doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com can you ship a 1880 directly from the UK to me

I have been importing and exporting since 1973, it has only got more difficult and more expensive. Even at the same airport, the actual customs agent can make things easy or difficult.

Generally its not worth the added expense if you are handling only one gun unless its something you really want or unique/expensive. Costs and time the same as bringing in a 100 gun or a 5000 one.

I never bring in less than 4 try to do 5

Best


John

I can't provide qualified advice on this topic but I can provide a case study that is unfolding for me at this time:

I bought a gun at auction in the U.K. for 400 pounds sterling in December. After all the shipping, licensing and fees were tabulated (and converted to US dollars) my sunk costs for the gun and the Queen's government were about $1400. That allowed me to go to step B.

Step B. Since the gun was made in 1887 it entitled me and the seller to less paperwork. It is an antique pre-1897 gun by UK standards (not sure all the benefits but the seller was pleased by this fact for the sake of less paperwork). It is also a pre-1899 arm by US standards meaning it is not a firearm by BATF standards. In short, I did not need to fill out a Form 6 and wait for approval for 60 days, nor did I need to pay duty (>100 years old) nor did I have to hire an FFL to clear it through customs for me.

Step C. Once all these logistics were figured out, the UK government authorized the gun to be shipped out of the country to the USA. After several delays and missed dates, it shipped last week.

Current state: Fedex and customs were idiots and didn't know what they were supposed to do. They stopped the gun at Newark customs and locked it up. (it was supposed to be sent to Chicago customs so I could deal with it) Supposedly, it is going to be forwarded to Chicago next week and if all goes well I'll have it in hand.

The things I have not yet proven:

1. Will the customs officials believe the seller and my record books that the item is not classified as a gun because it was made in 1887?

2. Will I encounter hidden fees?

3. In spite of the law being on my side, will they try to force me to get an FFL to receive the parcel at customs out of sheer ignorance?

4. Will they reject it in ignorance because it doesn't include a form 6 license, even though it is not required?

5. Will it get lost with all these delays ongoing?

6. Will the item be worth $1400 when I get it in hand or did I buy junk to begin with?


I look at this as a neophyte experiment where my tuition is $1400 to gain the knowledge of how this works in practice. I'll have to see how this actually ends up.

Rookhawk:

Here are the answers to your questions

Probably


Best

John Boyd

Thanks I found an old hammer gun $450 I know through normal channels it would cost me a total of about $850 I was hoping since it was a 1880 hammer it coud be shipped directly.
Monty

Rookhawk: I hope that your case turns out better than mine did. I bought what was a very nice cased William Ford 12 bore at auction in the U.K. and had it shipped to Charlotte, NC. A company which calls itself CVI International, Inc. was put in charge of handling the shipment. Somewhere along the line two of the fou digit serial numbers were transposed and after paying CVI some exorbinant fees I was told that the gun was placed in storage with some company called CFS Logistics, Inc. deliverd by yet another company called Optimum Transportaional, LLC of Gastonia, NC.

Long story short between the three of them and the Customs Agent whose name I forget my gun was STOLEN in that the storage charges eventually exceeded what the gus is worth.

Moral of this story is if you are importing a gun from England, do not have it sent to Charlotte. Use someone like Diggory Hadoke to get your gun over here for you if the seller does not provide a guaranteed delivery service.

JMHO Best Regards, George

Update:

I did get my gun through customs today and it is a beauty.

The bad news is that customs were ridiculous. It was only by the mercy of one lady from upstairs that i got my gun at all. The clerks with a gun and a badge downstairs were the worst government bureaucrats i'd ever met. They gave me forms to fill out for a used car import! Told me they were right, etc.

One bad part, i did get hit with 2.4% duty on the gun which i think is wrong since it is over 100 years old. I couldnt fight it.

Importing is not for the faint of heart. I employ attorneys and regularly work with contracts, as do I have about 20 licenses and permits which require more knowledge of the law than most people can imagine...yet I was still in over my head at customs. Importer beware.

I hear stories like this. Quick playing it on the cheap. Use a license importer who know the ropes and make sure you use a broker who is in the know when it comes to guns. Most brokers/agent are not.

John Boyd