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International shipping

6 posts · March 1, 2022 to March 4, 2022 · Archived from the original AirgunWarriors.com forum

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I recently responded to a WTB ad on the classifieds. The guy was looking for a 19" Chaser barrel. I have a 19" Dragonfly barrel that would work. He was interested, so I responded with $20 plus shipping. He said that sounds good, let me know what the shipping would be. Problems ensued when he sent me his mailing address, in Bulgaria! 184 Euros for a 2X3X20" box weighing about 2 lbs. That was DHL, which was the cheapest of UPS, USPS Intl, and FedEx.

Suffice it to say that the deal did not go thru.

If/when DHL figured out what it was, they would likely return it.

@pneumatic-addict Or not return it. The only way they'd accept it is if you weren't completely honest on your CI.

Pardon my intrusion, but I think this depends heavily on how the carrier perceives the sender.

As a professional gunsmith I have shipped enough airguns abroad to know that it is not easy, nor cheap, but sometimes it is worth for the customer to pay the extra cost.

Taking the original example, I calculated using my carrier shipping a complete Stormrider (small rifle) to Sofía (Bulgaria). 

The cost, FULLY insured ($650 value) for a 10 lb package came at US$250. Now using a Chinese made scope and doing the "Country of Origin" calculations, this system could claim to be "Made in the USA" I am sure that the hypothetical Bulgarian customer would have have to pay VAT and import taxes, but when he purchases locally, he also needs to do that.

And as a company, you NEVER "aren't completely honest" as to what you are shipping.

Some countries have laws that require that even the importation of parts receives a permit. Other countries only concern themselves with complete guns and it is the receiver's obligation to provide proof of his legal capacity to acquire such goods.

Under ITAR, the EU has implemented the requisite of requesting an export permit for everything that in ANY country in the EU is deemed a firearm.

Those that have received shipments from Krale lately will have noticed that there is a set of copies of the "permit to export weapons" with the rifle.

Each case has to be handled individually. But it is possible and doable.

HTH

HM

@hector-j-medina-g 

Hector,

The shipping quotes I received were for a generic box of X size and Y weight. It had nothing to do with the contents. I didn't even get that far. Had I gotten that far, I could have in all honesty said I was shipping a metal pipe. But like I said, I didn't even get to that point before simple shipping costs made the transaction prohibitive.

@jiminpgh 

Hello Jim.

If you just quoted the weight and dimensions, then I understand that you got a quote that was 2X higher than it should have been.

Companies, ALL companies, run something they call "Revenue Managers" in their websites.

The function, as you might guess, is to maximize the revenue. Those programs are betting on people not knowing what are truly the market values of things.

I do agree completely with you and as the example I posted, unless you are dealing with a "high value item" (things in excess of $400), it is not worth it to ship to Europe.

Keep well and shoot straight!

HM

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Shipping

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