What to put on customs form?

R

rickacp

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What is the best thing to put on the customs form with a knife coming from Canada to the USA to avoid any problems?
I have read that "camping tool" works well.
 
I used Camping Equipment when mailing to Russia.
 
This is from an Aussie who imported a kerambit.

USPSkerambitorder.jpg
 
Camp tool
Tool
Cutlery
Knife

Any of the above will work, but honesty is the best policy, there is no reason to expect problems for calling it what it is..... as long as it is legal to import.

I ship many knives to Canada from the US (and a few the other way) and 95% of the packages I receive have been opened for inspection. Call it what you want, they will know what it is when they see it.

Kevin
 
Cutlery is the best way to list it.....They are going to open them most of the time so they are going to know what it is.....Honesty is the best policy....
 
No reason to change the facts, if it is a knife , call it a knife. If it is worth $45, say so. Before I stopped shipping International I got asked almost every time to falsify Customs Documents, to call it a gift or to say it was worth a fraction of true value. Life is too short to have to be deceptive to make a sale and jeopardize your Integrity.
 
kershawguy said:
No reason to change the facts, if it is a knife , call it a knife. If it is worth $45, say so. Before I stopped shipping International I got asked almost every time to falsify Customs Documents, to call it a gift or to say it was worth a fraction of true value. Life is too short to have to be deceptive to make a sale and jeopardize your Integrity.
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Exactly.
 
kershawguy said:
No reason to change the facts, if it is a knife , call it a knife. If it is worth $45, say so. Before I stopped shipping International I got asked almost every time to falsify Customs Documents, to call it a gift or to say it was worth a fraction of true value. Life is too short to have to be deceptive to make a sale and jeopardize your Integrity.
Click to expand...

Customs in some countries may wrongfully seize a lawful to possess knife if they think it appears "weaponlike" but would overlook a gardening tool (hawkbills and kerambits work well for pruning bushes).

Other countries have corrupt customs agents who are permitted to steal with impunity. In those cases, I see no problem with turning a $150 custom knife into a "gift" with a value of ten bucks.

As long as you aren't trying to smuggle illegal items or are grossly inflating the value of insured items I fail to see the ethical dilemma here. And if there is a dilemma, don't ship internationally.
 
kershawguy said:
No reason to change the facts, if it is a knife , call it a knife. If it is worth $45, say so. Before I stopped shipping International I got asked almost every time to falsify Customs Documents, to call it a gift or to say it was worth a fraction of true value. Life is too short to have to be deceptive to make a sale and jeopardize your Integrity.
Click to expand...


It is a shame that people will do that. When I order I usually suggest as I am often asked by sellers, to either put Camp tool, Knife or whatever they are comfortable with. "Camp tool" seems to be a universally acceptable description and have received that feedback from Canada Customs. As a buyer never ask to falsify the customs form.:)
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
Customs in some countries may wrongfully seize a lawful to possess knife if they think it appears "weaponlike" but would overlook a gardening tool (hawkbills and kerambits work well for pruning bushes).

Other countries have corrupt customs agents who are permitted to steal with impunity. In those cases, I see no problem with turning a $150 custom knife into a "gift" with a value of ten bucks.

As long as you aren't trying to smuggle illegal items or are grossly inflating the value of insured items I fail to see the ethical dilemma here. And if there is a dilemma, don't ship internationally.
Click to expand...

In life we tend to Justify things to make us feel better about being deceptive or to make our actions okay , even though they really aren't. You can do what you want and I certainly wouldn't think badly of you for doing it, but just because we know that there are corrupt people out there, does not mean that we need to become them to do business. The Truth is black and white , no matter how we try to Justify It.
 
When I import knife's into Canada,I ask that it be marked as a gift (just so I don't get charged duty & customs fees,on top of everything else).

It gets marked with it's true value.

For it's description,it gets marked as,Hand tool,cutting tool,camping tool,cutlery.Always one of the 4.

I'm lucky out of 50-60 packages I have never had one opened by customs.

If you falsify info on the custom form and they find out.You just screwed yourself,

your not gonna get your package,and you end up on there black list.

Not worth it.

IMO your better off sticking to the truth,and not importing restricted knives.
 
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Be careful marking things as "gifts" with no value as I have apparently had too many people trying to help me out with purchases and now my identity is recorded with customs (as said on a sticker with my last parcel), even though I had a change of heart after asking (against my better judgement) a knifemaker to report it as a gift a couple of years ago. Now I am bitten by not asking them to not mark it as a gift!
 
On all the knives I've gotten from overseas I've always told the seller to simply put knife, or maybe pocket knife for a folder, and to list the exact sale price. Never had a problem with customs.
 
Hand Tool

And regards to value, if it goes missing and the value stated is $50.00 for a $400.00 knife guess what you are going to receive !.

Pla by the rules and you will be fine :).

Tim
 
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