D. E. Sanford Co. v. United States

40 Cust. Ct. 710
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 27, 1958
DocketReap. Dec. 9087; Entry No. 7933, etc.
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 40 Cust. Ct. 710 (D. E. Sanford Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
D. E. Sanford Co. v. United States, 40 Cust. Ct. 710 (cusc 1958).

Opinion

Wilson, Judge:

This appeal for reappraisement-relates to certain household utensils, exported from Belgium and entered at the port of San Francisco.

The appraised values were. equivalent to list prices, less 20 per centum (i. e., at the column-11 prices, as shown by the consular invoices, plus 33}{ per centum, plus export packing). Plaintiff claims the proper value of the merchandise is represented by the list prices, less 40 per centum discount. Counsel for the respective parties agreed that there was no export value for such or similar merchandise applicable to the involved goods (R. 3).

The record herein consists of an affidavit of O. Rary, managing director of the exporter, sworn to on June 25, 1953 (plaintiff’s exhibit 1), and a report of the American vice consul, Brussels, Belgium, dated February 10, 1953, which was transmitted with “Operations Memorandum” covering an investigation of household utensils .manufactured and shipped by Fonderie Emaillierie of Brussels, Belgium, the manufacturer of the goods here under consideration (defendant’s exhibit A).

Plaintiff’s exhibit 1 recites that the affiant is' personally familiar with the facts therein stated as to th¿ sale by the manufacturer of cast-iron ware during the period 1951 “to date” (June 25, 1953); that approximately 25 per centum in 1951 and 55 per centum in 1952 of the total production by the manufacturer were sold to two purchasers in the United States, namely, to the plaintiff herein and [711]*711to Markt & Hammacher Co. of New York; that the balance of production, from 1951 to June 25, 1953, was sold to buyers in Belgium, except for certain sales (30 per centum in 1951 and 13 per centum in 1952) to countries other than the United States.

With respect to the sales price in the country of manufacture, the affiant stated that the articles sold in Belgium were of the same class and kind as were exported to the United States and that such sales were made with a discount of 40 per centum from the list prices, plus 9 per centum transmission tax, plus packing, the cost of packing being returnable for full credit.

With respect to the class of buyers in Belgium, Mr. Rary “estimated” that there were approximately 2,000 retail stores purchasing merchandise of the character here involved from wholesalers, further estimating the usual annual purchase of such merchandise by the retail stores to be approximately 15,000 francs per year, or about 500 kilos by weight. The affiant stated that, in practically all instances, the retail stores sold the merchandise at “list” prices. He further stated that the wholesalers’ ordinary resale transactions were in quantities of from 30 to 60 kilos, valued at approximately 1,200 to 2,400 francs; that sales by the wholesalers to the retail stores were not sales “in the usual wholesale quantity,” alleging the latter quantity to be approximately 500 kilos for each sale.

While Mr. Rary in his affidavit stated that, “as a rule,” the retad stores made purchases from wholesalers, who had bought the involved products from the manufacturer at list prices, less 40 per centum, he explained that, with the exception of department stores, most of the class of retailers carrying on substantial trade in cast-iron ware are members of one of four associations or co-operatives located in Belgium; that these associations buy from the exporter on behalf of their members at list prices, less 40 per centum, and then deliver the goods to the member stores at that price; that, although such purchase is billed by the exporter to the association, it is actually a sale to the retailer at list prices, less 40 per centum, without regard to the quantity. Mr. Rary further alleged that, in addition to the purchases made by retailers or members of the associations or co-operatives at list prices, less 40 per centum, the manufacturer regularly sold merchandise, such as that here involved, at the same prices to retailers who purchased “in the usual wholesale quantity” of 500 kilos and that transactions of this character “included sales to department stores and to other stores of sufficient size to make such purchases”; that the manufacturer also sold to several electric public utility firms which resold the cast-ironware to its customers in promotion of the use of electric ranges, such merchandise differing slightly from that imported; that, in addition, the manufacturer made sales to certain retailers at list prices, less 40 per centum, even though their single purchase did not equal 500 kilos, and that such [712]*712sales were to firms with whom the manufacturer had done business on this basis since production started.

Affiant, in his affidavit, further stated that the wholesalers resold the products to retailers, at list prices, less 20 per centum; that, while there may have been exceptions as to quantity, sales by wholesalers to retailers were rarely in quantities of 500 kilos.

With respect to the principal market, Mr. Bary stated that, upon the basis of the quantity sold, “it is said that” Brussels is the principal or chief market in Belgium for the involved goods; that all sales made by the manufacturer herein are made by its Brussels office, and that these sales were principally to the department stores, to one of the co-operative associations called “Groothins,” which had approximately 100 retail stores as members, and to many Brussels wholesalers.

Defendant’s exhibit A contains a tabulation supplied by the manufacturer for the period August-October 1952 as proof showing sales to large wholesalers and others, showing percentagewise the number of sales to each class purchasing for home consumption at list prices, less 40 per centum discount, based on the factory’s base prices established August 1950. Such sales are indicated therein as follows:

1. The large wholesalers who bought 52.35% of all sales
2. The smaller wholesalers buying in quantities of at least 500 Kgr. 10.91% of all sales
3. Department stores 24.37% of all sales
4. Cooperative stores 5.75% of all sales
5. Electric works which promote the sale of articles with
ground-base bottoms for use on electric ranges 5.67% of all sales
99.05%

Defendant’s exhibit A states that the smaller retailers who are permitted to buy in less than 500 kilos, representing only 0.95 per centum of the manufacturer’s total sales, were granted discounts of 35 per centum or less in the same period August-October 1952, dependent on the size of their pinchases, and that such purchasers were regarded “as a privileged group.” Said report further states that the wholesalers sell to retailers at base prices, less 20 per centum discount, plus invoice tax; that the wholesalers have no special territory allotted to them and that all are free to sell in any part of Belgium; that there is no syndicate or combine of wholesalers controlling prices for the retail trade. It further appears from said report, based on information given by the manufacturer, that keen competition exists between the various wholesalers who have agents everywhere in Belgium and who rely on good salesmanship, easy credit terms, etc., to win customers in the retail trade. The report also discloses that the factory, itself, has two agents in Belgium, each of whom receives a 5 per centum commission for all sales in his district, whether direct or indirect purchases.

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Related

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48 Cust. Ct. 541 (U.S. Customs Court, 1962)

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Bluebook (online)
40 Cust. Ct. 710, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/d-e-sanford-co-v-united-states-cusc-1958.