lowprofile
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posted on May 2, 2001 08:43:30 AM
US Customs are so Funny.
I once sold a Dress Model on Ebay.
Decided to drive across at Blaine WA to send it as Canada Post would not send it..to big.
Anyways what a laugh!! It attracted the attention of 5 Customs Officers...
They made me go inside open it up....then they had to drag the boss over...they made such a big deal out of it...then charged me 5 bucks and let me go.
US customs officers can be so anal.
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gravid
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posted on May 2, 2001 09:12:40 AM
I detest the governments attitudes that they own US. It should be a point of international law that anyone can cross any border they please as an individual. When they restrict your movement they are advertising that THEY have failed.
Sail boats are a nice way to do import business. No noise - no infared signature - very low radar cross section.
I was on a sail boat one time and we did not want the Coasties coming on board. The man at the helm cut around an island with a big sand bar upstream and yelled down to me to pull the center board up. We flopped over sideways slid across the bar and I dropped the board.
I ran back ondeck to see what the Coastie would do. It looked real strange because when he ran onto the bar the boat came up out of the water a couple feet. Looked like he was going to take off like a sea plane.
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Microbes
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posted on May 2, 2001 09:25:45 AM
>nice way to do import business. No noise - no infared signature - very low radar cross section.
If these are your criteria for picking a vehicle for use in the "import business", what you do isn't "importing" 
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shaani
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posted on May 2, 2001 09:42:01 AM
We used to live near a small border crossing where the US Customs officer had living quarters in the building. He was nearing retirement and it was never too busy there so he would invite us in and show us all of his collectibles.
When he retired he was replaced with a lady who used to come into our shop and try to get everything for next to nothing. She would scare me and I was really shy in those days and would give in to her when she got nasty. If I had sold an item that she had wanted she would get angry with me.
Everytime we crossed the border to go to a little lake she would ask the same questions. "Where are you going? How long are you going to be there? What are you going to do there? Do you have any oranges? What is in your glove box?"
Just before we moved we made one last trip. When she asked what was in the glove box I looked at her innocently and said "Gloves." She told me not to get smart with her. I opened the glove box and we had gardening gloves, work gloves, leather gloves--about 20 pairs of gloves crammed in there.
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reddeer
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:02:24 AM
I was really shy in those days
shaani ..... I just have to ask, did your siblings have a nickname for you when you were younger?
Not to worry, my lips are sealed. 
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upriver
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:36:31 AM
shaani,
That's very funny.
Humour with these sometimes very serious customs agents can backfire though. I remember once when I was a teen, drove my motorbike from Ontario to visit my brother in Nova Scotia, went through U.S. border states on the way. So here I am crossing back into Canada around New Brunswick & they ask if I have bought anything in the U.S. So I tell them "Just the elephant." (A 3" elephant figurine for my sister-in-law.) Well, I guess they thought that was just too smart-alecky, or maybe they figured a teenager on a motorcycle was easy prey. Anyway, they spent 2 hours physically stripping the bike apart to check for contraband, then left it sitting there for me to put back together. True story.
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shaani
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:37:58 AM
Actually I have two similar nicknames that my friends and siblings use. I use them both now and again.
Sometimes I still get shy and I do have my wimp days so if you promise to keep your lips sealed I will also.
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reddeer
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:42:00 AM
Upriver
I can relate. Back in my younger years while crossing back into Canada from MT one of my "pals" got wise, and we spent the next hour watching our car contents get dumped onto the pavement They then took us all inside for a complimentary strip search.
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reddeer
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:43:38 AM
shaani
LOL, I've been slowly putting it together for the past few months.
No worries, I'll be taking many secrets to the grave with me.
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shaani
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:48:52 AM
I know that humour can backfire--especially nowadays. We could have been charged for trying to smuggle used gloves into the US. There were several of us and I guess we could have pleaded that we were going to have a work party to clean up their park.
WoW! Reddeer. I thought you knew from day one. You are not as fast as I thought you were! You disappoint me. 
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Zazzie
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:51:17 AM
Well---I'm off to Point Roberts in a little bit....anyone want to meet me for a beer??
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reddeer
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:54:05 AM
shaani
Nope, it wasn't until a few months back that I started to clue in. Hell, Canada's a BIG place ya know.
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shaani
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posted on May 2, 2001 11:59:56 AM
Hi Zazzie
Would love to go but cheap beer and cute guys get me into trouble every time. Have fun though!
Reddeer, Canada isn't that big anymore. And ebay is really small no matter how big it gets. I am surprised how many people I run into.
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kiawok
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posted on August 8, 2001 12:25:15 AM
What the heck .....bump.
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kiawok
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posted on October 23, 2001 09:39:19 AM
Seemed like a good time to bump this one back up to the top.
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Zazzie
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posted on October 23, 2001 09:43:00 AM
The customs lines are longer, they have more agents looking over your car, your trunk gets popped and looked over. I'm glad I use a border crossing where the maximum wait is about 5 minutes.
I now bring my tape machine, brown wrapping paper and extra labels incase they want to open any of my packages.
[ edited by Zazzie on Oct 23, 2001 09:44 AM ]
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