Shipping to Germany and need advice.

Tritium

Tritium

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I am thinking about shipping a knife to Germany. Are there any concerns I should have? I assume this is done regularly and I've shipped outside the US but not Germany (as far as I remember).

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
 
I am from the Netherlands. Generally in Europe this should not be a problem, I believe. However, as a rule, I suggest you ask the buyer to validate that the knife is legal in Germany, and that any confiscation due to legal reasons would be at buyer’s risk.
 
Ask the buyer how to label the item too. Sometimes knife is fine other times camp tool works. Buyer should know the best option.
 
DutchMike said:
I am from the Netherlands. Generally in Europe this should not be a problem, I believe. However, as a rule, I suggest you ask the buyer to validate that the knife is legal in Germany, and that any confiscation due to legal reasons would be at buyer’s risk.
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Absolutely agree, it's all about legality and transparency.
 
I appreciate all the advice! The buyer says the knife is legal to own but not legal to carry.

It may not be worth the risk.
 
Tritium said:
I am thinking about shipping a knife to Germany. Are there any concerns I should have? I assume this is done regularly and I've shipped outside the US but not Germany (as far as I remember).

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
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have a read here: https://www.boker.de/en/knife-law#:~:text=The buying, selling and owning of all knives,is, however, legally regulated in the Weapons Act.

wrt blade length: knifes with blades longer than 120 mm are not illegal, it is just not allowed to carry them in public. E.g., a lot of kitchen knives are bigger, and there are totally legal - you just not allowed to take them with you when you go shopping. Bark River made a special Bravo 1.2 version with a blade that is just below 120 mm to comply with German knife laws. These knifes (bade length <120 mm) can be used when on a hiking trip of for camping etc... If the blade is longer, you have to prove that it is needed for a specific (obviously legal!) purpose.

As a rule of thumb: all the knifes Boeker sells via their German website can be assumed as legal - it is just that you can't carry them everywhere you want. (I'm German, living in Australia, and the knife laws we have here in NSW are actually stricter than the knife laws in Germany.)
 
furthermore, to clarify the difference between "carrying a knife" and "transporting a knife": if you want to take your fix blade knife with a blade length equal or longer than 120 mm from your house / flat where you live to a friend's house, you have to store it in a closed container or dedicated pouch / bag for travelling. You are not allowed to carry such a knife on your belt, in your pockets or having it lying somewhere in your car. The transport in a closed container / bag / pouch is not classified as carrying!

Wrt fix blade knives with a blade length under 120 mm: while it is legal to carry those fix knives on your belt in public, it is not advised to do so, except if on a hiking trip, or camping or similar outdoor activities. The knife can be still confiscated by the police if they believe that - pending on the circumstances (grey zone!) - there could be a risk for others. If someone see you walking with a knife on your belt through a mall or a shopping centre - hard to estimate whether the blade is 120 mm or shorter - he/she may call the police and you are just in for trouble and inconvenience, plus you are risking losing your knife.

Wrt folders: only folders that do not have a locking mechanism and that require 2 hands to open the blade are allowed in public, e.g. your basic little Victorinox with fingernail grove in the blade and no locking mechanism - all others have to be transported in a closed container.

Wrt banned knives: some knives like all butterfly type knives and push daggers are totally banned thus illegal to own ....others may be too, but here it starts getting complicated .... more information here: https://knife-blog.com/german-knife-law/#:~:text=German weapon laws are

@ OP: shipping a "normal" fix blade knife to Germany shouldn't cause any issues.
 
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Thanks for all the information but I chose not to ship to Germany. It just isn't worth it to me. Their laws are ridiculous.
 
Tritium said:
Thanks for all the information but I chose not to ship to Germany. It just isn't worth it to me. Their laws are ridiculous.
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....here in NSW in Australia the knife laws are even stricter: you are not allowed to carry anything that resembles somehow a knife with you in public without a reasonable excuse - not even a small Victorinox even if it has a blade that doesn't lock! - ! So if you get caught while shopping in Woolworth, and you have your Victorinox EDC with you, you could be theoretically sentenced to 3 years in prison!!!!

Now, while this is the law in NSW, I see people all the time walking around with their Leatherman on their belt in malls and shopping centers etc., and as long as you behave civilized the chances that someone, even the police, would take notice of this is minimal. Most of the people here in NSW are actually not aware how strict the knife laws are, and the police has usually more important things to do than enforcing this law that could get 20% and more of the population theoretical imprisoned 😀

You are allowed to carry a knife when: on a hiking trip, bushwalking, camping, fishing, hunting, ....outdoor activities .... for work (cooking / kitchen, farm, building site ....).
 
BigW said:
furthermore, to clarify the difference between "carrying a knife" and "transporting a knife": if you want to take your fix blade knife with a blade length equal or longer than 120 mm from your house / flat where you live to a friend's house, you have to store it in a closed container or dedicated pouch / bag for travelling. You are not allowed to carry such a knife on your belt, in your pockets or having it lying somewhere in your car. The transport in a closed container / bag / pouch is not classified as carrying!

Wrt fix blade knives with a blade length under 120 mm: while it is legal to carry those fix knives on your belt in public, it is not advised to do so, except if on a hiking trip, or camping or similar outdoor activities. The knife can be still confiscated by the police if they believe that - pending on the circumstances (grey zone!) - there could be a risk for others. If someone see you walking with a knife on your belt through a mall or a shopping centre - hard to estimate whether the blade is 120 mm or shorter - he/she may call the police and you are just in for trouble and inconvenience, plus you are risking losing your knife.

Wrt folders: only folders that do not have a locking mechanism and that require 2 hands to open the blade are allowed in public, e.g. your basic little Victorinox with fingernail grove in the blade and no locking mechanism - all others have to be transported in a closed container.

Wrt banned knives: some knives like all butterfly type knives and push daggers are totally banned thus illegal to own ....others may be too, but here it starts getting complicated .... more information here: https://knife-blog.com/german-knife-law/#:~:text=German weapon laws are

@ OP: shipping a "normal" fix blade knife to Germany shouldn't cause any issues.
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Look
 
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