Originally Posted by
WilcoRoger
What's the value of the samples?
Originally Posted by
surreycrv
Each time the goods covered by the carnet cross. The carnet becomes part of the cargo official record to prove no duties or taxes apply.
If your samples have no value beyond that of a sales aid, that you can document, then take the easy road and just declare on the way in. Worst case scenario you may have to go inside to fill out a form once.
This is the most important question here.
If the samples are of low or no value, it's unlikely to be worth getting a carnet. Even if they cost a lot of money, "no value beyond a sales aid" is a good way to think about it--classic examples of that are a collection of seven left shoes, a shirt with SAMPLE stenciled across the back in black paint, or a plastic cutaway model of an engine. (The technical term is "no commercial value")
Now, if your sample is a fully functional device that you could sell, then you have to deal with it. A carnet virtually guarantees that you'll never get hassled for duty, but it also absolutely guarantees a trip to secondary every time you cross the border so that CBP or CBSA can stamp it.