This isn't suspicious

[A Smug Dill]

It's not nearly what I want to do if I had real ‘choice’ in the matter, but I'll be travelling to the US in October, tickets already booked and all that.

 

To make the most out of a sub-optimal situation, I think I'll bring samples of inks that are tricky to source — even for Aussies, and I imagine even more so for US-based FPN members in the age of questionable tariffs and uncertainty of one's financial liability — with me as a foreign visitor, thus bypassing all that difficulty, to send to one of our own to review in support and service to the global fountain pen hobbyist community.

To defend against any leakage of the containers in transit, and to make the payload easy to send by USPS, I'm going to pack the filled vials in this manner and put them in my checked baggage. The packs are sized such that a full dozen of them should just fit inside a Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box (of which the internal dimensions are published), while providing structural support/reinforcement to the package and allowing little to no movement of the packs inside.

 

 

I wonder if this is going to raise eyebrows with US Customs, and whether the officials are going to question the contents (packed in this manner?!), believe my answer, and/or tear up one or more of the packs for inspection at the border.

[langere]

One never knows!  They might check it, but should leave the vials intact. 

 

I have found that about 20% of the time I am traveling, they open my suitcase and mess with my stuff, leaving me a little note inside that they have opened my luggage.  But then I go to "suspicious" places, such as South America, and that might trigger more concerns.

 

The thing is, all bets are off now that we do not have "de minimus" rules anymore, so presumably all the items brought in from other countries are taxable.  And I don't think Customs would know if a particular piece of luggage belongs to a U.S. citizen or not, so they check regardless of provenance of the owner.  If you do bring in too many things that look the same, they might check, as that could indicate that you might be selling these items.  

 

It's a mess right now...I hope this helps.

 

Erick

[A Smug Dill]

2 minutes ago, langere said:

They might check it, but should leave the vials intact. 

 

Thanks! My ‘issue’ is that I'll then have to reseal the packs in a similar manner ahead of fitting them inside a USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box (as I've sized the packs very ‘cleverly’ and precisely) and sending them to the intended community stalwart who is US-based. I wouldn't just trust tossing the otherwise unprotected vials, without more secure (and in locked in) packaging, into a corrugated cardboard box to ship by air (domestically). I suppose I can bring a vacuum sealing machine and some spare vacuum pouches.

 

7 minutes ago, langere said:

If you do bring in too many things that look the same, they might check, as that could indicate that you might be selling these items.

 

My understanding is that visitors still have a personal exemption from import duties of at least US$800.

 

I intend to bring >100 samples of different inks, all packed (together) in that manner, to send to a single recipient. No two vials' contents are the same, and I'll bring a catalogue/manifest of which inks are in which correspondingly labelled vials.

 

[LizEF]

9 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

I intend to bring >100 samples of different inks

[A Smug Dill]

14 minutes ago, LizEF said:

 

It wouldn't be worth the US$11.70 in postage otherwise, LOL. After some experimentation and practice (of which you could see the artefacts, by way of the photo I posted), I think I can fit between 128 and 132 sample vials inside a USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box. Surely that level of optimisation and elegance is something US Customs and USPS staff will admire?

[LizEF]

2 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

Surely that level of optimisation and elegance is something US Customs and USPS staff will admire?

We can certainly hope so!     Honestly, I think with your catalog / manifest, and perhaps showing them this web page on your phone (or something), that ought to be enough, should it come up.  You can just say: "I'm a fountain pen person, and we're a little crazy about ink."

[langere]

If you mail it, then there is not a $800 exemption anymore.  As of last week, "de minimus" has been canceled, alas.

 

Erick

[LizEF]

30 minutes ago, langere said:

If you mail it, then there is not a $800 exemption anymore.  As of last week, "de minimus" has been canceled, alas.

If he mails it *after* he's in the US, I wouldn't think that applies - a google search suggests this is correct - that as long as he's accompanying the gift, the exemption applies:

Quote

For non-residents: A non-resident may bring in gifts with a total value of up to $100 duty-free.

 

[InkyProf]

Whatever you do, don’t tell them that your FPN handle shares a syllable with “smuggler.”

 

Seriously, though; I hope this works out and that the lower limit for gifts as opposed to the personal exemption for  returning residents doesn’t foil this crazy-generous plan. 

[A Smug Dill]

Thanks to everyone for alerting me to the ‘fact’ that non-residents can each only bring up to US$100 in ‘gifts’, or what will remain in the US as a result of their visit duty-free.

 

It'll be a bit tricky to put a price or value on what we're bringing in, but since my wife and I are travelling together, I'll assume we can each bring in up to US$100. What we're bringing and intending to send Liz isn't commercially acquired as-is; but, looking at prices of 2ml ink samples from Australian retailers, they're usually AUD $2.50 for a 2ml sample, with some particular brands of ink being as low as $1.70 or as high as $3.30.

USD $100 is roughly AUD $150 at today's exchange rate, so 120 2ml samples would be loosely AUD $300 or USD $200, and when split between the two of us coming in should be fine. I might have to adjust the total number of samples down by a little bit, just in case, although it would offend my sensibilities to pay USPS US$11.70 to send fewer than 117 ink samples.

[LizEF]

7 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

I'll assume we can each bring in up to US$100.

Yes.

7 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

USD $100 is roughly AUD $150 at today's exchange rate, so 120 2ml samples would be loosely AUD $300 or USD $200, and when split between the two of us coming in should be fine. I might have to adjust the total number of samples down by a little bit, just in case, although it would offend my sensibilities to pay USPS US$11.70 to send fewer than 117 ink samples.

FWIW, they're not going to know the difference.  And will likely disbelieve your samples are worth that much. "What!?  It's ink. No one would pay $200 for ink!"   The important part is that your estimate seem reasonable.  Also, they're going to be more interested in the sort of thing that one would more reasonably bring in and sell - electronics, luxury goods that are cheap outside the US, but expensive inside - you get the idea.  I am not suggesting dishonesty, but don't exhaust yourself over the pennies.  For example, if some of the inks were cheap for you to buy such that dividing the bottle cost (excluding shipping) by the volume of the bottle results in a price lower than AUS $1.70, don't hesitate to use the lower amount in estimating the value.

[A Smug Dill]

58 minutes ago, LizEF said:

For example, if some of the inks were cheap for you to buy such that dividing the bottle cost (excluding shipping) by the volume of the bottle results in a price lower than AUS $1.70, don't hesitate to use the lower amount in estimating the value.

 

That's a very good point! Thanks.

I can probably just say, 125 2ml ink samples makes a total of 250ml of ink, or the equivalent of five 50ml bottles; and five 50ml bottles of ink aren't going to have the value of US$200. But I'll have the full list of inks anyway, just so they can see there are no Montblanc or Caran d'Ache inks.

[LizEF]

50 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

just so they can see there are no Montblanc or Caran d'Ache inks.

As if they'd know - seriously, most Americans couldn't begin to tell you what a fountain pen is, let alone know that it takes liquid ink or is refillable or anything else.  I'm confident that if they even inspect, they'll just be completely baffled and think, "Man, some people are crazy!"

[finzi]

@A Smug Dill A really good idea, I hope to all goes to plan! Good luck on your trip, safe travels. 

[mke]

Things that are not normal, always raise suspicion.

Lots of drugs are dissolved in something or mixed with something and later repurified.

I would guess that this is the first thing they think of.

There is a good chance that you have to throw it away.

[Karmachanic]

On 9/19/2025 at 10:24 AM, finzi said:

A really good idea

 

Given the current, hmm, "climate" I suggest being prepared for the worst.

[Doc Dan]

If you are Christian clergy, don't wear a collar or anything to show it. You will get searched thoroughly.

 

[inkstainedruth]

I haven't been on a plane for several years, but I had no issues with sample vials of ink in my purse (in a ziplock bag) the two trips we made to the Pacific Northwest for family weddings and then going to visit friends who now live in Spokane, Washington.  I actually had MORE trouble with coming home on the first trip because I I was flying back early to go to DCSS for the first time (this was at the old site in Tyson's Corners) and was also manhandling the big suitcase as well as one of the overnight bags (plus carry-on stuff), in order to get a jump on the laundry after I got back from DC.  The security people at the airport didn't bat an eye over the ink sample vials in my purse -- but confiscated the bottles of shampoo and conditioner from the carry-on stuff because they were more than 4 oz capacity....  

Go figure.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[A Smug Dill]

On 9/21/2025 at 10:19 AM, inkstainedruth said:

I haven't been on a plane for several years, but I had no issues with sample vials of ink in my purse (in a ziplock bag) the two trips we made to the Pacific Northwest for family weddings and then going to visit friends who now live in Spokane, Washington.

 

The issue has nothing to do with either airport security or ink leaking out of their containers. It's about getting them through US Customs, without hassles of tariffs or obstacles pertaining to the inks' respective place of origin, and into the country so that a US-based ink reviewer well respected in the global community and has a worldwide audience can more easily get her hands on samples of what is uncommon in her country of residence, thus broadening “everybody's” horizons. Carrying ink for domestic air travel is completely irrelevant; I'm just going to send the ink samples by USPS once I get there and (if!) the ink samples make it through safely and unmolested.

[A Smug Dill]