9801.00.10.53 - Articles provided for in headings 8517, 8519, 8525, 8527 or 8529

This HTS category, 9801.00.10.53, specifically covers returned U.S.-origin articles, or other non-U.S. origin articles returned within three years of export, that fall under the following Harmonized System headings: 8517 (Base stations, apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data), 8519 (Sound recording or reproducing apparatus), 8525 (Transmission apparatus for radio-telephony, radio-telegraphy, radio-broadcasting or television), and 8529 (Parts suitable for use solely or principally with apparatus of heading 8525 to 8528). The key criterion for inclusion here, as with all of Chapter 98, is that the articles must not have been advanced in value or improved in condition by any process of manufacture or other means while abroad.

Distinguishing this category from its siblings, 9801.00.10.49 and 9801.00.10.51, is crucial. While all fall under the umbrella of returned U.S. goods or similar items, 9801.00.10.49 pertains to returned articles classified under headings 8501, 8502, or 8503 (electric motors, generators, and parts thereof), and 9801.00.10.51 is reserved for returned articles of heading 8504 (transformers, static converters, and inductors). This specific subheading, 9801.00.10.53, therefore, isolates returned telecommunications equipment, sound recording/reproducing devices, and broadcasting apparatus from those earlier mentioned electrical components.

As this HTS code represents a leaf node, there are no further subdivisions within this specific classification. Classification into this category will therefore depend entirely on whether the returned article meets the general requirements for returned goods under heading 9801 and its specific description, and whether it falls under any of the referenced headings (8517, 8519, 8525, or 8529). Importers must carefully verify the original classification of the article prior to export to ensure it aligns with the conditions outlined for this provision.