Originally Posted by
GUWonder
No. Unless the laptops are being brought in for sale or trade or intended for sale or trade, those laptops are not treated as commercial merchandise unless perhaps they are of relatively high retail value. While occupational-related goods owned by employer may be commercial merchandise even when the goods are not intended for sale/distribution, the laptops aren’t necessarily commercial merchandise. There is a value component as well as purpose component involved IIRC for imported goods to be treated as commercial goods when the person transporting the goods is a US person.
This kind of disagrees with what happened to me. The laptops are worth maybe $100 each. They were low and laptops bought about four years ago. I checked current prices on eBay.
I would also point out that I am a non-paid volunteer for the nonprofit. And if the laptops were seized the nonprofit probably just would have given up on them.
(sorry for the delay in responding. Actual paid work and family issues have kept me away from flyer talk most of the last month.)