Can I ship a take down tool to Greece?
 

Please, I need some advice. I sold a take down tool to a person who lives in Greece. The USPS website is listing among the prohibitions this statement "Firearms, swords, and any articles containing them". What is the thinking of forum members of shipping the item to Greece? Thanks,
Mike

Declare it a screw driver and ship it. No problem.

Hi, usually the shipping of non-essential gun parts (like springs, pins and other small items) is no problem. But as the takedown tool is just that, a tool, with no direct relationship to the functionality of a firearm you shouldn't have any problems at all.

Just don't put 'luger takedown tool' on the package. George's 'screwdriver' tip is a very good one.

I concur, mark the package as a pocket screwdriver, and ship it. As long as there is not a swastika on it, there should be no problem.

I shipped two magazines and a tool to the russian area, I made the mistake of saying luger take down tool. They were returned after 2.5 months...


I believe it was the mags, but less info is better than more info...


ed

You could also call it a "skate key". I have seen loading tools called that a time or two.

Ed, As for the magazines you could call them "brass storage boxes".
What do you think?
:D
Sid.

Mike...

I have had several overseas transactions with a luger magazine...in which the item is declared as "an old magazine"...and shipped in one of those flat book boxes.

"An old magazine" is not a lie...;)

The key to shipping anything to another country is to not have some government employee open the package. Secondary is to not get yourself or the recipient into any trouble.

I can only imagine a covey of bored Greek bureaucrats digging through their Greek/English dictionaries to find the translation for "skate key". In my mind that is the sort of tease that leads to packages being opened. The other tease is a high value.

As stated above, if I were shipping a loading tool I would declare it as a screwdriver, which it is. Secondly I would note that it was a gift and worth only $10.

One more thought, call it an "antique" screwdriver. That answers the question in the customs guy's head as to why it would be shipped internationally.

The whole game is to get these guys to just pass it on through. As a kid, my buddy Skippy Durgan moved to Italy with his parents when his dad was transferred in 1957. As a Christmas present for Keoki his Mom picked up a Knights Cross in a flea market in Rome and sent it through the military postal system to yours truly. It was declared as a "nice German cross". Needless to say I never got it.

I have shipped, at two different times, takedown tools to Finland without any problems. On the "Customs" form where description of item shipped is required, I simply wrote "Metal Takedown Tool." The tools arrived safely with no problems by US or Finnish customs officials.
Luke