Are International Pipe Purchases are Getting More Risky?

[sleepy57]

I purchased a fairly expensive German Pipe from an Italian Pipe Shop two weeks ago to be shipped by FedEx ,well the shipment was halted in Tennessee by the FDA with no info passed on to the purchaser (me). If I didn't get involved in every facet of figuring out the reasons stopping my shipment it would still be in a sorting bin in an FDA office building at the Airport. All the ruckus in delay of this shipment was caused by faulty and missing information on the shipper's bill of lading.
I still have not received my German pipe yet but with my aggressive sleuthing it looks like it is now on track to be delivered this week.
So just a word to the wise, be sure you let the seller know he needs to be meticulous with regard to the input of info on the shipping papers . And no this was not my first overseas purchase but with all the B.S. It may be my last! Be Forewarned!

 

[mso489]

I'm mystified. I can see Customs, or the USPS, or Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms getting into the act, but I have never heard of FDA getting involved with shipments overseas or domestic. They set regs, and they might deal with manufacturers or wholesalers, but intercepting packages is a whole new concept for FDA. Are you sure that's who? Anyway, I hope you get your pipe. I once mentioned to the postal clerk that I was sending tobacco to a friend, and they had to check with the post master on site, but it was fine.

 

[sleepy57]

Thats who delayed the pipe and what makes it worse is when they trigger a detain on a package it automatically gets stopped by Customs also . I will say Our customs Agents are wonderful they were the ones who aimed me towards the correct direction to fix this messy mess.

 

[BROBS]

Was it because they thought it was tobacco or some type of organic produce?

like can you explain a little more clearly why it got snagged?

 

[sleepy57]

The package paperwork said smoking pipe and was missing country of origin=Germany and manufacturer ID#
If the Seller did his job and if FedEx did their job this would not have happened but Comedy of errors and You the buyer are left holding the bag!
It was a Werner Mummert so who the hell knows what they thought it was ? Im just glad a 20 Man S.W.A.T. team didn't bust my windows and doors down at 3 A.M. with AR's and Glocks Blazing!! ( Pipe kinda looks like a nuclear Weapon...LOL!

 

[BROBS]

the package paperwork said smoking pipe and was missing country of origin=Germany and manufacturer ID#

So the FDA got involved in this? Wtf

 

[bullet08]

Never had an issue getting pipes from Ireland. I heard tobacco is a bit of problem. I don't think briar, acrylic, and vulcanite are on banned list. Unless that pipes has elephant ivory or some exotic animal parts.

 

[sablebrush52]

I don't know about international orders of pipes, but international orders of tobacco have definitely become more risky.

 

[sleepy57]

I never had an issue with Denmark, Ireland, England, Germany, Italy ....the times may be changing!
My Main point is MAKE SURE THE PAPERWORK IS CORRECT AND COMPLETE! The Italian company I purchased this from is very popular and should have been very well versed in how to make a seamless delivery of the Pipe ...they screwed up and FedEx screwed up... All in the name of sloppy, incomplete paperwork!

 

[shanez]

MAKE SURE THE PAPERWORK IS CORRECT AND COMPLETE!

^^^^This.

Another issue is tobacco, not pipes, cannot be delivered via USPS once it enters the US. The shipper has to have an appropriate license to do so and I don't know of any overseas companies that do. Make sure the sipper is aware of this.

 

[fireground_piper]

^^^^This.

Another issue is tobacco, not pipes, cannot be delivered via USPS once it enters the US. The shipper has to have an appropriate license to do so and I don't know of any overseas companies that do. Make sure the sipper is aware of this.

That's odd, because within the country USPS is the only vendor allowed to ship tobacco private to private last I looked. UPS and Fedex will only deliver to a private residence if it originated at a licensed retailer.

 

[shanez]

That's odd, because within the country USPS is the only vendor allowed to ship tobacco private to private last I looked. UPS and Fedex will only deliver to a private residence if it originated at a licensed retailer.

A big part of the issue is states not allowing shipment and the federal government not wanting to get in the middle of the issue.

Small "gift" quantities are allowed for private sending.

For a business to send they have to have a valid federal business ID and any applicable state license. Hence the issue with international shippers.

UPS and FedEx don't ship as a matter of policy and as near as I can gather the reason they have the policy is that they don't want to get involved with or violate any licensing regulations.

 

[mso489]

I once had the screeners at the airport make me unpack my carry-on backpack because they thought my harmonica might be a pistol clip. They treated me nice or I would have played them a few songs. It was the divisions between the reeds that made it look clip-like. Some of those Mummert pipes might raise suspicions; they look a little scary like something might be amiss. I rather like them, but if you'd never seen a tobacco pipe up close before, they might cause a sense of panic.

 

[bullet08]

I once had the screeners at the airport make me unpack my carry-on backpack because they thought my harmonica might be a pistol clip. They treated me nice or I would have played them a few songs. It was the divisions between the reeds that made it look clip-like.

I petted the drug sniffing dog at the airport and got nicely told not to do that again. The handler had a gun, so I followed his suggestion.

 

[kcghost]

The crap the FDA and others concern themselves with is just amazing. You can smuggle in an atomic weapon easier than ship tobacco into this country.

 

[craig61a]

Pipes, I haven’t had an issue of late. Most recently I’ve had stuff shipped from the Danish Pipe Shop without any issues.

I haven’t ordered any tobacco from outside the US in a few years, and most vendors outside the US won’t ship here anyways.

 

[saltedplug]

The last international purchases I made were in 2015 and 2016. Condor from James Fox in Dublin. No problems. But it's gotten a lot more scary out there. If I was active now I doubt I'd order overseas again.

 

[sleepy57]

All I am relaying is what happened to me...seems no one is seeing the Elephant in the room...as I stated .... the paperwork was poorly completed ...A Pipe with origins in Germany sold via an Italian seller to an American...WITH INFO LEFT OUT OF THE INTERNATIONAL LADING BILL...DOCUMENTING THE ARTISAN AND COUNTRY OF ORIGIN OF MANUFACTURE....PERIOD! THAT WAS ENOUGH TO SCREW THE WORKS FOR 2 WEEKS....SIMPLY CORRECTED BY ME BUT A TOTALLY UNNECESSARY DELAY!

 

[STP]

It was probably coded wrong: Entry Submission Process - https://www.fda.gov/industry/entry-process/entry-submission-process

 

[sleepy57]

DING...DING...DING...DING there ya go!