Any experience importing from Canada as a C&R?

[Brian Dick]

Just getting the 08 FFL doesn't allow you to import. You must also register under AECA at $250 a year before you can do imports. You must also have an import broker, even if clearing shipments personally upon entry. I have two. One for airfreight into Atlanta and the other for face-to-face entries at Port Huron, MI. CBP will not deal directly with you as a licensed importer. I also have great freight forwarders. One in Boston and I've worked with a couple of fine forwarders in the UK who I can't speak highly enough about. I also have accounts with Dept of Commerce, Customs and Border Protection and Department of the Census. If you want to get licensed to import so you can enhance your own collection, I wouldn't bother. If you're serious about offering a brokering service or importing for commercial resale, you must dedicate all of your time, have competent help and legal counsel, marking equipment and be prepared to be inspected much more frequently than a regular 01 FFL or even 02 Pawnbroker. You will have to be an ITAR registrant with Dept of State in order to broker which will cost $2000+ a year or more depending on your volume. Many have your same attitude about costs. You will be amazed how much money you collect and then shell out with very little left over for your time and effort. Much like everything else, these things are being slowly designed so that the little guys like me are out and the only survivors are big outfits with tons of money to fall back on.

The ban on Russian C&R military import/export has been in place since the Obama administration. I wouldn't hold my breath about it ever changing considering the current political climate and state of affairs with Russia. The five-year attestation letter from a different country of ownership makes no difference.

[Agambard1990]

Sounds like a nightmare. Thanks for laying all that out. While I'd love to get into something like that, I simply do not have the time that I would surely need to dedicate right now. It's unfortunate because shady businesses like RTI are going to continue to scoop up massive amounts of imports and dictate the price for shoddy milsurps for the foreseeable future. If I can find a way to make the money work, I might consider it some day. But if things keep going in the direction they are, it may never be worth it..

I'll just stay in my lane for now and focus on finding treasures within the US.