Shipping

[DC]

 I am trying to send my BooYew bow to Badger to shoot at the Salt Flats. No body will send it. UPS, FedEx and Canada Post said no. All said no weapons. Also US Customs is a  problem. Apparently if they inspect and find a weapon they just destroy it. No questions asked. I know people on here send bows back and forth all the time. What did I do wrong?

[Ricardovanleeuwen]

Is the string included in the box?  Try to look it like an other item like a walking stick or canoe paddle?😆

[DC]

I'm thinking that's what everyone else must do and just take their chances with Customs.

[sleek]

Don't label it as a weapon. Label it as native American art.  How far from the border are you?Just drive over and ship it then?

[DC]

It wasn't going to be labeled. I'm two days round trip and I don't have a passport and the border is closed anyway. I think the thing that bothered me the most was having a customs guy destroy it. Surely there is some kind of paperwork that could around all this. I'm sure the bow manufacturers don't fudge on their paperwork and their bows go across by the truckload.

[Eric Krewson]

I sent a bow to Italy, the buyer asked that I label it used sporting goods, archery. He said there was a $600 import duty on a new bow but almost nothing on used equipment. The bow went through customs unopened, my total cost to mail it to him was $35. This was 20 years ago ,things have tightened up a bit since.

[willie]

I shipped a "weapon" fed-ex with no problems after researching the company policy.

I did have to find a different shipping agent than the one that was telling me I "couldn't". the truck pics up at places all over town, and most stores are independent, not company owned.

[bushboy]

I ship my bows to the states labeled as decorative bow artwork...value 20$....no prob ...

[PatM]

I didn't realize that was a problem.  Usually the wall art ruse seems to work though.

 

[Bob Barnes]

ask Marc St Louis...he should know...

[Hamish]

Get official information from the Canadian Govt about exporting weapons and find out officially if a wooden bow is even considered a weapon under the law. Do the same for  the US. I can't think of any country offhand where a bow is illegal to own(unless it was a crossbow, some countries class them as prohibited weapons)

I would be surprised if it is actually even legally considered a weapon, and not sporting tackle. Don't rely on a website, get actual clarification from an official, in writing.  Email the official correspondence to the shippers.
Many people that work at these places are ignorant of the law, and just make it up on the spot. So if you can show them they are factually incorrect, and that it is okay, they will ship. They are only worried about complications, and a potential lawsuit.

Likewise, I'd be very surprised if they can destroy a parcel without, first informing you, and giving you the chance to appeal the decision, at the very worst it should be returned to you, the sender.

[DC]

Get official information from the Canadian Govt about exporting weapons and find out officially if a wooden bow is even considered a weapon under the law. Do the same for  the US. I can't think of any country offhand where a bow is illegal to own(unless it was a crossbow, some countries class them as prohibited weapons)

I would be surprised if it is actually even legally considered a weapon, and not sporting tackle. Don't rely on a website, get actual clarification from an official, in writing.  Email the official correspondence to the shippers.
Many people that work at these places are ignorant of the law, and just make it up on the spot. So if you can show them they are factually incorrect, and that it is okay, they will ship. They are only worried about complications, and a potential lawsuit.

Likewise, I'd be very surprised if they can destroy a parcel without, first informing you, and giving you the chance to appeal the decision, at the very worst it should be returned to you, the sender.

Governments don't care what you export. I was talking to a real person at Canada Post and she talked to her boss who phoned his people. Never got any info from websites. US customs were closed. I got it from two or three people that sending a weapon into the US is a felony and they do just destroy the weapon. Also I'd hate to have to put it in the hands of someone who's wife had pi$$ed him off that morning. I'll probably try the wall hanging bit. Hate having to bend the law just to do something harmless.
And I agree that there is a lot of a$$ covering going on here but I'm not about to try and change the American Customs ideas from up here in Podunk Canada.

[Hamish]

I just checked Canada Post's website. The only thing I could find was no shipping of firearms, internationally. That includes real and imitation firearms. So you are able to export a bow.

They say you should check with US Customs when importing weapons into USA. US Customs say the ATF is who you need to talk to regarding weapons. So unless the ATF say a wooden bow is a weapon you will be able to send it to the US. I highly doubt it will be classified as a weapon, as you don't need a licence to own or use one. Hunters and competitive shooters travel in and out of America all the time with bows and I have never heard of any issues. If you tell the ATF that the bow is going to be used in a flight shooting competition, that should seal the deal.
For arguments sake if a bow is considered a weapon, there will be a special permit that the recipient might need to apply for. It would be a hassle but you could still send it.

Its astounding the ignorance and laziness some employees, and even managers can  have. They are wrong and are just trying to palm you off, because they think you are too much trouble to bother with.  Its so much easier for them to lie, than actually do the work to find out what can and can't be sent.

[PatM]

I'm amazed that it has become this complex.  It's really just a piece of wood.

[bownarra]

We have the same nonsense - 'weapons' are prohibited items. However when it comes down to it surely most things could be a 'weapon'. If you read the full restricted items list.....you would be amazed what you can't send....What I have found is that if something goes missing or gets damaged they simply use one of these excuses to get out of refunding you. I am also highly suspisious of writing the true value on bows as i've had some simply disappear, once you get over £400 - £500 things start going walkabouts. Dealing with most of these companies is a complete joke and don't even think about 'insurance'....they wriggle out of that like a wet eel.