Wiss Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 So does this help, hurt or make no impact to this hobby and the risks associated with it? The story link is below. http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/20...against_fo.html US Customs Letter: http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/customsletter.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornerstone Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Interesting to see the follow-up to that story - cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005SUBMARINER Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 thats some scary sh**t ! makes me think twice about wearing my reps on a vacation ! .. i wonder if they stop people wearing those horrible INVICTA rolex rip off watch .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jraines87 Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Hmmmm..... He said he only paid $1.80 per watch... Damn talk about a markup for our dealers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 He said he only paid $1.80 per watch... Damn talk about a markup for our dealers... They were sub-canal street quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andreww Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Track that guy down and invite him to join RWG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eunomians Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 He's lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 I love that his address is on the letter (PDF file) for all the world to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Watched the video clip. "The watches I bought weren't even real fake Rolexes." What were they? Fake fake Rolexes? Technically those would be gens. Mmmn, gen Rolex for $1.80 lol, just screwing around. I get what he's saying and I agree with him that the fine is ridiculous and out of proportion although technically what he is doing is illegal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archibald Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Customs got the press hit they wanted, knowing that their announcement of the fine--which their press office undoubtedly pitched--would be news and the dropping of the charges, which was undoubtedly left to the victim to try to get in the papers, would get no play. I bet the the ratio of stories on the fine and stories on it being dropped is 50-1, which is the whole idea: 99% of the people who even know about this incident still think some guy got fined 50 grand for trying to bring fake rolexes into the country. Think about it--How many reps are carried, smuggled, and imported into the country? How many individual collectors have paid a fine at all, let alone 50k? I'd say your odds of losing a watch via postal theft are much higher than losing one in customs--which is exactly why some dealers take customs risk but not theft risk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Good post archibald. I think you're right about the scare tactics. Hey, it obviously worked in the political arena. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FWATCH Posted June 7, 2007 Report Share Posted June 7, 2007 Maybe if he hadn't tried to bring 8 of 'em in, and was just wearing one, he would've been ok. But looks like it all got sorted out anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfreeman420 Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 "The watches I bought weren't even real fake Rolexes." What were they? Fake fake Rolexes? Technically those would be gens. Mmmn, gen Rolex for $1.80 What he means is the Rolexes we get here are the real fakes. Not the super fake ones that are $1.80. You have to pay $300 for a genuinely fake watch that is really genuinely fake. Not somewhat fake or even being represented as genuinely fake. The really fake genuines are the ones they should look out for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddhead Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 What he means is the Rolexes we get here are the real fakes. Gen reps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corgi Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 This really poops on my dream of visiting Guangzhou to buy loads of replica clothing and accessories to bring back home... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbie Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 What he means is the Rolexes we get here are the real fakes. Not the super fake ones that are $1.80. Yeah, yeah, I quite got that. Like I said, I was just screwing around cause it sounds funny to call something a fake fake. I don't buy for a second that they were $1.80 though. Not expecting them to be hundreds of dollars like the reps available from the collectors here (and yeah, I know there is still a decent mark-up on those) but, even though I've never been to China, that seems really, really cheap and anything that cheap wouldn't be worth buying. Certainly not 8 of them. Or maybe the guy really is that tasteless... You have to pay $300 for a genuinely fake watch that is really genuinely fake. Not somewhat fake or even being represented as genuinely fake. The really fake genuines are the ones they should look out for. I had to read that about 27 times to make head or tail out of it. heheheh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC65 Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 Maybe if he hadn't tried to bring 8 of 'em in, and was just wearing one, he would've been ok. But looks like it all got sorted out anyway. The above quote is exactly correct. Note that he was fined pursuant to 19 USC 1526(f). I ran a quick google search and found the following on a customs website: Penalties for Violators: 19 USC 1526(f) Defined * Civil penalties o Any person who directs, assists financially or otherwise, or aids and abets the importation of merchandise for sale or public distribution that is seized under subsection (e) of this section shall be subject to a civil fine. Note that you can only be fined if you are bringing in the merchandise FOR SALE OR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION. He brought in 8 fake watches intending to distribute them to friends, if I recall correctly. I think it's questionable whether this constitutes "public" distribution, but in any case, if you bring in the merchandise for your own use, the statute does not appear to subject you to liability for a civil penalty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 I think it's questionable whether this constitutes "public" distribution, but in any case, if you bring in the merchandise for your own use, the statute does not appear to subject you to liability for a civil penalty. Tricky, but having more than one with intent to disperse could indeed count as public distribution. He did intend on giving them away and he stated so, meaning he was screwed from the get-go. This could also mean getting more than one Sub in an order could land anyone ordering from a dealer in the same hot water. Sure, a Sub and a One-eleven can be assumed to be for private use, but two identical reps could land you in hot water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archibald Posted June 8, 2007 Report Share Posted June 8, 2007 They want people not to buy reps in Asia and bring them into the US--this guy was made an example of. Just part of US government's due dillligence protecting foreign luxury goods companies from tourists, while letting 90% of the shipping containers that enter US ports to go unchecked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiss Posted June 9, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Note to self: Put my reps in shipping container... Seriously, it seems to be the sale or intent to distribute that gets you in trouble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC65 Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Note to self: Put my reps in shipping container... Seriously, it seems to be the sale or intent to distribute that gets you in trouble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugwash Posted June 9, 2007 Report Share Posted June 9, 2007 Would one watch have been illegal? Yes, but you'd not be fined for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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