Get guitar from USA

Discussion in 'Guitar Gear Talk Forum' started by yashodhan92, Feb 13, 2010.

  1. yashodhan92

    yashodhan92 New Member

    guys i wanna buy a guitar from USA amounting to around 800$ or 37000 Rs approx.. can i just carry it in a case? will i be charged customs if i say is for personla use? any idea how to go about it?????
     
  2. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    no.. you wont be charged anythin.. you can easily get it..
     
  3. insatanity

    insatanity New Member

    Ask ur friend to check with the airlines as well. If he can carry it with him on the plane then a good soft case would do, otherwise he will have to purchase a nice hard case which may cost another $80-100. Let us know if u get it.

    Maggi, the cost of RP90 here is almost same as RP255 in the US. So u too look for somebody coming down....
     
  4. yashodhan92

    yashodhan92 New Member

    are u sure about the customs guys?? cause i dont wanna be stuck paying 10000 - 15000 as customs :( da guitars for around 30000...
     
  5. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    ya dude.. even i m not interested in buying a proc from here.. things are unnecessarily overpriced here.. i will better wait..
     
  6. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    dude nothin will happen.. try confirm with ur airlines once if they allow u to handcarry the guitar or not.. some of them don't.. and i m sure u don wanna screw ur guitar by checkin it in with ur luggage..
     
  7. insatanity

    insatanity New Member

    It should be pretty much like anything else carried...laptop, camera, a Swiss watch, etc...
     
  8. ace41

    ace41 New Member

    You are allowed to carry a guitar w/o paying duties. Just check your airlines website FAQ or call them and ask your options on carrying the guitar. Its just the airlines rules u have to worry about , coz for some, they forces u to check in ur guitar with regular luggage (usually if the plane is full . u might get a dissambled guitar at ur destination if u r lucky or else just wood powder.. :p just kidding). Else they will even provide u a vacant seat to keep ur guitar :)
    i just bought 1 from uae last week without any problems, kudos emirates airlines !
     
  9. sDEVs

    sDEVs Inventor

    Hey, I need to buy a Classical Nylon Stringed Guitar... Any Ideas you guys have?
     
  10. yashodhan92

    yashodhan92 New Member

    k thanks. i will post if i get it :D
     
  11. Coal

    Coal New Member

    I know I have asked this question before, but I have a problem.
    I am going to bring back 2 guitars.

    Ace41 mentions that there is no duty on guitars, but what about multiples.
    Plus I may also have a Line6 M9 Multi-FX.

    The values for the guitars is about 700 USD and the Multi FX 325 USD.
    So approx 1000 USD.
     
  12. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    i think u're allowed to carry only one guitar.. in case u're coming with ur relative or frnd then u can ask them to carry.. otherwise it may cause some trouble.. u'll have to check in one guitar which is risky ..contact the airlines also..
     
  13. Coal

    Coal New Member

    I am flying by Air India.
    Their policy is no musical instruments on board.
    You have to check it in and they will charge you for excess baggage
    by the piece or weight system if you exceed.

    So what I have done is unbolted both my guitars and placed them inside the suitcase.
    I have enough space and wight to play around so thats not an issue.

    I am reading the India customs website and they do allow 25,000 allowance.
    Hoping that some other clauses helps me bump up that limit to 40K or more, then I could get through.

    The duty if charges is on the excess amount, so I am prepared to pay if needed.

    My mom is traveling with me, so maybe she can carry 1 guitar, although they may doubt it belongs to her. She is 65.

    Thanks for you replies.
     
  14. metaldood

    metaldood New Member

    Are the prices in India different by a lot than those in US? I checked out some prices and those in India are 5000rs more than here in US. I feel that bringing guitar from US would be same as that in India as you will have to pay $50-60 for extra baggage anyways.

    What do you think?
     
  15. Coal

    Coal New Member

    You may be right in some cases.
    The main difference is that here you have an endless choice at really amazing prices.

    In my case I dont want to sell the guitars I have, at least not the Strat.
    Its my favorite.
     
  16. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    @Coal: Dude even i don have that much idea.. but jus call the airlines and ask them wat can be done.. probably there'll be a way..
     
  17. ace41

    ace41 New Member

    Sorry for posting late, dunno if its still relevant.
    The 25k cap is not applicable for guitar for personal use (dont tell them you are importing new guitars, in that case they will impose a duty of 35% on you, well you can bribe your way out anyways).
    Also the policy for most airlines is 1 guitar per person which does not exceed 7kg, and if u can convince the airlines that you are a professional musician and talk to them in advance, they will arrange for carrying the 2 guitars onboard else they will ask you to checkin one of the guitar with the luggage. So in case you are walking in with 2 guitars make sure you contact them early.
    + i strongly dont reccomend importing guitars to india (unless its some high end models), coz i always had the frets jumping out and projecting which caused fret buzz and required a fret filing. This happens esp. when u import it from a cold country (esp if its fretboard is made of softer woods).
     
  18. Coal

    Coal New Member

    Ace,
    I am confused.
    You said in your previous post that you got a guitar from UAE without paying duty.
    Now you are saying 35%....Mine is 2+ yrs old.
    Did the customs agent ask you or did you declare or show it to him?
    I am assuming it was in its gigbag/case so everyone can see.

    Thanks
     
  19. ace41

    ace41 New Member

    Some customs officers who are very strict cross questions you about the item. and i said you must tell him you are carrying it along for you personal use "never mention the word 'import' or 'newly bought' coz i had trouble bringing my laptop 2 years back when i said those words. And there's a 95% chance that they wont check on your guitar, but i bet ull get good care from the airhostess' while carrying a guitar ;)
    Let me make it straight and clear
    Case 1: You bring 1 guitar, you are allowed onboard. If questions arises, its your personal stuff and you play music must be the answer.
    Case 2: 2 guitars: contact the airlines before you make the journey and check for empty seat availability (its required you to carry more than 1 guitar onboard). Some airlines might not support this.

    You dont have to pay any duty if you bring in 1, but you really need to convince them that you are a musician if you bring 2, coz there's a chance that they might ask you to pay duty for one guitar. But if its old, then no need for anything.
    Its not at all complicated as it seems, afterall they are very coorporative.
     
  20. flood

    flood New Member

    caveat: some airlines are frustratingly difficult about letting you take your guitar onboard. i've usually never had a problem, but post 9/11, things have gotten weird. the way i see it, a flightcase is not a bad investment.

    even if your guitars are old, i highly suggest you enter some sort of nominal value for each one. particularly for flights coming in from the states and the middle east, the customs officials gear up for a fleecing. a friend of mine declared a value of 2 lakhs on his guitar (i think a PRS) and two amplifiers (soldano, bogner). ended up paying about 60-70k in duties. this was a good move; if the amount had been suspiciously low, they might have cross referenced the actual new price (cumulative , slapped both the duty and the fine for undervaluing (or the bribe to waiver the fine) and he'd be in for at least a couple of lakhs. in general, customs has gotten a lot smarter and read your body language pretty well too.

    don't worry too much, but don't try anything really stupid either.
     

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