Why was my knife not allowed into Canada?
Summary: dech1513 is confused about why their antique fixed blade knife was returned as 'prohibited' while trying to ship it into Canada, mentioning that similar knives have been successfully shipped before. They consulted the CBSA website, which doesn't list this type of knife as illegal, and are also concerned about the delay in tracking updates for its return to sender. marnotom! suggests that shipping companies might have broad exclusion lists often due to insurance restrictions or suspicions post-9/11, and that returns might take a while. mcrlmn and another participant discuss the length of the blade potentially being a factor, as there has been a historical restriction, and customs inspections can be inconsistent. Lastly, pjcdn2005 notes that eBay international shipping may over-cautiously restrict sending items if there’s a possibility they might be prohibited.
https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d19/d19-13-2-eng.html
No where on the CBSA site says that this style of knife is prohibited. Please help, is there anything I can do? I am also waiting for it to be returned to the sender but I am getting no more tracking updates. How long does it usually take to return to sender?
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoEBay international shipping seems to err on the side of caution, if something 'might' be restricted, they refuse to ship it. I know that it is frustrating.
mcrlmn
·3 years agoWhat is the length of the blade?
I can remember blade length being a restriction 50 years ago.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·3 years ago@mcrlmn
@dech1513
See attached. It probably falls under 2, 5 or 6. Most likely it was luck of the draw or item type that flagged it for inspection that caused the rejection. Anything can be inspected by customs. That's entirely their call. Sellers should be knowledgeable as to what can and can't be shipped but not all sellers do their due dilligence in advance. That's how I have always approached certain items.
https://knifepulse.com/illegal-knives-in-canada/
-Lotz
mcrlmn
·3 years agoBlade length has been a restriction for decades.
OP got lucky once so assumed incorrectly.
Even illicit drugs get through sometimes.
Just like the numerous sheets of coins I've sent lettermail.
I knew better and was always lucky.
Customs could have Op's knife for a few weeks, or may never return it.
Why should they bother...
An older post:
https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/Can-Pocket-Knives-Switchblades-amp-Hunting-Knives-be-sold-on/m-p/444494#M117583
marnotom!
·3 years agoIt's probably not so much that it was prohibited from entering Canada but more that the carrier refused to transport it, possibly due to insurance restrictions or just the fact that anything that can be possibly used as a weapon by a foreigner is looked upon with suspicion by US feds since 9/11.
It looks as though your item was being handled by a mail consolidator (possibly through the eBay International Standard Delivery service), not just the postal system.
Keep in mind that shipping companies don't have customs experts on staff, so they tend to have pretty broad exclusion lists and sometimes "customs legal" stuff gets caught in the net. The new eBay International Shipping service has a prohibition against collectible knives with blades four inches or longer, and whoever handled the transport of the one you purchased probably has a similar prohibition.
I can't give you much info or advice on the item's return to the seller except to say that returns are a pretty low priority for the mail system and they can and do take a while.
dech1513
OP3 years ago