Seized by customs?

RC car fanatic

Does all this count for orders being shipped from Ireland and the rest of Europe?

Puding

Now, should I just write to them and tell them it's not for real firearms and see what happens? Or is there any thing I have to attached (i.e. a letter from the supplier and explain the situation) to the letter which may help?

i would try and phone them first

Sam Fisher

There isn't a number on the letter.

monksavage

The number for customs in dublin 12 is 017059737 but ya hav absolutly no use in ringing em take it from me i know.
Alls ya can do now is write a letter ta da cnut that made the "siezure" and tell em wat the story is.

o1s1n

monksavage wrote: »

The number for customs in dublin 12 is 017059737 but ya hav absolutly no use in ringing em take it from me i know.
Alls ya can do now is write a letter ta da cnut that made the "siezure" and tell em wat the story is.

I know it's frustrating but do me a favour and don't use this as an opportunity to bash customs. They're only doing their job after all.

Miscreant

monksavage wrote: »

The number for customs in dublin 12 is 017059737 but ya hav absolutly no use in ringing em take it from me i know.
Alls ya can do now is write a letter ta da cnut that made the "siezure" and tell em wat the story is.

I had something siezed in the Mail Centre in Dublin 12 recently and gave them a buzz. They were very nice to me over the phone and the issue was cleared up with an e-mail then. I even drove down there to pay the duty and pick up my package directly.
I would say if you give them a buzz and explain the situation they will be OK.

Sam Fisher

I will try to contact them over the phone tomorrow. Will let you all know how I'd get on.

Puding

The number for customs in dublin 12 is 017059737 but ya hav absolutly no use in ringing em take it from me i know.
Alls ya can do now is write a letter ta da cnut that made the "siezure" and tell em wat the story is.

I have to say i have had the opposite experience to this that is why i suggest ringing first, i've had a few items seized and i've always managed to get it sorted via phone and email in short order.

Worst thing you can do in any case like this thought is go to them with a chip on your shoulder, as o1s1n said there doing a job and they may no relatively little or nothing about airsoft, we are a minority short and a strange on at that so just take your time don;t phone when you have a spare 5 minutes and have to go out shopping in 4 minutes you will only get stressed

Shiva

Puding wrote: »

I have to say i have had the opposite experience to this that is why i suggest ringing first, i've had a few items seized and i've always managed to get it sorted via phone and email in short order.

Worst thing you can do in any case like this thought is go to them with a chip on your shoulder, as o1s1n said there doing a job and they may no relatively little or nothing about airsoft, we are a minority short and a strange on at that so just take your time don;t phone when you have a spare 5 minutes and have to go out shopping in 4 minutes you will only get stressed

Agree 100%.

In all my dealings with them I've always found them professional and courteous. They can take an age to get things done, but that's due to them being swamped with work.

If you call them and are polite and reasonable, that's more than likely how you'll be treated in return. Giving them attitude will do nothing to help your case.

horgan_p

Sam Fisher wrote: »

Got letter this morning from Custom & Excise Enforcement, Revenue House, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork.

Notice is hereby given that certain goods, to wit,

1 M4 QD SILENCER AND 1 TORNADO GRENADE

being goods the importation of which is prohibited by Section 42 of the Customs Consolidation Act, 1876, were seized by me pursuant to Section 202 of Customs Consolidation Act, 1876, on 1st August at Revenue House, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork, that said goods being liable to forfeiture under Section 177 of the Customs Consolidation Act, 1876.

Gillian Hyde
Office of Customs & Excise.

Then there a second page stating that I have to writing to them within a month to claim the seized goods.

Anyone know what this is all about? Or does anyone has a number for their office so I can call them and find out what's going on.

I have a meeting with this lady next week.
Trust me , she is a very nice person who is easy to deal with and understands the hassles we are having at the moment.

horgan_p

If you want PM me the details BEFORE the 12th and i can but ask in this meeting.
Please dont come the heavy hand with customs - even if you feel entitled.
its just going to make eveyone elses job that bit harder.

bullets

Since Grenades were mentioned on the last posts.........

I wanted to get inert Dummy grenades before just for Display purposes
In the end I did not try and order them, and I also never tried to order
an Airsoft Grenade in case I spooked Customs.

One of the reasons for this was I read someplace in Irish Law that
Grenades be they real or imitation/replica are prohibited.

~B

motherfunker

I ordered imatation stick grenades and got them no problem.

AirsoftEire.com

Well items will always slip through, in fact most probably will.
But there is indeed an alarming increase in seizures happening.

Having said that, our goods from Asia have NEVER been held in customs in Dublin for more than 24 hours and they seem to be incredibly effecient in the job they do. Perhaps that's only for large shipments though.

Steve

Puding

Having said that, our goods from Asia have NEVER been held in customs in Dublin for more than 24 hours and they seem to be incredibly effecient in the job they do. Perhaps that's only for large shipments though

agree commercial orders do not seem to effected, problems appear to be coming from private imports

RC car fanatic

I have a quick question,I have been following this thread but I'm not entirely sure.If I bought a Tokyo Marui M4,would it be stopped or is it only on full metal AEG's?????????/

Witcher

RC car fanatic wrote: »

I have a quick question,I have been following this thread but I'm not entirely sure.If I bought a Tokyo Marui M4,would it be stopped or is it only on full metal AEG's?????????/

They'll seize it if they have reason eg if its over 1 joule but TM are rarely

over a joule, but tbh its not only guns they're seizing, I think horgan had a gearbox and some

springs stopped, it's just chance as to whether something will be stopped

RC car fanatic

OK grand..Im only ordering a tm m4,a battery and some mount rings.

Puding

i would forget what you have read about metal rifs really

there are currently two issues

1) ems and speedpost via england - customs in England are apparently stopping these parcels that contain rifs due to the current law within the uk ( although parcels are being stopped somewhere along the item it has yet to be confirmed that the uk is the reason motosam is currently looking into this)

2) customs in Ireland - customs are currently it appears having a crack down on private importation of good, its not just airsoft, camera equipment from hong kong for example is also effected, a lot of items are being seized and tested

I would advice people to check out the iaa forums there is some rather interesting posts in regard to this issue posted today.

If your importing any airsoft items what ever they are and who ever makes them at the moment you have a very high risk of having them seized and tested.

gandalf

This would be the correct post I assume.

http://irishairsoft.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=119#p784

Puding

that would be the one, unfortunately i was unable to link as i was at work using a proxy

Sam Fisher

I spoke to the lady today. I rang the Cork office and the guy there gave me her mobile number. The conversation was brief. She wasn't interested in dealing with this matter over the phone, she just told me to write to her and explain why they should release the items to me.

I will update you all once I get a response from my letter.

monksavage

I think a lot of you lads are getting confused with customs "holding" items for a few days ta hit ya wit tax and customs actually making a "siezure" where the item is forfited on the grounds that it is illegal.

Tell me how many of you have gotten a NOTICE OF SEIZURE, CUSTOMS CONSOLIDATION ACT, 1886 SECTION 207?

Once you get this notice a simple telephone call aint going to sort tings out. Ive tried that being nice and all but now I have ta make an official appeal to claim the item:

within one calendar month,
be made in writting,
be addressed to the officer who siezed the goods,
clearly state the claim.

When a valid claim is made the Rev Com may;

offer settlement terms,
OR
institute legal proceedings for the forfiture of the goods.

RC car fanatic

Customs don't seem to get the whole airsoft being legal issue.I don't think they have a right to seize our goods when they are 100% perfectly legal as long as they are under 1joule.Even if it does look like the rs version that does not prove it is and we have a right to complain and get angry because we have done nothing wrong.Is paying customs duty or tax not enough for them.All they have to do is type in airsoft on the computer and all the info is there.And when they hold the goods for a long period of time they should contact us instead of us chasing them.I'm not giving out about them but and they are just doing their job but when they actually think about it its kind of stupid..

Just my opinion

bullets

up until recently there has been little of no isses with Customs
with regards to airsoft gear. Considering they have had Since 2006
to get used to seeing airsoft kit being imported into this Country
you would think that there would be no issues at all apart from Tax
and a suspect over the limit airsoft device.

If anyone has ever watched Sky and seen any of the entertainment documentaies that involve customs and airports etc its pretty obvious
that they do a good job are switched on! and are pretty tuned into exactly what items they tend to come across goods wise.

So what all of a sudden has changed??????? how come
things are suddenly being held by customs more so now than ever!

~B

TheDoc

on the note if you receive a letter for seizure

write a leet stating the nature of intent for the item in say, that its airsoft etc etc

Then print out the webpage that the item is listed on.

Then print out the receipt for the item you paid for.

This proves the item is an airsoft device which is legal under irish law ( airsoft device or parts for) and the item does not break nay laws.

They will go over your evidence and should be satisfied to release the items to you.

In the event they do not co-operate you would be entitled to sue for compensation for losses, extreme i know, but this thing happend to me and a group of my friends back in my paintballing days.

But a simple letter attached with copies of invoices, web pages with the listed items etc generally cleared it up.

But this is definatly something the IAA could lend a hand in i think, i believe their chairperson quoting " What do you want us to do" when asking what the community excepts of them.

Definitely think some intervention in this matter is well overdue at this stage.

Also I have asked my father about the situation, he served in the customs house for 5 years and is a well known and respected an post union rep, and my grandfather is a very famous an post employee.

But he said he cant do much, they do their own trick...and there is a serious, sharp rise in the number of airsoft related packages coming into ireland.

Stercus Accidit

If the IAA decide to get involved in any way I'd like to offer whatever help I can, if there is anything I can do just as a bog standard member to help, let me know.

It may not be a relevant issue as they may have no power to help though, so we can't expect them to be able to change customs minds about micromanagement.

TheDoc

just read the iaa forums where there seems to have been some contact between the IAA and the DOJ.

Although the poster in question seemed more inclinced to underline how certain homemade devices have gone and ended airsofting as a sport (complete over reaction imo the whole thing) but still didnt give a definitive anwser.

Stercus Accidit

Look the conversion argument is a nonsense, a block of steel is a better start point for a gun than a plastic, and weak metal aeg.

Just because little cast parts look like a gun doesn't mean ANY of those parts can or could function as a gun, there is no way they would.

Puding

motosam i think he was more referring to the spud gun than converting airsoft devices to real steel (we all know this is impossible) the post on the iaa i found informative there appears to be a lot more issues going on with customs DOJ and the iaa than is public at the moment, the comment about home made devices and there problems where that they showed the sport in made light and has made any dealing with DOJ a little harder than was previously the case.

Well my reading of it anyway.

luckat

It's a good idea to bring a big padded envelope, sellotape and stamps with you when travelling - if Customs decide you can't fly with something, you can post it to yourself - airports have postboxes.

Reminds me: must pack stamps.

Puding

It's a good idea to bring a big padded envelope, sellotape and stamps with you when travelling - if Customs decide you can't fly with something, you can post it to yourself - airports have postboxes.

Reminds me: must pack stamps.

good advice, but rather random for this thread :rolleyes:

Sam Fisher

Well, after ordering a M4 QD Sliencer and a tornado genarde from Redwolf, which arrive in Ireland on the 24th July, it's been sezied by customs. Received letter on the 1st Aug, replied on the 8th by registered post and letter accepted by customs office on the 11th. Today I got the call....

The lady who rang me was the person who signed the letter. Told me that she's been on holidays until this week. Now that she's got the letter, she has now to forward it to another office in Dublin (she's based in Cork)?! She's got no idea how long the process with take. But she did promise she will keep me updated.

So, still no sliencer or genarde...

The saga continues...

horgan_p

your problem will be the tornado.

when i met them i was asked twice about them , can they be converted etc.
funniest question i got asked was : " from using these airsoft guns (their phrase) could you be able or trained to use the real ones ?


Laugh ? I nearly cried. gives you an idea of what they think airsoft is though

Miscreant

horgan_p wrote: »

when i met them i was asked twice about them , can they be converted etc.
funniest question i got asked was : " from using these airsoft guns (their phrase) could you be able or trained to use the real ones ?

Do they think we are all members of a terrorist training organisation or something if we buy and use airsoft devices then? Sounds like the person asking that question did not to their homework as to the purpose of airsoft. I wonder do they ask the same question of paintballing. Same principle I suppose.

Hivemind187

Miscreant wrote: »

Do they think we are all members of a terrorist training organisation or something if we buy and use airsoft devices then? Sounds like the person asking that question did not to their homework as to the purpose of airsoft. I wonder do they ask the same question of paintballing. Same principle I suppose.

Yeah, the DoJ asked us the same qurestion in January, it was dwelled on by both parties for five seconds before we pointed out that counter-terrorism is really their problem and not the issue of a handful of fat-dads and weekend warriors.

defenderdude

Hivemind187 wrote: »

...fat-dads and weekend warriors.

:D:D:D

that's me:D

Miscreant

Hivemind187 wrote: »

fat-dads and weekend warriors.

I'm just big boned..........

Wonder if Customs will ease up on Airsoft now after having the issues clarified to them. I have not had anything in for a while but just wondering has anyone out there had any issues in the last week or so.

Chuck the Buck

Miscreant wrote: »

Wonder if Customs will ease up on Airsoft now after having the issues clarified to them. I have not had anything in for a while but just wondering has anyone out there had any issues in the last week or so.

Well on Friday I got an Eotech 553 and 6 Magpul mag pulls from EbayBanned (arrived on Thursday) and they weren't opened by customs (or even go there according to the An Post tracking site), unlike the set of 6mm bearings that got opened and then resealed by customs two weeks ago. So I'd say its anyone's guess OR the normal people in customs are back from their hols and the work placement/gap year students have returned to sweeping the floor where they belong!(Bloody students! :mad::P) :pac::D