Overseas shipment of WW2 German dress daggers
 

I have several Nazi daggers listed for sale here, and a forum member from Austria has inquired about them. The USPS regs. show "firearms and weapons" as prohibited items for international shipment, but I'm not sure if that is law or postal regs.
I'm inclined to remain safe, not sorry, but am interested in the experience and opinions of others.
dju

I have sent bayonets overseas - i think it depends on who inspects it, value you place on it and manner of shipping

I tell the person, once it leaves the USA

I have found the cost usually convinces them to send it to someone they know in the USA, and I presume they pick it up on some later trip or they get a large box from their friend/relative.

I have mailed that sort of thing overseas and it is fine. It isn’t an ITAR issue either.

I would be more concerned about the laws in Austria dealing with possession of swastika marked items? Isn’t that illegal in some places there?

Ask the buyer how he wants the contents described for Austrian customs.

As Mike mentioned above...

Here is something to consider: If the daggers have Nazi insignia and pass through German Customs (perhaps at a major German airport before being forwarded to Austria) and they open it, the daggers may be impounded... :(

David,
for sure they would be "illegal" in Germany; Austria I don't know- but a good question for the buyer.
Be sure he knows "up front" that once you put it in tracked mail, you are not responsible if they don't arrive or get taken by customs.

Actually it is probably more hassle than it is worth, JMHO.

Have a colleague who studied at Salzburg for over a year, can confirm Swastikas and Nazi memorabilia laws there are on par with Germany.

Yes,
on second thought, probably the entire EU has the same "swastika/nazi" rules.
Can't even show a picture of one on ebay without running afoul of the swastika police. ;)

Even if it was put on a flight destined for an Austrian airfield, there is no guarantee that the plane wouldn't get re-routed because of weather etc and land in Germany, with the 'mail' (whether DHL/UPS/FedEx) being processed through Customs right there in Germany. :(

I had a 'battlefield relic' that I bought on eBay from Latvia. It was sent via DHL by truck to an airport in Germany and airmailed to New York/Chicago/Buffalo. I have no idea where it was inspected, but it had more sealing tape on it than it had cardboard... :rolleyes:

I export a lot of motorcycle parts and it seems like very few items are actually inspected.
dju

Kaiser,

Then please ask your friend how the Austrians got away with their Army and SS displays in the Obersalzburg Castel?

Sieger

Owning the stuff is usually not the problem. They just don't want you to parade around with it.

Sieger,
The way he explained it, bascially you can own these if they are a licensed part of a legitimate collection, usually strictly limited to the realm of museums or very large private collections. Parading around with them or being caught with them outside of these practices is a sure fire way to get the item(s) confiscated and typically a jail sentence or other very punitive legal measures.

Austria loves to play that victim card despite making up over 80% of the SS ranks at war’s end.