Tips on bringing 4+ tongs of Puer back to the States from China?
Hey everyone,
I’m bringing 4+ tongs (4 tongs and 3 cakes) of Dayi puer back to the States from China in October. Does anyone have any tips for binging such a significant amount of tea back to America?
My plan for now: wrap the tongs in bubble wrap, put them inside the boxes they came in, then wrap those boxes in bubble wrap. Put them in my big, soft duffle bags surrounded by clothes. I’m also thinking about buying another box to put on the outside of the box they came in just to be extra safe. Is there any risk of them ripping the boxes open to inspect the tea?
I’m bringing 3 tongs of 2014 Golden Needle White Lotus, 1 tong of 2016 0532, plus an additional 2 cakes of each. Also, keep an eye out, I’ll be looking to sell them in July 2018 when I move back to the States.
I would find out one thing first. Customs has different regulations about bringing an item back personally and having it shipped. You don’t pay any import duties on puerh you have shipped from China. I don’t even think when you order a lot as I recently did. But when you bring something back personally you in some cases have a monetary limit as to how much you can bring back in total goods. Customs may charge you import duties but I am by no means certain of this. If I were you I would confirm this before buying the tea. You might if this is the case to have it shipped to yourself via surface shipping. Takes two months but is very cheap.
I should be under the limits, but either way tea is duty free so it shouldn’t be an issue? Correct me if I’m wrong on this.
What I am saying is bringing goods through there is usually a limit as to how much you can bring in Duty Free. I know for a fact that you would be limited if for instance you were bringing back alcohol. I do not know if there is a limit concerning tea. But I would find out first if I were you. You might try asking someone like the owners of Crimson Lotus Tea. They probably bring tea back with them from their trips to China and would know if there is a duty free limit. I wouldn’t want to find out when you were going through customs at JFK for instance.
I’ve brought a LOT of tea back in luggage before. There is no duty on tea. I can only speak about coming into the Seattle Tacoma airport though. There is nothing to declare. If asked it’s just for personal consumption and gifts. DongBei will be fine.
I bring in cakes all the time. I can’t guarantee they won’t want to open a tong. On the Customs form you should put that you brought tea. Just tell them it’s for your personal use. If they ask a value, say a few hundred bucks. They are worried about personal effects that would total more than $10,000 in value.
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