Ensuring My Safety Selling Portable Lasers in Australia

[LaZeRz]

What I think Bobhaha means is that as long as your laser parts are clearly labelled as an OEM product e.g individual electronic components you should be fine. It is legal to import OEM laser products so it would only make sense for it to be legal to ship them an extra few kilometres.

I also receive constant requests from fellow Aussies asking me to build them a laser. I always refer them to sellers of OEM laser components like DTR, Flaminpyro, Lazereer etc. and give them as much information as they need to build their own laser and take care of their eyes. I wont be selling complete lasers any time soon.

Edit: Also make sure to take as much precautions as you can to make sure you don't sell things to an idiot. We absolutely don't need more people ruining this hobby. It is completely possible that ONE incident with a custom laser could lead to the banning of importing laser components. Leading people to laser safety articles would also be a great thing to do as you'll know that unless the person you're selling to is a complete idiot, they will take your advice to heart and realise that lasers aren't just harmless toys.

I guess following those guidelines should keep you out of trouble. Enjoy the hobby and good luck with what ever you plan on doing!

 

[Laik]

Thanks everyone! I just want to make sure of something
1. How would i clearly label them as an OEM product? Would i say 1W 445nm Diode OEM Product?
2. Can i sell JAD kits? I am assuming you would be able to because they cannot work on their own, they need a diode.
This is just to make sure because i dont want to sell anything illegal.
Thanks again guys! +1 for everyone.

 

[LaZeRz]

I wouldn't write 1w 445nm diode, rather something like Oem lighting components. JAD kits should be fine but I would recommend unscrewing the pill, tail cap, head, heatsink, etc. That way they will look more like individual components rather than one ready to go laser.

 

[Laik]

So i have to clearly label it on the package, not when i am selling the product? Thanks so much guys!!!!

 

[LaZeRz]

When shipping items within Australia I'm pretty sure you have to label the contents of what you're shipping on a slip taped to the outside of your package. Let me dig up a package sent to me by Fiddy.

 

[Laik]

Thanks :beer:

 

[LaZeRz]

Ok,

The package I got has a Aviation Security and Dangerous Goods Declaration. It says: The sender, hereby acknowledges that this article may be carried by air and will be subject to aviation security and clearing procedures, and I declare that it does not contain any dangerous or prohibited goods, explosive or incendiary devices. If the declaration is not signed this article can not be carried by air.

The bit that states "I declare that it does not contain any dangerous or prohibited goods" should not apply to OEM laser components as they are not prohibited and a flashlight with a driver in it is also not dangerous

If when shipping a package you are asked to declare what's inside, writing something like OEM lighting components should suffice.

 

[Laik]

So i don't have to put that thing on if they don't ask? If they do tell me to put one on, do i have to write it up or do they give me a card to fill out?

 

[AUS]

You won't get asked if its inside the country. Some pre-paid packages you have to mark what they are and I just put "electronic components" and it should be fine. I think they give it a quick X-Ray and drug sniff and that's about it.

Your biggest threat BY FAR will be an undercover cop buying it from you then charging you with selling a prohibited weapon.

Your next biggest threat will be the 14 year old kid who points it at a plane and gives the cops your address when he gets arrested.

 

[Laik]

I myself am 14 going on 15 and know how irresponsible some of us can be. Could i make a new paypal account to use for laser selling? With like a business name instead of my name and a fake address? An undercover cop would suck, do they actually do that? They shouldnt be able to charge me if i am selling a JAD kit or something, but i am sure they will find a way... :scowl:

 

[LaZeRz]

I'm pretty sure they won't ask you to fill in a form, rather just sign that declaration. If worst comes to worst and you do get asked to fill in a slip it will either be kept at the post office or taped to the package.

It would be better to ask someone who ships packages around Australia quite frequently as they will know much more than me about these sort of things.

Cheers!

EDIT: Already answered by AUS

Creating a fake PP account would only get you in to more trouble with the law if you were to get caught. Taking precautions and making sure you only sell to people with a history on this forum and a few posts/rep points should keep you out of trouble. You don't want to lie to authorities as it will get you in to trouble. You will still be able to get traced down no matter how much you try and fake your identity.

 

[Laik]

Ok so the packaging and what i can sell is solved. What do i do to protect myself from some 14 year old making a laser from lets say a JAD kit i might have sold and they give the cops my paypal address and name? DO i make a new paypal account that has a fake name and address?

EDIT: Just saw your edit hahaha. Ok so be careful of who i sell it to, nest step.... convince my parents. Should be a challenge to convince my dad to let me sell laser parts (not complete lasers) and i am not even going to try and talk to my mum until i win my dad over. How much should i make from a simple aurora c6 JAD kit?

 

[Fiddy]

I'm in the same boat as Fiddy...

A LOT of people message me almost everyday asking for some sort of build or if I have something for sale.

If they have 0 post count I don't even bother replying. If someone comes that looks legit, I go through their posts... if they're noobish and don't know what they want or are asking 1 million questions about where to get themselves a laser in AUS, I just tell them they need to do more research before buying off me, because lasers are not a toy.

Even if they tell me they'll pay me $100-200 extra (which happens alot) to do the job, I turn it down, which I feel not many people would.

Just be selective with who you're selling to and you should be fine... atleast that's how I've worked over the last 4 years or so with no problems.

-Adrian

What Adrian said is spot on, background checks (advanced search -> search posts by username) are very good in determining whether they are noob's or genuine hobbyists.

Its pretty easy to tell, noobs will always ask about burning and poping balloons, hobbyists will ask about beam specs, heatsinking and run-times.

Only other thing i do, which is personal preference, is when people ask me in person, i tell them i only sell to people with firearm licenses which turns away 95% of people. This is because in a lot of ways lasers are dangerous like a gun, not as deadly but still dangerous.

 

[LaZeRz]

Ok so the packaging and what i can sell is solved. What do i do to protect myself from some 14 year old making a laser from lets say a JAD kit i might have sold and they give the cops my paypal address and name? DO i make a new paypal account that has a fake name and address?

There is no way to "stop" someone from putting the blame on you if you sell them a laser. All you can do to protect yourself is make sure you don't sell a laser to someone irresponsible. Don't fake your Paypal details as it will not do anything to stop authorities from getting to you. They have more complicated and advanced methods of finding people.

Edit: About winning your parents over. You can do anything you want to try and convince them to let you sell laser components but don't let it get out of hand. Your parents know what's right for you. Having your parents respect you is much more important than a few hundred bucks

In my opinion, show your dad this thread. It should give him some insight in to the world of lasers.

About the price of c6 kits. It all depends on what driver, heatsink, lens, module and battery you include. All of those need to be decided on before coming up with a price.

 

[Laik]

People ask you in person? Wow.... :worthy: Yeah i will do background checks and i will only sell a complete laser to a mate i know that will use it properly. Yes lasers are very dangerous and some people don't understand that, i give my mates a 2 hour lecture on lasers before i give it to them.

 

[LaZeRz]

People ask you in person? Wow.... :worthy: Yeah i will do background checks and i will only sell a complete laser to a mate i know that will use it properly. Yes lasers are very dangerous and some people don't understand that, i give my mates a 2 hour lecture on lasers before i give it to them.

As stated here, selling a few lasers to people you know in person will be much less risky for you and for them. No need to use the postal service and you can also properly discuss the risks of lasers with them before letting them purchase anything from you.