Jewelery at Customs

[Daniel A]

A friend took a cruise that had several formal nights.  She is a widow and brought some very expensive pieces with her on the cruise.  The pieces were gifts from her departed husband.  When she was re-entering the United States, US Customs wanted to see original receipts for the jewelry to prove she didn't buy the jewelry overseas.  As they were gifts, she didn't have receipts to show customs.  They wanted her to pay duty on the jewelry and one Customs Officer kept using the term "smuggled" as she obviously did not declare her own jewelry on the customs form.  My question is:  How does one document that jewelry or other expensive property was taken along on the cruise and not acquired during the cruise?

[pcur]

14 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

A friend took a cruise that had several formal nights.  She is a widow and brought some very expensive pieces with her on the cruise.  The pieces were gifts from her departed husband.  When she was re-entering the United States, US Customs wanted to see original receipts for the jewelry to prove she didn't buy the jewelry overseas.  As they were gifts, she didn't have receipts to show customs.  They wanted her to pay duty on the jewelry and one Customs Officer kept using the term "smuggled" as she obviously did not declare her own jewelry on the customs form.  My question is:  How does one document that jewelry or other expensive property was taken along on the cruise and not acquired during the cruise?

What I would do is take pictures of the jewelry with a datestamp on the pictures, showing they were in her possession before the cruise.

[clo]

50 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Officer kept using the term "smuggled"

I hope she got that person's name and ID.

[Member123]

I have never, ever had this experience nor have any of the people I've cruised with who tend to wear expensive pieces. Actually, I've never heard of anyone having this experience! I can't imagine how your friend got entangled in such an experience! 

I've never heard of having to PROVE that you owned something prior to going through customs. I wish you could explain this a bit more so that I can envision what transpired here. The only time I've ever been asked for receipts was for a purchase that was part of the customs declaration form. In the last few cruises, even to the Caribbean, lately I've not even received a declaration form.

As described, this event is particularly egregious. I don't know a single person who takes pictures of their jewelry prior to their cruise. @pcur are you in the habit of doing that?

[Daisyloo]

I have heard of similar happening to people who are returning home with expensive high end camera equipment.  Their own, purchased at home equipment.

[clo]

What was the outcome on this?

[waterbug123]

14 hours ago, Daniel A said:

A friend took a cruise that had several formal nights.  She is a widow and brought some very expensive pieces with her on the cruise.  The pieces were gifts from her departed husband.  When she was re-entering the United States, US Customs wanted to see original receipts for the jewelry to prove she didn't buy the jewelry overseas.  As they were gifts, she didn't have receipts to show customs.  They wanted her to pay duty on the jewelry and one Customs Officer kept using the term "smuggled" as she obviously did not declare her own jewelry on the customs form.  My question is:  How does one document that jewelry or other expensive property was taken along on the cruise and not acquired during the cruise?

 

How did the customs agent come to find that she had said jewelry in her possession?  Was she actually wearing it through customs or what?

[Daniel A]

10 hours ago, clo said:

What was the outcome on this?

 

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

How did the customs agent come to find that she had said jewelry in her possession?  Was she actually wearing it through customs or what?

The jewelry was initially confiscated by Customs but she put up such a stink that a supervisor came over and returned the jewelry and sent her on her way.  She was there for a while trying to sort it out before the supervisor came over.  The supervisor probably wanted to know what was holding things up.

 

No, she wasn't wearing expensive jewelry in order to impress customs.  She had the jewelry in her carry on as anyone would do with their valuables.

 

I don't want to rehash what happened to my friend.  I'm more interested in finding out how people prove that they brought valuables with them rather than acquiring the valuables while out of the country.  She may have had the misfortune of encountering a Customs Officer who was having a bad day.  It sounds as if the supervisor exercised better judgement.

[Member123]

I've done a fair amount of jewelry shopping in the Caribbean. Of course, if you buy it that means that you're going to bring it BACK to be worn, right?

 

I've never encountered the unfortunate experience of your friend. My circumstances with customs has always been pretty straightforward. Of course, I pack my valuables in my carry on to be taken with me off ship. This carry on is never, ever out of my possession so there is no way that a customs agent would confiscate anything that it contained. I've never had them perform a search of my possessions. Maybe I've just been lucky? Or?

 

Over the years I've heard some amazing stories, but most of them center around customs finding some questionable items in checked luggage; i.e., unlabeled CBD oil, etc. As I mentioned, I've not encountered anything like your friend's dilemma and, as this hasn't been a subject of conversation, I've never seen any advice on being prepared for such a thing.

 

Hopefully, you'll get some responses to this question by others who may have experienced similar difficulty? And, by doing so, give us both some advice on this subject.

 

BTW, I don't think the question about your friend wearing her jewelry was meant as a comment of ostentatious display. Let's be honest: there's a lot of cubic zirconia out there as well as the "good" stuff and there are a lot of ladies who mix and mingle "good" items with costume. It was just a question of what caught the customs agent's eye? And why would they feel justified in pulling her jewelry out of her bag and mutter words like "smuggle" which implies trying to skip a tax.

 

Just to know. What port was this?

Edited July 25, 2019 by Member123

[Daniel A]

12 hours ago, clo said:

What was the outcome on this?

Ok, so here's the update:  I checked with our friend and this is what she relayed to me about 15 minutes ago.  She did not have a carry on.  She was taken out of the line along with her (female) travelling companion.  She had the jewelry packed in her luggage and Customs located the jewelry in her checked bags.  The jewelry was confiscated by Customs.  She was given a one thousand dollar fine and would not return the jewelry unless she left a one thousand dollar check to cover the fine.  She wrote out the check and when she got home, contacted her attorney who was able to get the thousand dollars returned to her.  BTW, apparently she did have a receipt for an expensive watch she owned but the Customs people didn't even want to look at it.  Her advice now is "Don't bring anything expensive with you if you have to go through Customs."  ( I think she is mistaken about the fine.  I would suspect that the thousand dollars was duty that was assessed for the jewelry.)

[Langley Cruisers]

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry for your friend's loss; she must love the jewelry her late husband gave her, very special. 😊

 

Having said that, most people travel with their jewelry, medications, electronics, etc. in a carry-on, not in a suitcase. Too much can happen between surrendering the bag and picking it up on the conveyor belt. I have read stories here of women who wear good fakes on cruises - it makes sense if they are going to other areas of the world where their "bling" might be a target for thieves.

 

All of this is just normal progression of the conversation - sorry I can't help you with your actual question but the previous ideas make sense - receipts (if possible), pictures on phone or in camera with time stamp, that kind of thing.

[Daniel A]

3 hours ago, Member123 said:

Just to know. What port was this?

She usually sails out of New York.

[Hoyaheel]

I've not heard this about jewelry but definitely about electronics and coming back from Asia (esp in the 90s, early aughts - haven't really seen this being recommended recently?) You can register your equipment with customs prior to travel to avoid this problem https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/368/~/registering-equipment%2C-computer%2C-camera%2C-laptops%2C-etc.-prior-to-traveling

 

CBP also has information on how jewelry (which typically doesn't have serial numbers) can be handled https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/427/related/1

[Daniel A]

21 minutes ago, Hoyaheel said:

I've not heard this about jewelry but definitely about electronics and coming back from Asia (esp in the 90s, early aughts - haven't really seen this being recommended recently?) You can register your equipment with customs prior to travel to avoid this problem https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/368/~/registering-equipment%2C-computer%2C-camera%2C-laptops%2C-etc.-prior-to-traveling

 

CBP also has information on how jewelry (which typically doesn't have serial numbers) can be handled https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/427/related/1

It looks to me that you have provided the definitive answers to my question. 

Thank you.

[Hoyaheel]

We have all raged against some part of the govt at one point or another, but I do find the websites most helpful for objective answers 😉

[waterbug123]

22 hours ago, Member123 said:

 

BTW, I don't think the question about your friend wearing her jewelry was meant as a comment of ostentatious display.

 

Correct.  I was simply wondering how it came to be that customs knew she had expensive jewelry with her.  Either she was wearing it, or they went through her bags, and in all my travels, I have yet to see a customs agent randomly tell someone that they need to search their carry on.  Not saying it doesn't happen, but it's rare and would almost certainly only be done if the agent had some kind of reasonable suspicion.  So I simply wondered if she was wearing it (to keep it literally on her person as a safety measure, not to show off), or if she said something that made them suspicious of what was in her carry on, or if something turned up in checked luggage or what.  (By the way, when you go through customs, your luggage will typically be with you since customs is about the items you're bringing in.  Immigration might be done at the same time or might be a separate process prior to customs.)

You've now clarified that your friend didn't have a carry on and wasn't wearing her jewelry; it was in her checked bag.  I'm glad her fine was refunded but I hope she has been warned to never pack valuable jewelry in a checked bag.  Had it been stolen, it probably would have been far worse than a $1000 fine. Airlines specifically deny liability for certain items in checked bags, jewelry among them.  Hopefully your friend will always bring a carry on in the future, or at least a purse large enough to store her expensive jewelry while in transit.

[awhfy]

20 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Ok, so here's the update:  I checked with our friend and this is what she relayed to me about 15 minutes ago.  She did not have a carry on.  She was taken out of the line along with her (female) travelling companion.  She had the jewelry packed in her luggage and Customs located the jewelry in her checked bags.  The jewelry was confiscated by Customs.  She was given a one thousand dollar fine and would not return the jewelry unless she left a one thousand dollar check to cover the fine.  She wrote out the check and when she got home, contacted her attorney who was able to get the thousand dollars returned to her.  BTW, apparently she did have a receipt for an expensive watch she owned but the Customs people didn't even want to look at it.  Her advice now is "Don't bring anything expensive with you if you have to go through Customs."  ( I think she is mistaken about the fine.  I would suspect that the thousand dollars was duty that was assessed for the jewelry.)

Please tell to NEVER pack jewelry or anything of value in checked luggage. She’s very fortunate that it was not stolen. 

[Langley Cruisers]

3 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

Hopefully your friend will always bring a carry on in the future, or at least a purse large enough to store her expensive jewelry while in transit.

Just a guess but I fully expect she will not travel with her jewelry again, saving it to wear at home.

[Bizmark'sMom]

The only time customs has ever taken an interest in my luggage was when the little dog alerted at my suitcase. I had legally packaged cheese, so it was a minor hassle.  Then again, I don't travel with expensive jewelry.

[clo]

59 minutes ago, Bizmark'sMom said:

I don't travel with expensive jewelry.

Nor do I.  Ever.  I have some vintage, non-precious stones bling that I used to carry for formal nights.

[Member123]

Daniel,

I'm so sorry that your friend had this anguishing experience. I'm glad that you posted this question because I definitely learned something! Thank you to Hoyaheel for providing links to that important information, not that I have THAT much jewelry that I take with me, but I never even thought about re-entry with valuables, Customs issues, and/or electronics registrations!

And, thank you for coming back with a complete scenario explanation. I hope that your friend enjoyed wearing the gifts given to her by her late husband and that this experience didn't affect what was, hopefully, good memories.

[Daniel A]

7 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

 

Correct.  I was simply wondering how it came to be that customs knew she had expensive jewelry with her.  Either she was wearing it, or they went through her bags..

Sorry I came across with sarcasm.  The problem with e-mail and internet blogs is that you don't get the accompanying sense of how someone meant a statement or question.  As you can see, my friend had the Jewelry in her checked bags and Customs must have put the luggage through a scanner and found the Jewelry prompting them pulling them out of the line.  She will never travel with anything expensive again.

[Lady Chew]

On 7/24/2019 at 7:41 PM, Member123 said:

 

As described, this event is particularly egregious. I don't know a single person who takes pictures of their jewelry prior to their cruise. @pcur are you in the habit of doing that?

 

I don't wear particularly expensive jewelry, but I always take pictures of it before packing it up (in my carry-on, of course!)  In case anything is lost or mislaid it's easier to show a picture than describe in words only!!  And, in the back of my mind, in case customs should ask … and the only reason that would be in the back of my mind is reading about it on CC at some point during the last 12 years … 

[CutieKakes]

17 hours ago, Lady Chew said:

 

I don't wear particularly expensive jewelry, but I always take pictures of it before packing it up (in my carry-on, of course!)  In case anything is lost or mislaid it's easier to show a picture than describe in words only!!  And, in the back of my mind, in case customs should ask … and the only reason that would be in the back of my mind is reading about it on CC at some point during the last 12 years … 

 

I will definitely do this in the future with any of my jewelry...and also, the other thing I took from this story is the checkbook.  She had a checkbook to write out the $1000 duty.  We never carry a checkbook (traveling or otherwise)...what would have happened if she didn't have her checkbook?

Edited July 27, 2019 by CutieKakes

[clo]

10 hours ago, CutieKakes said:

 

I will definitely do this in the future with any of my jewelry...and also, the other thing I took from this story is the checkbook.  She had a checkbook to write out the $1000 duty.  We never carry a checkbook (traveling or otherwise)...what would have happened if she didn't have her checkbook?

I'm guessing they'd have actually preferred a credit card.  If it were going to 'bounce,' they'd know it right away.