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Shipping a knife to Russia for repair

C

calebpo

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Nov 10, 2012
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Hey Folks,

For several months, I have needed to ship a knife back to shiro for repair. The fear of having it confiscated by customs, filling out the custom forms wrong, or just straight having it stolen by mail workers has caused me to put this off. However, at this current juncture the knife is a completely non-functional paper weight so after staring at in the safe, I have decided to bite the bullet. I have been in contact with one of the CS people who advised me on what to write as far as "product" and "declared value" on the custom forms. My concern is goofing something up. Do i print customs forms before arriving at the post office, if so which forms? will USPS help me make sure I have not f'd the customs forms up? As advised, I will not being insuring this package as high dollar amounts tend to attract unwanted attention so it will be the gut wrenching roll of the dice on whether this knife makes it safely to destination. Any and all help/advice from anyone who has done this before and knows the ropes of shipping to Russia would be immensely appreciated.

Thanks so much for your help!
Caleb
 
It might be fully insured and registered...BUT...if it goes missing, you might have to wait a bit longer than desired to collect. (hearsay only)
I have made some foreign sales...several to Australia and Canada without any problem, and to Germany which took three months for the buyer to retrieve it from his country's customs. There are "occasions" when the knife gets through customs with fewer problems...when it is listed as a "used tool" rather than a "knife." Apparently, a "tool" doesn't draw as much attention and often is taxed much more leniently.
I also realize, that if you are trying to get the manufacturer to fix your knife, then you may not have lots of choices... It would be kind of nice to have an "off-campus" office here in the U.S. who could handle these off-shore complaints. After all, some of those Russian knives can be a whole bunch of bucks to purchase...
 
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If I am not mistaken, once the package leaves the US, I think that the USPS stops covering/insuring it?
 
If you are really worried you could send it UPS/DHL/Fedex. It would cost a hell of a lot more but you wouldn't have to worry about USPS saying they wont insure international packages which is a concern.
 
Do exactly as Shiro recommends. They have a lot of experience in receiving/shipping packages.
Make sure that the address is exactly as it was supposed to be, double/triple check. I also like to fill out the customs form at home and get a couple extra in case I mess up.
You could also do as others have recommended with Fed Ex/DHL/UPS or overnight. Pricey but could be worth it.
The last package I sent to Russia and a Eastern European country went through fine. A little nerve wracking but no problems.
Cheers
 
May I ask what the issue is with the knife? There are people in the U.S. who may be able to help you. I know for a fact if it's a detent ball problem a member here could help you out. If you purchased it from Recon 1 they can possibly help you out as well.
 
stuff_things said:
May I ask what the issue is with the knife? There are people in the U.S. who may be able to help you. I know for a fact if it's a detent ball problem a member here could help you out. If you purchased it from Recon 1 they can possibly help you out as well.
Click to expand...

Left i in my pamts picket and the run through the washwr/dryer fully dosassembled it for me, all bearings, bearing retainers and backspacer screw are gone... :( i have two handles, pivot screw blade amd backspacer
 
folder geek said:
Do exactly as Shiro recommends. They have a lot of experience in receiving/shipping packages.
Make sure that the address is exactly as it was supposed to be, double/triple check. I also like to fill out the customs form at home and get a couple extra in case I mess up.
Cheers
Click to expand...

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

calebpo said:
Left i in my pamts picket and the run through the washwr/dryer fully dosassembled it for me, all bearings, bearing retainers and backspacer screw are gone... :( i have two handles, pivot screw blade amd backspacer
Click to expand...

I've been taught to double check my pants pockets, before loading my laundry into the washer, for this very reason. :(

Good luck, Caleb! :thumbsup:
 
ROFL, yea I'm pretty sure she doesn't see it that way, lord knows mine doesn't. I've lost more money that way... LOL
 
As someone suggested you may want to reach out to Recon 1. If I understand their deal with Shiro correctly, they're the exclusive authorized US dealer for Shirogorov, which should mean they also handle all warranty claims. If you bought the knife from them, they absolutely should help, but even if you didn't, it doesn't hurt to ask. They might end up handling the shipment of the knife back to Russia for you.
 
tyyreaun said:
As someone suggested you may want to reach out to Recon 1. If I understand their deal with Shiro correctly, they're the exclusive authorized US dealer for Shirogorov, which should mean they also handle all warranty claims. If you bought the knife from them, they absolutely should help, but even if you didn't, it doesn't hurt to ask. They might end up handling the shipment of the knife back to Russia for you.
Click to expand...
If you purchased the knife through Recon1, for sure they will handle shipping the knife for you to Russia and you have nothing to worry about.

If you bought it outside of Recon1 and it doesn't have a US-market authenticity card, they can't help you. I had just spoken to Tamar@R1 about this today because my serial 95T and 111 need to go in; I bought the 95T from them, but not the 111. I asked if it would be possible to put them in the same box, she said unfortunately they aren't able to facilitate the shipping of knives they didn't sell. Declaring it as a "camping tool" seems to be the way to go, from what I understand.
 
It'll never be new again, you're looking for a full rebuild- Any avenue for upgrade or mods while in this state? Ceramic bearings (just kidding)?

It would be nice to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the mistake.
 
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