HELP! Sold knife now held by Australian customs

stefo123 said:
True mate true! I wouldn't suggest to hoodwink Customs!

But back to the point - what is old mate's chance of getting the seized Strider returned to sender?
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Recipient has to contact customs about it, no other way.
 
Assuming that the 'crown' (sounds so weird here) won't give the knife to either of you, OP, I would insist and do whatever you can to refund the buyer. He knew the risk, for sure, but it's just making it right, IMHO. Good for the Karma. Kinda like it being lost in the mail. Not your fault, but it's only fair.
 
Andy the Aussie said:
..... this may work some of the time, but the scanning is better than just a black and white image of a knife. A false declaration such as what you are suggesting immedately takes the importation from a uninformed act to a calculated act, historically when folks have tried this it has resulted in Aus Customs executing a search warrant (as you may have already been successful in breaching Commonwealth law) and pursuing a prosecution (Attempt to Import) as opposed to the letter of seizure and explaination of the law most often given at the moment. I would humbly suggest it is a breach of US law as the Customs Declaration is a binding statement the sender makes. Don't also believe that they don't from time to time open "fixed blade knives" for an inspection. In the past two months I have had two deliveries of Busse fixed blades opened by Customs, one in the US at the time of export and a separate package here in Australia. Neither could be remotely mistaken for any of the lades that are a no no here but that means little.
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Depends on how much old mate wants it! People have broken the law many times to get what I want and to get where they're going!
 
would shipping the handle and blade in 2 separate packages, at, say, a week apart, help?
 
I con-cur

jimh0220 said:
Assuming that the 'crown' (sounds so weird here) won't give the knife to either of you, OP, I would insist and do whatever you can to refund the buyer. He knew the risk, for sure, but it's just making it right, IMHO. Good for the Karma. Kinda like it being lost in the mail. Not your fault, but it's only fair.
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(( Keep the language family-friendly ))
(( Keep your politics to yourself ))
 
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elof_alv said:
The buyer can contact customs and request for the knife to be sent back to you at his cost.
He's not that bright if he didn't know he can't import that kind of folder. Or he's a douche who tried his luck 'smuggling' the knife in knowing the risk.
The law that is basically making all frame and linerlocks, flippers and assisted openers a prohibited import is in effect from 14th December 2011.
Lockbacks usually will pass the customs test due to tension from the lockbar. Slipjoints are fine to get in.
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I am sorry to say, mate, that stefo123 is right, in my experience. You have only 2 options :make a claim which is nearly impossible or surrender the property to the Crown. So says my last seizure notice from last year - you know the one ! ;)

4 years ago you could pay and they would send it back but not anymore...
 
I don't know Australias import laws, or how specific the customs declaration must be, and I have no intentions of shipping a knife to Australia, but I'm curious-

I wonder what would happen if a person intending to ship a folder to Australia were to buy a couple of big, cheap adjustable wrenches, taped the folder to the handle of one of the wrenches, and packed the wrenches in a flat box so that when x-rayed all the customs people would see is two wrenches (the folder would be obscured by the handle of one of the wrenches and just look like part of the wrench). It's a safe bet that every customs employee knows what a wrench looks like. And perhaps if they saw two obvious wrenches on the x-ray that they wouldn't see the point in opening the box to investigate further.

Like I said, I don't know how specific customs declarations have to be, but I wonder if simply declaring the contents as "tools" would be enough. Technically it could be argued that such a description of the packages contents is accurate as a knife is in fact a tool, and such a description would not be a lie.

But I don't know, I'm just wondering.
 
stefo123 said:
Yeah mate it sucks but we as Aussies have been f@#$%^ over by our government - we have a red headed broad as Prime Minister and her and her foreign affairs minister hate the thought of us mob importing folding knives from overseas.
We should have done what you all did back in 1775 with "THE CROWN" and this wouldn't be happening right now.
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Might want to edit that bit of language out so you don't get an infraction.
 
Andy the Aussie said:
..... this may work some of the time, but the scanning is better than just a black and white image of a knife. A false declaration such as what you are suggesting immedately takes the importation from a uninformed act to a calculated act, historically when folks have tried this it has resulted in Aus Customs executing a search warrant (as you may have already been successful in breaching Commonwealth law) and pursuing a prosecution (Attempt to Import) as opposed to the letter of seizure and explaination of the law most often given at the moment. I would humbly suggest it is a breach of US law as the Customs Declaration is a binding statement the sender makes. Don't also believe that they don't from time to time open "fixed blade knives" for an inspection. In the past two months I have had two deliveries of Busse fixed blades opened by Customs, one in the US at the time of export and a separate package here in Australia. Neither could be remotely mistaken for any of the lades that are a no no here but that means little.
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An excellent and important point
 
It is also worth pointing out that FIXED blade knives generally present NO problem at all during import here. "Daggers"/Double edged blades require import permits from the State of Residence (a Customs Document supplied by the state ;) ) and "knuckle duster" type grips/configurations are a no no. I import fixed blades on at least :D :D :D a monthly basis and have done for several years without issue. I also import firearm parts (quite legally !!) from the US and Europe with regularity so I am pretty well versed with the legality, Customs process and pitfalls.

There is always a way espoused to (or attempt to) get something in that is in breach of law (with folders the stupid part is that, for the most part, they are perfectly legal to own here, just not IMPORT). And yes this will work sometimes but at what risk/cost ???? The examples I have seen thus far (not and never will be me) for a Customs Warrant resulted in each and every knife that resembled a prohibited IMPORT seized and the onus placed back on the owner to show how/when it came into possession. This is used then as a basis, right or wrong, for a prosecution around an ongoing enterprise of "Importing Prohibited Items". It is stupid and overkill in the extreme but it is how it is just now.
 
Gentlemen,

We don't encourage the discussion of how to break the law, subvert customs or promote illegal activity.
Even in a "what if" situation. Please do not do so in the future.
 
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