Hello,
I tried sending a very small butter knife to Ireland last week and Royal Mail have today told me that it has been stuck in customs since last Thursday (which is now 5 days)
I didn’t mark the envelope to say what was in there (which was silly I know)
So what happens next? I assume this ever so blunt, rounded butter knife has been deemed a prohibited item? Seems ridiculous if so, but would be great to hear your thoughts and whether likely customs will allow this though eventually
Thank you!
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Butter knife
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leolion855
- Posts: 641
- Joined: 11 Jun 2018, 17:41
- Gender: Male
Butter knife
Will probably be returned to you.
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Snaggletooth
- EX POST OFFICE
- Posts: 2226
- Joined: 13 Sep 2011, 20:17
- Gender: Male
Butter knife
It shouldn’t be declared as a prohibited item, but there are several potential problems.
The most serious is that the Republic of Ireland restrict the importation of items made of steel, which means that you need to obtain permission from their Government before sending. See RM’s country guide for the Republic.
https://www.royalmail.com/sending/inter ... es/ireland" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
There is also the potential for the handle to cause a problem: mother of pearl, for instance, is a specific restriction for the Republic, and various other natural materials might be stopped & examined for CITES violations.
Even if none of the above apply, a knife of any kind is still liable to examination. A butter knife and a sharp knife probably look the same on the scanner, so the parcel is liable to be stopped for further checks before sending on.
You don’t need to state the contents on the outside of the parcel when posting within the UK or between two EU states, except when the contents need prior permission to send, as above.
The most serious is that the Republic of Ireland restrict the importation of items made of steel, which means that you need to obtain permission from their Government before sending. See RM’s country guide for the Republic.
https://www.royalmail.com/sending/inter ... es/ireland" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
There is also the potential for the handle to cause a problem: mother of pearl, for instance, is a specific restriction for the Republic, and various other natural materials might be stopped & examined for CITES violations.
Even if none of the above apply, a knife of any kind is still liable to examination. A butter knife and a sharp knife probably look the same on the scanner, so the parcel is liable to be stopped for further checks before sending on.
You don’t need to state the contents on the outside of the parcel when posting within the UK or between two EU states, except when the contents need prior permission to send, as above.
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Jonesyjonesy
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 09 Dec 2019, 16:08
- Gender: Male
Butter knife
Thank you Snaggletooth, that’s giving me some hope!Snaggletooth wrote:It shouldn’t be declared as a prohibited item, but there are several potential problems.
The most serious is that the Republic of Ireland restrict the importation of items made of steel, which means that you need to obtain permission from their Government before sending. See RM’s country guide for the Republic.
https://www.royalmail.com/sending/inter ... es/ireland" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
There is also the potential for the handle to cause a problem: mother of pearl, for instance, is a specific restriction for the Republic, and various other natural materials might be stopped & examined for CITES violations.
Even if none of the above apply, a knife of any kind is still liable to examination. A butter knife and a sharp knife probably look the same on the scanner, so the parcel is liable to be stopped for further checks before sending on.
You don’t need to state the contents on the outside of the parcel when posting within the UK or between two EU states, except when the contents need prior permission to send, as above.
The butter knife was made of brass so hopefully that won’t be a problem for them.
The knife isn’t worth much at all, but it’s of sentimental value, so I hope it finds a way through!
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Jonesyjonesy
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 09 Dec 2019, 16:08
- Gender: Male
Butter knife
Well woke up to find that it passed through customs and has now been delivered
Great stuff
Great stuff