Importing to Australia

D

Danito

Joined
Jan 14, 2008
Messages
130
Does anyone have any experience with sending knives to Australia (or for any Australians out there, receiving knives in Australia from overseas)?

Just wondering what our customs laws are like and what, if any, procedures there are.

I basically want to buy a Benchmade Nitrous Stryker, which I cannot find for sale anywhere here in Aus. I know its assisted opening, but so is the SOG Trident and that is legal here.

Any help is appreciated.

Danito.
 
Assisted openers have a very good chance of being seized by customs. The SOG Trident you saw might have had the assisted opening feature disabled. I know SOG sends some of their knives with the assisted opening removed to some of the foreign countries.

Edit: I also knew a fellow that inquired about either SOG Twitch II or Kershaw Leek (@ Wellington Surplus) and they said their versions didn't have the assisted opening
 
Thanks for your help.
I have also sent an email to customs with the details of the knife so will post the outcome!
Funny how every now and then a trident (with action supposedly intact) appears on ebay located in aus!
 
No worries mate. I think I know which seller you're talking about. He used to sell a few of the Benchmade assisted openers too
 
This is becoming very difficult, Down Under! If local retailers charged a reasonable markup, I wouldn't bother, but $599 for a Spyderco Forager? :eek:
Anyway, I've had normal liner lock knives confiscated, because they allegedly are capable of being opened 'by centrifugal force'. That means that if a customs officer shakes any pocket kife vigorously enough for the blade to open it WILL be siezed. They have also threatened me with prosecution, claiming that I did not exercise my duty of care in verifying that the knives complied with Australian law. Anything with an adjustable pivot screw is at risk, including some very well-made and very expensive knives. Not the most scientific test, methinks, but it's not going to change any time soon. :rolleyes:
 
Hey, just my two cents.. I recently tried to purchase a Byrd Meadowlark from the US and I have been looking at laws and whatnot and I even emailed customs for their ruling. The customs dude said:
"The Spyderco Byrd Meadowlark G-10 -BY04G is controlled under Schedule 2, Item 19 of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 therefore Ministerial permission to import is required."
"To obtain permission to import you will first need to contact the Police Firearms Registry in your State/Territory and obtain a B709B Form - Importation of Weapons - Police Confirmation Form. This form is used to advise Customs that the Police have no objection to you possessing the items in your State/Territory of residence."
So aparantly they deem whether you're allowed to import knives now, and they can confiscate even a harmless looking Byrd Meadowlark, so I wouldnt' risk any tactical blades, or expensive ones for that matter. I've heard of Benchmade axis locks as automatically being classified as illegal under "auto knives" or something like that.
Hope that helps, dude.
 
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