bottomfeed Posted October 31, 2010 Posted October 31, 2010 I have had the good fortune to be able to leave my regular life behind for a couple of months & travel in Central America... Didn't want to take one of my basses with me... so I bought a cheap Peavey Milestone in Cancun & have been dragging it around Belize & Guatemala to keep my hand in... I think I could get away with binging the bass back without incurring extra baggage costs. Both American Airways & Virgin Atlantic websites seem to imply that I can take it as extra hand baggage without a problem ... My question is this... Will I be stung for customs duties on the way back? The bass only cost me £140 (including a proel case)... I have the option of selling it to a guy back in Cancun before I fly back.. But I could use it at home as a teaching bass or to give to my daughter.... Any advice? Quote
molan Posted October 31, 2010 Posted October 31, 2010 Standard charges would be circa 20% so only about £28. However you might need a receipt to prove it's only worth that much. Without a receipt they will try to determine a retail value. Of course you could take a punt at strolling through customs and not declaring it but, if stopped, then you could get hit with a fine. I did a quick look for you and found a basic black Milestone up for sale at £119 new : [url="http://www.petercooksguitars.co.uk/catalog/peavey-milestone-black-bass-p-458.html"]http://www.petercooksguitars.co.uk/catalog...bass-p-458.html[/url] Using this as a base you might be able to claim you paid a fair bit less in Mexico Quote
bottomfeed Posted October 31, 2010 Author Posted October 31, 2010 [quote name='molan' post='1007492' date='Oct 31 2010, 04:06 PM']Standard charges would be circa 20% so only about £28. However you might need a receipt to prove it's only worth that much. Without a receipt they will try to determine a retail value. Of course you could take a punt at strolling through customs and not declaring it but, if stopped, then you could get hit with a fine. I did a quick look for you and found a basic black Milestone up for sale at £119 new : [url="http://www.petercooksguitars.co.uk/catalog/peavey-milestone-black-bass-p-458.html"]http://www.petercooksguitars.co.uk/catalog...bass-p-458.html[/url] Using this as a base you might be able to claim you paid a fair bit less in Mexico [/quote] Cool... thanks Molan... I guess I paid about the same.. mines a funky red colour! The Proel case is worth the rest... I do have the receipt somewhere in my bag... so I reckon it's best to come clean, rather than risk a fine. Not a bad little bass actually, once I set it up a bit... Was hoping to be able to get an SX bass in Mex, but couldn't see one in Cancun. Quote
gary mac Posted October 31, 2010 Posted October 31, 2010 Wondered where you had got to. No advice from me, sorry. But wanted to say have a splendid trip. Quote
bottomfeed Posted November 3, 2010 Author Posted November 3, 2010 Thanks Gary... it's been a great experience... back in the UK soon! Quote
LukeFRC Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 I had wondered this before... if I got a bass sent a family members 2nd home in the USA, if the body came back in a suitcase and the neck posted.... it would be harder for customs to work out the price.... a neck, concievably on ebay can go for very little, as can a body.... Quote
Chris2112 Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 I would just sell it back rather than pay more to keep hold of it. Quote
bottomfeed Posted November 3, 2010 Author Posted November 3, 2010 Yep... decision made... I'm selling it for $120 to the guy whose apartment we are renting, before I come home... Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.