"what to call toy soldiers for us customs" Topic

A lad in Great B is sending me a parel 0of 100 15mm painted minis.. what should he call them on us customs forms

A lad in Great B is sending me a parel 0of 100 15mm painted minis.. what should he call them on us customs forms

Painted toy soldiers?

"Painted miniature figurines." (Or "Painted sculptures.")

That's what they literally are. What is represented is irrelevant. How you plan to use them is irrelevant— Yes, they could sit on a mantel, they could go in a diorama, they could decorate a terrarium, they could wind up being on a big expanse of cloth being moved about, and they could end up being chewed by a dog… but none of that is what they are, and none of that is what Customs wants or needs to know.

Whatever costs the least on customs declarations.

Metal model soldiers.

Used to be that "military miniatures" got you past duties charged on "toy soldiers" but I'm going back a very long time.

An old Courier had a subscriber in Ecuador.
He write about being hosed by their Customs when they opened the package and classified it as "Miniature hand painted works of art". Or the Spanish language equivalent.

I've always just declared them as "toy soldier collection". Never had a problem except when I bought the Tennant collection from GB, which was quite pricey and the state of Tennessee found out and wanted their cut to the tune of an extra $500 USD!

Toys and not collectables

I use Toy Soldiers on customs forms for my Minden international orders and it seems to work ok.

Toy Soldiers

Code – 9503000090

Painted miniature figures.

+1 to the OFM— whatever cost the least (while still being truthful).

The nearest customs code I ever found was for ‘Action Figures'.

I wonder if you could get by describing them as original individually painted sculptures or figurines? Artwork is generally exempt from US import duties. Just because adults will use them to play games doesn't diminish the fact that they are individually hand painted. If Rhoin was a war gamer, his work would certainly be art-worthy.

Because you are the end "collector" and they are hand painted, you could try to argue that they are not simply "toys" in the stream of commerce. Customs scares me, so I would not try, but you may be more adventurous. You could also call Customs and ask them or check out their website. They are surprisingly helpful.

No, you cannot. Art and artwork has a pretty specific definition about what it is in regards to custom's duties.

Could you list these or provide a link?
Do posters/prints count as art? (In which case, how is a miniature— essentially a "print" of an original sculpture; method is irrelevant— not "art"?)

I also understand that printed works— books, magazines, music scores, or any source of information or entertainment in written form— are exempt from tariffs or import fees of any kind, on the basis that they are protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of "freedom of the Press" (a device, not an industry). Else the government could deny the importation or wide distribution of ideas it didn't like by charging excessive tariffs on the printed materials conveying those ideas. That's a huge no-no. But I admit my understanding may be off.

But if I am correct, if art is an example of expression of ideas— and it most certainly is exactly that— then *any* artistic work is conveying ideas, whether offered singularly or en masse. The idea might simply be of a military man, a beast (real or fanciful), a vehicle, device, weapon, etc., etc., but it is, nevertheless, an — a work of artistic expression (whether one likes either the idea or the quality is irrelevant). The usage said work is put to by the owner is also irrelevant— even should the owner choose to toss the work in a furnace. (There may be laws protecting significant works from such deliberate destruction, but I can't attest to these, or whether they have ever been asserted.)

But that's me philosophizing. I am perfectly aware that any US government bureaucracy will gladly ignore such things in exchange for money and power until such time as an argument is brought before the courts to clarify it all. And even then, the courts may prove to be a pack of ninnies.

So, yeah, check what Customs says, and then consider whether you want to stand on principle and launch a Constitutional test, or pay the fee.

Oh, and the whole shebang just got nuked. Hang on for a very rocky ride.

Eureka uses the phrase "tin toys"

When I send to the USA I select "scale models" the tariff definition software then searches for a likely match, which I select and the process works from there.

War materiel.

I sent some minis to my good friend Murphy and called them "historical miniatures" – US Customs accepted it no problem

Woah… where did the lightbulb come from in my post?

If you send 3D printed figures can you call it "Printed Material?"

Put down "scrap metal" as there is no tariff.

Your Mexican figures will be handed over to ICE.

Wolfhag