posting edged weapons to/from the UK

[torstenbel]

Could anyone help me please? Is it legal to post edged weapons to anywhere in the world from the UK and is it legal to receive edged weapons in the UK from anywhere in the world? Cheers, Torsten.

PS: I suspect of course that this is not legal...but how do you guys go about doing it anyhow...are there any ways around it without getting arrested?

[LES Y]

I have bought many daggers from the States and have never had any problems with the Police or Customs. I don't know if there would be any problems now following the knife amnesty and changes in the law. I suggest you contact your local Police Force and Customs office just to be on the safe side. Get the names and numbers of the persons giving you the info just in case things go wrong.

[torstenbel]

Hi Les, thank you very much for your reply. Would anyone have experience in posting edged weapons to the USA recently? Cheers, Torsten.

[sparks]

I too have had quite a few posted from the States to the UK, with no problems so far, i always get the seller to use a vague description of the item for the customs declaration, for example say the packet contains a letter opener or used cuttlery, dont actually lie about the contents or you risk it being confiscated if opened, also have the seller declare it as a gift and reduce the value of it to about $35 otherwise the customs will levy a charge on it which usually means it would have been cheaper to buy it here, ( this happened to me once with an armband when the seller described it as merchandise ).
"used protective headgear" is another favorite description if you bring in a steel helmet.
Good luck with it.
Cpl.

[amydron]

I have never had a problem either sending or receiving bayonets and swords.
I believe honesty is the best policy as far as Customs declarations are concerned.
I always describe the contents as 'Military Collectible over Sixty Years Old', and if receiving items ask the seller to clearly mark the package this way too.
Customs will have access to X-Ray equipment for suspect packages, but in dealings over the past ten years there has never been a query or delay.
I know the situation may change in the future, but believe a correct description goes a long way to ensuring fair treatment by Customs Authorities.
If in any doubt, it is always good policy to check with your local authorities regarding the classification of genuine collectible or antique items.
Regards,
RAY.

[torstenbel]

so really, there is no problem in posting these around the world then, providing some precautions are taken when filling in the customs forms? I certainly would have thought that posting within the UK and within the EU would be no problem, but outside of the EU I was not that sure...?? Reason why I am asking is that I just bought a Luftwaffe dagger from someone in South America and I was just unsure about what might happen to it on its way to me.... well, lets see what happens...thanks for your responses. Cheers, Torsten.

[sdp]

I've never had any problems either, in or out of the country.

Only once the Royal Mail staff questioned whether I could post a dagger to the States but after looking through their information, they couldn't find anything to say that I couldn't.

However, I have heard that there is one courier company, (possibly UPS), that won't deliver/carry daggers, as they consider it to be a weapon but that is the freight company's policy, not the law.

Just make sure that you place a return address on the packaging and make sure you fill out the customs forms with a fairly accurate description if you're posting outside of the EU.

[torstenbel]

I've never had any problems either, in or out of the country.

Only once the Royal Mail staff questioned whether I could post a dagger to the States but after looking through their information, they couldn't find anything to say that I couldn't.

However, I have heard that there is one courier company, (possibly UPS), that won't deliver/carry daggers, as they consider it to be a weapon but that is the freight company's policy, not the law.

Just make sure that you place a return address on the packaging and make sure you fill out the customs forms with a fairly accurate description if you're posting outside of the EU.

thank you for the tips...

[JasonS]

Each country has laws about what can be imported. Thankfully the UK and USA is ok about knives.

On a side note, certain knives are illegal in certain states. For example...a German paratrooper gravity knife is technically illegal in California by the laws wording. I don't know of any actions ever taken against collectors having one sent to them since the law is meant to prohibit switch blades or spring loaded knives, but you never know when a postal inspector might get zealous. Anyone ever hear of this being a problem?

Interesting to note that it is against the law to send any horror comics or greeting cards decorated with ground glass to England.

[mustang]

hi,when bringing daggers in from US to UK i always phone the HM customs and excise office that you can find on their website,if you give them your details and a description of item they will log it for you and speeds things up when it arrives in uk (usually this still takes 1.5/2 weeks once arrived).
tell them you are private purchaser not VAT registered(theyll need your postcode) and that the item is over 60 years old and of historic interest,ask for a `commodity code` for reduced import duties and reduced vat.
they will sometimes then charge no duties and reduce the dreaded VAT,sometimes not charge anything at all,ask seller to clearly mark on packaging
"commodity code 9705000090 duty free - pre 1950 historic item..VAT rate reduced"
this can make a heck of a difference ,depends on value of item if you pay any VAT or not,ive had under ******163;100 for zero VAT and on ******163;2500 they charged 5%,but a lot better than 17.5%.
but whatever you do .dont lie in description....every single parcel brought into UK is X rayed and they have advisors on values,they`ll confiscate if they feel your diddlin` then it takes months to argue the point.if youve picked up a bargain its hard to say to seller to put your value on the item,put what you paid for it on value and ask seller to put a clear receipt in with it...if its ebay then ask them to print a copy of the page it sold on or copy the ebay invoice they sent,that way they can check what you did pay)



hope this helps and saves you a little cash,
mustang