Shipping to Germany?

[IceCreamNKnives]

I have a GoGun Knife- it’s manufactured by Boker Solingen (in Germany). It is a 4.75 inch blade, liner lock folding knife. I think I might sell it to someone in Germany- I will be sending it from the USA to Germany. Are their any problems to expect? It’ll be sent from Colorado to Germany. I assume it’s okay but I have no idea- I thought these knives were sold to the local German population when the maker dropped them online. Thanks for any insight

 

[killgar]

I'm no international customs attorney, but I believe any legal risks would be on the part of the receiver, not the sender. I don't imagine the German and US governments are going to negotiate your arrest and extradition over a pocketknife if the importation of that knife violates German law.

That being said, someone in Germany importing a knife might have issues. Trying to nail down Germany's current knife laws isn't easy, different websites say different things. I can't find a definitive source, and everybody on the internet has their own version. In any event, I'd say it's the buyers responsibility to know whatever laws and custom enforcement they might have to deal with.

But on your end, here is what I would be concerned about-

Lets say you receive payment, then ship the knife, and it gets confiscated by German customs, or simply disappears in transit. Are you going to get stuck having to pay a refund? If you use Paypal or similar are they going to take the money out of your bank account if the buyer in Germany says they didn't receive the item they paid for? Can you get insurance against customs confiscating an item (I doubt it).

Shipping across the US is risky enough, but shipping through international customs comes with a whole other set of risks (confiscation).

Here is a link to Germany's customs website. It covers transporting things into Germany, but I don't think it answers your questions. Although it mentions knives it does not get very specific. - https://www.zoll.de/EN/Private-indi...d-ammunition/weapons-and-ammunition_node.html

And then there's this, German law. Scroll all the way down to the bottom section where it says "Annex 2" to find the list of banned weapons in Germany, it includes certain knives, as well as a specific exemption- https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_waffg/index.html#gl.p0801

I think the knife you are talking about would be in the clear (manual liner lock?), but I can't say for certain.

My only real concern about shipping knives internationally, and why I don't do it, is just as I explained- the risk of customs confiscating the knife and any hassle and complications it might create between myself and the buyer. I don't use online payment companies, but I still won't do it.

 

[TC]

Folding liner locks are legal to own in Germany - unlike e.g. OTFs - so customs will not confiscate the knife.

If shipping directly, I'd recommend DHL for best reliability. Or consider a US based reshipper as a go-between. I recently used stackry.com for a 5" fixed blade (their size limit). I do, however, see that "flick knives" are on their prohibited items list, so you'd want to check with them first, or look for some other similar service (forget about ship7.com!!!). Try to make the package small, as size will determine the shipping rate as well as weight.

 

[Wasty]

Good Morning,

a liner lock folder is perfectly safe to own in Germany, there are only restrictions in carrying it if it's a one hand opener.
Böker has a good "German knife laws" info https://www.boker.de/en/knife-law

So if it is going to be held up in customs, it's only because of the import turnover tax.

The best way is to have the real price (including shipping) on the outside of the box. If you ship with USPS, they work together with DHL.
It may take a few weeks to clear the Frankfurt customs office, but this is "normal" for them.
I recently got a 7" fixed knife from the US without any issues (besides the time in Frankfurt)

 

[Will Power]

It will be liable to import-tax even though it's made in Germany. The EU has got very miserly lately and likes to tax imports, here in Finland it's 25% and they want to charge for the postal costs as well So using a courier can work out ultra expensive.

What I've done when buying knives from the US or selling them to there is that BOTH parties must agree terms beforehand in writing about liability potential loss etc. That way there's no grey areas for either party. I only sell to people I know of on the Forum.