United States v. S. S. Kresge Co.

26 C.C.P.A. 349, 1939 CCPA LEXIS 233
Court of Customs and Patent Appeals·Decided February 14, 1939·No. No. 4185·Published

Opinion

Hatfield, Judge,

delivered the opinion of the court:

This is an appeal from the judgment of the United States Customs Court, Second Division, in reappraisements 1I2043-A, 112045-A, 112146-A, 112282-A, 113038-A, 113040-A, and 113468-A.

The involved merchandise, consisting of Christmas-tree ornaments, was exported from Germany and imported into the United States, during the latter part of 1935. It was entered at the manufacturers’ list prices, plus 2% per centum packing charges. Purchasing commissions of 10 per centum, specified on the invoices as nondutiable, were not included in the entered values.

The entered values were advanced by the local appraiser, and the importers appealed for reappraisements.

Considerable evidence was introduced by the parties.

The trial court, Sullivan, Judge, presiding, held that the entered values were the correct dutiable values of the merchandise, and, on appeal, the appellate division of the Customs Court, in an opinion by Tilson, Judge, affirmed the judgment of the trial court.

The trial court and the appellate division of the Customs Court concurred in holding that the evidence of record established that the "Sonneberg-Lauscha district, in the State of Thuringia” was the principal'market in which the involved and like merchandise was bought and sold in Germany; that all of the manufacturers of such' merchandise were located in that district; that the manufacturers (frequently referred to in the record as "homeworkers”) manufacture the merchandise either in their homes or in small factories; that they freely offer for sale and sell their merchandise for cash on delivery to commissionaires and dealers in wholesale quantities, either for home consumption or for export to the United States, at prices which, by virtue of a governmental decree, may be higher but not lower than certain [351] established catalog prices (identified in the record as Exhibit EEE); that the commissionaires buy for their customers and pay the manufacturers the catalog prices; that they charge their customers such prices, plus 2 % per centum pacldng charges, plus a purchasing commission of 10 per centum; that the dealers pay the manufacturers the catalog prices, and usually dispose of the merchandise on a commission basis of 10 per centum, plus 2K per. centum for pacldng; that occasionally the dealers buy the merchandise on their “own account,” and resell the same for cash on delivery to retailers in Germany on the basis of 10 per centum profit, plus 2}{ per centum for packing; that, in a few instances, the dealers sell on credit to retailers at the manufacturers’ catalog prices, plus a profit of more than 10 per centum; that the sales made by the dealers, either for cash or on credit, are fugitive and not in the ordinary course of trade; that the foreign values and the export values at the time of the exportation of the involved merchandise were the same, to wit, the catalog prices charged and received by the manufacturers, plus 2% per centum pacldng charges; that the 10 per centum purchasing commission charged by the commissionaires and so-called “dealers” is not a proper part of either foreign or export values; and that as the merchandise was entered in the instant cases at the manufacturers’ catalog prices, plus 2% per centum pacldng charges, the entered values are the dutiable values of the merchandise.

Foreign and export values are defined in subdivisions (c) and (d) of section 402 of the Tariff Act of 1930 as follows:

(c) Foreign Value. — -The foreign value of imported merchandise shall be the market value or the price at the time of exportation of such merchandise to the United States, at which such or similar merchandise is freely offered for sale to all purchasers in the principal markets of the country from which exported, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade, including the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, and all other costs, charges, and expenses incident to placing the merchandise in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States.
(d) Export Value. — The export value of imported merchandise shall be the market value or the price, at the time of exportation of such merchandise to the United States, at which such or similar merchandise is freely offered for sale to-all purchasers in the principal markets of the country from which exported, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade, for exportation to the United States, plus, when not included in such price, the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, and all other costs, charges, and expenses incident to placing the merchandise in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States.

It is contended here by counsel for the Government that the appellate division of the Customs Court erred as a matter of law in holding that the manufacturers’ catalog prices, plus 2% per centum packing charges, are the foreign and export values of the merchandise. In explanation of their position, counsel for the Government state that the manufacturers’ catalog prices merely cover costs of raw materials [352] and labor charges, and do not include the manufacturers’ profits, costs of containers, or general expenses; that the manufacturers did not sell, nor offer for sale in the principal markets of Germany; merchandise like that here involved to all 'purchasers at the catalog prices; that the only purchasers at catalog prices were dealers and commissionaires; that the appellate division of the Customs Court erred in not finding and holding that, in .the ordinary course of trade in the principal market of Germany, merchandise like that here involved was freely offered for sale and sold by the commissionaires and dealers at varying prices, all of which were higher than appellees’ entered values, and that the commissions and profits of the dealers and commissionaires are a proper part of foreign and export values.

Both the trial court and the appellate division of the Customs Court found, and their findings are supported by some substantial evidence, that, although the manufacturers could not legally sell at prices lower, they could legally sell at prices higher, than the established catalog prices, and that the involved and like merchandise was freely offered for sale at the catalog prices by the manufacturers to all purchasers in the principal market of Germany in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade. We are unable to hold, therefore, that the involved and like merchandise was not freely offered for sale by the manufacturers at the catalog prices to all purchasers in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade. See United States v. Michele Diagonale, 22 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 517, T. D. 47497.

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United States v. S. S. Kresge Co., 26 C.C.P.A. 349, 1939 CCPA LEXIS 233 (ccpa 1939).

26 C.C.P.A. 349 (United States v. S. S. Kresge Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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