South African Sword Collectors/Buyers Info
Apr 24, 2016 6:36:28 GMT
Post by dangerousdave on Apr 24, 2016 6:36:28 GMT
I am from South Africa and it can be difficult to import good quality swords/axes/spears/etc. into the country without having to pay huge shipping fees (and then there are the ridiculously inconsistent import taxes and duties). I wanted to start a discussion where South Africans can share experiences/ideas about buying various weapons from various international & local sites/companies.
For example I have made a number of sword purchases from Kult-of-Athena (www.kultofathena.com) one of the few places that ship internationally for somewhat reasonable rates. There is also Ronin-Katana (roninkatana.com/) which ships to South Africa for reasonable rates, If I remember correctly.
Locally, there is of course also Sharp-Edge-Sharp-Shooter (www.sharpedge.co.za) situated in Sandton which has swords and other weapons, but most of these are wall-hangers and not real "battle ready" swords. I suppose there is also Bid-or-Buy (www.bidorbuy.co.za) where you can occasionally pick up an old sword (I did buy a really good original Prussian Officers sword, but that was luck), but I have also had a few bad experiences with bid-or-buy, often sellers try cash in on shipping charges and the products tend to be cheap Chinese copies. I do not know many other local sellers (would be nice to find some more as the Rand-Dollar rate is no help). I have purchased a variety of larger weapons such as spears and polearms from Import-It-All (www.importitall.co.za), which is not cheap, but does have a huge selection and at least they pay for all duties and taxes (so at least you know what the total cost is and there are no nasty surprises) and they deliver to your door.
Does anyone know about or ever used any of the following:
> Smithin - smithinn.co.za/swords.php / shop.smithinn.co.za/ (every time I go to the online shop it is down)
> James Raw Blades - www.rawblades.com/
> Black Dragon Forge - www.blackdragonforge.co.za/
Another option I have been considering, but have not yet tried are services that combine purchases made in the US (I believe they give you a US address to send orders to) and then they combine items and ship it to you. Anyone have any experiences doing this (I was looking at a few services, but I cannot remember their names)?
Also, seeing as how importing from the US can be difficult and expensive (the US is pretty far away I guess), does anyone know of other companies/sites (perhaps in the UK/Europe/Asia or maybe even in South Africa) which have good quality items for more reasonable shipping?
Finally, any South Africans know any other tips or tricks we can all benefit from (like how to get around import taxes and duties)?
For example I have made a number of sword purchases from Kult-of-Athena (www.kultofathena.com) one of the few places that ship internationally for somewhat reasonable rates. There is also Ronin-Katana (roninkatana.com/) which ships to South Africa for reasonable rates, If I remember correctly.
Locally, there is of course also Sharp-Edge-Sharp-Shooter (www.sharpedge.co.za) situated in Sandton which has swords and other weapons, but most of these are wall-hangers and not real "battle ready" swords. I suppose there is also Bid-or-Buy (www.bidorbuy.co.za) where you can occasionally pick up an old sword (I did buy a really good original Prussian Officers sword, but that was luck), but I have also had a few bad experiences with bid-or-buy, often sellers try cash in on shipping charges and the products tend to be cheap Chinese copies. I do not know many other local sellers (would be nice to find some more as the Rand-Dollar rate is no help). I have purchased a variety of larger weapons such as spears and polearms from Import-It-All (www.importitall.co.za), which is not cheap, but does have a huge selection and at least they pay for all duties and taxes (so at least you know what the total cost is and there are no nasty surprises) and they deliver to your door.
Does anyone know about or ever used any of the following:
> Smithin - smithinn.co.za/swords.php / shop.smithinn.co.za/ (every time I go to the online shop it is down)
> James Raw Blades - www.rawblades.com/
> Black Dragon Forge - www.blackdragonforge.co.za/
Another option I have been considering, but have not yet tried are services that combine purchases made in the US (I believe they give you a US address to send orders to) and then they combine items and ship it to you. Anyone have any experiences doing this (I was looking at a few services, but I cannot remember their names)?
Also, seeing as how importing from the US can be difficult and expensive (the US is pretty far away I guess), does anyone know of other companies/sites (perhaps in the UK/Europe/Asia or maybe even in South Africa) which have good quality items for more reasonable shipping?
Finally, any South Africans know any other tips or tricks we can all benefit from (like how to get around import taxes and duties)?