customs question on flute purchase

Irish Flute
1

I’m buying a used flute from a private individual in Europe. What should they write on the box to describe the flute? I’m not into inviting customs charges but I don’t want to lie, either. Haven’t done this for awhile. Anyone know? Thanks

2

I find SimplyDuty quite helpful. I’ve used it on several occasions importing and exporting flutes from/to several countries and it’s always been accurate for me so far
https://www.simplyduty.com/

Good luck!

Edit: regarding what to write, the sender won’t be able to declare a value lesser than the insured value. Also note that even when you receive a real gift, it might automatically get requalified as merchandise if its value is above a certain threshold. The threshold varies from country to country, but in my experience it’s quite low.

3

Have them provide a description of used (wooden?) flute, specify antique if it is one. Describe wood using common name (or preferred latin), any silver content, hopefully no horn or ivory (which can be a no go). Declare value & include invoice in the package, if opened by customs.

Generally delivered to the U.S. without any collection of duty or other fees. You may choose to report Use (Sales) Tax on your state tax.

4

thanks to you both!