US Customs Department – good guys or bad guys? Item Number: 100020 $0.00

DescriptionI’ve been reading with great interest a number of posts on the Ancient Artifacts’ Yahoo chat group (dedicated to collecting ancient art) concerning the topic of the US Customs Department. The question that was initially raised asked if other group members had noticed any increasing difficulty in importing items of ancient art into the US. Two members responded that they had seen increased difficulties, while others indicated they had seen no difference at all – evidently dependent on where they were located. While this blog may be more directly targeted to our US friends, the implications are certainly there for our friends and clients throughout the world.

The question of the week is – how can you help insure you have a smooth experience importing antiquities into your country?

To be honest, we’ve seen both the good… and not so good… sides of the US Customs Dept. We’ve had them unexpectedly knock on our door to question a few transactions (trust me, even if you have nothing to hide, that ‘in your face’ interaction tends to get your heart rate pounding). I’ve also had an overzealous Customs Agent give me an incredibly hard time during the importation of a Greek Bell Krater from Australia. Although we had all the necessary documentation, this agent thought he could hit me for duties on the percentage of the piece that was restored (nice try)!

Here’s the deal… If you are importing/buying ancient art from another country– and want to do it legally (which of course we recommend because if you get caught, you won't be buying our nice pieces from the comfort of your 8 x 10 prison cell…) – here are some steps you should take:

1. Ensure the item(s) has provenance required to legally pass from where it currently is to your home country. Increasingly, the Customs’ Dept. is asking very specific questions, so get very specific information before you have your item(s) shipped.
2. Make sure your source/seller can and will provide full written documentation that will accompany the piece.
3. Tell your seller to not try to sneak the piece into the US to avoid customs problems. If your seller provides very specific, concrete information on the shipping documents, odds are you will have no problems. Have the seller include copies of any provenance information in the package for inspection.
4. In the US, art, antiques and antiquities carry no duty. That means it can pass through customs with no fees to you. Occasionally, if you use Fedex or UPS, they may tack on a small fee for their services in importing the item. If you live in Europe, import duties vary, but in most cases they are less than 10%, if the item is imported properly using the correct importation codes. Speak with your local customs folks to determine the smoothest way to import BEFORE you have an item shipped.
5. If you have purchased your item(s) through one of the major auction houses in Europe, ask them to provide assistance in shipping the item to you – but do this before you buy. Ask them specific questions about documentation they can provide to assure a smooth importation (in many cases, a passport will accompany the sold piece, but do check).
6. If you run into problems, spend the few extra bucks to hire a customs broker. These companies specialize in importing items of all sizes, ages, descriptions and prices into the US. They have extensive experience working with the US Customs Department, and know what to provide them for a smooth importation. Even in the most difficult cases, these folks should be able to prevent an item being seized if the item in question has the necessary documentation. But call several brokers and ask about their experience, specifically, in importing antiquities, and of course about their fee schedules.
7. If you happen to import a great deal of material, it is a good idea to go in person to your local customs office to meet the folks who hold the power over your importations. If you have nothing to hide, these guys can actually be pretty decent. Heck, we even found one with a sense of humor – once…

Happy – and safe – collecting!
Bob Dodge