How would you like to spend your money for luxuries and fun items and have most of it come home to the US duty-free? Here's my story.
I just made my second trip to Asia and had a wonderful week in Bali-Ubud. It is a GREAT ADVANTAGE for Americans to shop in Bali. I had bought a 22 ct. gold ring and bracelets in the Denpasar gold jewelry street and in Ubud. With all my purchases in Bali, Singapore and Hong Kong, I was over the US $400 duty free limit. I read in the US customs book on the plane going home that Customs admits most items into the United States, bought in "developing countries", duty-free .
So, I rewrote my customs itemization as follows to show the custom's officer in San Francisco my purchases grouped by country. Then I listed each item under each country with the price on a second sheet of paper for quick reference if I was asked specifics by customs.
Example: Malaysia- book, shirt, wood bowls (write the price of each item and total, converting the total to US $); Indonesia (Bali)- assorted household decorations of wood, stone carving, batik, personal clothing, (write the price of each item and total, converting the total to US $); Hong Kong-laptop computer, digital camera, (write the price of each item and total, converting the total to US $). You get the idea, group your items under each country so that you and the customs officer can easily identify those items coming from the developing nations that can avoid a customs tax. I was told that textiles are not exempt from customs but a great surprise was that electronics come in with no duty (so told by the custom agent).
What a wonderful end to my vacation as my purchases were admitted duty-free. Then the $400 exemption was applied to the Hong Kong items and my tax was about $20.
Now, to the greater meaning of my experience. Bali's economy is suffering from the world press' coverage of the Jakarta presidential impeachment discussion. Tourism is down.
Therefore, if we can spend our tourist dollars in this island and enjoy freedom from US custom's tax, the people are really helped.
Plan to buy gold or any other good jewelry in Bali. One is literally helping a developing economy and the wonderful Bali people who are 99% of the time gracious and honest. Imagine the impact on a family business, if you spend $50. on your souvenirs. Do you know that the good taxi drivers in Denpasar only make US$45-55 a month when business is steady and if they drive for a fairly busy hotel? In the rural areas, people make much less.