Originally Posted by
allenhopkins
Possible "urban legend" story: Gordon Lightfoot was touring in the US, had some guitar problems, got the guitar fixed while on tour, returned to Canada. Got busted by Canadian Customs for smuggling guitar repairs into the country. I guess one needs to declare any service that enhances the value of the possessions you declared when you left the country...?
Certain government agencies are given great discretion to be arbitrary, with only minimal oversight. So, things happen. On the other hand, we've been tending to reduce staff in many of our enforcement agencies, so workload per person increases, pressure rises.
Have others noticed any difference from the way packages sent through public carriers -- USPS, Canada Post, etc. -- are treated, as opposed to private firms like UPS? My limited experience in purchasing a Waldo mandocello from Canada -- which would definitely have to be certified to meet CITES guidelines, I'd think -- was a smooth and fairly speedy delivery via USPS.