[Mac]

Hi Smilingdog
The US Customs laws on declaring gifts are quite complicated and it would be a great shame to spend a lot of money on generous gifts for your wiife only to fall foul of some analaly retentive customs clerk on your return to the USA. I am sure she will understand this and why you must buy something cheap and small!!!

Most Thai people hanker for the equivalent of the great british sausage when living abroad. Usually it is some kind of herb or spice that they cannot obtain easily in Falang land. There are some phenomenal shopping centres in Bangkok and of course Robinson's is the one that attracts most of the tourists.

I have attached the following to confuse us all:

US Excise Exemptions (their wording not mine!).
Depending on the countries you have visited, your personal exemption will be $200, $800, or $1,600. There are limits on the amount of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products you may include in your duty-free personal exemption. The differences are explained in the following section.


The duty-free exemptions ($200, $800, or $1,600) apply if:


The items are for your personal or household use or intended to be given as bonafide gifts.
They are in your possession, that is, they accompany you when you return to the United States. Items to be sent later may not be included in your $800 duty-free exemption. Exceptions apply for goods sent from Guam or the U.S. Virgin Islands.
They are declared to CBP. If you do not declare something that should have been declared, you risk forfeiting it. If in doubt, declare it.
You are returning from an overseas stay of at least 48 hours. For example, if you leave the United States at 1:30 p.m. on June 1, you would complete the 48-hour period at 1:30 p.m. on June 3. This time limit does not apply if you are returning from Mexico or from the U.S. Virgin Islands. (See also the section on the $200 exemption.)
You have not used all of your exemption allowance, or used any part of it, in the past 30 days—for example, if you go to England and bring back $150 worth of items—you must wait another 30 days before you are allowed another $800 exemption. (See the section on the $200 exemption.)
The items are not prohibited or restricted as discussed in the section on Prohibited and Restricted Items. Note the embargo prohibitions on products of Cuba.


Hope that is all clear.

Mac