eBay

dech1513 · ‎04-07-2023

I bought this antique fixed blade knife and it is currently being returned to sender for being “prohibited”. I am extremely confused as these types of blades are not illegal in Canada and I’ve bought knives similar to this overseas and shipped into Canada with no problems.

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?

marnotom! · ‎04-07-2023

It'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.

View solution in original post

dech1513 · ‎04-07-2023

Please see the attachment for the picture of the knife

marnotom! · ‎04-07-2023

It'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.

mcrlmn · ‎04-07-2023

What is the length of the blade?

I can remember blade length being a restriction 50 years ago.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎04-07-2023

@mcrlmn wrote:
What is the length of the blade?
I can remember blade length being a restriction 50 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

pjcdn2005 · ‎04-07-2023

EBay 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.