Knifecenter to Australia via iGlobal

[jylong_away]

I've mulled for about a week before posting this. The fact that it took this long for any of my queries to get anywhere is probably the trigger for finally writing all this up here.

First off - this is not a negative post about Knifecenter.com as a company. Throughout this still-unresolved ordeal, they've been polite, efficient in their part of the transaction, and answered a whole load of mails and calls about my order. The actual problem I have lies in the postage system they use to ship things to Australia. So if you live in the US, or any other country that doesn't require them to ship using iGlobal, then don't worry - KC still seems to be as dependable as ever.

So, what's my issue?

I ordered a couple of discontinued Foursevens flashlights from KC on the 5/26. Their website explains quite clearly about their partnership with iGlobal for shipping to Australia, going through their reasons for said partnership(customs clearences, etc etc). Aparently the shipping info/updates/etc are managed by iGlobal. In this case, since flashlights aren't restricted in Australia (as opposed to just about *any* folding knife), I wasn't too concerned.

Order placement was smooth, and the iGlobal checkout page stated that in-stock items(which these were) would ship the next day, and that tracking info would be forwarded. I selected USPS ePacket for shipping, which I was lead to believe from a Google search is sorta like First Class with a bit more tracking. Postage cost was *steep* at $51, but I really wanted the lights, and you can't really get them at many places anymore. You can seriously get USPS Express or other courier options from most places at that price.

Fast forward to the end of the next day (5/27), and the iGlobal page for my order still listed it as 'processing'. I was having a separate e-mail conversation with KC at the time about other products, and they mentioned offhand that my order had in fact shipped on the evening of the 26th(I told u - efficient!). I was a bit curious about the lack of tracking info on my order page, so called iGlobal directly to inquire(that's what it says to do on the KC site)

Now here's where it gets confusing, so I'm going to try and bullet point it:

1) I'm told by iGlobal that KC is supposed to forward tracking info to them which hasn't been done yet.
2) I then call KC, who says that USPS tracking info is supposed to be organized by iGlobal. KC just attaches an iGlobal shipping label, and forwards it to the processing centre.
3) At this point, I decide to wait over the weekend to see if things sort themselves out
4) Monday(6/1) comes, and still no update. I call iGlobal, who now inform me that their actually waiting on *another* company to organise the physical shipping(not KC), and tracking number. I'm told that iGlobal is going to send an email inquiry to this 3rd company (apparently International Delivery Solutions) and I should hear back by midday in the US
5) Nothing happens for 24hrs, so I call iGlobal yet again, who say that all they can do is send another email inquiry. They don't even have a phone number to call at International Delivery Solutions. I specifically ask what can be done to escalate things if we get no reply, and I'm basically told that there isn't much, as iGlobal doesn't handle any physical shipping.
6) I call KC again, and speak to the rep who deals with iGlobal. I'm told they'll speak to someone in management there to try and get things going.
7) I finally get a tracking number today (6/3), 8 days after placing my order. But it doesn't end there...

The tracking info that I was given *does not register*. International Delivery Solutions(IDS) claimed it was because 'USPS is currently updating their pricing system, blabla', but I've ordered 3 other packages from the US this week (a bit of an online shopping bender, I know...) using First Class Mail, and they *all* track as per usual. 6 days in the system should be more than enough for something to show up. I'm really concerned that my package has actually not even been physically been posted into the USPS system yet *after 8 days*. For $51 in postage, I expected a bit more...

Confused by all this? Imagine how I feel...

Bottom line is that I won't be ordering from KC again unless they start to offer a less convoluted shippnig method. It just feels like too many involved parties, with not enough accountability. I couldn't find any reviews here about using iGlobal from Knifecenter, so I I figured I should share...


SMALL UPDATE: So my gut feeling was confirmed, and the package is still sitting in the IDS forwarding service warehouse - not even picked up by USPS yet. 8 days and not even *shipped*. This from a company who's apparent mission statement is:

"To be the best international mail consolidator in the United States of America: efficient, fast, flexible — always meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations." (copy/pasted from their website)

iGlobal has now said that it will "probably ship by the end of the week". This is, however, coming from the same rep who said that it had most likely already shipped back on Monday....

 

[jylong_away]

Update:

After 10 days, about a half dozen international calls, and numerous emails, I finally got some concrete information about the processing of my package. Apparently the timeline went something like this:

27/5 Shipped from Knifecenter to iGlobal
29/5 Shipped from iGlobal to IDS
2/6 Arrived at IDS
3/6 Apparently shipped out via USPS ('I say apparently' because USPS tracking only shows a shipping label being generated)

The amount of 'lateral transit' within the US before starting on it's way to me is bordering on ridiculous. I'm sure having them administrate the postal options is easier for knifecenter, but it feels like a whole lot of extra time and money wasted for the end user, with no comparative benefit. The worst thing was that it took this much time and badgering both iGlobal and Knifecenter directly to get even this much information.

 

[Andy the Aussie]

Utter BS mate and $51 shipping ... !!!

 

[choombak]

Next time ship it to me, and I'll send it your way - First class with registered should be about $30. Because it is registered, it will show up on Australian tracking systems as well.

 

[jbmonkey]

Dumb question...but is it that cheaper to buy from the states than your own countries dealers?

 

[jylong_away]

Dumb question...but is it that cheaper to buy from the states than your own countries dealers?

Surprisingly, it does tend to be cheaper for a lot of things(especially knives). Given how the exchange rates are going though, that may change. The other issue is availability. Knives from the major US makers tend to be scarce here, and now even direct international ordering is a minefield due to anti-knife laws and customs issues.

In this case KC were one of the only stores to stock this discontinued item anywhere. I did eventually find it somewhere else (and in retrospect, should have ordered from there) but by then my KC order had left their building.

 

[jylong_away]

Utter BS mate and $51 shipping ... !!!

I know...I'm struggling not to make to many disparaging comments about 'middle men' at the moment, becasue I know it's not an accurate generalization, but *grrr*....

iGlobal has even had the stones to ask me to 'wait patiently' for my order. I don't think they seem to realize that it's not the slow carriage of First Class mail that bothers me (that's expected) - it's people not doing their part in the process that's their actual job!

 

[jbmonkey]

Surprisingly, it does tend to be cheaper for a lot of things(especially knives). Given how the exchange rates are going though, that may change. The other issue is availability. Knives from the major US makers tend to be scarce here, and now even direct international ordering is a minefield due to anti-knife laws and customs issues.

In this case KC were one of the only stores to stock this discontinued item anywhere. I did eventually find it somewhere else (and in retrospect, should have ordered from there) but by then my KC order had left their building.

Understood. Thanks for the info. Hopefully you get your stuff soon.

 

[JR88FAN]

This is the result of 18 different shipping companies getting involved to send out one simple package.....

It's must be easier this way as opposed to using one?

Pre-clearance is irrelevant, I am certain that Australian customs is much more efficient then this?!

 

[jylong_away]

This is the result of 18 different shipping companies getting involved to send out one simple package.....

It's must be easier this way as opposed to using one?

Pre-clearance is irrelevant, I am certain that Australian customs is much more efficient then this?!

I totally agree - back 'in the day'(pre-2011 rule change) when Australian Customs didn't ban basically every folding knife in the mail, the only confiscation I ever had was a warranty return sent to me via UPS. The ones that went through the usual Customs Depot at the airport(including these very same knives when they were first ordered) were inspected and passed.

 

[RevDevil]

Ah man, I hate hearing about this kind of thing. It makes me really not want to ship things overseas. It is these things combined with customs interception, and laws that may not be to clear to use Yanks. I sure hope things work out mate, keep us posted.

 

[jylong_away]

Ah man, I hate hearing about this kind of thing. It makes me really not want to ship things overseas. It is these things combined with customs interception, and laws that may not be to clear to use Yanks. I sure hope things work out mate, keep us posted.

Thx man - so far the shippnig status is stuck at 'label generated' on the 6/3. It's claimed to have shipped, but the parties involved don't exactly have my trust right now. In all honesty, USPS as a shipping company seems to get things to us here in Aus just fine. I think this all happened because it *wasn't* just handed over tto USPS directly.

The big problem for us is Aus Customs, as knife import laws tend to be swayed by the political climate (think NYC). Most of us here are pretty familiar with the import risks when we order. Not sure what % of people try and backflip to actually blame the seller, but I know a fair few people who have requested the seller to take a return, since Customs are sometimes nice and will do a 'return-to-sender'

 

[Andy the Aussie]

Ah man, I hate hearing about this kind of thing. It makes me really not want to ship things overseas. It is these things combined with customs interception, and laws that may not be to clear to use Yanks. I sure hope things work out mate, keep us posted.

.... I have a 100% success rate with over 100 blades from the US (about $30K value). Only two packages have ever even been opened and inspected (but all are scanned for content). This is because all the knives (generally - see the following exceptions) I import are fixed blades. Folders are another issue here these days and not worth the trouble IMHO. I have however imported two Emerson A100s without issue under the present regime, both inspected and passed BTW.

 

[zzyzzogeton]

OK, Andy, being totally clueless about Australian Knife laws and Customs Import laws, why is there a more severe clampdown on folding knives vs. fixed blades? What is the reasoning (or lack thereof) on the politicos part???

 

[jylong_away]

OK, Andy, being totally clueless about Australian Knife laws and Customs Import laws, why is there a more severe clampdown on folding knives vs. fixed blades? What is the reasoning (or lack thereof) on the politicos part???

Supposed concealability mostly....plus the same old 'gangster movie' concerns about balisongs/automatics/AOs..

 

[craytab]

OK, Andy, being totally clueless about Australian Knife laws and Customs Import laws, why is there a more severe clampdown on folding knives vs. fixed blades? What is the reasoning (or lack thereof) on the politicos part???

Just like many states and localities here, a folding knife can be perceived differently state to state or city to city. If a cop really wants to he can make most any knife act like a gravity knife. I shipped to Canada once and the guy asked me to tighten the pivots down so there was no way they could be considered anything resembling a gravity knife.

 

[Chris Larrikin]

OK, Andy, being totally clueless about Australian Knife laws and Customs Import laws, why is there a more severe clampdown on folding knives vs. fixed blades? What is the reasoning (or lack thereof) on the politicos part???

The short answer is our Customs Regulations require them to care more about a wider variety of folders than fixed blades and in there is anecdotal information that in the past there have bewn inconsistencies in how they were interpreted at the border. It specifically relates to assisted openers, automatics etc but sometimes some bright spark gets overzealous.

Things are much better than they were a couple of years ago and rumor has it that it will be even better soon.

Fixed blades will generally only cause issues if they're fighting knives like daggers and trench knives.

Like Andy I have bought quite a few fixed blades here and never had issues.

 

[Andy the Aussie]

Yeah, it was about a change in the Regulation (which in our legislative system is the document that supports the conditions/stipulations of the Act in practice) that saw a much more restrictive interpretation of what was a "flick" or "gravity knife", both of which are prohibited imports. Your average Buck 110 or slip joint etc are still fine and are still available. Even the boarder testing process was unclear and varied from port to port. I eventually received a video from Aus Customs showing the "Official Test" for my own reference (when I was asking to ensure I did not inadvertently attempt to import a prohibited item). As I noted elsewhere, I did happily import (and they were tested) a couple of Emerson A100s.

I am not a huge folder guy anyway but it is really annoying given your average scumbag uses a $5 kitchen knife from the supermarket for his wrong doings and I can't import a $500 CRK.

“Knuckle Duster” or “Trench Knives” are no nos and “Daggers” can be problematic though they are OK if you just jump through the hoops and get the correct paperwork.

I had a box of 12 Busses stopped and held, but only for tax purposes, no concern about the contents !! The hardest part of that was the negotiation with Customs on the phone to determine the correct assessment code to use for the knives… LOL

 

[stefo123]

OK, Andy, being totally clueless about Australian Knife laws and Customs Import laws, why is there a more severe clampdown on folding knives vs. fixed blades? What is the reasoning (or lack thereof) on the politicos part???

Public safety - a city called Melbourne is basically doing pat down searches for knives at train stations and issuing $1000 fines for carrying with out a valid reason!