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Shipping Expensive Sets *warning*
Brick_Obsession
in a "Brick" house - Calgary, AlbertaMember Posts: 656
in Collecting
Folks, I just wanted to let you know some of the experiences I have had over the last couple of months. I have sold some high end sets (#10179 and #10182). For reasons unbeknown to me it appears as though the customs agents have become more ignorant than ever before. They have a complete disregard for what is being sent. I would urge those of you selling high end sets to reconsider any shipping across borders. If you choose to sell across the border I encourage you to take the maximum out in insurance. I also encourage you to take before pictures of how you packaged it and how it was received on the other end. I have gone as far as to include letters inside my packaging to appeal to the agents, but alas, I had no idea that reading was so difficult to these people. As you will see below, where are some examples as to how they treat items.
Rant over! Hopefully a caution to others.
Rant over! Hopefully a caution to others.
11
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Comments
Give me a minute, feeling sick and it's not even mine.
Can I ask what side of customs was this done, sending, or receiving?. How was it sent i.e. Air freight, or via a courier?. And if it was in the receiving side, what country was this?
Was any paper work filed with the contents, codes etc. For customs clearance?
p.s. I take it the buyer paid import duty first, and then found the contents in this state..
Not nice, not nice at all...
I mean this with no disrespect but I'd imagine a letter in the parcel asking any customs officials to not damage the box is more likely to arouse suspicion than stop them.
honestly I don't think there's much that can be done to prevent this, but obviously taking lots of pictures before sending and insuring stuff as best as possible is the best thing to do.
My department was the last stop before palletized* packages were trucked a couple hours away and transferred to a plane bound for another country. Aside from loading, our primary job was to ensure customs information was in order for every package loaded.
Each package was searched for an invoice. If an invoice wasn't attached to the outside of the package, the package was set aside in a separate area and we had to open the package to search for an invoice. If an invoice wasn't inside the package, the package was set aside in another area and we had to contact the sender and request them to email or fax an invoice. If an invoice wasn't received by the end of the day, the package was set aside in yet another area (this one secured). If an invoice wasn't received in something like five days, the package was returned to the sender.
Once an invoice was found for a package, it was scanned to make sure the customs information entered matched the invoice (specifically, the type of good and, very specifically, the declared value). If the information didn't match or hadn't yet been entered, it was set aside in the data entry area where we entered or corrected the customs information to match the invoice, after which the package was re-scanned. If the information did match, the package was loaded.
TLDR? Attach to the outside of the package an invoice that clearly states the type of good and its value.
Some other tips:
Packages are likely opened with a typical box cutter. The blade on these extends about an inch from the handle. If you don't want an inner box cut when the outer box is opened, a two inch clearance between the inner and outer box should ensure this doesn't happen.
If the cosmetic appearance of the inner box matters, wrap it in something (e.g. thin foam or bubble wrap securely taped to itself). Not only will this protect it but it will signal to anyone who opens it that you don't want the box damaged. The average person isn't an AFOL and isn't going to see the box as integral to the value of the product.
Under no circumstance should you glue**, staple, or otherwise make it difficult to open the package. Not only does this make the package extremely suspicious, it's really hard to open such packages without damaging them beyond usability. In that event, the package would be carted off to another department to be re-packaged (which can result in better or worse packaging than the original depending on the person working there).
Hope that helps!
* Not the typical wooden pallets, but aluminum air freight pallets roughly the size of a small room (10 ft. x 8 ft. and 8 ft. tall on the high side). Fun to load. :)
** One of the few glued packages I encountered took about ten minutes to open because it was double boxed and each flap was glued down on the entirety of its surface. It was a 20 lb. box with a five-digit declared value for "toys". The box was filled with baby powder and the contents wrapped in perfume-soaked cloth. There was no invoice inside. That was an interesting day. :)
Can you please keep your desire to make political statements in the off-topic discussion group? I know it is hard to control your urge to demean that which you don't like, but try - it builds character.
Thank you for your consideration,
Klatu003
"Klaatu! Barada! N... Necktie... Neckturn... Nickel... It's an "N" word, it's definitely an "N" word! Klaatu... Barada... N...[coughs] Okay then... that's it!"
All is well in Hobbiton ;)
https://youtu.be/z7GlgSh2wpk
Ah, that sucks.....but if you are shipping art work/collectables package it accordingly...if it has glass they will drop it, if it has cardboard, they will cut it....and if you want special handling, you have to pay for it....unfortunately.
But what they did, they didn't have to do....but since they did, now no one is happy.
On the shipping papers did you put down a value, and was there paper work inside to validate the value? Sometimes customs or the shipper will open up to prove the value stated as real, and when they don't find any validation, uh-oh, they may open up everything.
What I trying to drive home here is that no matter how well you pack it up, pack it in... oh wait! Wrong thing. No matter how well you think you have package it, there will always be a Darwin candidate that has escaped their destiny. You run the risk of damage, so make sure you document everything and insure everything for the right amount to protect yourself.
My #10189 (I know I had the wrong number in my original post) was man handled by the US customs. They opened the box, they broke 2 of the 4 seals, they pealed back the covered and creased the box. Ugh!
My #10179 was a different case, this was done by the Canadian customs (and you all thought we were kind). For reasons unknown to the customs superintendent, one of their employees (they have identified him) decided to inspect the box. In doing so, clearly after watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre, he proceed to blast his box cutter into the first shipping box (there were two shipping boxes and then the actual set) ensuring that he reached China. Long story short, he has to file a report as to his actions, I have sent in all my transactions and the copious amounts of references as to how expensive these first edition sets are.
I am hoping to have some resolution for my buyer sometime next week.
This is too late now, but I dont think I'd ever do the letter thing. We will never know the cause, but something motivated the inspector to dig his knife in with a little anger
As to stating the value of the set, I can assure you it was well north of $6000 CDN (i prefer to keep the costs personal) so there was no "trying to pull a fast one on someone". As a seller you should always claim the true cost as you are not the one who has to pay taxes on it, the buyer is. It would perplex me for a seller to undervalue their item.
I'm here all week...
But in all seriousness, it's frustrating to see that a valuable set has been carelessly damaged by customs. I wonder if any carriers provide a service that ensures this doesn't happen, and how much it costs (I'm assuming that customs don't routinely slice valuable art with box cutters for example).
How would you expect them to check the contents without breaking two seals?
We wouldn't think twice about somebody slitting open a packing case or even the actual box, and dents, scuffs, scratches and holes are all part of the shipping process anyway. Of course, we would be conditioned by the producers that it was all in a good cause - the agents are clearly seeking something dubious and therefore working to enforce the law.
I don't know how the contents were described, but we would all be sitting there knowingly shaking our heads and saying that something wasn't right if it was described as a toy (or most other correct descriptions of a LEGO set). A toy at $6000? And just how do you send a box, anyway? Nobody ever attaches a value to a box do they?
There are also ways of doing this properly. Many courier companies offer services where they not only ship but pack items - and if that item is just a plain, unassuming, "valueless" box, then they'll still get it there in one unpunctured piece. As they operate internationally, they'll also be able to short-circuit customs checks - or tell you if they can't. It's in their interest to get it right because, at the end of the day, it's going to cost them if they don't. Yes, there's going to be a cost attached to this sort of service, but would you really put anything else of this value in a simple padded box and then entrust it to a normal courier service?
But I do hope you are able to recover some damages for the hack-job they did on the packaging.
No need to put it so nicely. ;)
Customs officers (or perhaps the sniffer dogs; I don't know what compounds mulled wine and particular drugs have in common as far as the canine nose is concerned) will assume there's something illegal in there, and it won't end well...
If this post makes it past the mods, I'll respond as able to any PM's but I'm done high-jacking this post.
Fudd has the right to keep and bear arms.
Look, if people do not like one candidate then don't use that solely for a reason to vote for the other.
I have no love for Hillary, but Trump has endorsed the use of nukes (twice now at last count), which is bad for someone who obviously has thin skin (another bad trait for someone who wants to be President). He also panders (and uses ohh so accurate internet blurbs as 'truths' to do it) to those that are angry, afraid, and that also have thin skin; not really the base you want running any country, let alone one with nukes. Those are just three of the things wrong with Trump.
Is Hillary the best? No, she is- at best- a corp insider (and has taken large sums of money from the banks and investment firms that cause the crash in 08 and likely will cause another soon without regulation), nothing will likely change with her as president, and one has to wonder if Billy Bob really will be the one running the country from the shadows. She is also arguably a Republican in Democrats' clothing.
So, according to reports, one errantly put secret docs on an unsecured server.. Sounds bad right? Well when the other candidate is talking about shredding the 1st amendment (at least) and endorsing the use of nukes, then what good is either candidate, other than who could cause less damage?
So I say that if people do not truely believe in either candidate, then go to the polls and write no confidence, undecided, or write in themselves because voting for one because they are not the other is not really an informed decision IMO.
Ah, here it is:
If anyone is interested in reading it, feel free to drop me a PM and I can send it to you. I'm not sure how appropriate it would be to post it straight to Brickset.
"Princess Twilight Sparkle is super smart and a natural born leader. She is good at helping her pony friends use their skills and talents to get the job done, while discovering new things about herself and all her amazing friends!
She also loves to share the magic of her political leanings with new friends because her opinion is Magic!"