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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
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Bad experience with US customs...
- Thread starter Nader E
- Start date
Hey All,
Im pretty sure this belongs here, but if not feel free to move it mods.
I recently sold a knife to an international member living in austria. We were discussing the terms back and forth for quite some time before we sealed the deal. He sent the money over via western union and I shipped the knife fully insured and declared.
Fastforward march 10th, I head to UPS location in Canada, select the most expensive shipping method, and add 2000 in insurance. Paid 150 to have the package shipped out. I declared the full value and labled it as collectible pocket knife. UPS contracted the work out to DHL and the package should have been there after 3 days. I kept my eye on it, and tracked it daily- From Canada-USA-Belgium-Slovakia- and finally Austria. Despite all these detours, it looked like it was going to be there on time. This past friday, the day of delivery, I get an email from the buyer stating that DHL was refusing to deliver the item, and that the sender apparently requested the item back. I hopped on the phone quickly and alerted them that I had not put a stop on it and to deliver the item to the individual. After about 6 or 7 phone calls, and 40 or so emails back and forth between me and the buyer in a matter of 4 hours we found out that US customs had requested the knife back so they could reclear it. Everyone was puzzled and surprised since they had cleared it the first timhe, and not only that- but 4 other countries had cleared it. Supposibly someone named "Smith" working in customs requested the item back for re inspection. I was furious to say the least for multiple reasons:
1) The knife already cleared by THEIR customs
2) The knife was not even suppose to go through the USA
3) The item is quite expensive and extremely rare..exposing it unnecessarily to multiple inspectors might lead to the item surprisingly end up "missing"
4) What jurisdiction do they even have once the item has left their soil and is in another country!
5) The tracking on the package no longer works/is being updated---(something I just discovered, I plan on calling DHL up tomorrow and getting to the bottom of it)
Iv alerted the buyer once the item is delivered to him, to video record the opening of the box infront of the DHL employee. That way if it so happens to go "missing" we can still file a claim (hopefully..).
Has anyone had this happen to them before? Any advice?
Im pretty sure this belongs here, but if not feel free to move it mods.
I recently sold a knife to an international member living in austria. We were discussing the terms back and forth for quite some time before we sealed the deal. He sent the money over via western union and I shipped the knife fully insured and declared.
Fastforward march 10th, I head to UPS location in Canada, select the most expensive shipping method, and add 2000 in insurance. Paid 150 to have the package shipped out. I declared the full value and labled it as collectible pocket knife. UPS contracted the work out to DHL and the package should have been there after 3 days. I kept my eye on it, and tracked it daily- From Canada-USA-Belgium-Slovakia- and finally Austria. Despite all these detours, it looked like it was going to be there on time. This past friday, the day of delivery, I get an email from the buyer stating that DHL was refusing to deliver the item, and that the sender apparently requested the item back. I hopped on the phone quickly and alerted them that I had not put a stop on it and to deliver the item to the individual. After about 6 or 7 phone calls, and 40 or so emails back and forth between me and the buyer in a matter of 4 hours we found out that US customs had requested the knife back so they could reclear it. Everyone was puzzled and surprised since they had cleared it the first timhe, and not only that- but 4 other countries had cleared it. Supposibly someone named "Smith" working in customs requested the item back for re inspection. I was furious to say the least for multiple reasons:
1) The knife already cleared by THEIR customs
2) The knife was not even suppose to go through the USA
3) The item is quite expensive and extremely rare..exposing it unnecessarily to multiple inspectors might lead to the item surprisingly end up "missing"
4) What jurisdiction do they even have once the item has left their soil and is in another country!
5) The tracking on the package no longer works/is being updated---(something I just discovered, I plan on calling DHL up tomorrow and getting to the bottom of it)
Iv alerted the buyer once the item is delivered to him, to video record the opening of the box infront of the DHL employee. That way if it so happens to go "missing" we can still file a claim (hopefully..).
Has anyone had this happen to them before? Any advice?
One of the many reasons I limit to no international shipping. It has cost me sales and many price drops where I have an immediate "I'll take it if you ship international"
I did it with a relatively inexpensive Busse, only risking 230. Shipped fully insured, which would not help a darn if seized by customs. I had a ping pong paddle seized by customs once. Took 4 months to clear and cost me a fine 3 times the value of the item. The company reimbursed me.
Customs seized because they disagreed with the description of the glue label the company used to glue the rubber to the paddle.
I did it with a relatively inexpensive Busse, only risking 230. Shipped fully insured, which would not help a darn if seized by customs. I had a ping pong paddle seized by customs once. Took 4 months to clear and cost me a fine 3 times the value of the item. The company reimbursed me.
Customs seized because they disagreed with the description of the glue label the company used to glue the rubber to the paddle.
I hear you, thats why it took us so long to finalize the deal. Still erks me that they can do that hence why I posted. ESPECIALLY when its left your soil and you have cleared it, wasn't even suppose to cross into the US in the first place, and the product is acutally manufactured in the USA..my mind is confused as to how they have such power when its not on their soil.
The buyer is standing by going to talk to DHL once the lines open up there.
This sounds like pure silliness. Have you called and talked to US customs? I would be all over this Smith person and ask that his supervisor handle the package when they recieve it and explain why exactly it needed to be recalled.
Exactly my feelings.
No I have not, to be honest they did not have a last name and I did not know that you can contact them. Apparently its going somewhere to Cincinnati (I think Ohio, because that is where it was first cleared). Ill see if I cant find a number for them and call them tomorrow.
Metal Made Fox
BANNED
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2011
- Messages
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That's our government for you. "We need to seize this ping pong paddle in order to keep America safe!" And on top of that they want to add more insult to injury by STEALING your hard earned money. Pathetic...
Whew, what a long LONG day on the phones. Ill summarize below:
I contacted DHL in the morning, the person taking care of the file was not in. So I called the US customs in Cincinnati, Ohio. The guy said, no one with the name smith works there and that they do not have a package/dont have jurisdiction to call it back once its out of their country. I then contacted DHL, within an hour I got a call back..apparently the item was being shipped back to me and was suppose to arrive today. I asked him what was going on and why did they are shipping it back to me instead of the USA, and I told him that no one named smith works there etc. He told me to contact UPS since they have a sales rep that will be able to get more information for me. I contacted UPS, they said they would call me back in a bit. They contacted me and finally FINALLy got me some info including full name of the officer, where the item is going now (apparently its heading to Texas..not sure why). Once they figured out that it was going to be in my hands today the officer put a stop on the package and had it redirected to the Texas facility.
My heads going to explode with all the missing info, they still havent answered why /how they have the authority to put a stop on it. The officer has no contact info/number for me to contact, I guess I will have to wait and see what happens.
I contacted DHL in the morning, the person taking care of the file was not in. So I called the US customs in Cincinnati, Ohio. The guy said, no one with the name smith works there and that they do not have a package/dont have jurisdiction to call it back once its out of their country. I then contacted DHL, within an hour I got a call back..apparently the item was being shipped back to me and was suppose to arrive today. I asked him what was going on and why did they are shipping it back to me instead of the USA, and I told him that no one named smith works there etc. He told me to contact UPS since they have a sales rep that will be able to get more information for me. I contacted UPS, they said they would call me back in a bit. They contacted me and finally FINALLy got me some info including full name of the officer, where the item is going now (apparently its heading to Texas..not sure why). Once they figured out that it was going to be in my hands today the officer put a stop on the package and had it redirected to the Texas facility.
My heads going to explode with all the missing info, they still havent answered why /how they have the authority to put a stop on it. The officer has no contact info/number for me to contact, I guess I will have to wait and see what happens.
I posted a bayley survival tool a one off and uk to usa was guaranteed four days turns out two weeks , anyways they went on and on trying every way to slip me up questions got In depth like why was it made from rwl34 ? What was the leather sheath made from .......lmfao lucky I had an answer for every Q the guy was cool who bought it but puts me off sending to usa and it's a shame because the collector was 100% . Trying to explain what a golok type blade was impossible funny how we can sit around a table with knives a chew steak but then you wrap that knife up and post it ,it then becomes a weapon !!!!!! Any excuse to keep them .
What in the world are people on. I tell you man, this is pure nonsense but I am not surprised. They should at the very least refund your shipping cost or send it on it's way once "Agent Smith" finds no trace of Neo or Zion inside the box. 
Nader,
In dealing with people over the phone I have learned to get their name AND employee I.D. NUMBER.
A lot of companys do not want their employees using their real name for security reasons.
When I ask for the I.D. number things change with how they work with me and stop trying to pass the buck.
I know You do not need this non-sense, but hopefully the buyer will appreciate the knife even more.
1,000,000 crazy things going on in North America and the U.S. is worrying about something that has already left with approval.
Maybe somebody in customs heard that the Knife was a REAL LOOKER.
GOOD LUCK.
In dealing with people over the phone I have learned to get their name AND employee I.D. NUMBER.
A lot of companys do not want their employees using their real name for security reasons.
When I ask for the I.D. number things change with how they work with me and stop trying to pass the buck.
I know You do not need this non-sense, but hopefully the buyer will appreciate the knife even more.
1,000,000 crazy things going on in North America and the U.S. is worrying about something that has already left with approval.
Maybe somebody in customs heard that the Knife was a REAL LOOKER.
GOOD LUCK.
Last edited:
Wait. So you were supposed to get the knife back and when this person in TX found that out he put a stop on the package and had it redirected to him? Why? Is this the Smith person? Whoever said it above was right, get employee id numbers.
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2001
- Messages
- 677
Shipments from Canada to any country in the world pass thru the USA first - FedEx has several hubs including Memphis, Indianapolis, Newark and Anchorage- UPS has their hub in Louisville and perhaps another - notwithstanding the fact that the package will only spend the night in one of these hubs before leaving for the destination foreign country, US Customs has the right to examine any package that has entered the USA even though it is just passing through.
Yes, this stinks but it is the law and there is nothing that can be done about it.
Neil Ostroff / TNK
Yes, this stinks but it is the law and there is nothing that can be done about it.
Neil Ostroff / TNK