U.S. post office told me I could not ship a knife?

[Rick Marchand]

It was legal ivory.

Anyway, they still kept it!

So you did have the documentation, then? Yeah, I too would be pissed if I went through the trouble of making sure I had clearly identified legal materials and they still took the blade and kept it for themselves. I mean with 80% of the written regulations on importing/exporting animal products being specifically geared toward IVORY alone, it's pretty important... they had to have suspected that you did your homework and even if the paperwork wasn't there, given you the benefit of the doubt..... right?

The US has many more restrictions on importing/exporting animal products and selling goods than Canada, BTW..... and enforce it much more severely. Consider yourself LUCKY, brother. Careers and lives have been ruined for the similar reasons.

Rick

 

[shotgunner]

It was legal ivory.

Anyway, they still kept it!

BINGO!

I assume you mean it is elephant ivory.

This was not theft and you are lucky your son did not get arrested and jailed for the offense. If he had sent you the same knife you could have been convicted of a felony and jailed. In the USA this is considered importation of protected wildlife without permit and is both a violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act.

USA legal Ivory is NOT international legal ivory. In no way shape or form.

African Elephants are listed as CITES App I or App II depending upon country of origin. This means an export permit is required for the export of the permit and an import permit MAY be required for the transport of the knife. Using the documentation (receipt from maker) for the knife and the fact the export and subsequent import were not commercial the permit(s) required MAY have been available.

This is why the Europeans got busted on the way to Blade Show 2010. I pitched an article about this to Blade Mag, they blew me off completely instead writing an inadequate piece in house. I had interviews both with US Fish & Wildlife inspectors and law enforcement officials lined up. I was an animal dealer in a prior life. I did so much export work that the wildlife inspectors knew my dog's name. They were happy to speak to me about this subject.

I am not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV.

 

[panamared89]

Due to my job I know the USPS shipping regs inside an out. She is flat out wrong. Ask to see the IMM (international Mail Manual) The only country that I know for a fact has shipping restrictions on knives is Italy, (and apparently China from the poster above) and that is due to customs regulations there.
For the most part USPS employees are great people, but there are alway those who don't have a clue in every line of work.
Don't lie on the customs form, there are a number of federal laws that you are violating. Like some one said above, cutlery is a perfectly fine description of goods.