A friend is trying to import some kind of bango/guitar hybrid into Ireland from the USA ,but is having trouble with import duty,which is costing about 300 euro.
On the other hand I,ve heard that when importing pipes into the USA ,that they are exempt from import duty !
First of all is this true and if it is ,WHY ???
RORY
Yes, it’s true. No import duty on bagpipes.
Why can bagpipes get in free while accordions and banjos have to pay? One word: Politics. Common sense need not apply.
There may not be duty but there almost certainly will be VAT.
Heheh…Rory, we have duty on banjos and accordions because we’re trying to keep them out… 
\The origins of free bagpipe imports into the US lie with JFK, who had them exempted. I recall seeing the exact sections of the relevant Act on a pipemaker’s website some time ago; it could have been Davy Stephenson’s site.
while accordions and banjos have to pay? 
I am gonna look at these instruments more closely for their hidden stash and probably mug them
Uilliam
So this accordion player leaves his accordion in the back of his car and goes to get a coffee.. He returns to find the back window of his Pinto smashed in and.. five more accordions in the back seat.
Good ole JFK ,When on his visit to Ireland he was made an honourary Limerick man and was given freedom of the city.Later that day he gave a public address in the city centre.His first two words of the speech were , “Fellow Limerickmen” the crowd didn,t stop cheering for ten minutes and grown men were reduced to tears !!!
RORY
You mean he didn’t start, “There once was a man from Nantucket”?
I kept a copy of the pertinent section of the tariff schedule in my case for a while what with my frequent trips to Canada but I haven’t bothered lately.
Aaron, I have tried looking for the relevant sections of the Tariff Schedule, but could not find them. Would you mind posting them and perhaps the Moderators might consider adding the details to the FAQs?
whenever sending anything like an instrument to Eire or USA, tick “gift” of the docket. This should take care of an y tax schtoof
When I was in GHB band in the 1950’s, I was told then that there was no import duty on bagpipes. This was well before JFK was president.
whenever sending anything like an instrument to Eire or USA, tick “gift” of the docket. This should take care of an y tax schtoof
This seems only to work with the post office. I’ve sent gifts with fed-ex to Ireland and have had to pay tax.
If you check the item as a gift with US postal service your away tax free but you may set off alarm bells if you want to insure your ‘gift’ for the price of a full set!
Mind you the thing with postal insurance is that (in the US anyway) it only covers the package untill it leaves US airspace. So when I send something home via airmail, the insurance only covers it really untill it gets on the plane in Chicago.
Tommy
until it gets to Ireland, and then you get a VAT and Import Duty bill payable before delivery/collection no matter whether Post Office or courier.
I sent a chanter and a practice set to the UK this week.
I read up about import duty and tax, and the consensus is - it is pure luck.
According to the Net, marking an item as a gift increases its chances of being charged.
Also, Parcel Force/ UK Royal mail are hit less than the large commercial couriers.
Of course, this is all speculation.
The tracking status on the two packages I sent showed the practice set (higher cost) went straight through, but the chanter showed charged by customs and it is now waiting for payment.
Mukade
and the consensus is - it is pure luck.
Your absolutley right!
A lot of it is down to the level of “I have my job” with the person behind the counter when you go to send your stuff!
Tommy
I live in the U.S. When I purchased my Hardie GHB from The College in Glasgow by mail to the U.S. in 1966, I had to pay import duty at the P.O. I heard a few years later it was repealed under Johnson.
John
I found the pertinent part of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule in regards to bagpipes. Here it is chapter by chapter. You want Section XVIII, chapter 92.
Look for heading/subheading 9205.90.20 for instruments and 9209.99.20 for parts and accessories. It’s duty free for single quantities and 40% beyond.
In Canada, officially you won’t pay taxes on something valued at less than about 40$, and it’s 60$ for gifts. Beyond that, it does not matter what you write on the package. You could write gift, sample, repair, etc, it really dont matter, they use the insurance coverage amount to value the item and tax you on that.
It’s also luck, because sometimes you’ll avoid a tax, sometimes you won’t. Evil UPS will also charge you some obscure 80$ handling fees (which you don’t get with more expensive shipping options), but I never paid them the fee when it happened. One thing is certain, when I get my 5000$ concertina I’ll actually go get it myself in the UK instead of having it shipped. If I’m going to pay 750$ in taxes, I prefer to buy a plane ticket with the money.
Just have someone put the concertina inside the bag of a set of Pakistani GHBs. If customs find out, just say it is a new style of water trap.
Mukade