Beware purchasing Jewelry onboard or at affiliated shore shops

[WK-Orlando]

Most people are not aware that most cruise ships report all onboard purchases or accounts that run up at least $600 or so in purchases of possible duty items. What they are not aware of is that some of the cruiseline owned shore shops (say anything with a gem type and the word international in the name) are likely doing the same. This is so customs can get a leg up on collecting duty. Problem with this, aside from ruffling my Libertarian ideals regarding privacy, is that the sales people tell you everything is duty free when it is not. On top of that, they often botch the reports and tell customs you bought something subject to duty when it is not.

 

My wife and I are actually kind of boring people in that we do report our purchases to customs if we go over allowance which is very rare. We are also a bit more educated than most on what is subject to duty and what is not. Just today we got off of Oasis of the Seas after purchasing a jewelry item aboard. The item was US sourced merchandise which the sales people seemed completely ignorant about. They failed to properly stamp the documents and then the ship reported our purchase to US customs for duty. We spent almost two hours stuck in customs inspection watching families miss flights and other bs because of this practice of customs extorting these lists from the ships under very dubious interpretations of laws not intended for the purpose. What's worse is that the cruise line does not give an accurate description of the purchase to customs leaving the passengers to negotiate confusing rules without proper information. In our case, we were provided incorrectly filled out documents from the ship jewelry store and the ship reported the items as subject to duty to Customs. Fortunately for us, there was a customs agent that recognized the brand when we pointed out it was US sourced and she directed the inspector to pass us without charge. If she had not been there, we would have been charged duty and maybe fined.

 

Strongly suggest avoiding purchases of duty items from the ships or any of the 'recommended' shops until they clean this up. First I feel the reporting to customs is a violation of my privacy especially for things not even bought on the ship. Second, if they are going to cave and report, GET IT RIGHT so passengers do not go through long delays and missed flights. Lastly, stop lying to passengers many of whom do not have experience with customs rules by telling them that it is all 'duty free'. It most certainly is not going to be unless someone has already paid the duty such as purchasing items that came from the US in the first place or the total of your purchases is under allowance. (We stick to those brands) The duties kill the price advantage for most expensive items and the fines for screwing up can easily exceed the price of your cruise. Items may also come from countries currently under US government punitive measures and are subject to a 100% duty. The stores are certainly not going to tell you that in the ports and I would hope the ship would not be selling such items but after today, not so sure.

 

Best way to make the point is just shop in places that do not make the cruiseline any money. There are reputable shops in most ports that do not report sales to the cruiseline. (NOT telling you to cheat on custom declarations, but at least you do not get held up for nothing) If enough people take this path, they will clean this up. Should be VERY easy for them to track duty requirements for merchandise, disclose them at time of sale and correctly report duty totals correctly. They are just TOO LAZY and GREEDY to do the right thing. Just way to easy for them to say it is the passengers problem and charge you a hour of internet time while you try to figure it out...

 

Lastly, and this is slightly off topic, if you are going to take expensive stuff out on the ships, take pictures of everything that might trigger a duty argument, print them out with a date and sign them with a notary. My bank does this for free. This way, when customs wants to demand proof you did not buy it while on your vacation, you can politely tell them to bug off and have the documents to protect you. Has not happened to us yet, but I have encountered people that have been hassled for items they have owned for years and even laptops, ipads, etc. Most passengers would never even consider taking receipts for all of the wife bling onto the ship if they even have receipts...

 

I will end this by saying most of the customs people I have met over the years are ok, polite and not overtly nasty even though they deal with a lot of really s%$ty people every day. That said, have encountered a few that make the case for changing the rules that govern firing federal employees. Protect yourself with a little preventative paperwork and save the stress. Do not be afraid to ask for a supervisor as most of these agents are men and like me, do not know jack about jewelry brands or where they are made.

 

Safe Sailing!

[Tommyg74]

What.a load of garbage!!!!!!!

 

I work for customs. And at no point does the cruise lines inform us of ANY purchases, jewelry, alcohol, tobacco.

 

Declaring what you have purchased is required by US law. If I go through your stuff, which I have all the rights to, due to border search authority. And I find things you have purchased, but failed to declare, I can charge you duty, or I can seize the items.

 

Duty free purchases are not expect duty upon entering the US, regardless of what the stores, shops or cruise lines tell you. They are exempt the local taxes, but not exempt duty entering the United States, which your exemption is $800 per person. There is a a whole big list of other things exempt. But you are better off declaring and not having your items seized.

[cjdixon4]

The whole "duty-free" issue has always kept me from purchasing costly items both on AND off the ship. I just stick to my refrigerator magnets and t-shirts for souvenirs.

[mistshar]

The whole "duty-free" issue has always kept me from purchasing costly items both on AND off the ship. I just stick to my refrigerator magnets and t-shirts for souvenirs.

 

That is so funny that you said that because that is all we buy too. We always buy a magnet at every port we go to and buy t-shirts for our grandchildren. That is all we ever buy. I thought we were the only ones.

[Two 2 Tango]

What.a load of garbage!!!!!!!

 

I work for customs. And at no point does the cruise lines inform us of ANY purchases, jewelry, alcohol, tobacco.

 

Declaring what you have purchased is required by US law. If I go through your stuff, which I have all the rights to, due to border search authority. And I find things you have purchased, but failed to declare, I can charge you duty, or I can seize the items.

 

Duty free purchases are not expect duty upon entering the US, regardless of what the stores, shops or cruise lines tell you. They are exempt the local taxes, but not exempt duty entering the United States, which your exemption is $800 per person. There is a a whole big list of other things exempt. But you are better off declaring and not having your items seized.

 

Can you speak for British ports? we got one extra bottle of spirit from the ship and were the only ones picked out by customs at Southampton. We knew we were over the limit but the port is so badly signposted that declaring the item was impossible. There is only one exit and that takes you directly to customs, to declare items there is a phone on the wall in the baggage collection hall. My view whether right or wrong is that the ship had informed customs of purchases and bags had been identified prior to disembarking. The attitude of the officer was very bad he was shouting why did you not report it. I explained we were wanting to do this but there was only the one exit. He did let us keep it in the end but it was very embarrassing, making you feel like a big time smuggler. :mad:

[hairymelon]

The whole "duty-free" issue has always kept me from purchasing costly items both on AND off the ship. I just stick to my refrigerator magnets and t-shirts for souvenirs.

 

I am a keyring person myself :D

[rummenroman]

The whole "duty-free" issue has always kept me from purchasing costly items both on AND off the ship. I just stick to my refrigerator magnets and t-shirts for souvenirs.

 

That is so funny that you said that because that is all we buy too. We always buy a magnet at every port we go to and buy t-shirts for our grandchildren. That is all we ever buy. I thought we were the only ones.

 

We are the same way. Magnet and shot glass, maybe a local speciality item. Every once in a while we may buy try and fill our liquor cabinet, but always stick to the legal limits which are clearly defined for bottles of booze.

Edited April 6, 2014 by rummenroman

[papaflamingo]

It has been my experience that the ship will report (as I'm sure the law requires) any large purchases. We bought some jewelry on Allure a few years ago. It was from New York, therefore not subject to duty. As we left the ship our card "bonked" instead of "dinged." A very nice RCI escort came over to us, escorted us around the lines, found us a porter, helped us claim our luggage and escorted us to Customs. We showed them the receipts, etc. I also was well over my alcohol limit. I declared it, so no problem. We paid the $20 on the alcohol and headed home. One of the easiest debarkations ever.

In my experience the shops on shore do nothing of the sort described by the OP. But the law is the law. There are lot's of reasons that duty is charged, the biggest is to protect U.S. industry from foreign competition. The duty on alcohol is a percentage of it's value. Even with duty paid alcohol is less than half price in the Caribbean than where I live. A great value.

The OP is right. If you declare the items you purchase then you are not smuggling. If you choose not to declare them, then you are smuggling. It's your choice. But after 25 cruises and a number of other international trips, I have never been hassled by Customs. They have never questioned the origin of my wife's jewelry, asking for "proof I didn't buy it out of the country." How absurd is that?

Basically the customs clearing in Florida is ridiculously easy. It seems that there might have been a problem that the OP encountered that seems a bit unique. But when we bought the jewelry on Allure, they were the ones who told me we didn't have to pay duty. So my experience has been completely different.

My suggestion, if you find an item you want, buy it. If you buy it on the ship declare it. If you buy it inshore, use your best judgement. Just know that if you choose to violate the law and get caught, it isn't the fault of anyone but you.

[goodycruising]

Some good points that are worth considering in the OPs post. Maybe they do or maybe they don't report, but know your facts for your country. I personally wouldn't take much in the way of expensive jewellery etc, but the photo could be handy for insurance claims even.

 

There is another post about getting a customs bill for art that was being sent from the ship sales to Australia. We have a $1000 limit, and it is best to be aware of all the rules and regulations so that you can work out if you are getting a bargain. I have had a friend that bought clothes online when the limit was lower and she was most annoyed to get taxed.

 

As far as what we buy, the last few trips we have done were not to an overseas port so we couldn't even get our cheaper alcohol :(

[Cindy]

I also thought large on-board purchases were reported. On one of our family cruises, my mom had made quite a large purchase. She was "donged" instead of "dinged" getting off the ship, and she had to meet with a customs official. USCBP already had a copy of her receipt from the ship! Fortunately, she had declared everything!:)

[waterbug123]

We are also a bit more educated than most on what is subject to duty and what is not.

 

 

I work for customs.

 

Duty free purchases.... are exempt the local taxes, but not exempt duty entering the United States, which your exemption is $800 per person.

 

Perhaps the OP is not as educated on customs/duty as he thought.

[hancock]

We purchased a ring in St. Thomas. Declared in on our customs form. The customs agent went to another desk to see if it was on a list they had. He was surprised to see that it was not on their list. Told him where we had bought it and was quickly passed on. The stores do inform customs of big purchases of customers on cruises.

[Familygoboston]

What.a load of garbage!!!!!!!

 

I work for customs. And at no point does the cruise lines inform us of ANY purchases, jewelry, alcohol, tobacco.

 

Declaring what you have purchased is required by US law. If I go through your stuff, which I have all the rights to, due to border search authority. And I find things you have purchased, but failed to declare, I can charge you duty, or I can seize the items.

 

Duty free purchases are not expect duty upon entering the US, regardless of what the stores, shops or cruise lines tell you. They are exempt the local taxes, but not exempt duty entering the United States, which your exemption is $800 per person. There is a a whole big list of other things exempt. But you are better off declaring and not having your items seized.

 

Sorry friend, but you must not work in FLL, because the cruise line most definitely reports and escorts:D

 

It has been my experience that the ship will report (as I'm sure the law requires) any large purchases. We bought some jewelry on Allure a few years ago. It was from New York, therefore not subject to duty. As we left the ship our card "bonked" instead of "dinged." A very nice RCI escort came over to us, escorted us around the lines, found us a porter, helped us claim our luggage and escorted us to Customs. We showed them the receipts, etc. I also was well over my alcohol limit. I declared it, so no problem. We paid the $20 on the alcohol and headed home. One of the easiest debarkations ever.

This is exactly what happened in our situation; but I can see that if you felt duty wasn't owed, (ie it isn't foreign merchandise) and you hadn't declared it that you could get held up for a while.

 

I thought it was great to get "past" all the disembarkation lines, but it was a bit stunning to not know why or what was happening when we heard a warning tone when trying to disembark. The shops on board should inform you that you will get expedited customs attention for shopping on board. The fact that they don't advertise this as an "advantage" should tell you what they really think about it;)

Edited April 6, 2014 by Familygoboston

[reallyitsmema]

What.a load of garbage!!!!!!!

 

I work for customs. And at no point does the cruise lines inform us of ANY purchases, jewelry, alcohol, tobacco.

 

Declaring what you have purchased is required by US law. If I go through your stuff, which I have all the rights to, due to border search authority. And I find things you have purchased, but failed to declare, I can charge you duty, or I can seize the items.

 

Duty free purchases are not expect duty upon entering the US, regardless of what the stores, shops or cruise lines tell you. They are exempt the local taxes, but not exempt duty entering the United States, which your exemption is $800 per person. There is a a whole big list of other things exempt. But you are better off declaring and not having your items seized.

The ship absolutely provides a list to customs. We purchased more than our allowance of liquor and declared it. Anyone with anything to declare was supposed to report to the card room, this was in Boston on a New England/Canada cruise. They wouldn't process anyone until all the people on the list were present. They paged and paged for one moron who didn't show.

[PORT ROYAL]

Most people are not aware that most cruise ships report all onboard purchases or accounts that run up at least $600 or so in purchases of possible duty items. What they are not aware of is that some of the cruiseline owned shore shops (say anything with a gem type and the word international in the name) are likely doing the same. This is so customs can get a leg up on collecting duty. Problem with this, aside from ruffling my Libertarian ideals regarding privacy, is that the sales people tell you everything is duty free when it is not. On top of that, they often botch the reports and tell customs you bought something subject to duty when it is not.

 

My wife and I are actually kind of boring people in that we do report our purchases to customs if we go over allowance which is very rare. We are also a bit more educated than most on what is subject to duty and what is not. Just today we got off of Oasis of the Seas after purchasing a jewelry item aboard. The item was US sourced merchandise which the sales people seemed completely ignorant about. They failed to properly stamp the documents and then the ship reported our purchase to US customs for duty. We spent almost two hours stuck in customs inspection watching families miss flights and other bs because of this practice of customs extorting these lists from the ships under very dubious interpretations of laws not intended for the purpose. What's worse is that the cruise line does not give an accurate description of the purchase to customs leaving the passengers to negotiate confusing rules without proper information. In our case, we were provided incorrectly filled out documents from the ship jewelry store and the ship reported the items as subject to duty to Customs. Fortunately for us, there was a customs agent that recognized the brand when we pointed out it was US sourced and she directed the inspector to pass us without charge. If she had not been there, we would have been charged duty and maybe fined.

 

Strongly suggest avoiding purchases of duty items from the ships or any of the 'recommended' shops until they clean this up. First I feel the reporting to customs is a violation of my privacy especially for things not even bought on the ship. Second, if they are going to cave and report, GET IT RIGHT so passengers do not go through long delays and missed flights. Lastly, stop lying to passengers many of whom do not have experience with customs rules by telling them that it is all 'duty free'. It most certainly is not going to be unless someone has already paid the duty such as purchasing items that came from the US in the first place or the total of your purchases is under allowance. (We stick to those brands) The duties kill the price advantage for most expensive items and the fines for screwing up can easily exceed the price of your cruise. Items may also come from countries currently under US government punitive measures and are subject to a 100% duty. The stores are certainly not going to tell you that in the ports and I would hope the ship would not be selling such items but after today, not so sure.

 

Best way to make the point is just shop in places that do not make the cruiseline any money. There are reputable shops in most ports that do not report sales to the cruiseline. (NOT telling you to cheat on custom declarations, but at least you do not get held up for nothing) If enough people take this path, they will clean this up. Should be VERY easy for them to track duty requirements for merchandise, disclose them at time of sale and correctly report duty totals correctly. They are just TOO LAZY and GREEDY to do the right thing. Just way to easy for them to say it is the passengers problem and charge you a hour of internet time while you try to figure it out...

 

Lastly, and this is slightly off topic, if you are going to take expensive stuff out on the ships, take pictures of everything that might trigger a duty argument, print them out with a date and sign them with a notary. My bank does this for free. This way, when customs wants to demand proof you did not buy it while on your vacation, you can politely tell them to bug off and have the documents to protect you. Has not happened to us yet, but I have encountered people that have been hassled for items they have owned for years and even laptops, ipads, etc. Most passengers would never even consider taking receipts for all of the wife bling onto the ship if they even have receipts...

 

I will end this by saying most of the customs people I have met over the years are ok, polite and not overtly nasty even though they deal with a lot of really s%$ty people every day. That said, have encountered a few that make the case for changing the rules that govern firing federal employees. Protect yourself with a little preventative paperwork and save the stress. Do not be afraid to ask for a supervisor as most of these agents are men and like me, do not know jack about jewelry brands or where they are made.

 

Safe Sailing!

 

Fully understand from where you are coming from, having had the experience of cruise associated jewellery retailers. But, in saying that for the past 10 years we have bought solely from our friends in St Martin and never had a problem. We introduce family and friends, also CC members! and there has never been problem with officials or, most importantly, the quality of the items. There is a way:D;)

[planomom]

What a nightmare. I would like to discuss this with you, as I just had a friend experience the same thing. Could we communicate via email?

[cjdixon4]

That is so funny that you said that because that is all we buy too. We always buy a magnet at every port we go to and buy t-shirts for our grandchildren. That is all we ever buy. I thought we were the only ones.

 

Oh trust me, you're not alone on this one. I don't like a lot of unnecessary governmental paperwork and confusion. Refrigerator magnets are a cheap, problem-free purchase. ;)

[trev71]

of course they are. I would never buy anything like that on the ship to start with. Stuff there is so over priced.

I for one will stick to the fridge magnets and maybe a t shirt or two. We always get one litre of booze each never go over the limit though

[setsail]

", is that the sales people tell you everything is duty free when it is not"

 

It is duty free at the POS and that's all duty free means. Has nothing to do with bringing the items back to your home country, that is up to your countries customs

 

And by the way, all the shops onboard are run by these people, http://www.starboardcruise.com/

Edited April 7, 2014 by setsail

[ksuds]

I have been harassed by customs for not claiming anything on my form. We cruise enough that I don't want a shirt, jewelry, magnet, or anything else. I find it rude to accuse me of lying on the form, saying "how can I go on a vacation and not buy one single thing". Now I am forced to put in any random number and say I bought a T-shirt to avoid the harassement.

 

I have also been accused of them that I was wearing a new watch. After they took a close look at it and saw all the scratches, they could confirm that it was not real.

 

Really, to be a customs agent doesn't give you the right to bully people.:cool:

[Ocean Boy]

I have been harassed by customs for not claiming anything on my form. We cruise enough that I don't want a shirt, jewelry, magnet, or anything else. I find it rude to accuse me of lying on the form, saying "how can I go on a vacation and not buy one single thing". Now I am forced to put in any random number and say I bought a T-shirt to avoid the harassement.

 

I have also been accused of them that I was wearing a new watch. After they took a close look at it and saw all the scratches, they could confirm that it was not real.

 

Really, to be a customs agent doesn't give you the right to bully people.:cool:

 

Actually, it sort of does. On one trip when I was returning from London I was at Logan in Boston and the agent was being are real jerk. He asked me very sarcastically what I do for a living though I have no idea what that has to do with anything. I felt like saying "I'm a bum collecting welfare. How do you think I can afford to fly to London for vacation." But I didn't feel like spending the next 2 hours in some back room at Logan Airport.

[trev71]

I have been harassed by customs for not claiming anything on my form. We cruise enough that I don't want a shirt, jewelry, magnet, or anything else. I find it rude to accuse me of lying on the form, saying "how can I go on a vacation and not buy one single thing". Now I am forced to put in any random number and say I bought a T-shirt to avoid the harassement.

 

I have also been accused of them that I was wearing a new watch. After they took a close look at it and saw all the scratches, they could confirm that it was not real.

 

Really, to be a customs agent doesn't give you the right to bully people.:cool:

 

 

I agree but its because people lie cheat and smuggle that is why they are like that. They have to do that sadly its their job. Luckly i always buy a few things. and they dont even look at my timex watch lol

[knittinggirl]

What happens if my DH and I are between $800 and $1,600 on one item? Is that still exempt?

 

Also, if we must pay duty, is it in cash or do they take credit cards?

[kpgibbs]

My problem is I never have enough money to buy anything big. Unless you consider my XL T-Shirt big.

[Carolla5501]

Oh and in the interest of "education" since it appears you live in Florida you own Florida Use Tax on that jewelry too!

 

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/taxes/consumer.html

 

You Might Owe Florida Tax

 

Many Florida citizens are not aware that this state has a "use tax." Use tax normally applies to items purchased outside Florida, including another country, which are brought or delivered into this state and would have been taxed if purchased in Florida. The use tax rate is the same as the sales tax rate, 6%.

Examples include:

 

Purchases made through the Internet.

Mail-order catalog purchases.

Purchases made in another country.

Furniture purchased from dealers located in another state.

Computer equipment ordered from out-of-state vendors advertising in magazines.

If an out-of-state seller fails to collect sales tax, it is your responsibility to comply with Florida law. You must submit payment directly to the Florida Department of Revenue. This payment is required by section 212.06(8), Florida Statutes. You can file and pay use tax online or complete an Out-of-State Purchase Return (Form DR-15MO). If the tax owed is less than one dollar, you do not have to file a return.

 

 

The only thing "fortunate" about this is you got a stupid customs agent.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Carolla5501