dealing with customs

[chilehunter]

I figured since theres alot of people always asking about dealing with customs for sending seeds,pods,hot sauce to another country. but theres not a thread designated for this discussion, so why not make a thread for this ? everyone here can benefit, new & exsisting members.

instead of people always asking or posting what they do in other threads, & then people always asking again latter. why not people discuss what they do in this thread for sending seeds,pods,hot sauce. & what are the odds of them getting through customs or place links to your country customs to findout what is needed to send the stuff & hope it arrives.

sorry I cant help because I've never dealt with sending stuff out of the USA or into the USA so I dont know. but this thread is not just for the USA, its also for you aussies,canada,mexico,europe,south america,etc....

[DevilDuck]

Well, I can tell you that if you send a package from the USA to Canada, your best bet is the good old USPS. UPS and FedEx leave the package at the boarder and the recipient has to deal with it from there.

Also, just declare it as a gift. If not, there are all kinds of charges that the recipient incurs.

[cheezydemon]

For normal envelopes no customs form is required.

[imaguitargod]

Well, what I do when I'm traveling is take the stash, put it in a balloown and place it....oh wait....I'm on the wrong forum. I though this was thesmokeddubbie.com.....carry on.

(beating people to the punch folks, couldn't miss an opertunity when presented ;) )

[thehotpepper.com]

As said in the other thread...
Letters do not need customs declarations. If the envelope is stiffened (won't bend) or is thicker than .25" it is considered a package and not a letter, and it needs a customs form.
USPS regulation for international.

[POTAWIE]

I agree with Devilduck, its better to go USPS to Canada most of the time than UPS. I just paid $40 in customs etc. on a $70 order through UPS and paid nothing on similar previous orders with USPS.

[Meow! That's Hot.]

Well, I can tell you that if you send a package from the USA to Canada, your best bet is the good old USPS. UPS and FedEx leave the package at the boarder and the recipient has to deal with it from there.

Also, just declare it as a gift. If not, there are all kinds of charges that the recipient incurs.

UPS will leave it at the border, and then the recipient in Canada has to pay taxes and brokerage fees on the package. I've only experienced this from the receiving end, and it costs a ton. Sending seems easier since you mail it and forget it. For ordering across the canada US border, you can retain a broker to avoid extra fees and slowdowns. They are licensed to sign for a package to pass customs without real inspection, as long as it is sent from a legit business. No idea how much they cost.

We only ordered bottles from the states once, then searched hard and long until we found a supplier in Canada. Cut our packaging costs by over 50%. Free trade my ass.

[cheezydemon]

With all due respect, people need to get off of their butts and hand deliver this stuff to people! What happened to the good old days when people weren't lazy?

I get on a horse and ride for days to deliver stuff to people, what is wrong with you all? And what happened to good old fashioned sneaking across borders? Seriously People!!!!!!!!


*HEEE HEEEEE! For those of you who don't know Chilehunter as well as I do, Oh well. For everyone else, I just had to give him a little ribbing.*

Carry on!;)

[talas]

Anybody had bad experiences sending seeds To Oz and could recommend the best way to do it ? :)

[Chiliac]

I think the good old greetings card comes in handy. Just try to make it look like it's just a letter with nothing else inside. Stick the little baggies to the inside of the card so they won't all end up in one corner of the envelop and make it too obvious that it contains not just some paper.

[Omri]

As of now, all packages and envelops from Europe arrived. some packages and envelops from North & South America did not. no customs, just never arrived. I sent seeds inside envelops to the US, Canada, Brazil, Trinidad, Germany, Australia, NZ, UK, France and some more places I don't even remember. not all people actually tell me when they get it, but I'm positive most got it. haven't had any problems (that I know of) with envelops getting out of Israel.

[rainbowberry]

I think the good old greetings card comes in handy. Just try to make it look like it's just a letter with nothing else inside. Stick the little baggies to the inside of the card so they won't all end up in one corner of the envelop and make it too obvious that it contains not just some paper.


Yeah I do the same and use a greetings card. I often draw a balloon on the envelope too.

[Chiliac]

I gotta remember that! ;)

[DEFCON Creator]

If any in the US is sending stuff internationally, do it ONLY via USPS Express Mail EMS (unless of course you're shipping pallets). We have sent literally hundreds of boxes internationally, and when we began to use the EMS option on the USPS site, everything has made it to its destination, and usually within 7 business days, to ANY spot on the globe.

[thehotpepper.com]

Creator, ever any problems with the biohazard symbol on your boxes?

[imaguitargod]

Yeah I do the same and use a greetings card. I often draw a balloon on the envelope too.
I never get any greeting cards from Rainboiwberry :(

[Canuk Pepperhead]

I sent out a bunch of seeds last year states side etc and never knew if they got there..I presume they did..I know Omri got his mind you

[rainbowberry]

I never get any greeting cards from Rainboiwberry :(


When my chilli season is over I'll PM you a list of all my seeds and you can decide if you'd like any and then you will get a greetings card from me Iggy :)

[QuadShotz]

I never get any greeting cards from Rainboiwberry :(

Well, I've never gotten anything from IGG.... so ;-p

teehee.

Mebbe i'll change the AV to me crazy-looking hab I found..it's EBIL! And huge!

ANd hotttt! orange hab/Bonnet cross???

http://www.darkgrid.com/images/hotstuff/S6301299.JPG

Oh IGG, if these evil peppers DO have evile sons, i'll send. ;)

F2 is ok eh?

Us crazee hippies gotta stick together, eh?

Now if the one in the center would quit staring at me.....

cheers,

qs

[DEFCON Creator]

Creator, ever any problems with the biohazard symbol on your boxes?


Surprisingly not. We wanted to get the custom tape for the boxes with the logo, but didn;t want to push the envelope and bring undo attention to ourselves. We send a lot of stuff to APOs and I'm really amazed each bottle isn't at least opened.

[chilehunter]

I know of someone thats going home to nigeria for a vaction, & hes willing to find me some local chiles.
I have a couple questions.

- basic birthday cards is common for sending seeds, do any of you make it kinda obvious thats its a B-day card like write happy B-day on the outside or is it just a given its just a card & people dont pay attention to those envelopes.

- whats the ammount of seeds you can put inside a B-day card w/o it getting noticed of it having seeds inside ? would it hurt the seeds if they were scotch taped to the card so they stay inplace.

- what kind of hassle could a person expect or has to deal with to bring back some dried pods from nigeria to usa ?

- is there a weight limit before being charged a tax on the pods, or would customs take'em because maybe insects inside the pods, just a chance that could happen & that I know customs are really big on preventing foreign insects from spreading.

[Chiliac]

IMO the cards are more of a protective measure and also to disguise the actuall contents, so you can't tell from the outside that there are little baggies in there. I use two postcards instead of a birthday card very often for the same effect. I'd write happy b'day on the outside when sending seed to countries that are known for their restrictions. Tape the baggies to the card, so you won't have a pile of them on one side of the envelope. I wouldn't tape the seeds directly to the card, put them in plastic or paper cards first. I've seen seeds that were smuggled underneath the stamp on a postcard (!) and were still okay, but I wouldn't take that risk.
I've had people bringing me dried pods from various countries with no problems, but I guess some Americans should answer that.
Just try it at home and you'll see how many seeds you can fit in without them being too obvious. I've never had problems sending seeds to the US so far.

[pepperfever]

I sent seeds to Chiliac and stuffed the enevlope, quite bulging and no problems. Maybe I was just lucky but I think the card envelopes they just figure you are sending a little gift.

[Chiliac]

I should mention that importing seeds to Germany is no problem. Some people wrote "pepper seeds" on the envelope and it arrived without a problem. I agree with Jackie though that the cards do a good job making customs think you are sending a small gift or sth like that. It's definitely a good idea when sending seeds to a country with import restrictions!

[talas]

U.K is the same my friend no problems getting anything into here :)

[POTAWIE]

Its usually only a problem in warm climates where annuals become perennials and can become invasive. I've heard that some places have very strict penalties for smuggling seeds or plant material.

[DEFCON Creator]

Its usually only a problem in warm climates where annuals become perennials and can become invasive. I've heard that some places have very strict penalties for smuggling seeds or plant material.

Very true.

[Omri]

Its usually only a problem in warm climates where annuals become perennials and can become invasive. I've heard that some places have very strict penalties for smuggling seeds or plant material.
The only way of importing "seeds or plant material" legally here is a permit from the "Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development", which demands endless documents and tests to ensure the plant is the healthiest plant on earth. so basically you need to REALLY WANT IT first and then A LOT of free time. :shocked:
I just smuggle mine. :lol:

[talas]

The only way of importing "seeds or plant material" legally here is a permit from the "Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development", which demands endless documents and tests to ensure the plant is the healthiest plant on earth. so basically you need to REALLY WANT IT first and then A LOT of free time. :shocked:
I just smuggle mine. :lol:

Love it..You pirate you..Wer smugle dem Nagas through the back me lads yo ho ho and a bottle of naga sauce :lol:

http://bestsmileys.com/pirate/2.gif