Do you ever delcare anything?

Can someone please explain the declare/don't declare? At the moment I haven't declared anything to anyone (US or UK). In my opinion I don't usually have anything much to declare. I might have some chocplates going over to the US or a few pairs of jeans and food coming back to the UK. Do I really have to declare my mac & cheese sauce packets? Or my Christmas gifts (that people gave me)? So when do you decide to delcare or not?

Last time DF went back to the UK, he took 8 pairs of my shoes and all of my dvds, like 50 of them.  He didn't declare anything, although he was taking a chance.  He usually goes through Manchester (been through like 6 times) and he says he's never even seen any officers there (in the nothing to declare route).  So he just doesn't bother declaring anything.  Even though the DVDs were pre-owned personal items he was saying how he would have a hard time explaining if he got searched. 

He said that he's seen a lot of racially targeted searches.  I don't know if it's true, but that's what he tells me.    

There are things on the customs cards that they state if you have too many of you may have to pay some kind of duty.  Having said that, even if you have less than the amount they could notice this on an xray scan and investigate.

I brought back some bottles of Hooch (yeah, the alcopop drinks, some friends liked them), only about 6 of them and at US customs they had me go to the Red customs line (I think it was anyway, this was many years ago so I'm a little hazy on the details) and they opened it up.  Because I was well within the limit they didn't do anything but it may still be worth declaring things like alcohol, ciggies, etc.

Of course, if you are within the limit you could probably go through the regular line and the worst they could do is ask you to open your luggage.

Matt

i'm glad you asked about this.

i've never declared anything and frankly i don't even really understand what shoudl/shouldn't be declared. i do a lot of shopping at home in the states, but i just remove all the tags off the clothes. if i buy booze, i buy the only a bottle or two so i guess i always just play it safe.

Myself, all my family, my friends and business and ex work colleagues - no one I've ever talked to has gone through the 'declare/red channel'

Most of us definitley do 'chance' it - we know all the shopping we've done in the US or UK should be declared when returning but don't in order not to pay the import duties!

All the tricks I've done, remove tags, take electronics out of their boxes and wipe my hands over them so they look 'used' (feeble i know but hey!!) - i've even gone as far as to ge tmy luggage off the conveyor and remove the myriad of 'Heavy' and 'OverWeight' stickers the handlers have put on !! haha!!  then go through the green channel and hope I dont get stopped by customs!

I'm a 'light brown' Indian guy - so far not had ANY problems in the US airports especially since sept. 11th although have heard quite a few stories and seen a VERY VERY alarming incident in JFK in Apr 04.

One day I guess i'll get caught not declaring anything when I should have!

I think the Visa waiver sheet thingy's say how much you can bring in without declaring - we read it and then forget it when hoping to slither through customs not declaring stuff!

I'm pretty sure that the associated websites will tel you what you can and can't bring in and the level of duty applied

Dennis! West London UK!!

Ditto to what Dennis said. I have never declared anything in my life and I travel frequently overseas to places like duty-free Dubai and tax-free Delware, and usually bring back some sort of present to myself! 

Only ONCE was I ever stopped. That was on a flight from India to Toronto. After I had passed Canadian AND USA customs (American citizens have to go through an additional customs desk in Toronto), a police officer summoned me over and went through every single nook and cranny of my bags. Luckily that time, I had nothing but cheap souvenir trinkets on me.