I would agree with Dave Green that the responsibility for meeting legal
obligations regarding the crossing of international borders would have to
rest with those persons who are engaged in international trade.  While it
would be convenient to have a ready-made handout available explaining the
applicable laws and regulations, keeping such an information sheet current
would be a neverending task.  And, I assume the current regulations are
available via the internet?
There is a related concern though, which could affect both domestic and
foreign dealers attending COA conventions.  The conventions are held in a
variety of locations, and each state or city may have its own regulations
concerning retail sales.  Here in Rhode Island you can't sell balloons at a
parade, or hotdogs at the park without a vendor's permit.  A permit is also
required to run a flea market, an auction, a yard sale, or various other
kinds of revenue-generating activities.  Private yard sales and garage sales
are run all over the place with no permits, and no problems.  But failure to
acquire the necessary permit for a public event can result in confiscation
of your inventory, and possible fines as well.  Such permits can be acquired
for a year, for a week, or for a single day, depending on your intent.
Managers of large-scale, ongoing flea markets obtain blanket permits which
cover all the dealers who sell on their property on a given day, and are
also required to have liability insurance - and presumably pass along the
costs in the per table fee charged to individual dealers.  SO - my question
is - Does COA investigate state and local ordinances, as they pertain to
silent auctions, voice auctions, and dealer bourses, as a routine part of
pre-conference preparations?  Does COA obtain any required permits or
licences?  And can dealers assume that what they are doing at the convention
is legal from the viewpoint of the state and city in which they are doing
it, and that they can sell their wares without risk of confiscation and/or
fines by local authorities?
Regards,
Paul M.