eBay "liquidated" my antique blade!
 

Hi all, it turns out I made a rookie error by allowing an item (antique keris) I purchased on eBay from the US to be sent to me in Australia using the ebay international shipping service. It didn't even make it out of the US; it was en route to me via DHL when it got to the Melrose Park facility in Illinois, after which the "Item [was] liquidated".

The seller was very helpful and did their best to liaise with eBay customer service, but to no avail; in the end we were both fully refunded, but from what I can gather, the whereabouts of the keris itself remain unknown to eBay.

According to eBay, the item may have been "liquidated" because US customs authority deemed it illegal to import weapons into Australia.

Does anyone have any advice/insight they can share?

What would have happened to the keris? Is there any chance of ever getting it? It is horrifying to think US customs would have actually destroyed it, as the term "liquidated" seems to imply.

Much appreciated

Sorry to hear this story. I would no longer import large blades into the UK these dsys just to risky with custom and the laws here. Gone are the days of free trade and customs union which we had in the EU. Life was so much richer and simple then.

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In Australia knife import laws depend on both Australian federal law and state law, in NSW there is no real problem at all, although individual uneducated officers can sometimes cause difficulty, but in some other states problems can legitimately occur. I do not know the Queensland state knife laws, but it is certain that some knives are restricted & some knives are outright banned. Keris do not fall into either category.

The first thing that needs to be done for safe import into Australia is to be able to satisfy the relevant state laws in respect of the police test --- genuine reason, hobby, collector, whatever --- then you need to obtain a B709B & a B709 --- forms that permit import & possession, usually from the Firearms Registry, these days available online.

Try searching "Queensland Knife Law:- importing knives into Queensland Australia". Betcha AI comes up with a pretty good response.

Its really just a process to be worked through, no big deal at all. But I'll bet the enlightened officials in Illinois do not have any idea that such a process even exists.

This one was also confiscated by this weird Global-Shipping-Program: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=minasbad
When I am interested in something from ebay US sellers I always make sure that the seller don't use this system but in the meanwhile nearly all use this system, so ebay US is out of the game for me. Germany doesn't have any restrictions when it comes to swords, whether they are antique or not but these people seem to think differently. I have no clue what they are doing with the confiscicated blades!
I noticed that when the words "sword" or "dagger" is used in the description it's impossible to ship it with the GSP but when it is described as "knife" it is ok for them, for example I received this Thai knife: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=Thai without any problems with the GSP.

This is now the fourth or fifth example I know of when edged weapons being shipped from the U.S. have (according to eBay) been confiscated by U.S. Customs. The legal basis for such confiscation has not been disclosed by Customs or eBay. This has never occurred for any other auction items that I have had shipped from the U.S., nor for any direct sales by individuals in the U.S. It is unique, as best I know, to eBay's Global Shipping Plan.

EBay has been remarkably unhelpful and uninformative about their Global Shipping Program's policies with regard to shipping edged weapons.

If thinking of buying an edged weapon on eBay I always contact the seller and ask them not to use the eBay Global Shipping option. This means revising their listing. Some are willing to do this, others will not. Some of those who will not say they trust eBay to protect their interests. Having dealt with eBay for more than 30 years, I can only say that trusting eBay is asking for trouble.

If you happen to be an eBay seller and want to sell edged weapons to customers overseas be very suspicious of using the Global Shipping Program the eBay wants you to use. For me, the cheapest and best option to ship overseas is to use Australia Post. From the U.S., the cheapest and best option to ship to Australia is via the US Postal Service. I've never had an issue with the USPS.

Ian.

Keep your eye on Ebay, there are companies that sell these confiscated items on Ebay using the original photos and description and price structure - it may pop up again.

Hi Jeff,

I never noticed this, I know that you can't post it here at the forum regarding the forum rules but can you show me examples by pm?

Regards,
Detlef

I always ask myself from where they take their information! :rolleyes: For example there are only a few exceptions what's not allowed to import to Germany (for example balisongs and push daggers) but had this problem with this weird GSP several times, for example with this minasbad which got confiscated and a Luzon bolo I bought not long ago from an US seller, both items would have passed German customs without any problems. :eek:
They seem to be very uninformed!!

I am also curious about this.

Thanks,
Leif

It has been quite some time since I imported anything from the US but I NEVER would use the Global Shipping offered by Ebay as I found it too expensive and also unreliable. I always used USPS which never gave me any trouble and was always cheaper. Some sellers who use Global will not send by any other means but it is always a good idea to ask if they will send USPS.
Stu

Me three.

me too
 

Ive sold two fijian clubs on ebay from the uk to the us , both through the global shipping program and both were seized , both me and the buyer were refunded , and then three weeks later they turned up on ebay again ,and still had my original photos and description , after reporting this numerous times to ebay nothing happened and eventually they sold ,
they were expensive clubs too ,one sold for £2400 ,
Ive never trusted ebay since ,
scandals

I had a Sumatran keris disappear on eBay 2 years ago. The blade was ok. The silver sleave on the sheath was beat up, but I really wanted the north Java hilt! I'm still sad and pissed! They sent me a WWII German bayonet instead and tried to claim ignorance. Scandals!

G'day Adam,
I am a fellow Queenslander. I don't know how you were even able to complete the purchase on Ebay. Buying anything even vaguely related to edged weapons (even books) on Ebay is now a nightmare and requires lots of back and forth with the seller to remove any mention of the word knife/sword. It has been a few years now, but the last three times I bought swords from the US they never made it out of the country. I have given up buying anything from the US now.
Cheers,
Bryce