I think that you are confusing how much liquor you can bring back duty-free with how much you can actually pack, declare on arrival, and then pay duty on based upon alcohol content.

On a related note, I have seen people on cruises buy cases and cases of duty-free liquor in ports in the Caribbean. They ask, "How many can I buy?" And they get the truth, "As many as you want." What they should be asking is "How many can I get off the ship and into the US without paying duty on them?" When the Customs people in the US port see them, they are in for a big surprise. Hard to hide cases of rum and scotch and tequila in your carry-on bag. What is funny, they don't even try. I have heard them telling Customs that they asked how many they could buy. Alas, wrong question. Then they have a choice. Pay duty, or discard everything beyond a liter of liquor per adult (5 liters per adult if you bought at least 4 of them in a US insular possession such as the US Virgin Islands). The full explanation is here: [help.cbp.gov]

@sandyf wrote:

From an international location, there is a limit to how many bottles you can transport to the US. It used to be 2 per adult as I recall, checked. .

The people I saw in Mexico who had their tequila and vanilla extract confiscated were checking luggage. It wasn't carry-on. You will always be tsking a chance trying to fly with alcohol, since it's flammable, it shouldn't go on planes. That's why the post office has hazmat rules about perfume, because alcohol is potentially flammable.

@myst4au wrote:

If any bottle of booze exceeds the TSA limit for liquids of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) it will be removed from carry-on luggage.

@ wrote:

Interesting. I can see the issue. It really comes down to the percentage of alcohol. I have never transported anything other than wine in bulk (a case at a time), and the alcohol content of wine is low enough that it is classified as non-flammable. There was even a Myth Busters episode where they failed to get wine to burn. Now, things like cognac and sherry ignite, so that would be a different story. Same with vanilla extract and tequila. Decades ago, I was responsible for a lab which conducted flammability tests (there are many) to certify items for international transport.

Thank you for the comment. It made me think and reflect.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

The people I saw in Mexico who had their tequila and vanilla extract confiscated were checking luggage. It wasn't carry-on. You will always be tsking a chance trying to fly with alcohol since it's flammable, it shouldn't go on planes. That's why the post office has hazmat rules about perfume because alcohol is potentially flammable.

@myst4au wrote:

If any bottle of booze exceeds the TSA limit for liquids of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) it will be removed from carry-on luggage.

@ wrote:

Shopping South Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania, and Delaware above the canal since 2008

Which end of the flight were they confiscated on? Was it the Mexican authorities who took it away before the flight or the Americans once they landed and went to customs? Or was it the airline rule? Do you know?

@JASFLALMT wrote:

The people I saw in Mexico who had their tequila and vanilla extract confiscated were checking luggage. It wasn't carry-on. You will always be tsking a chance trying to fly with alcohol, since it's flammable, it shouldn't go on planes. That's why the post office has hazmat rules about perfume, because alcohol is potentially flammable.

@myst4au wrote:

If any bottle of booze exceeds the TSA limit for liquids of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) it will be removed from carry-on luggage.

@ wrote:

Maybe you know someone who still has their college textbooks from 15 or 20 years ago? Preferably a science or engineering major.

General Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
General Biology
General Physics
Anatomy & Physiology

I remember each weighing 5-7 lbs.

Add an older hardcover dictionary, Norton's Anthology of American Literature, and any other type of hardcover reference book.

sandy, it was in Mexico. They were trying to bring it back to the US and it wasn't an excessive amount. I have no idea why or what airline, as it happened in the airport.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2019 12:34PM by JASFLALMT.

@KathyG wrote:

I thought about using landscaping blocks, but I'm afraid they would shift around too much and ruin the suitcase. Any suggestions?

Wrap them in towels or blankets, must cheaper than spending money, I'm frugal [in other words cheap]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/2019 05:28AM by ShoppingDad.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I watched some people have all of their tequila and vanilla confiscated from their checked luggage last time we left Cozumel. Very unhappy travelers.

Was it an international flight? Of course, it was where else would you fly too from Cozumel.

I fly to Puerto Rico at least once a year to visit the in-laws. Although prices have evened out a bit in Puerto Rico, that was not always the case. I would fly with laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, pet food, canned meats, decaf coffee...... things that were expensive in PR but cheap here in the States with sales and coupons. Also, cookware, kitchenware, etc., whatever was needed by the in-laws (so a cast iron fry pan in checked baggage is not unusual!!)

If the OP is flying somewhere from which the return flight does not need to have an overweight luggage, s/he could consider loading the luggage with items for a women's shelter or animal shelter in her destination city and taking a tax deduction for the donation.

Thanks for ALL the suggestions! I have my suitcase packed and ready to go. It contains some items from my local Asian market that I would need anyway (15 pound bag of rice, large bags of lentils and garbanzo beans), a cookbook (THE WAY TO COOK by Julia Child), my husband's hiking boots stuffed with a couple of my shirts, my winter coat and winter 'church' coat and a small horseshoe that I threw in at the last minute for good luck. I hope this is the hardest part of my shop.

I love people who state that a 15-pound bag of rice is a necessity for a trip. That's awesome.

Well...not so much for the trip, but it WILL get used back home :-) Several years ago Hubby and I were at an international food store, where we bought a 25-pound bag of brown rice. (It's always much cheaper there, and you can choose your country of origin.) Hubby was carrying it through the store and another customer told us that was a lot of rice for white people!

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I love people who state that a 15-pound bag of rice is a necessity for a trip. That's awesome.

You doing the coach or the sleeper shop, Kathy? They almost never check the pounds for the sleepers here, and you can bring your own alcohol. Can't bring any at all for coach. When do you go?

I went back at the beginning of the month. Sadly, no sleeper. I'm guessing because I wasn't on the train for an entire night.

@iShop123 wrote:

You doing the coach or the sleeper shop, Kathy? They almost never check the pounds for the sleepers here, and you can bring your own alcohol. Can't bring any at all for coach. When do you go?

books ! Going on a cruise and decided to take ONLY ONE bag. The bag is enormous, and I KNOW we'll be over, even though it's JUST ONE bag for 3 PEOPLE: airlines won't give a crap

in 1997 i think we were allowed six bottles duty free liquor in P.R. to take home. Now I THINK I read 4 ior 6 this time.

2016 reference: If you are bringing in alcohol, you are allowed only one liter of alcohol per person under the personal exemption rules. You can bring in 200 cigarettes (or 100 cigars) per person under the personal exemption. Beyond that, you will be charged duty taxes on those items — even though the value is still less than $800.
it’s a good idea to save receipts.

So how much in alcohol or cigarettes can you bring back in? There are no federal limits on how much you can bring, within reason. The rules call for the allowance for enough goods for “personal use.”


set of special rules apply for places like airports and cruise ships, they are able to sell goods in these stores without having to pay import taxes (or duty) on them first. Most consumers never see this tax or even know it exists — but when goods like alcohol or cigarettes are imported to a country, most governments charge a duty on its value. In addition, many jurisdictions have heavy taxes on things like alcohol or cigarettes, no matter where they are from. Depending on where you live, this can be a tax at the federal, state, and city level. Of course, all that tax is then passed on to the final consumer in the form of a higher price.

Duty Free Doesn’t Mean Tax Free (Despite the Signs)


What this doesn’t mean, however, is that you are done with the taxman… or that you can simply buy barrels of booze and cigarettes to last you a year. Once you get back home from your cruise, then you have to go through customs.

At customs, you must declare everything of value that you are bringing back to the United States — including things you bought in duty-free shops.

In most cases (there are all sorts of caveats), you are allowed up to $800 per person in goods before being charged duties on the amount. Duty amounts vary based on what the item(s) you are bringing and the amount of goods you are bringing in. However, for most items, they run 3% for the first $1,000 over the $800 allowance.