Import duties?

[Virtuoso]

I am looking at a tuba which is for sale in germany, and wonder what kind of import tax US customs charges. Anybody know?

[MWoj]

Fyi, last year I bought a case for my Rudolf Meinl tuba from Thomann Music House in Germany. This was my first time importing anything, and from this experience I understand that if the value of the item you're bringing into the country is less than US$2000, you can do the paperwork yourself and you don't have to use an agent. Regarding duties, I remember that the amount I paid struck me as not being all that much. Shipping charges, however, were quite substantial.

[Virtuoso]

is it a percentage of what was paid for the item, a percentage of the value of it, or is it just completely impossible to predict?

[MWoj]

Are you asking about customs duties? There's a schedule of these taxes somewhere on the 'net, and they're based on what exactly it is you're importing. In my case, I think there was actually a schedule item listed for musical instrument cases. I'm sorry, I don't recall what that rate is, but again, in my experience it was reasonable.

[David Richoux]

Google is amazing:
Page 3 has some info, either 2.9% or Free (A,AU,BH,CA) or 40% (CL,E,IL,J,JO, MA,MX,OM,P,PE,SG) - but the trick is finding the page that tells what those letters represent. The chart on Annex B suggests these might be country codes, but on that page they are all 2 letter designations, so I have no idea what the single letter codes are.


So call your local customs office is my best advice. They are listed in the 2nd PDF I Linked.

[Virtuoso]

Thanks all.

[jeopardymaster]

Robert, I daresay you got HOSED! I would not be at all surprised to learn that $150 was pocketed by the agent.

[Virtuoso]

Can't figure out if it's 2.9% or 40%...tuba is actually in the Netherlands and can't find that on the charts.
2.9 and i'm golden, but 40% is a dealbreaker.

[MWoj]

As Mr Richoux suggested above, why not visit a nearby customs office and ask them? If you know the cost of the horn you're considering buying, they should be able to tell you exactly what the customs duties will be. Unlike my experience in importing something (see my post, above) things may be a bit complicated for you if you're importing something valued at over US$2000. If you are, then you will be required to work thru an agent and you cannot do the paperwork yourself. In this case, your agent should be able to tell you exactly what all your costs, including customs duties and agents' fees, will be. If you need help in locating an agent, ask your local customs office.