A couple of years ago there were no problems with Customs on parcels to the USA from Spain except where FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Prior Notice was required. Recently we have had many problems including:
Antique glass bowls, any antique over 100 years old sent by courier to the United States is free from Customs Duty. They demanded to know the maker’s name and address, this was glass from the 1820s – luckily the shipper is a glass expert and persuaded them after completing US Antiques Statement.. The same customer had a problem with the FDA when he sold a massager for chronic pains on eBay shipped from Andalusia to New York.
Dinner Service of plates and bowls sent as a wedding present couriered from Alicante to California – these were actually returned to Spain and then re-sent to America and we had to persuade someone to accept responsibility for the shipment before they were released.
Boxes of second-hand clothing sent by his wife from Madrid to her husband in California before she moved out to join him. A US form 3299 (Department of Homeland Security) had to be completed in order to allow her personal baggage from Spain to enter into America.
A parcel of flamenco clothes and shoes sent from Malaga to a non-profit theatre group in North America were stopped at Customs. They demanded to know the manufacturer and from what the shoes were made.
Silk kimonos, which we had sent to the client by FedEx from the USA , after being painted in Cataluna and sent back to New Jersey were only released after a lawyer’s intervention.
The moral of the story is that if you are shipping from Spain you had better use a company which knows how to get your parcel through US Customs and that is Citibox in English or Citibox in Spanish .
