Thread: import from USA

How much is the export permit? It used to be 250us but I have heard its anywhere from 300-500us

+1 stumpy's question about shipping carriers. All international carriers I can find plus NZ Post expressly forbid the shipping of firearms or firearms parts through their networks, stated quite clearly on their websites.

It seems like sneaking the odd bit through like a stock or a barrel will work, but with orders over $1,000, for example, it needs to go through customs brokerage. Surely they would realise that its firearms parts then...?

I want to make sure it's all above board so that I don't get $2,000 of gun parts dropped into the Pacific when they decide they don't want to carry them.

USPS

USPS hands the goods over to NZ Post once they enter the country. I've checked with NZ Post and they will not accept firearms/parts in their network even before they enter NZ, so you can't just get it sent to NZ by USPS and then handed over to a domestic courier that is fine with firearms. If you've been shipping via this method then you're lucky not to have been pulled up on it. "There are also penalties for sending Prohibited items under the Postal Services Act 1998, the Civil Aviation Act 1990 and other legislation", so you could actually get into legal trouble as well as losing your goods. Like I said, over a certain cost threshold = brokerage required = high chance of being stung.

Anyone have any info on other carriers like Fedex? Their website says that firearms are prohibited, but obviously there must be someone, somewhere who is willing to carry them or it would be virtually impossible to get guns to NZ.

Everything that is shipped from Brownells gets handled by NZ post at this end. What's inside the package is clearly labelled on the outside, whether it’s parts or complete guns (complete uppers/lowers), so unless NZ post workers can't read, they know what they're carrying.

Originally Posted by RampantSprouts

USPS hands the goods over to NZ Post once they enter the country. I've checked with NZ Post and they will not accept firearms/parts in their network even before they enter NZ, so you can't just get it sent to NZ by USPS and then handed over to a domestic courier that is fine with firearms. If you've been shipping via this method then you're lucky not to have been pulled up on it.

Thousands of people ship via this method. Customs and NZ Post know what’s in the parcels. Never heard of there being any issues.

Banana, I don't doubt what you're saying, not in the slightest. I have received gun stocks (yes, they consider this a firearms part) and some other parts internationally via NZ Post with no issue, and I'm sure it's a case of "don't care" rather than "don't know". Just today I got an ammo shipment from a well-known gun store via normal courier package, and the sender had signed the "does not contain any dangerous goods" box with a scribble. The courier would have known damn well what it was.

What gets me is that legally and officially, there are few ways to ships guns or parts nationally, and virtually no ways to ship internationally. Once again it is the people trying to keep it above board and play it by the book that have all the problems. If it is not accepted officially but fine unofficially, make it fine officially and save everyone the hassle.

Wasn't going to comment but I couldn't help myself

Interesting I have had 4 complete rifles and enough bits to build a heap more all legally exported (with the correct paperwork inside and out) to me from the USA over the last 10 years all shipped via USPS and in all cases the contents of the package were declared completely and utterly by the respective senders.


These were all also "restricted firearms" so NZ customs cleared them and handed them to NZ post so they could be left on my front step.!!

I believe USPS wont ship gun parts or firearms domestically inside the USA.

They don't seem to have an issue outside the USA. Also I believe NZ Post have an agreement to deliver anything legally posted (by a foreign postal service)

If this were an issue then the US stores would simply not ship as they are bordering on psychotically paranoid in this respect of not wanting to get in the poo with the federal authorities who have zero sense of humor in respect to "irregularities".

RampantSprouts (Please don't take offense) I would have to question how many time you have imported stuff and exactly what stuff. There is so much incorrect information and hearsay regarding importing and shipping firearms Out of the USA and into NZ.

In my personal experience its actually quite easy and straight forward, in fact its so easy I have a whopping CC statement regularly. and the nice people at Brownells send me letters thanking me for my business (this is bad when my wife opens them as they have the yearly total spend shown

Like Mikee said, everything is fully declared to customs and NZ post. It is legal, official and above board. It's not like the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of privately imported guns and parts are just snuck in while customs and NZ post look the other way.

Originally Posted by Banana

It's not like the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of privately imported guns and parts are just snuck in while customs and NZ post look the other way.

the way custom charge there will be definitely no sneaking, they will be walloping my wallet as I type this ;(

Originally Posted by mikee

the way custom charge there will be definitely no sneaking, they will be walloping my wallet as I type this ;(

Do they ring you up and ask for a CC? I have not bought overseas in a decade after getting burned by Customs on a $90 item (yes Ninety) so I think that is how it worked. I have a birthday prezzy lower and BCG awaiting clearance to ship from Brownells, hopefully by month end.

They send a letter. You only have to pay fees if the value of the goods is $400 or more.

My understanding is gun parts are not a dangerous goods as legally defined, even a gun isnt I think as it contains no substance that can ignite, hence not dangerous goods. Ammo on the other hand, sure.

Now it appears that NZ post has a policy of not accepting guns domestically as a company policy, but from overseas I think they are legally obliged to deliver. I mean by now they would have balked surely? Anyway I tend to use Post Haste/Castle and they are always happy to take stuff and they are cheaper, considerably so, bugger NZ post.

Originally Posted by steven

Do they ring you up and ask for a CC? I have not bought overseas in a decade after getting burned by Customs on a $90 item (yes Ninety) so I think that is how it worked. I have a birthday prezzy lower and BCG awaiting clearance to ship from Brownells, hopefully by month end.

They will send you a letter with instructions on how to pay and where to send you permit if you have one. i usually email customs arms officer when the tracking shows they have it to save the wait for Slowpost notification

Originally Posted by Banana

They send a letter. You only have to pay fees if the value of the goods is $400 or more.

I have a wee issue at the moment with 2 packages both under the 400 threshold Ordered and shipped ex the US in different weeks bith arriving into NZ customs TODAY. I am not sure if the bugger will add both values together and snot me. If they do then such is life though