Cigarettes Question

A friend of mine is going to New York soon and has been asked by their father to send some cigarettes back. What are the regulations on having them in their checked-in luggage, postage, or anything like this? I know with alcohol you cannot send it to or from America, if you're not a licensed distributor, so are there any similar regulations with cigarettes?

cheesehead

I don't know the regulations about shipping cigarettes back, but I wanted to comment a friend from NYC recently told me the average pack of cigarettes in NYC now costs $11! If this is the average price, I'm assuming it must cost well north of $11 to pick-up a single pack at the local Manhattan bodega (convenience store).

Not that this answers your question, but it's interesting to see the politicians continually raise the "sin tax" (which accounts for the huge price increase) in order to generate revenue.

lil_lisa

In stores and from street vendors in NYC, a pack of cigarettes usually does cost about $11, however, outside the city, in pharmacies (yes pharmacies) such as CVS, Rite Aid, Duane & Reade etc, you can find a box of 200 cigarettes (the usual ones found in duty free) for about $50 or less, thats $5 a pack.

You shouldn't have any issue carrying as many as you like in your checked luggage, California have strict laws which prohibit mailing alcohol internationally at all, however, there was no issue when I had three bottles of wine in my luggage and my bag was routinely searched while at the airport.

Cigarettes, as far as I can read here, are prohibited also from being mailed internationally.

(FYI, USPS is equivalent to An Post)

FatherTed

I know tobacco is cheaper in different states e.g. PA, VA