do you pay tax on items from overseas that are 2nd hand/

From experience, carry it out of the packaging i.e. remove the evidence of a local purchase, and carry as normal in your luggage. You then have nothing to declare except your insanity.

Seanie.

wont they know that i only went over with one bag and am heading home with much more luggage?

Fintan, our local astro equipment smuggler :lol:
If you're very obvious while walking through customs then you'll be cought, but on the most part, you'll get through.

how'd you manage to get through customs with the 20" Dave and did you get it on as hand luggage ? :lol:

I brought it in from england, no customs crossing that border.
I know of a guy who brought a 8" Lx90 as hand luggage from NewYork (pre 9/11), adventurous but it payed off.

how does it work if i visit somewhere on holiday, like the good old US, and purchase some expensive equiptment? Will customs nab me or can you bluff your way through that?

You must declare anything you bought in the USA to Irish Customs & Excise (at the airport) by going through the red channel and declaring those goods. There is an exemption of around 125 or 175 euro - can't remember which. Any value of goods above that are subject to Duty at the rate assigned in the import tarrif manual plus 21% VAT. This goes for telescope stuff, clothes, toys, electronic goods - everything.

By going through the green channel, if you are stopped and found to be carrying undelcared goods, they can be confiscated permananetly, you may be asked to pay a fine and you might possibly face a prison sentence.

That's the legal playing field.

What happens in practice is, err, usually different... I have heard of folks being stopped by customs but the value of the goods was small enough that the officials took no futher action other than telling them not to do it again. Of course, those with significant amounts of undeclared goods are usually treated more severely.

I have also heard of folks going though the red channel, declaring an extra carton of cigarettes, 200 quids worth of clothes etc (for example) and simply being told to move on - its not worth the paperwork. Of course, they failed to declare other goods they had in their possession...

I would refer yuo to the legal playing field - that is what you should do. Any deviation from that is illegal and there are consequences if you are caught.

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