards' world economy finally falls over - uncertainty reigns.

[GrampianStars]

Au $ prices have nothing to do with imports.
IMPORTANT post receipts back to yourself in the first instance.
make sure all items have been opened and handled
declare items as repaired and have receipt value at 10% of original
there's not much they can do. ;)

[JethroB76]

In response (kind of) to Robs post above...how do they determine whether the big juicy 31mm T5 Nag in your luggage wasn't purchased in Oz and taken with you observing in the US (or wherever) then coming back in with you? If its not shrink wrapped or with receipts what do they do?