Yellow Hammer

How is customs these days in the U.S./Canada after Sept 11? Are they thoroughly checking each person and their bags? I'm planning on going to HK in a week and am planning to bring back a big haul of DVDs among other things. Going from the U.S. via Vancouver though for the first time, so I'm not sure how strict or unstrict they are there in Canada. Going thru SF and LA, I've never had my bags checked, knock on wood.

I usually don't declare DVDs even though they're always legit simply for the reason that one time a few years ago, I asked my father-in-law to bring a bunch of VCDs over and even though every VCD was legit, he got interrogated for a half-hour on why he would bring so many VCDs in, where he got them from, blah blah blah. Then they started searching through every piece of luggage and started questioning why he didn't declare some stuff (it was his own personal stuff) , where were the receipts, why did you declare for such a low amt (stuff is cheap in China), etc. etc. It seemed to me as if they were trying to crack down on illegal software. So to me I would rather not declare DVDs at all, because it might trigger all kinds of other hassles. (and yes, I'd rather save the $400 tax-free amount for other stuff).

nekobus

It's a whole new world now. The days of sliding through Customs are over. Post 9.11 they are much more careful than before. Even Vancouver which used to be an easy Customs slide, isn't any more. IMO, you should declare EVERYTHING, because if you don't and they find out, they are going to pull you aside and want to know WHY you didn't declare items. This is going to open you to a whole new level of inspection/questioning and you really don't want to do that in this day and age.

YMMV. However, my advice would be to be upfront about everything, because if you're not and they catch you, it will be very unpleasant for you. It's better to be upfront and pay any duty you might owe.

gerrytwo

A co-worker told me someone he knew tried to bring some x-rated Chinese DVDs before 9/11 through airport customs. US Customs at JFK impounded the DVDs.
With fewer travelers now, customs can target more people for checks. If your boarding pass gets an "S" mark (JetBlue's method) or some other notation, you will get the added pleasure of a search at the jetway gate before going on the plane.

teorema

I agree completely. I live in BC and order DVDs online and get them sent to my Aunt's house in Point Roberts, WA. Then once every three weeks or so I drive down and pick them up. Even though I see the same people everytime coming back into Canada they go through each DVD and match them to each receipt and then check to see if they are made in the US or abroad. They also slice open the shrink-wrap and remove the plastic which always pisses me off - something they never used to do before 9/11. If I win a DVD off eBay I always have to remember to print the e-mail receipt to show them, otherwise they will keep it until I produce some kind of ownership document. All this just so they can get their 14% tax. And from my own personal experience, the female customs agents are a lot tougher than the men.

What pisses me off is that I've always been up front about every DVD I'm bringing home yet I'm still treated like some kind of Commie spy.

A friend of mine, on the other hand, does the same thing I do (he orders DVDs from Hong Kong and has then sent to a friend's house in WA) except he makes up a bunch of phony receipts on his computer and drastically reduces the prices. He still has to declare them but ends up paying only a pittance towards what he would have actually owed. He swears by this method.

Yellow Hammer

Are you saying that US/Canada border customs are opening up each and every car and searching? I find that somewhat hard to believe, the lines are already long enough. That doesn't sound right.

nekobus

You either haven't been watching the news or haven't driven across the border lately.

Yes, post 9.11 they are searching each and every car. The lines can take forever depending upon when you cross over. The Washington State Senators and Reps are trying to get more Customs agents to cut down on the delays, but they haven't been successful yet.

teorema

When did I say they stop and search every car? When I enter Point Roberts the American customs guards ask for two pieces of ID now and they also ask for me to open the back of my Jeep so they can take a quick look (and all they ever find is an embarrassing mess). Only takes a few minutes to get in to the States (not counting the actual line ups though), it's coming back into Canada that is the big hassle.

If I declare more than one DVD I have to go in and do what was said in my last post. Even when I have had one DVD, nine times out of ten they will still ask me to pull aside while they quickly search the vehicle.

As nekobus said, the lines are very, very long now because of inspections and questioning. Even to get into sleepy Point Roberts, WA which is a ghost town for the most part - especially since the Canadian dollar keeps falling.

Yellow Hammer

well unless they're doing racial profiling or car profiling, if they stop your car, then it sounds like they're stopping every car. Why would they stop your car and not others? Oh well, every time I trip to Seattle I usually drive across to Richmond and Vancouver, but sounds like it's a major hassle these days.

No I can't say that I've driven across any borders lately, though I was tempted to do so while interviewing in San Diego last month. That bad, eh?

My original question was concerning the Vancouver airport customs though, and it sounds like they're doing cavity searches on every bag nowadays as well. Well, no biggie to declare, I guess I would need to take it easy on bringing in the Louie Vuitton knockoffs...