Aduana disservice at the airport.

I almost always keep appliance boxes for several years… sometimes 10 or more years. (I figure if I have to send an appliance for repairs, it is good to have the original packing. This weekend I am discard9the packing material from two 10-year old TVs.)

A few years ago I brought an old Breville blender with me, for personal use, in the old original packaging. I had the receipts for all of the things I was intending to leave in Mexico, including the blender that I got a deal on from the Amazon Warehouse.

Aduana didn’t care that the blender had obvious signs of use. The person said that if something is in the original packaging, the assess it as being intended for resale. They looked up the higher price of this item in Mexico. I paid some significant duty on that. I considered declining paying, but I didn’t want to reward someone by them taking home my quality blender that still had many years of use left on it. (I’m still using the blender.)

I come from Canada. My receipts are in C$. I write the C$ amount, do the currency conversion to US$, and show the result. Sometimes aduana has calculated my C$ receipts as US$ and charged me duty.

Disputing at ZIH while others are lined up is about as productive as disputing at LAX.

Several years ago I brought Mexican cilantro seeds back to Canada in sealed packaging. I declared them at Canada customs. Because they were commercially sealed they were OK.

Last year I wanted to grow a variety of types of basil for personal use in Mexico. I checked on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.mx. The same seeds were on both sites. I declared the seeds. Aduana confiscated the seeds.

Sigh.

A friend is coming to visit me later this year. He likes listening to music on a couple of small battery-powered speakers. I have cautioned him to not put them back into the packaging to protect them and to bring the receipt.

Last October I came through MEX airport in DF with no difficulties. In October 2022 I’m going to come through MEX again.