Just curious, if you are bringing something in "legitimately" then how did this screw that up? You declare and pay any duty like any other US citizen and they can't make your day any worse than it might be. Maybe I am missing something?

 

I believe if something is counterfeit the Customs officials are supposed to confiscate it. Maybe they let personal items slide, ie that "nice" Coach purse I like toting around on overnights.

But if one has a bag full of counterfeit, trademarked goods it's hard to let that slide. Just doing their job.

 

My "bad" experience with ANC customs went like this..... arrived from HKG via KHV to ANC at 2am. 11+ hours of block time... dead tired. Van takes us to Customs and then we are going to the crew hotel. I am the first into customs at about 230am...... nobody at the counter... wait about 5 minutes for the guys in the room who see us to come out and check us thru. No pleasantries, first words out of his mouth as he looks at my Crew Dec... how long have you been out of the country? 22 days I respond. "you have declared nothing?...what did you buy"... "Nothing" I respond.... he looks at me... and says..."I dont believe you, put your bags over there for a bag search". I comply... he then takes over 10 minutes to go thru ONE rollerboard type suitcase and my laptop bag... took nearly everything out of my suitcase.... very very thorough search...THEN calls over another guy to double check ....that takes another 5 minutes or so. Finally just shoves all my stuff back in the bag ... and clears me through. Doesnt check any of the other 3 guys with me at all. It was not so much that I got checked... it was the way they did it... and him basically calling me a liar. He was clearly agitated that he didnt find anything in the end. Maybe an isolated incident... cant really say... but clearly a bit over the top with their attitude.

 

Unfortunately, the reason for your negative experience is because we have so called professional airline pilots who lie on their customs forms (and get caught.)

Now we all have to wear diapers....

 

There is a Customs policy letter that says if you bring in 1 counterfeit item, it will be permitted (assuming you declared it).

Bring in more than one, they will be presumed to be for commercial purposes (resale) and will be confiscated.

 

"Folks, if you wont buy american made products, why do you deserve your job?"[/QUOTE]


Wait, what?? Isn't EVERYTHING made in China these days--you can't buy American made goods....

And isn't it my job to fly Chinese made goods to America?

 

This thread started with someone "smarted off".....and then 3 pages of illegal stuff
coming in.....

WHERE DID THAT COME FROM??????? END THE THREAD....

 

Even more ironic to me was running into the Air China crews coming out of Costco with all kinds of electronics when I was living in ANC, then seeing them the following day hauling it all up the stairs onto their flights back to the mainland.

 

I try to look at it from the perspective of Customs, they are working in that little area all day and really don't perform any useful function besides trying to keep cheap Chinese trinkets from destroying America. Well, they may have missed the boat there and in many other areas, but at least they are still getting paid to show up for work. So that is a little victory in itself.

What's left? Screw with pilots.

The communist officials in China treat us far better.

It is much easier to play the game as they have set the rules-just fill out the form, answer the questions however inane and give it the yes sir, no sir three bags full sir. If they asked you if you bought anything despite looking directly at your signed statement that says you have not, just tell them you only rented.

In the mean time, leave it to the pros to keep america drug free, and free from illegal immigration and cheap Chinese crap.
Tell them what a great job they have done.

 

Wear it, don't declare it.