1 of 1- The Cabin Boy
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United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
Do any of the readers have any recent experience in buying typewriters abroad and bringing them back into the United States? Specifically from The Netherlands, Germany or Denmark? I'll be visiting relatives over the Summer and was hoping to find a few nice machines, but not if I'm going to be slammed with import duties coming home. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks.
Rick
"I'll wrestle you for that typewriter."- Uwe
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
I think that a far greater concern would be the weight of a "few" machines. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to bring heavy items onto an airplane, some airlines even weigh carry-on luggage, and I wouldn't like your chances of putting a typewriter in your checked luggage (which is also weighed). I travel somewhat regularly with an ultra-portable, and would never consider anything larger such as a portable. Forget about a standard. And even then I use a special bag for it so that it's not much bigger than the average purse a woman would carry and doesn't count against your carry-on limitations.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- The Cabin Boy
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
Thanks for the tip Uwe! I was thinking more along the lines of a little Hermes Baby or Rocket, or a little TIppa. Something like them. What I'm really looking for is a portable with a Dutch character keyboard. One with the italic "f" and "ij" keys, plus the umlaut so it can double for writing German. Now, if I could only find a pre-war one of those with the italic "M" for the old Reichmark I'd be livin' wie Gott in Frankreich. Anything heavier, like if I found Traudl Junge's Continental Silenta (talk about collectors' items...), or even a large portable, I'd pack it up and my cousins would ship it for me.
So still the original question... is there any duty coming into the United States?? I've tried various government sites and can't make heads or tails out of any of it. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places.
Rick
"I'll wrestle you for that typewriter."- •
Thread Starter- Uwe
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
Specific information here -->
Also, as it pertains to item 15 on your Customs Declaration card, a U.S. resident has to enter the total value of all goods you have purchased or acquired abroad (including gifts for someone else, but not items mailed to the United States) and are bringing into the United States. U.S. residents are normally entitled to a duty-free exemption of $800 on items accompanying them.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- The Cabin Boy
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
Well... looks as if I'll be staying here this summer. Back durning the semester I had sent my resume, such as it is, to various companies in the area asking about summer internships or entry-level jobs. I have been on two interviews and I got a call last evening from one of the surveying and civil engineering companies offering me a "floating" job as a fill-in for survey crew members as they rotate on and off vacations. It's very much the kind of job where I'll be the gofer and the grunt, and the salary is not much above minimum wage, but it will be great training. There will be lots of overtime pay too. The way the economy is, I'm totally lucky to have landed it. So no trip to visit Europe, but I'll be earning some much-to-be-appreciated pocket money. Our parents cover a lot for us, but we have to pay all our own car insurance and operating costs. Plus other stuff. Like what passes for my social life.
So I guess searching for my little Dutch portable with umlaut dots, the guilder "italic f" and the "ij" keys will have to wait. Yeah Uwe, I caught the photo! Dawg! I'm envious.
Rick
"I'll wrestle you for that typewriter."- •
Thread Starter- KatLondon
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
Aww. I have a 1935 Olympia Progress with that kind of keyboard, but not with the Deutchmark symbol - it has a £ instead (and a $ and a f for francs). I was trying to think of what language the ij symbol was for, and for some reason didn't even think of Dutch!
Last edited by KatLondon (15-5-2015 08:44:24)
- Spazmelda
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
The Cabin Boy wrote:
Well... looks as if I'll be staying here this summer. Back durning the semester I had sent my resume, such as it is, to various companies in the area asking about summer internships or entry-level jobs. I have been on two interviews and I got a call last evening from one of the surveying and civil engineering companies offering me a "floating" job as a fill-in for survey crew members as they rotate on and off vacations. It's very much the kind of job where I'll be the gofer and the grunt, and the salary is not much above minimum wage, but it will be great training. There will be lots of overtime pay too. The way the economy is, I'm totally lucky to have landed it. So no trip to visit Europe, but I'll be earning some much-to-be-appreciated pocket money. Our parents cover a lot for us, but we have to pay all our own car insurance and operating costs. Plus other stuff. Like what passes for my social life.
So I guess searching for my little Dutch portable with umlaut dots, the guilder "italic f" and the "ij" keys will have to wait. Yeah Uwe, I caught the photo! Dawg! I'm envious.
That"s too bad that you can't go to Europe, but congrats on the job!
- Uwe
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
So I guess searching for my little Dutch portable with umlaut dots, the guilder "italic f" and the "ij" keys will have to wait.
Keep looking, you never know what will turn up locally. I ended up finding two Dutch typesets within one week, and yet might not see another one for a year.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- TypewriterGuy
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Re: United States import duty on typewriters purchased abroad.
You could go on a cruise and bring back one... Maybe...
Back from a long break.
Starting fresh with my favorite typer. A Royal Futura!
