olliegapper Posted April 11, 2012 Share #1 Posted April 11, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi, relatively new to the forum, so sorry if this has already been covered. Im traveling to the US in October and with the price differences in film I want to stock up. What kind of problems am I likely to encounter if I try bringing home like 20 rolls of 35mm, 50 120 and 5 boxes of 4x5? I was thinking that I may be able to claim that I brought it out with me and I simply didn't need it, to avoid being taxed an unearthly amount, would/could this fly? Im not a scammer, just a student on a budget! Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 11, 2012 Posted April 11, 2012 Hi olliegapper, Take a look here Purchasing film abroad. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
LeicaBraz Posted April 11, 2012 Share #2 Posted April 11, 2012 Depending on which country you are disembarking in you could end up in prison which is not so bad for a student on a budget as you get free meals and lots of time to carry on with your studies. p.s.: is this a serious question? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliegapper Posted April 11, 2012 Author Share #3 Posted April 11, 2012 From the UK to the US, buying from the US. Yes it is serious, the price difference is considerable. What laws could I be breaking exactly? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jneilt Posted April 12, 2012 Share #4 Posted April 12, 2012 I routinely purchase items when out of my country. I also declare them at their appropriate value when returning. I have brought back well beyond what is duty free; cases of wine, art, etc. I have never had an issue. Only once was I required to pay tax-and it was a trivial amount. I don't know why you would risk confiscation of an item or criminal charges over something as simple as film. Is it that much more expensive where you live? I don't know the laws in wherever it is you live, but I don't know of a country where you can walk in with undeclared items on a regular basis. I am sure you could call your local customs agency and they would give you some great answers. Is this your first trip out of your country of residence? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted April 12, 2012 Share #5 Posted April 12, 2012 As far as I know you can bring back as much as you want - up to a pretty high value. But check out the HMRC site for details. HM Revenue & Customs: Tax and duty on goods brought to the UK from outside the European Union One issue is you would be wise to carry it in hand luggage as otherwise it will go through the strong luggage scanners. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted April 12, 2012 Share #6 Posted April 12, 2012 I always take as much as think I will need, from the UK, from known and trusted sources, but invariably run out and buy locally. I have never had any problems with film or customs with 30 rolls or so, and I have ALWAYS had to pay more for it than I do at home, US and NZ being the worst! Gerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted April 12, 2012 Share #7 Posted April 12, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) You can bring in other goods worth up to £390 without having to pay tax and/or duty. If you brought more than that back, you should declare it, but the chances of UK customs being too worried about some film in your hand luggage is minimal, I would think. Loads of people bring back goods worth more than that - doesn't make it right, but it's very common. Will you be exposing all of this film, or bringing it back for stock? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephenPatterson Posted April 12, 2012 Share #8 Posted April 12, 2012 A little OT but be sure to ask the airport inspectors to hand check your film, regardless of ISO speed. The TSA rules allow this if you plan to push process the film (you do, you always do). I had no problems with this at all in the US, they just wipe down the outside of the package. I had one, 10 pack of Tri-X and they didn't open until I got to China. In China they picked a single roll to open, but I think they just wanted to see if I would complain (personal use or resale, it's all about the tax here). Nothing good can come from having film go through an x-ray machine... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted April 12, 2012 Share #9 Posted April 12, 2012 There are lots of threads here about hand checking at airports. Do a search and they will show. The availablity varies widely around the globe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeswe Posted April 12, 2012 Share #10 Posted April 12, 2012 Hi, relatively new to the forum, so sorry if this has already been covered. Im traveling to the US in October and with the price differences in film I want to stock up. What kind of problems am I likely to encounter if I try bringing home like 20 rolls of 35mm, 50 120 and 5 boxes of 4x5? Your question is answered here... Seriously, everything is more or less speculation since you did not disclose in which country you live. If you are the citizen of an EU country, even if there are no dedicated import duties on films in your country, you will still be obliged to pay import VAT unless the value of the goods you import does not exceed a certain amount. In Germany, for example, the tax free limit is 420 Euros at the moment (when traveling by passenger plane). One important thing to remember is that if the value of the goods exceeds the free limit -- let's say you carry 500 Euros worth of film -- than you will have to pay duties (if applicable) and import VAT (19% in Germany) on the whole 500 Euros, not just the amount that exceeds the free limit. The regulations in your country will vary and you have to check chem, but remember if your final destination (home) is an EU country that the applicable tax rules are the rules of the country through which you enter the EU, which is not necessarily your home country. As an example, if you are Italian and travel from New York to Rome via Frankfurt, you will enter the EU through Frankfurt, where the German tax/customs rules will apply. Of course you can always take your (not too bad) chances and just walk through the "nothing to declare zone", but be prepared that everything will get much more expensive and troublesome once you get caught there. I was thinking that I may be able to claim that I brought it out with me and I simply didn't need it, to avoid being taxed an unearthly amount, would/could this fly? The "I could have bought the watches here in London before I ever went to Switzerland" claim is usually not very convincing, any customs officer that really wants to nail you will simply require a proof of purchase. One issue is you would be wise to carry it in hand luggage as otherwise it will go through the strong luggage scanners. I second that warning, this should be your first concern. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyoung Posted April 12, 2012 Share #11 Posted April 12, 2012 There are lots of threads here about hand checking at airports. Do a search and they will show. The availablity varies widely around the globe. And plenty of experience showing its a waste of time with hand luggage scanners, Gerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
olliegapper Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share #12 Posted April 12, 2012 Thank you all so much for replying. I live in the UK and will be entering through the UK. So as long as I bring back no more than £390 worth I can go through the "Nothing to Declare" zone? I'll be bringning back Tri-x and Portra 400, mainly unexposed, but I'll be sure to get it hand checked Thanks Ollie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted April 12, 2012 Share #13 Posted April 12, 2012 Do they screw around with film? Boose and drugs for sure. Watch the x ray passes. All Xrays damage film to some degree, high speed film the most, and effect is cumulative with more passes. Do not believe them saying their machines are special. Xrays are like water, all the same. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 12, 2012 Share #14 Posted April 12, 2012 Just rough up the packaging a little to make it look like it's been around a while. If they ask about it, explain you like photography and someone was throwing it out, but you still have a couple of old cameras that can use it. The average customs officer will think it's worthless anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeswe Posted April 12, 2012 Share #15 Posted April 12, 2012 Thank you all so much for replying. I live in the UK and will be entering through the UK. So as long as I bring back no more than £390 worth I can go through the "Nothing to Declare" zone? I'll be bringning back Tri-x and Portra 400, mainly unexposed, but I'll be sure to get it hand checked Thanks Ollie For the x-rays it makes no difference if the film is already exposed or not. If the dose is strong enough, it will fog the film. On the other hand and IMHO, hand check of film is unnecessary. In modern airports the scanners for the hand luggage are generally safe for films of ISO 400 and below. Just remember to not put the film in checked-in luggage. Oh, and have a nice trip! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 12, 2012 Share #16 Posted April 12, 2012 For the x-rays it makes no difference if the film is already exposed or not. If the dose is strong enough, it will fog the film. On the other hand and IMHO, hand check of film is unnecessary. In modern airports the scanners for the hand luggage are generally safe for films of ISO 400 and below. Just remember to not put the film in checked-in luggage. Oh, and have a nice trip! Actually the scanners are safe for multiple passes of ISO 1600 film. Yes, put it through 20 times and you might see some effects but don't worry about one or two times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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