US Customs vs Straight Razors

Hello, guys!

I've got a winning bid from USA on my Wade & Butcher last night. This morning I woke up, coffee+toiletry, then on my merry way to ship it. Had the razor thoroughly inspected by the customs guy, who advised me against sending it. He was trying to save me the money, because apparently US high level security alert will have that package bounced back. I was told that last week they returned to sender a drafting compass (sharp steel point)!
As an Ebay seller I cannot do that, although customs regulation from buyer's country are not my responsibility. My duty is to send it as advertised, which I did.

Now, has anyone tried that recently and failed? Has any US citizen bought a str8 from overseas without a problem? I'm asking just to know what to expect. My customs guy said I might get lucky, but that he doubted it. I said I had three razors shipped in from US and Canada in the past two weeks. He said they let almost anything out, but they don't leave anything IN.

If all goes south, I will issue a refund, but that means I'm stuck with the razor perhaps forever, this and any other I might have planned on selling via Ebay to the US - which is the biggest market for this.

I don't know what country you are in but when it comes to Customs U.S Customs is one of the most mild mannered outfits out there as compared to places like Canada and the UK which scrutinize everything and use Customs Duties as a mainstay for their economies. You shouldn't be having any problems shipping a razor as long as the paper work is properly completed and there are no issues with exotic materials in the scales.. That guy gave you bum dope.

I shipped two razors from the USA to Germany via USPS priority mail and it took 42 days. These were high dollar customs and I was on pins and needles until I got the good news that they finally arrived. I don't know about stuff coming into the USA from across the pond though. I find it hard to believe that an old straight razor wouldn't get through with no problem. Just might take longer than in the past. BTW, I never list "razor" on the customs form. Always "barber's tools" or shaving supplies. :gl:

This probably has to do with the heightened alert after Bin Laden getting hit.

Sure, some of those terrorists are threatening to shave!

I never had problems with razors coming from abroad, or knives or any other merchandise.

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Originally Posted by jcsixx

This probably has to do with the heightened alert after Bin Laden getting hit.

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Actually my package mentioned above was mailed shortly after the terrorist's attempt to bomb planes with toner cartridges packed with explosives. I heard a rumor that the postal service had started shipping stuff by sea but i don't know if there is anything to that. Certainly took long enough.

I just received a straight razor from Europe last Saturday; it was in transit for about a week

We ship quite a few razors to USA and Canada, never had a problem yet but we always list contents as 'shaving items' - stating 'cut throat razor' might just set the alarm bells ringing though why I don't know - they ship plenty of cook's knives and what do the slasher film baddies always use? Yep, the good old 14 inch Sabatier......

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Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Actually my package mentioned above was mailed shortly after the terrorist's attempt to bomb planes with toner cartridges packed with explosives. I heard a rumor that the postal service had started shipping stuff by sea but i don't know if there is anything to that. Certainly took long enough.

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Actually I think you are partially right. IIRC, packages leaving the US over a certain amount of ounces is whipped via water versus air. I shipped a TOS stone to South Africa not too long ago and it took almost a month & I too was on pins & needles.

Just think how many problems could be solved by requiring all air pasengers to fly naked plus banning shipments of anything by any means into or out of the US. Complex problems need simple solutions... I think I oughta run for Congress.

:beer2:

Thank you for taking the time to share your expertise with me. The news I hear are most fortunate. I certainly did not enjoy the perspective of having a deal go sour over something I'd consider stupid. I didn't write "shaving supplies" on the customs form, I wrote "straight razor". Indeed, "cut throat razor" sounded a little... off. Like I mentioned, this info came from a guy in customs, I have not dealt with or heard of anything like it before.

Kind regards to all,

Andrei,

I constantly have a flux of straight razors being shipped outside the US and coming my way from all over the globe. Except Canada, that can take up to 3 weeks, I have had zero issues so far. Everything arrives in less than 10 days both ways.

I recently decided against purchasing a seven day set of vintage straight razor from outside the US because they had ivory scales. I was told it would be illegal for me to import the razors to the US unless it could be documented that the ivory used in each of the scales was obtained legally, and that even then there could be problems. I do not know how they would ever find out that the box containing "shaving supplies" had ivory in it, but being that the penalty is a felony I decided against it...:(:(:(

Y'know I've gotten a number of ivory scaled straights from vendors overseas. All vintage and I don't think the average customs inspector would recognize it if it wasn't noted in the documentation. Then again, it is a roll of the dice.

Yes, that I've heard of. Ivory usually falls in the same category as diamonds when it comes to documentation and paperwork needed to import/export. On recently-made products. I bet that seven day set cost a fortune - as seven day sets usually do - as those handles alone must've cost one third of the price. But if the set was indeed old (vintage) do you still need to prove that it was obtained legally at the time of production? Which most likely it wasn't.

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Originally Posted by whiskeypete

But if the set was indeed old (vintage) do you still need to prove that it was obtained legally at the time of production? Which most likely it wasn't.

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I don't think you do. Especially if you don't mention it. Blueprinciple sold a gorgeous new TI ivory scaled 7 day set to a fellow who was outside the UK. Italy I think. I'm not sure if the ivory was pre-ban or what the story was but the customer received the razors. Of course a licensed vendor selling new items would have to document it.

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Originally Posted by whiskeypete

Yes, that I've heard of. Ivory usually falls in the same category as diamonds when it comes to documentation and paperwork needed to import/export. On recently-made products. I bet that seven day set cost a fortune - as seven day sets usually do - as those handles alone must've cost one third of the price. But if the set was indeed old (vintage) do you still need to prove that it was obtained legally at the time of production? Which most likely it wasn't.

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According to Custom's regs vintage means nothing. Antique items are different. To be an antique it has to be at least 100 years old and you need to be able to prove it.

FWIW, several months ago I purchased a razor with ivory scales (pre-ban) from a seller in the UK and it arrived in about a week with no problems. The seller wrote "straight razor" on the customs form attached to the envelope. More recently, I ordered a stiff-fronted dress shirt, detachable collar, and collar studs from a firm in the UK. I've not been able to find this type shirt available anywhere else; they're definitely not made anywhere in the US. Took about 2 weeks in shipment--was hung up in customs for at least a week. Go figure. Guess it just depends on who picks up your particular package.

In the past four months I have received razors from Canada, France, England, Sweden, Australia, and Bulgaria without a hitch. Most of them took about 10-14 days to arrive here at my USA home. There were no problems with customs or extra fees on the receiving end.

Ive just gotten in the past few months razors from,Germany,Italy and believe it or not Bulgaria-no problems at all.
Some came from Revisor and Puma so they know what compinies they came from. Just my experiances

US customs takes less than 10 days to ship and clear, Ive regularly sent packages all over the world and receive packages from all over including Iran. The US customs won't give you any grief over a razor, the only items I've ever had get caught up in customs was a few bottles of absinth and a high powered laser from hong kong. Don't worry to much about your Ebay feedback either if you tell them its hung up in customs they will understand

Ivory and diamonds might be pretty much alike in the quantity of paperwork required, but the reasons are quite different. Diamonds are a very portable, often stolen form of great wealth, which African peasants sometimes mine on a non-optional basis to support warlords. With ivory, despite supporting the occasional warlord, the main reason is the CITES treaty on the protection of endangered species. You could rescale a few razors with the pieces Indian elephant owners saw off, to prevent elephants from endangering each other in workplace disputes. But there is no exemption for that.

Intuitively, rather than from looking into it, my guess is that if something obviously not new had ivory parts, the lack of documentation might result in confiscation, but is less likely to result in prosecution. I think deliberately circumventing the law, and giving a market value to elephants recently deceased, is what they are really hot upon.

One annoying feature of the treaty is that you aren't allowed to recycle an old ivory object to make anything new, and possibly to rescale a razor. I can't see any elephant taking harm from that, but I suppose the idea is to close off a way of explaining objects made with smuggled ivory.

The British customs are indeed keen on collecting taxes, plus an iniquitous admin fee of £8, on postal imports. It only applies over £18 value, and the main element is Value Added Tax, which is simply the same as the ordinary domestic sales tax of 20%. I think the contribution to the economy is miniscule, and the main intention is to avoid protests from domestic retailers, who dread the competition. They very rarely open packages, and I had no trouble at all importing various European antique cartridge revolvers, including one with ivory grips.

For eBay sellers is it worth including a form of words they suggest, saying that import duties or delays aren't the seller's responsibility. If you include that, they will remove any feedback that criticises you for it.

In the U.S no one is going to get prosecuted for nickle and dime stuff. They just confiscate it. For bigger stuff the have civil money penalties. Prosecution is reserved for specific classes of violators.

A few weeks ago I got a Revisor from the factory in Germany. The shipping only took about one week, by regular post, not UPS. There were no problems.

I have a straight in ivory coming from Sweden that I ordered Monday...will get back with you when it makes it in.