Bringing a set of golf clubs back from the US - have I got this right?

[Maca44]

A friend was worried about import duties as he intended to puchased an set of Taylor Made clubs in the USA last year. He bought a set of clubs at a garage sale for $25, and put them in a good golf bag travel bag. After he purchased the Taylor Made club he left the old set at the hotel. I don't know if that was the reason he wasn't questioned when he arrived back at Sydney, but for the sake of $25 I think he had it covered. In saying that, I don't know if there is duty on used club as no doubt they would be "used" on your return etc and someone with knowledge of import duty might explain for me.

 

[simongr]

The only difference was that there was no carousel - I followed the same routing but handed the bags to the TSA staff - possibly there wasn't second Xray screening when you last flew through TBIT.

 

[NM]

A friend was worried about import duties as he intended to puchased an set of Taylor Made clubs in the USA last year. He bought a set of clubs at a garage sale for $25, and put them in a good golf bag travel bag. After he purchased the Taylor Made club he left the old set at the hotel. I don't know if that was the reason he wasn't questioned when he arrived back at Sydney, but for the sake of $25 I think he had it covered. In saying that, I don't know if there is duty on used club as no doubt they would be "used" on your return etc and someone with knowledge of import duty might explain for me.

I very much doubt that process would save you if asked by customs staff about your golf clubs. You would need to have proof that you purchased those clubs in Australia and took them with you. Now the chances of being asked to prove the prior Australian purchase is a different story and a debate to which I will not contribute .

 

[Maca44]

NM, the baggage claims ticket show you departed AUS with golf clubs and if the clubs were inside a golf travel bag no-one would be the wiser. Last August when I went to Seattle and Vancouver I took my clubs with me in a travel bag, albeit they were not an expensive set, and was not questioned by customs on my return to Sydney. Similarly, if a person was to take a set of cheap clubs with them when they depart Australia, and under the same circumstances such as buying a cheap set before leaving, they I doubt they would be questioned also. However, given the legalities and cost of import duties involved with golf clubs it might not be worth the fuss.

 

[Febs]

Interesting discussion...

Assuming that the golf clubs (and all other purchases) come in at under $900AUD, there should be no problem right? Would proof that the golf clubs cost <$900AUD (in USD) be sufficient, or would customs consider them to be the "value" of the eqiuvalent set in Australia?

Eg: You buy a set or irons for $820AUD in the US, but the same set here goes for roughly $1,700....where do you stand (assuming you aren't bringing back more than $80AUD worth of other items)?

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[JohnK]

Eg: You buy a set or irons for $820AUD in the US, but the same set here goes for roughly $1,700....where do you stand (assuming you aren't bringing back more than $80AUD worth of other items)?

The previous post sounds like a very good idea.

Why not use the golf clubs in the US before returnng to Australia. They are longer new! Used sets of golf clubs in Australia are a dime a dozen and a set you bought today at $1200 is worth $600 in no time.

 

[Dave Noble]

The previous post sounds like a very good idea.

Why not use the golf clubs in the US before returnng to Australia. They are longer new! Used sets of golf clubs in Australia are a dime a dozen and a set you bought today at $1200 is worth $600 in no time.

They are still new for duty purposes; the exemption for used personal effects normally requires that they are at least 6 months old and not reporting them on arrival could lead to serious repurcusions if detetcted

Dave

 

[serfty]

They are still new for duty purposes; the exemption for used personal effects normally requires that they are at least 6 months old and not reporting them on arrival could lead to serious repurcusions if detetcted ...

Possibly, however there have been several posts here of AFF in the last year or so, including this thread, that indicate value discounts for used goods is offered at customs. About 20% IIRC; Perhaps not printed in statutes but in Guidelines for customs employees.

In any case, I certainly do not recommend deliberate fraud.

 

[Dave Noble]

Eg: You buy a set or irons for $820AUD in the US, but the same set here goes for roughly $1,700....where do you stand (assuming you aren't bringing back more than $80AUD worth of other items)?

It is the purchase price that counts

Dave

 

[Febs]

It is the purchase price that counts

Thanks Dave.
I wasn't planning on purchasing a full set of clubs anyway, so I should be fine.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[JohnK]

They are still new for duty purposes; the exemption for used personal effects normally requires that they are at least 6 months old and not reporting them on arrival could lead to serious repurcusions if detetcted

Dave, I don't mean to be rude but I take my golf clubs away with me. Customs has no idea what is packed away as they have never checked. My golf clubs are over 20 years old but could only be 6 months old for all they know. I have them wrapped up or in golf bag so they do not get to see them unless they were specifically checking. If they were new and I used them a couple of times and left dirt on them then they would look like they were over 6 months old.

Now Febs, if I were smart enough, my local pro, for the price of a case of crown lager, would give me a receipt that I bought a brand new set of irons/clubs, from his pro shop, for $3,000. Buy a $25 golf set as suggested earlier and have it recorded on checked luggage that you took golf clubs away with you. When in the USA substitute old golf clubs with new golf clubs bought over there and you have receipt from local pro that clubs were bought in Australia and customs could not do a thing about it.

Sir, I took my golf clubs away with me to play some golf in the USA. What are they going to do? Challenge you that you are lying?

 

[Dave Noble]

Sir, I took my golf clubs away with me to play some golf in the USA. What are they going to do? Challenge you that you are lying?

Regardless of whether you think that you can get away with it, it is still criminal. There are a lot of people who have had the "they'll never realise" attitude and been caught

Are you saying that committing offences is perfectly ok and to be encouraged if unlikely to be caught?

Dave

 

[simongr]

One tip though - dont try to claim the GST back through the TRS on that invoice from the golf pro

Personally if I was going to do that I would just create a receipt in word rather than getting some random pro to do it for me

Mind you its not something I would do. If I wanted to avoid the duty I would just not declare them and keep my fingers crossed that they weren't found. Not worth the risk though...

 

[straitman]

Regardless of whether you think that you can get away with it, it is still criminal. There are a lot of people who have had the "they'll never realise" attitude and been caught

Are you saying that committing offences is perfectly ok and to be encouraged if unlikely to be caught?

Dave

Dave Noble,

What JohnK is saying is that practical reality that this could be done vs the legalities of actually doing it. He says it could be done and definitely doesn't say he would 'stretch' things to the illegal.

It's a commonly discussion when looking at possibilities of situations.

Please don't wind the situation up again :!:

 

[Dave Noble]

Dave Noble,

What JohnK is saying is that practical reality that this could be done vs the legalities of actually doing it. He says it could be done and definitely doesn't say he would 'stretch' things to the illegal.

It's a commonly discussion when looking at possibilities of situations.

It is hardly appropriate to be advocating such activities on a public forum is it?

There was nothing hypothetical in the earlier post where he stated

"The previous post sounds like a very good idea.

Why not use the golf clubs in the US before returnng to Australia. They are longer new! Used sets of golf clubs in Australia are a dime a dozen and a set you bought today at $1200 is worth $600 in no time."

and following on to this seems to me more than just looking at possibilities but a further suggestion to do it

Dave

 

[JohnK]

What JohnK is saying is that practical reality that this could be done vs the legalities of actually doing it. He says it could be done and definitely doesn't say he would 'stretch' things to the illegal.

Hypothetical! Would I have any doubts about doing what I have described? No? Does that mean I have no morals? Should I feel guilty that I have not paid duty or GST on the golf clubs? Why would someone argue the point that bringing in a set of golf clubs and not paying duty/GST from overseas is illegal? Everyone I know has done it. Some of them on more than one occassion.

You can also just get onto the internet order the clubs from overseas pay by credit card and they are delivered to your door based on your own personal specifications.

Now I would feel guilty if I purchased domestic airfares and not paid any GST....

As always YMMV....

 

[Dave Noble]

Why would someone argue the point that bringing in a set of golf clubs and not paying duty/GST from overseas is illegal? Everyone I know has done it. Some of them on more than one occassion.

oooh. I don't know. Perhaps anyone looking at duty free concession where it states

Group 1 - general
A$900 worth of goods (A$450 for people under 18 and both air and sea crew members ) including gifts (given to you or intended for others), souvenirs, cameras, electronic equipment, leather goods, perfume concentrates, jewellery, watches and sporting equipment. Alcohol and tobacco products cannot be included in this concession.
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NOTE: However, if you exceed any of the concession limits set out above, Customs will charge you duty and tax on the entire importation or purchase within that group of items.
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If you have anything in excess of your duty free concession, declare the goods and provide proof of purchase to Customs for calculation of any duty and tax to be paid.
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Failure to declare goods in excess of your concession could result in the application of penalties. If in doubt, contact a Customs officer or call 1300 363 263 (Australia only) for information. If overseas, call +61 2 6275 6666 or email [email protected]

might be a reason why someone might argue that if the goods brought back exceeds AUD900 value it is illegal.

You can also just get onto the internet order the clubs from overseas pay by credit card and they are delivered to your door based on your own personal specifications.

And if it exceeds the allowances for received goods, may well get a bill to pay before the goods are handed over

Now I would feel guilty if I purchased domestic airfares and not paid any GST....

Well, if you feel guilty when not having committed a crime, that is a separate problem

Dave

 

[Febs]

What have I started?

Even with the goods I plan on claiming the TRS on, plus the golf clubs and other items I plan on buying in the US, I should still be under the $900 mark. Probably a good incentive to get those cheaper Cleveland clubs, rather than the Callaways I was looking at actually.

Carrying a set over sounds like a smart/sneaky way to do it, but a lot of hassle too. I think I'll just make sure I'm under $900 total.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[Febs]

Hi guys.

Thanks for all the advice. I got back on Sunday with a little bit more than I planned.

Ended up with:

• Cleveland Launcher LP irons (4-W) with steel shafts, regular flex
• Cleveland Launcher Ti460 driver with graphite shaft, regular flex
• Maxfli Blackmax putter
• Taylormade Rescue Mid hybrid 3 with steel shaft, stiff shaft
• Walter Hagen cart bag
• Hard plastic travel case
• 2 x Accuity gloves

All up I estimate I saved around $500AUD. Not quite the huge savings you get buying Ping/Callaway clubs, but significant enough (for me) to make it worth buying them over there.

I even got fast-tracked through Customs (out the D exit at SYD), so didn't have to worry about getting them checked or being asked how much they cost.

Cheers,
- Febs.

 

[JohnK]

All up I estimate I saved around $500AUD. Not quite the huge savings you get buying Ping/Callaway clubs, but significant enough (for me) to make it worth buying them over there.

I even got fast-tracked through Customs (out the D exit at SYD), so didn't have to worry about getting them checked or being asked how much they cost.

That sounds like good news. Enjoy your new clubs and hope they improve your golf game.

So how much did all the golfing equipment cost?