I have been living abroad for over a year in SE Asia. Returning to the US, I will not be bringing anything of value purchased abroad aside from a cheap laptop.

I have read that you can bring home $800 worth of goods. But what is not clear to me is, if I have less than $800 worth of goods, can I simply walk down the "nothing to declare" aisle, or do I need to itemize stuff anyway and go through the customs process?

I have seen conflicting advice online. Some say you need to list every single thing you bring back no matter what. Others say if you are under the limit you don't need to bother.

I think it would be pretty obvious to them even if I were stopped that I was not over the $800 limit, but would like to get some advice from a more frequent traveler who may have encountered this situation before.

Thanks.