Question: Bayonet sale to buyer in Great Britain

[Buntline]

Well it's here. Not a hint of difficulty anywhere along the line. It was sent USPS Priority Mail international, Click-N-Ship. On the customs declaration, in the contents box , he marked x 'other' -explanation 'collectors item' & in the detailed description 'obsolete blade sample over 100 yrs old for collector'. The bayonet's lovely. The blade looks like it was made last week, so much so I was worried for a moment - but only a moment. I bough it from Jason Kaplan at J & J Military Antiques, mnt. Bethel in Pennsylvania. Very pleasant to deal with & v. professional. I haven't had a long look at it as it's for my birthday next month. Happy birthday Me!

[gew8805]

Thanks very much for the encouraging post, it sounds like you got an excellent example.

[Lobo RSA]

Hi I have been following this thread with interest

AM in South Africa and tried to purchase a bayonet in the UK to be sent here No luck at all They would not send it?

Purchased a bayonet from a USA dealer and it was sent without a whisper. Did the same with a Dutch dealer and smiling all the way

Latest was a swap with a friend in Norway. I sent him a FN type B with normal air tracking postage and he returned the pleasure with a Finish M62 Fiskars the same way Delivery was 10 days either way and we are both smiling and will be doing it again

We put low values to them marked as "used display blade" and GIFT No hassles at all I must add that no courier company would accept them and when quoted were very expensive Postal service was a breeze and cheap in comparison

[Peter Laidler]

It's just the UK Royal Mail. Nobody quite knows where this absurd garbage/ruling came from. But as they are now a privatised utility, they can just, well....., invent their own rules. Long live the private buccaneers I say. The old Rover cars were the same. Priced themselves out of the market. Being called 'Rover' they thought they were VW or BMW but were marketing Austin/Morris crap, or Scrap!

[Patt1903]

Just been following this thread a bit. I've recently posted items to a friend in Australia, and I asked to insure that there are no new hangups with their postal service. As long as I mark the items "Antique Collectible Bayonet" on the customs inspection paperwork there has been no problems with him receiving items through the post. Just the cost of shipping and insurance can be a pain though.

[Peter Laidler]

It just seems to be the UK and Royal Mail in particular Patt1903. I think the answer is a little creativity in your description. Even though there is a description on the custome declaration, they still ask what the contents are. I asked why and the post office lady replied '..... that's just for the customs at the entry point in the US. Not for the Post Office here........' I mean...., how stupid is that? A declaration is a declaration is a declaration surely! I just told her loudly, for all to hear that it was a king size telescopic vibrator! Well, it was in a 12" long bright yellow tubular box. Has it got there yet Brian............?

[Brian Dick]

I only know what I've learned as a registered exporter since the late 1990's. Mostly the hard way too. I could type horror stories here all day and bore y'all to death. DDTC, (Dept. of State) and BIS, (Dept of Commerce) are currently sorting out many things between them and changes are being made. Tons of folks don't pay any attention to ITAR and its export requirements from both agencies. It is brutally confusing and frustrating at times. Shipments to countries another than Canada of any ITAR controlled items has a $100 maximum, (Canada is $500), before export licensing is required. However; by law, even with exempted shipments, the shipper is required to be registered with Dept of Commerce/Census in the Automated Export System, (AES), in order to lodge and obtain an International Transaction Number, (ITN), before any kind of shipment by post or common carrier even if the value is below the licensing requirement. It's so confusing to most including the folks that regulate it, (namely Customs and Border Protection), that I often wonder if it will ever work. There's simply too much volume to keep some packages from slipping through the cracks. I had a call a month or so ago from a collector in North Carolina that had a package refused by the Post Office because it lacked the AES ITN. I offered to lodge and send it for him at $25 and actual shipping cost but the buyer on the other end declined. I'm guessing these agencies are slowly coming into compliance with one another and we'll start to have more stories of declined posting and seized items as time goes on. There is so much over regulation and bloat in government now that one of the big problems I see is that you can ask 10 different people from any of the regulating agencies the same exact question and get 10 different answers.

---------- Post added at 03:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:14 PM ----------

Peter, No, it's not back yet. I asked a prominent firearms attorney and head of the FAIR Trade watchdog group in Washington, DC if sending the scopes over for repair and return required temporary export licensing and the reply was no. If a US resident sends a scope out of the country permanently after auction sale or whatever, it does require export licensing. See what I mean about massive confusion?

[Lobo RSA]

Hi All, I again find this very interesting and am of the opinion that it could affect more of us than it seems. I am however only talking bayonets and no other goods.

When purchasing from a dealer surely he must have an export license as the goods are sent with an invoice ?

When making a purchase on E-Bay some are dealers and others are private sellers but proof of purchase must be added to the parcel to clear customs. What about export regulations?

When sent as a gift to a friend however there is no purchase involved and customs will only add vat etc and no export licence is possible?

Does this mean that the net is closing and in time we will not be able to do cross border trading at all !!!!!

[Brian Dick]

Google ITAR, (International Traffic in Arms Regulations). It's all there although you'll most likely need to hire a lawyer to read it to you. In the USA, (although many are in denial), it is the law of the land and applies to all firearms, parts, accessories and other significant equipment exports. ITAR is applicable whether you're an individual, dealer or registered exporter. Folks who just mail or carry items out of the country are in violation if they get caught. Simple as that. I wouldn't say the net is closing but when all of the agencies involved in enforcement including the Post Office finally come into line with each other, it will become a much more difficult endeavor for those who choose to ignore it. Anyone wanting a proper education can contact Johanna Reeves of Reeves and Dola. She is the CEO of the F.A.I.R Trade group and an excellent firearms attorney practicing in Washington, DC.