Shipping Knives to the UK

[panch0]

I have an order I am just about done with. It is going to England(UK). I have been checking for info on customs there. The blade on it is 3.5" long and was wondering if you all had any info on whats legal to ship there and what is not. Thanks!

 

[rscoffey]

You might try this forum. I think they have a section on the laws in the UK:

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/

 

[Seals]

I sign off the customs form as "gift" and as a camping tool.oh wait. not really.

 

[PeterB]

I sent a gunstock blank to Demmark and it came back as illegal. I sanded off the pattern and it went through the next time. Strange people, them Euros. Brits cannot have ANY kind of ivory, even antique

 

[Will Leavitt]

Frank, best bet is to ask the customer EXACTLY how to fill out the necessary documents. He's the one on the hook usually for an illegal item so let him tell you how to do it... at least that's always been my approach to overseas orders.

 

[Don Hanson III]

Frank, best bet is to ask the customer EXACTLY how to fill out the necessary documents. He's the one on the hook usually for an illegal item so let him tell you how to do it... at least that's always been my approach to overseas orders.

That what I do.. So far has worked every time.

 

[Nuke41]

best bet is to ask the customer EXACTLY how to fill out the necessary documents. He's the one on the hook usually for an illegal item

That’s a common misconception. The customs form you fill out to mail a package out of the country is a US one, not a foreign declaration. While the recipient may also be on the hook in his country, if you falsely declare an export you are violating US customs laws and perhaps US postal regulations if you use USPS.

Most often foreign buyers want the shipper to falsely declare the nature of the item and its value; because the knife isn’t legal in their nation and/or because they want to avoid the import duty and VAT for high value items. While you might be able to justify declaring a knife as a “camping tool” or “garden implement” to US customs and postal officials you can’t justify using a false value on the declaration.

Any falsification of customs paperwork is a crime and the penalties can be severe, I suggest anyone thinking about doing that read USC Title 19. In reality does CBP, ICE or USPS show up on the doorstep of shippers with the intent to prosecute for something like a knife? Usually not, they will most likely only seize the item. Be warned however that a private seller making a once in a lifetime sale overseas and doing it incorrectly will likely be passed by without any significant legal action by US customs authorities, a knife maker with frequent overseas sales would be looked at differently.

 

[DaveMartell]

My suggestion would be to declare what it is without using the word "Knife" in the description, declare the full value of the item (this makes sense for insurance purposes), do not mark it as a gift as it's not, and most importantly understand that some countries do not allow the shipper to purchase the required amount of insurance to cover the loss should there be any. If I'm correct the UK only allows for something like $500 insurance (or maybe less even) to be purchased, discussing liability with the overseas customer is what's most important really.

 

[jdm61]

Well, as someone who has actually shipped a number of knives, I can tell you my experience. Listing the contents as "camping tools" and "gift" is quite common. Having the word "knife" on a package is a sure fire way to have it opened at Her Majesty's Customs main clearing facililty, which is affectionately known to the locals as Mt. Doom.
As for legality, short of specifically prohibited items like automatics, disguised knives like belt knives, etc, "kung fu weapons" like shurikens and "knuckle duster" knives like the WW1 trench knives, it is not illegal to own most knives in the UK. The crime is in carrying anything other than a sub 3 inch slipjoint. The othe thing that you cannot own is a curved sword over a certain length, but after much fighting by bladesmiths, there is an exception for swords made "by hand in the traditional manner" The purpose of this law was to ban the trade in cheap knock off katanas, which, by the sensationalized press accounts which the UK is well known for, were being used left and right by marauding bands of liquored up Chavs to slaughter everyone in sight.
As for ivory, the only kind of legal elephant ivory in the UK is stuff that is over 100 years old and has not been altered from it s original state. George Trumper, a very old and established Curzon Street barber shop and mens grooming store, was fined something like 20,000 pounds a couple for years back for merely restoring and revamping some antique ivory handled shaving gear.