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Post by honjo7 on Jan 6, 2022 16:21:53 GMT
One thing you might try is going to a sword vendor nearest you and speak to the owner or manager, someone in authority not the counter man and explain your situation. Ask him if he would accept the sword doing the paper work and his fee. This is a common practice in the USA when buying a firearm not readily available otherwise. Many times it boils down to the wording one puts on the forms. Also the vendor will have the proper papers to import. That's a good idea. Thanks. I'll see what I can find.
FedEx finally gave me my call back today, about a month late. The agent I spoke to explained that normally FedEx would give me the option of collecting the sword in person (I've done that before). However, it's confirmed that it was Border Force who rejected the package. In 2019, I ordered two swords from Albion, and both got through. She looked at the prohibited list for me over the phone, and she couldn't find any mention of swords either. Perhaps I was just the victim of a rather overzealous employee.
In any case, I'm reticent now to try again. DHL quoted me over 565USD to ship to the UK, and I already lost quite a bit shipping before.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 6, 2022 17:34:03 GMT
One thing you might try is going to a sword vendor nearest you and speak to the owner or manager, someone in authority not the counter man and explain your situation. Ask him if he would accept the sword doing the paper work and his fee. This is a common practice in the USA when buying a firearm not readily available otherwise. Many times it boils down to the wording one puts on the forms. Also the vendor will have the proper papers to import.
In any case, I'm reticent now to try again. DHL quoted me over 565USD to ship to the UK, and I already lost quite a bit shipping before.
I am sure a dealer won't pay 565USD. Put it in his hands. You can always turn down his offer, but not of course after he has received it. Get his price beforehand.
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tera
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Post by tera on Jan 6, 2022 17:40:46 GMT
+1 for talking to a dealer. From the firearms side of the fence in the US, I can say there are regulations and paperwork the average person isn't aware of so going through a dealer makes for a better experience.
I imagine the sharps world in the UK is similar. There are specific rules and regulations I, for one, certainly don't understand but a UK dealer would.
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Post by Eric Bergeron on Jan 6, 2022 18:15:26 GMT
Maybe it just might be time for you to try and either get a refund or if you can't get a refund, sell the sword and put that money towards a smith over on that side of the pond, that way you haven't lost your money.
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Post by honjo7 on Jan 6, 2022 18:41:26 GMT
I think at this point it's going to be either a vendor or I'm just going to have to fly out there. The customer care agent I spoke to this morning sent me an email a few minutes ago, and she says she looked into it for me. Apparently, swords are banned, even if decorative. Perhaps if I'm not too upfront about what's in the package, it will slip through, but it sounds like a big risk.
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Post by ThomasW on Jan 6, 2022 20:37:12 GMT
I think at this point it's going to be either a vendor or I'm just going to have to fly out there. The customer care agent I spoke to this morning sent me an email a few minutes ago, and she says she looked into it for me. Apparently, swords are banned, even if decorative. Perhaps if I'm not too upfront about what's in the package, it will slip through, but it sounds like a big risk. hmm banned by whom? The country or the delivery service? Matt Easton from Schola Gladiatoria might be able to help you? He's an antique arms dealer so he might know ways to help.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 6, 2022 21:47:07 GMT
Perhaps if I'm not too upfront about what's in the package, it will slip through, but it sounds like a big risk. Sword hell! It's a meat cutter. đđ
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Post by honjo7 on Jan 7, 2022 4:02:00 GMT
Maybe it just might be time for you to try and either get a refund or if you can't get a refund, sell the sword and put that money towards a smith over on that side of the pond, that way you haven't lost your money. I've considered that, but I would be gutted after such a long wait. At this stage, I'd like to go and just collect it in-person, but travel is difficult for me at the moment. In the end, I might have to offer a family member a free trip to Wisconsin... I think at this point it's going to be either a vendor or I'm just going to have to fly out there. The customer care agent I spoke to this morning sent me an email a few minutes ago, and she says she looked into it for me. Apparently, swords are banned, even if decorative. Perhaps if I'm not too upfront about what's in the package, it will slip through, but it sounds like a big risk. hmm banned by whom? The country or the delivery service? Matt Easton from Schola Gladiatoria might be able to help you? He's an antique arms dealer so he might know ways to help. According to the FedEx representative I spoke to yesterday, it was Border Force who rejected the sword. I've sent her another email to clarify if she meant Customs or FedEx.
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Post by eastman on Jan 7, 2022 4:47:05 GMT
If they do head to Albion, I'm in the SE corner of the state if they want to stop by for a beer (or a cider)
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tera
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Post by tera on Jan 7, 2022 17:36:31 GMT
For what it's worth, Border Force appears to be a UK Government Entity. Link to rules on what you can or can't bring into the UK follows: www.gov.uk/government/publications/travelling-to-the-ukSo it looks like there are restrictions both on shipping and bringing with you on a trip. That being the case, you'd still be dealing with Border Force if you flew to pick it up. The above rules may or may not be all inclusive of sword ownership restrictions. Those may be separate laws outside of Border Force's scope. For a US example, during the temporary AWB, I once wrote the ATF Technical Branch for a decision letter regarding thumbhole stocks. I wanted to know if they were considered a pistol grip, which were considered an "Evil Feature" and newly made firearms were only allowed a small number of such. Two years later, after the AWB was no longer law, they wrote me back. They said that for the purposes of importation, a thumbhole stock did not count as a pistol grip as regulated by 922r of Title 18 (which regulates features on firearms with a certain number of foreign parts). They simultaneously told me told me it did count as a pistol grip once it hit US soil because of the AWB, and if used with too many other "Evil Features" would constitute an Assault Weapon and a felony. So, short version, I recommend checking with an authority to make sure you have your I's dotted and T's crossed.
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Post by honjo7 on Jan 7, 2022 19:24:08 GMT
For what it's worth, Border Force appears to be a UK Government Entity. Link to rules on what you can or can't bring into the UK follows: www.gov.uk/government/publications/travelling-to-the-ukSo it looks like there are restrictions both on shipping and bringing with you on a trip. That being the case, you'd still be dealing with Border Force if you flew to pick it up. The above rules may or may not be all inclusive of sword ownership restrictions. Those may be separate laws outside of Border Force's scope. For a US example, during the temporary AWB, I once wrote the ATF Technical Branch for a decision letter regarding thumbhole stocks. I wanted to know if they were considered a pistol grip, which were considered an "Evil Feature" and newly made firearms were only allowed a small number of such. Two years later, after the AWB was no longer law, they wrote me back. They said that for the purposes of importation, a thumbhole stock did not count as a pistol grip as regulated by 922r of Title 18 (which regulates features on firearms with a certain number of foreign parts). They simultaneously told me told me it did count as a pistol grip once it hit US soil because of the AWB, and if used with too many other "Evil Features" would constitute an Assault Weapon and a felony. Thanks for the heads-up. Now MyUs want 330usd to return the package to Albion in Wisconsin...And that's with FedEx ground service. I was expecting something closer to 100usd at most.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 7, 2022 19:45:29 GMT
As tera said âSo it looks like there are restrictions both on shipping and bringing with you on a tripâ . The thought had crossed my mind. Another approach that hadnât been mentioned and that is to get a lawyerâs assistance. Iâve done this. Replica swords are legal in my country. However there is still the governmentâs red tape to deal with which is not an easy thing at times. So I obtained a lawyer. It worked.
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Post by shotokan on Jan 7, 2022 19:49:52 GMT
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tera
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Post by tera on Jan 7, 2022 20:27:25 GMT
That would be hard to answer that without touching on Politics.
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Post by perignum on Jan 7, 2022 21:33:43 GMT
I'm telling you guys, the way around this is to ship it to someone in the Republic of Ireland (if the OP is in the U.K. they surely know somebody or have family across the Irish Sea). Then hop on the ferry. Collect the sword. Stick it in the boot. Head back home again.
Bob's your uncle.
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tera
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Post by tera on Jan 7, 2022 23:26:22 GMT
That sounds feasible, but not exactly legal. You would still be importing a restricted item that may or may not be legal to possess in a manner discussed in a public forum (here) showing premeditation to circumvent the law.
I still recommend consulting a dealer and/or attorney. I own some pretty bizarre firearms, but I've got all the paperwork for them so the only problem I have with law enforcement at a range is they want to try them out themselves. I usually agree, if they pay for the ammo.
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Post by eastman on Jan 8, 2022 2:03:57 GMT
Obviously you just need to start a religion that requires samurai (and other) swords as part of the essential religious ceremonies. That gets the import exemption right there.
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Post by honjo7 on Jan 13, 2022 10:06:30 GMT
Obviously you just need to start a religion that requires samurai (and other) swords as part of the essential religious ceremonies. That gets the import exemption right there. I'm thinking of starting an Anti-Fedex religion here in Britain. I can't imagine it would be hard to scrounge up a few followers. Today MyUs charged me 336usd on top of the 207usd to ship the sword back to Albion and the original payment of 180usd back in October. I emailed them to ask why I was charged twice and they said the 336usd was a FedEx "fine" to return the parcel.
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pgandy
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Post by pgandy on Jan 13, 2022 12:01:33 GMT
I can only imagine how you feel as such news pains me. So sorry.
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Post by honjo7 on Jan 13, 2022 12:26:38 GMT
I can only imagine how you feel. So sorry. Appreciated. Mainly, I've just been using this thread to vent a bit. Well, it's a lesson learned at least. I won't ship from outside the UK again. It's put me in a difficult position in regards to a few bills though. I sent a complaint to FedEx, but the answer I received was unintelligable broken english. It seems they completely misunderstood the issue. The customer care agent who called me before gave me her email, but now that my query has become a complaint, she won't respond. MyUs won't even provide me with the invoice of charges from FedEx. Basically, they can just make up any figure they want and charge me for it.
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