Purchasing online?

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oakes43

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Feb 29, 2012
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Hi, as a newcomer to this obsession I'm not familiar with the online options, or which are recommended.
I'm in Australia so they need to ship international.
Can I have some suggestions?

btw - I tried knifecenter but after ordering I discovered that the knife wasn't actually in stock, even though I was able to add it to my cart. I hate that,,so I e-mailed a request for cancellation.

cheers
Glenn
 
One thing with shipping to Australia is I've heard it's good to buy from a dealer that will tighten down the pivot on folders so they're very hard to open one handed. More success getting through customs that way.
 
This thread might get moved to the Feedback forum, where to discuss where to buy knives. General knife discusion is the place to talk about the knives themselves. I too have heard of a lot of customs problems with shipping knives to Australia. It's the way the "flickability" is interpreted. Best of luck.
 
Hm ok, I had not even considered the possibility that customs might be an issue. I’m not looking at an auto or even assisted opening knife. Asking to have the pivot tightened is a great tip, thank you.
 
I sold a knife to a guy in Australia, he had me tighten the pivot to make it hard to open one handed and put his phone number on the customs forms, he seemed pretty familiar with customs there.
 
Hi oakes
i'm in NSW
mainly buy trad knives -old timers, uncle henrys,case,some old fixed blades,gec,and of course the trad forum knife which is about to go off for 2012.Notably a couple of used Kershaw AOs made it through.
Never had a problem with customs.Not over knives anyway.
I work on the rule that if I can buy it in a local shop it should be ok.
Many of my packages have been "opened for inspection" also.
There are many good dealers stateside who are a pleasure to deal with.
Not sure what you're after exactly but checkout deadwood knives on ebuy
(sorry if that an out order plug)
cheers.
ps-watch out for exorbitant freight charges as well. most are reeasonable...ish. But some are outrageous and can double the price.
 
Thanks mate. I want to get a small Sebenza 21. I've e-mailed CRK directly to see if they can help and if they are willing to ship it here. Not sure how I'll go.
 
oakes43 - I live in Australia have been buying knives from around the world for more than 30 years. Things have changed a lot in that time - on one hand it is so much easier with on line ordering, paypal, no duties or taxes etc but the range of knives and the potential for definitional issues re legality introduces complexities. I should say that I have never had a problem with customs and rarely had problems with things lost in the post.

I would not advise ordering a Sebenza in the current climate. It might get through but the chances of confiscation are high and too much to risk with a knife of that value. Just because a knife or type of knife is available in local stores does not mean that you can import it without risk. Many knives that Customs frown on are legal to buy and own but individuals may face difficulties in importing.

My advice is to stick with single edge fixed blades or folders without one handed opening features. Traditional slip joints, Buck 110 style lockbacks and so on will move through Customs without a hitch. If you want one handed openers then there are Australian on line dealers who will sell you one that is already in the country - you might pay a bit more but it is risk free.

If you choose to import then ebay is not a bad option - you can check feedback and quickly establish postage costs. I have done it many times and had few problems. Someone mentioned New Graham and they are very good to deal with from offshore. AG Russell is another established dealer that provides good service. There are many more. If you want to get advice on a particular seller then post a question in the feedback forum here.
 
Do your homework I know of at least 1 case recently where a Sebenza was confiscated. Liner locks hard to import, Axis locks a big no, no, and double edge knives, daggers etc illegal. The frustrating part is all these items, bar maybe Axis locks can be purchased from Aussie dealers at usually ridiculous mark up. Not all dealers are bad but one of the worst sells standard Enduras for $180. Anyway Google Customs Australia and good luck.
 
I'll second what 2manyknives said. Stick with traditional folders, and single edge fixed blades and you will be fine. I've had several smaller Bucks plus a 110, and several SAKs come through with no problem, and even a Ka-bar USMC, but since Dec 14 last year it got very hard to get folding blades through Customs and it really isn't worth the risk. There are a number of dealers in Aus who are offering a great range of knives at prices comparable to those from the US so it is worth checking them out. PM me if you want some details. Also check out http://www.australianbladeforums.com for a great local community of people who appreciate edged tools.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. In the end I decided that the worry involved with getting a knife through customs wasn't worth it. I couldn't find a standard small Sebenza on ebay either. I found a knife at what I thought was an ok price from an Aussie seller. Not a Sebenza, but a Bradley Alias II, which I hope will be a reasonable substitute. And I hope this one is actually in stock!!
 
Do not use General for what to by where threads.
 
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