HELP WITH RETURNING MY 1W SPARTAN to Dragonlasers

I purchased a 1w spartan from Dragonlasers and began using it on Christmas. It worked fine for a week and a half until i woke up one morning and it wouldn't turn on. At first i hoped it was just from my LifePo4's being dead, so i tried a 2nd pair i had to no avail. There was and remains a burning smell coming from the battery compartment, however i can't find any sign on the batteries or in the laser that i can see. I guess its prob. a driver problem.

ANYWAY, sorry, to get to the point. I'm shipping it back from NC in the US and was wondering what i should say to the post office to help it get through customs. Never really shipped anything internationaly b4. Should i just say it is a "toy part"? since that is what the description usually says on packages i've received from Dragonlasers in the past. And in the email i've received from the sales department of Dragonlasers i was advised to make sure i claim that the value was less than 25$ otherwise it won't get through Chinese customs.

So what kind of prodding will the post office do when asking me what i am shipping??

ottoman369 said:

So what kind of prodding will the post office do when asking me what i am shipping??

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They will ask you if there is anything potentially hazardous, fragile, liquid or perishable in the box.
You can just tell them it's a flashlight, and I would claim value:$25 on the customs form, but insure it, so you will have tracking info and a record of Dragon receiving it.
(not sure if you can claim it's worth $25, but insure it for $200) :thinking:

Ash said:

They will ask you if there is anything potentially hazardous, fragile, liquid or perishable in the box.
You can just tell them it's a flashlight, and I would claim value:$25 on the customs form, but insure it, so you will have tracking info and a record of Dragon receiving it.
(not sure if you can claim it's worth $25, but insure it for $200) :thinking:

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I agree,
But make sure you add a signature confirmation/ require signature for delivery, so that you have proof that someone at DL signs for the package...Just tracking is not enough.

I've had two different customers in the past year tell me that their DL failed early on and when the followed their return instructions (which did not include a proof of delivery and signature) that DL came back later when they asked about their repair/replacement and DL told them they never got the laser back. I can see this happening once in a blue moon, but from two different sources in less than a year makes me suspicious.

thank you very much for your advice

Yes declare it as a flashlight,
oh and BTW sometimes that smell in the battery tube can be from the anodizing process, leaving a chemically smell