Wm. E. Phillips Co. v. United States

39 Cust. Ct. 723
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJuly 23, 1957
DocketA. R. D. 78; Entry No. 1652
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 39 Cust. Ct. 723 (Wm. E. Phillips 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
Wm. E. Phillips Co. v. United States, 39 Cust. Ct. 723 (cusc 1957).

Opinion

Johnson, Judge:

This is an application for review of a decision and judgment of the trial court, Ford, J., sustaining the appraised value of the merchandise. Wm. E. Phillips Co. v. United States, 36 Cust. Ct. 527, Reap. Dec. 8541.

The merchandise consists of silver cigarette lighters, exported from Mexico on December 11, 1944. It was invoiced in Mexican currency at 18 pesos each, entered at 18 pesos each, plus, stamp tax, and appraised at 25 pesos each, plus stamp tax, plus packing.

Appellant contends that the purchase price of 18 pesos per lighter was the price at which such merchandise was freely offered for sale to all purchasers in Mexico City, the principal market, in the usual wholesale quantities, in the ordinary course of trade, for domestic consumption and for export to the United States; that the purchase price represents the foreign and export value, as defined in section 402 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Administrative Act of 1938; and that the entered value is the proper dutiable value [724]*724of the merchandise. It was held below that the plaintiff had failed to establish the usual wholesale quantities in which the merchandise was freely offered to all purchasers, and the appraised value was held to be the dutiable value.

At the trial, Lee Phillips, vice president and general manager of the plaintiff, identified two contracts between the plaintiff and the manufacturer of this merchandise. According to the first, dated March 10, 1944 (plaintiff’s exhibit 1), the plaintiff agreed to loan the manufacturer $25,000 to be used for the production of merchandise, and the manufacturer agreed to sell to plaintiff a monthly minimum of silver articles. Plaintiff was also granted the right to acquire up to 50 per centum of the total output at direct production cost, plus 50 per centum. It was further specified that “under no condition shall the articles which the buyers decide to acquire be higher in price than 80% above the lowest prices which the sellers charge to other customers for equal or similar articles.” The second contract, dated December 13, 1944 (plaintiff’s exhibit 2), modified the financial arrangements but otherwise reaffirmed the original contract.

Mr. Phillips testified that he went to Mexico many times during 1943, 1944, and 1945, and that he had occasion to visit the factory where these lighters were produced and also the manufacturer’s offices in Mexico City. The lighters are known as the Dunhill type, Dunhill style number 2. Purchases were made by plaintiff through a resident agent in Mexico City, Miss Marion Lee (now Mrs. Levy). The witness was familiar with the lighters that his firm purchased and with the price paid, which was 18 pesos per lighter throughout the period of the contracts.

Because deliveries from the manufacturer were slow, Miss Lee was asked to visit the factory and find out why plaintiff was not receiving lighters in the proportions it was supposed to be getting, and Mr. Phillips made trips to Mexico himself to investigate the delivery situation and market conditions. He found that, although the manufacturer was producing quantities of lighters, they were not being shipped to the plaintiff. Lighters that should have been allocated to plaintiff were being sold to Mexican agents and dealers and for export. The witness knew of one specific sale that was made to the Mexican Watch Co., because that firm offered him lighters which he recognized as ones that plaintiff had contracted for. The Mexican Watch Co. paid 18 pesos per lighter for its shipment.

On the question of wholesale quantities, the witness testified as follows;

Q. Were they sold in retail as well as wholesale quantities to other purchasers? — A. There may have been isolated cases were — where small quantities were sold.
[725]*725Q. What was the usual wholesale quantity which you purchased? — -A. Our smallest import was in lots of 100 or more.
Q. And, was that the usual wholesale quantity or were there lower or greater?— A. I think that anything from 50 up would be considered a normal wholesale quantity for that commodity.
Q. Would that apply to export as well as domestic consumption? — A. I think so; that would be my opinion.
* ***** *
Judge Ford: * * *. Do you actually know?
The Witness: Yes. There are no doubts. A printed list would indicate that quantities of 50 or more would be a wholesale lot.
Judge Ford: Do you actually know?
The Witness: I know that we, as exporters, were not permitted to buy in less than 50 lot quantities. I have every reason to believe that the same condition existed for any purchaser whether it was an American dealer or for an American importer.

The witness stated that the factory was located in Guadalajara, but the office and sales rooms were in Mexico City and that Mexico City was the principal market.

According to the witness, the contracts referred to were never completed, because the factory discontinued operation before enough lighters were received to cover plaintiff’s advance, resulting in a loss of $9,000. During the entire period of the contracts, plaintiff paid 18 pesos per lighter, although in the latter part of 1945, the price for this lighter and other lighters of similar qualities had broken to 16 and 16% pesos. Plaintiff never received a special price for advancing the money, which was done to insure deliveries.

Under the contract, plaintiff was to receive one-half of the manufacturer’s output, but nothing prohibited it from selling to others. In fact, the witness found that the manufacturer was freely selling to other purchasers. He did not know of any sales that were made at a price higher than the amount plaintiff was paying, except that sales in small quantities as samples for dealers were probably made at a price higher than 18 pesos. The witness personally saw items identical with those before the court at various places in Mexico in retail stores. Some were purchased from wholesalers and some directly from the manufacturer. He inquired of the manufacturer why plaintiff was not getting deliveries and learned that the manufacturer was selling to others in wholesale quantities at the same price plaintiff was paying. The manufacturer’s production figures and some sales records were available to plaintiff, but the witness did not know whether all the records were shown to him. While plaintiff employed a resident buyer, it could have purchased and received deliveries directly from the manufacturer, as was true of others who wished to buy.

[726]*726On cross-examination, Mr. Phillips was asked whether he knew of sales by the Mexican manufacturer to certain named companies and individuals in this country, but he recalled only R. H. Radok of Denver, Col., who, according to the witness, purchased in quantities of 50 or more at 18 pesos per lighter.

There was received in evidence an affidavit of Marion Lee Levy, who was employed by plaintiff as a resident buyer in Mexico City from September 1943 to June 1946 (plaintiff’s exhibit 3). According to her statement, she purchased various types of merchandise on behalf of plaintiff, visited factories, and investigated market conditions with respect to the articles she purchased.

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Related

Golfarb v. United States
54 Cust. Ct. 593 (U.S. Customs Court, 1965)
Wm. E. Phillips Co. v. United States
42 Cust. Ct. 248 (U.S. Customs Court, 1958)

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Bluebook (online)
39 Cust. Ct. 723, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wm-e-phillips-co-v-united-states-cusc-1957.