Purchasing/shipping from Australia 2 2

[EdG_Ohio]

Has anyone had any experience with purchasing coins from Australia whether via auction house or private seller ?  If the coin is valued under US$100 and only a 1959 do you think customs will be a issue ? 
Trying to add to my 59' World coin collection.
Thanks
Ed G.

[World Colonial]

I bought from Noble Numismatics (an Australian auction firm) once or twice, between five and ten years ago.  I've bought  from European auction firms and from foreign sellers on eBay, many times.  Customs was never an issue even once.  Never had to go anywhere to pick it up and pay an import tax.

Edited August 11, 2021 by World Colonial

[Conder101]

If there were to be customs problems it would have to be Australian customs, other than for some coins on cultural heritage restriction lists (or counterfeits) their are no restrictions or duties on coins being imported into the US.  

Edited August 11, 2021 by Conder101

[Zebo]

On 8/11/2021 at 3:12 PM, EdG_Ohio said:

Has anyone had any experience with purchasing coins from Australia whether via auction house or private seller ?  If the coin is valued under US$100 and only a 1959 do you think customs will be a issue ? 
Trying to add to my 59' World coin collection.
Thanks

 

. You’ll be fine.

Edited August 11, 2021 by Zebo

[Henri Charriere]

FedEx FedExed me once on a three-coin shipment from France which was seized by Customs pending the results of a phone interview in which I was "coerced" into providing exceedingly more intrusive personal information including my full name, DOB and SSN -- MIND YOU IN REAL TIME, OVER THE PHONE and the return of Customs' documents e-mailed to me requesting specific details, or else the shipment being held hostage for ransom at an amount for $33. would be returned forthwith.

FedEx lied to me about every aspect of the shipment claiming it arrived undocumented from an unknown source -- a prominent name and well-established reputation on a par with Stack's Bowers -- which I only discovered upon its release from Customs and delivery to my door notably with a clearly marked return address and complete documentation with invoices noting numismatic collectibles. One could argue I was not compelled to answer any questions, but the entire transaction was legitimate and legal and placing an order and transmitting funds is something I've grown accustomed to and I had absolutely nothing to hide. I subsequently found out from @Conder101 who just now chimed in, that what Customs did was improper and the penalty exacted unwarranted.  I have never had a shipment from any source seized before or since but I think it safe to say anything is possible nowadays. And the injustice done to me?  I guess that's the cost of doing business.  I was informed by the sender that the shipment, initially sent by DHL, had been returned for unspecified reasons and whether it would be alright to use FedEx and said, Sure, go right ahead.

After this incident, I examined all my prior invoices in an attempt to ascertain what the problem was and noted that the products being shipped were "documents." Hmm, true. Was this a clever ploy to circumvent Customs?  I will never know.  (And thank you once again Mighty Conder for going the extra mile for me by supplying helpful references and footnotes to applicable law.)

[gmarguli]

I've received hundreds, if not thousands of packages from outside the US and never once did US Customs contact me for duties. Several of the shipments listed values over $100K. I can recall only twice that packages were opened by Customs. They made clear notification of this on the outside of the package and included paperwork inside the package as to the inspection and that nothing was seized. Never asked to pay duties.

[Henri Charriere]

On 8/11/2021 at 4:27 PM, gmarguli said:

I've received hundreds, if not thousands of packages from outside the US and never once did US Customs contact me for duties. Several of the shipments listed values over $100K. I can recall only twice that packages were opened by Customs. They made clear notification of this on the outside of the package and included paperwork inside the package as to the inspection and that nothing was seized. Never asked to pay duties.

[Crowing 🐓 are you? Sure know how to rub it in.] 

[Conder101]

On 8/11/2021 at 4:16 PM, Quintus Arrius said:

noted that the products being shipped were "documents." Hmm, true. Was this a clever ploy to circumvent Customs? 

If so it was a bad idea.  Customs can open any package and if it said documents but had coins instead you have the problem of filing false documents with customs.  I am sure there are penalties for that.  If they hadn't opened it there wouldn't have been a problem, but since they did and the contents didn't match the customs declaration the SHTF.

[Henri Charriere]

On 8/11/2021 at 4:33 PM, Conder101 said:

If so it was a bad idea.  Customs can open any package and if it said documents but had coins instead you have the problem of filing false documents with customs.  I am sure there are penalties for that.  If they hadn't opened it there wouldn't have been a problem, but since they did and the contents didn't match the customs declaration the SHTF.

Actually, the one source that described the contents accurately was the shipment that got seized.  All my records show "documents" with no additional details, and those are the ones that came through uneventfully. 

[EdG_Ohio]

Thank you all for your replies, even if one didn't pertain directly to my inquiry, 🐓,

I feel comfortable enough with proceeding with a few bids now....Thanks.