Me.

Simple and doesnt need to be a lie..

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application-specific_integrated_circuit

So just tell them its fpga and you have a project that requires custom programming with fpga.. I would avoid mentioning word cryptography. . Especially when you mention china..

The description on the invoice is already a lie: they think its hardware for gaming.
I might be just paranoid, but I want to know what to say if they start asking questions

Just say its parts for the customised Computer Games Arcade booth for Comic Con that you design

That is the problem with Chinese outfits that lie on customs documents. Yes it saves you the tax/duty, but if the transaction gets questioned you're in the unenviable position of either having to say that the description is wrong and it's really something else or trying to get it released without outright lying to the customs officials in order to get it released.

Personally, I'd rather just pay the tax. I do a decent number of crossborder Canada/US trips, and the unilateral power of those guys to detain and hold people is unbelievable. Once you get on their list as someone who tries to avoid paying taxes, you get your scarlet letter and special treatment every time you go through.

Just say 'How much is the tax', 'Can I pay it by card' and pay it. In the long run it is the cheapest option.

If you question the amount of tax they will get more interested, if you enter into a discussion then the tax will go up, if you do not pay the tax you will not get it and would have lost what you have paid for it.

Gaming Arcade was the exact thing that crossed my mind as a possible reason to buy these.
Btw the lady on the phone asked if I am a private a commercial person. Is there a difference in terms of Duty/VAT if you import these as a private or business person?

Well if one has to be ecompletely honest then 1.9BTC should be the declared value, but that will create more problems that it will solve.
I doubt anyone here is mad at Bitmain for declaring it with a low value.
I will just make up a plausible story and stick to it

Computer hardware for a gaming project sounds good.

Did you use bitcoins you had mined to pay for it? Theoretically they have no value, or only the value of the cost of the electricy and equipment used to mine them, being a virtual currency blah blah..

They probably want to know if you have a VAT number if you are a commercial entity, because its really about the VAT, there are no import duties for computer parts.

Still waiting on shipping since early 22nd