Do we need to declare gifts at Customs?

[Irieonline]

Guess not everybody gets that some people like to see the joy and happiness that getting a gift gives to a person. You can't tell me that giving a gift to school children teaches them that tourists bring gifts and teaches them to beg. Pretty sure that if they live near Negril or mobay they have a family member who works in the tourist industry or makes money from tourists somehow. Sorry to be negative but if I am bringing something to Jamaica for a friend or a school I want to be the one giving it, partly for the reason I just stated and also because I want to make sure it gets to who I want it to get to. I didn't see anyone jumping on the boardies here who took the time and initiative to tour around the small towns near Negril to just randomly hand out cheap toys to kids and telling them they are turning kids into beggars. Sorry we all can't afford to hand out checks and cash but every bit helps. I say if it brings you joy and makes you feel good to bring school supplies and toys for kids by all means keep doing it. My wife's greatest joy is handing out candy to any Jamaican kid anytime she see,s one anywhere on the island. Hope she doesn't read some of these comments because she will just think she is making beggars out of them instead of making her and them both smile

[halfwaytree]

Someone once said " the road to hell is paved with good intentions". I'll just leave it at that. Mi done talk!

[smith744]

You can't tell me that giving a gift to school children teaches them that tourists bring gifts and teaches them to beg.

.
I've made quite a few trips,
to Negril & other Ja-places
and
although you may believe it,
it's true

here's one (of many) examples::::>>> I'm strolling in Negril
down by the RoundAbout
...school has let-out
.........back-packed, jolly, neatly dressed & coif-ed school children, frolicking as they make their way home

LOTs of folks out & about
moving, moving, doing their Ja-thing
...mostly Ja-residents
.....not many tourists-types

a group of 'bout 5-6 boy-students
see me
.....I get *that-look* :::>>> he's from-foreign

boys-SAY (while laughing):::>> ''..Give me/us some money..''

I laugh back-at-them
[[[ 'cause I got the *joke* ]]]

they continue-on :::: jolly, frolicking, 'cause they've been *practice-ing* their beg-tourist thing-y

this has happened to me on numerous occasions in Negril
but
not so much in Lucea-town [[ very very rare-ly ]]

.

keep in mind it's an ***industry***
the tourist-INDUSTRY
....which requires one to *learn* & hone industrial-strength ways & habits :::: gotta start early-early to go-from rookie, to novice, to intern, to apprentice, to finally reach INDUSTRIAL.



..
.
.

Pretty sure that if they live near Negril or mobay
they have a family member who works in the tourist industry
or makes money from tourists somehow.

.
.
lol
lol
lol

tru tru TRUE...!!!..

in fact,
the odds are pretty-good
that said-family-member(s)
DON'T live IN Negril
...it's too expensive [for many] to live IN Negril
.......they might live as far away as SavLaMar or Lucea or further/farther out ---- approximately 20-miles away

I've *learned* that most children LEARN their *ways* & habits FROM their ''..family members..''


.
.
.

I didn't see anyone jumping on the boardies here
who took the time and initiative
to tour around the small towns near Negril
to just randomly hand out cheap toys to kids
and telling them they are turning kids into beggars.

lol
lol
lol

I've been off-the-board for a while,
but if I'd seen that-post
i *probably* WOULD have said something-something
[[[ as i have in the past ]]

ummmmmmmmmm
maybe not

'cause,
as now is the case,
that *discussion* tends to mash-up a thread
[[ as is the case right NOW
ummmmmmm
WHAT was the original topic of this thread...???... ]]]

lol
lol
lol

like i said,
i probably would have said something,,, but lately, in my old-age, I've given-up on _____ _____ _____

nevermind,

my now-deceased grandma once said, when I asked her for some advise::::>>> ''''... I DON'T give advise anymore ..... folks gonna do what they want to do anyways....'''.
.

.......................... Sorry to be negative .............

no no nooooooooooooooooooo..!!
:-(

you NOT being ''negative''
....i don't *see* negative-ity
........we *reasoning*, mi fren
.............everyting cris


.
..

........................ randomly hand out cheap toys to kids ...............

.
.
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

me all-ways say:::>> ''..WHEN in Jamaica,,, do things the SAME way you would do them back-home, in your hometown, in your neighborhood, back-in-foreign...''

so,
that said,
I'm trying to visualize
what would happen
here in good 'ole WashingtonDC USofA
if some stranger(s)
came rolling thru my neighborhood
handing out toys and candy to the children.

ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

on my street,
my neighbors would pitch a hissy-fit
:-(
some would call the police
and tell 'em to come get the ''..gift-givers..'' :::: suspicious activities.
.
.
ummmmmmmmmmmmm
that guy in/from Chicago-land:::::: John Wayne Gacey(sp?) comes to my mind, for some strange reason



.
.

Hope she doesn't read some of these comments
because she will just think she is making beggars out of them instead of making her and them both smile

.
.
* sigh *

as Rob said (above) [paraphrased] ::>> '''... food for thought ..'''

[smith744]

lemme take this thread BACK on-topic:::::::
.
.

Mostly nobody
searches luggage
in the "nothing to declare" line..

.
.
lol
lol

oh r-e-a-l-ly ...???..

lol
lol

*they* have played with me a couple of times

and
you should see the look pon the passport-stamper's face
when i tell 'em i'm going to Lucea
lol
lol
dem look pon my bags
...wanna give me a search
......but THAT ain't there job (at that check point)
lol

i *guess* i look suspicious eh
,
,

/
/

I have never been asked to open my bags, knock on wood,
so you likely will have no issue.

.
i've watched 'em.

if you going-to/staying-at an A/I or another resort-type place
they don't trouble you

always *play* your dumb-tourist card.

.
.

And if you do,
be honest
and share your intentions.

.
i second THAT..!!

.
1..Once upon a time,
they check my bags
and
grilled me 'bout all my camera equipment
and boxes & boxes of Polaroid film

mi-SAY:::>> ''..Polaroids for test, exposure-checks...''

2...Once upon another time
dem asked 'bout some school supply stuff

mi-SAY:::>> ''..for my pickney(s) going back to school..'''
.
.

........ Lying to customs officials is (if they care to pursue it) a violation in itself
.... - making a false declaration of entry.

.
.

yep yep

you DON'T want to spend time in dem Ja-jail cells.

I seen 'em.
.... NOT a pretty set-up

:-(

,

Customs people are human

BUT you might run across one that got up on the wrong side of the bed
and wants everyone else to have a bad day too. I once heard a customs person say to another......lets search everyone with a mustache today ...no reason, just because.

.

.
.
* sigh *

been there done/seen THAT, too

and
*folks* will do that mess-with-the tourist thing-y in OTHER-places around the island.

such as:::>> Once upon a time,
this nasty & evil Cambio-teller
in Negril
wouldn't cash my traveler's check
'cause he-said::>> ''..signature don't match..''

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

.
.
Once, same thing happened over in MoBay, too

[Jelly Bean]

I had a photo copy paper box right full of school supplies. I just taped the box and wrote on the outside in big letters. School Supplies-Charity. No questions asked.

[smith744]

i don't like smuggle-ing in contraband

:-(

for example,
last trip
i carry-ed
a few of my mom's nice dress-es

folded 'em up real-small & tight
and
stuffed 'em inside my underware

was nervous nervous
[[[ please Jah,,,, don't make 'em check me ... please ]]

luck-ly no check

*whew*

question:::>>> WHAT should my response be, if/when they find woe-men's clothing in my bags....???...

would this work...???..::>> ''...I like to *dress-up* .... like Caitlen(sp?) Jenner...'''

boardie-family guidance requested

[Jelly Bean]

Oh dear. I didn't read all of this post until now. People do not have to make a big event out of their gifts. Jelly Bean is a teacher. On June 1, at end of school year, she puts box in her school corridor for students to deposit school crayons and pencils, pens, etc. School address on inside of box in case J. school wishes to send thank you. Pack up box, away to go. Driving along highway, Jelly Bean gets taxi to swing into school she sees and drop box. Other passengers never seem to mind. Charity work is never questioned especially when most are sipping on a Red Stripe. lol Done. 2 minutes. No lost time from vacation. Schools are close to my heart so that's my area of interest. Best hit ever was when taxi driver's wife was school secretary. Driver insists on calling wife so she can say, thank you. Didn't even have to take box out of taxi! Have a good day.

[wrtiii]

We are bringing two dozen backpacks. Are you telling me we should leave them at home?

No, I'm telling you that legally you should check the "Yes" box for Question 15 and go to the Red line.

You are free to do whatever you want. If you choose to ignore the customs law, there may be consequences. If you choose to obey the letter of the law, you may be charged duty. I just think people should make their own informed decision.

Some people seem to be taking this as an attack on the idea of bringing gifts. It is not. It's just that if you do, Jamaican law requires you to declare them. You may be charged duty on them. The customs official may also just wave you through. But either way, the customs official is making the decision and you are following Jamaican law. I have done exactly this with a bunch of backpacks that were promotional items from various conferences over the years. I told Customs what I had, they waved me through. (Of course, as these were promotional items with various company logos, the cash value was zero.)

Worst case, you decline to pay duty, they keep the offending items, and they end up in the hands of Jamaicans in some more roundabout way after they are auctioned off by Customs.

[Bnewb]

Oh dear. I didn't read all of this post until now. People do not have to make a big event out of their gifts. Jelly Bean is a teacher. On June 1, at end of school year, she puts box in her school corridor for students to deposit school crayons and pencils, pens, etc. School address on inside of box in case J. school wishes to send thank you. Pack up box, away to go. Driving along highway, Jelly Bean gets taxi to swing into school she sees and drop box. Other passengers never seem to mind. Charity work is never questioned especially when most are sipping on a Red Stripe. lol Done. 2 minutes. No lost time from vacation. Schools are close to my heart so that's my area of interest. Best hit ever was when taxi driver's wife was school secretary. Driver insists on calling wife so she can say, thank you. Didn't even have to take box out of taxi! Have a good day.

What a wonderful thing....

[gregandkelly63]

No, I'm telling you that legally you should check the "Yes" box for Question 15 and go to the Red line.

You are free to do whatever you want. If you choose to ignore the customs law, there may be consequences. If you choose to obey the letter of the law, you may be charged duty.

I wasn't talking about customs. My question was in reference to the poster that said tourists should not be passing out items to the children because it teaches them to beg.

Completely my fault. I should have been more specific with my question.

Respect!