Laser shipment

[toxinit]

I'm Italian and I live in Italy.
I've bought lasers from Novalaser and Optotronics.
They have been shipped without problems. I received them and enjoyed.
Lately I've also ordered two Viper 35mW from Dragon Laser (China).
I tracked the shipment on TNT and eventually the package was stopped in the custom for several days.
After that I've got the news that it was confiscated and destroyed for lack of EU permission/standard/Certification.
Now I'm trying to understand what really happened.
I'm in contact with Dragon Laser which very kindly are also trying from their side.
Of course I'm sure those lasers are illegal being over 5mW, but then I don't understand why the custom didn't stop the shipment from Canada and US.
I cannot blame Dragon Laser because they have been very kind and they shipped the package very fast, I also believe their product is excellent.
Just I'm trying to understand whether some policies are changing or custom behaviour toward those toys is becoming more strictly in some ways.
It's common knowledge lately taht stupid people are improperly using lasers to point into palyer's eyes in stadiums and other sport events. I'm afraid that because of few very stupid people, the authorities decided to completely ban the commerce of lasers.
I will let you know about the consequensies.

 

[snoutke]

Sorry to hear that.

But I must say that I am a little bit surprised that your laser got caught by the the customs, since I know that DL disguise the package as an innocent flashlight or a fountain pen so that the customs should never know that is has a laser inside unless they open and check every one of the packages, which is unlikly due to the number of them.

 

[toxinit]

I'm sure it has something to do with TNT custom procedures.
The other shipments were from UPS and USPS.

 

[HIMNL9]

Italian custom offices opens and inspects half of the packages from China /HK zones, trying to discourage the citizens from buy items from there (at half or less the prices that you have to pay for the same items inside country )

The only way for be sure that your items may arrive, if they involve lasers and come from east countries, is to find a seller that accept to ship them dismantled in 2 different packages (dismantled, intended as the front part, or the part that contain the laser module itself, in one package, and the rest, battery tube, tailcap, front cap, in another package), and have them marked as "spare parts" (no need to specify "laser" on the outside.

Also, can help if the seller can place inside the packages a disclaimer that say that the content is NOT A COMPLETE LASER POINTER, nor it can work, as is, as laser pointer, and so it does not need to respect the decree of ministry of sanity that ban only complete laser pointers.

But you need to ask the sellers, cause not all them accept to do this (sometimes just cause they have too much shippings to do and cannot make personalized shippings).

Another possibility is to declare that the laser is sold "for specific professional use", so it does not enter in the ban (but this is still a risk, cause in this case they can always reply you "ok, but we confiscate it the same, cause it does not carry the CE marking" )

Also, if you want to fight with the postal system / TNT, you can still ask them to proof you (at their expenses) that the laser was not meeting the required parameters, when they destroyed it ..... i mean, if the laser was carrying a tag that indicate the power (example, "35mW etc" or "class 3 etc" indications), nothing to do, but if the tag was a generic "<35mW", that means LESS THAN 35mW, and no class indication, you can ask the postal system / TNT to proof that the laser that they have destroyed WAS EFFECTIVELY a class 3 or superior laser, cause "less than 35mW" include also an 1mW class 2 laser, that is not banned :eg: ..... but this only if you want to fight them

 

[snoutke]

Italian custom offices opens and inspects half of the packages from China /HK zones, trying to discourage the citizens from buy items from there (at half or less the prices that you have to pay for the same items inside country )

The only way for be sure that your items may arrive, if they involve lasers and come from east countries, is to find a seller that accept to ship them dismantled in 2 different packages (dismantled, intended as the front part, or the part that contain the laser module itself, in one package, and the rest, battery tube, tailcap, front cap, in another package), and have them marked as "spare parts" (no need to specify "laser" on the outside.

Also, can help if the seller can place inside the packages a disclaimer that say that the content is NOT A COMPLETE LASER POINTER, nor it can work, as is, as laser pointer, and so it does not need to respect the decree of ministry of sanity that ban only complete laser pointers.

But you need to ask the sellers, cause not all them accept to do this (sometimes just cause they have too much shippings to do and cannot make personalized shippings).

Another possibility is to declare that the laser is sold "for specific professional use", so it does not enter in the ban (but this is still a risk, cause in this case they can always reply you "ok, but we confiscate it the same, cause it does not carry the CE marking" )

Also, if you want to fight with the postal system / TNT, you can still ask them to proof you (at their expenses) that the laser was not meeting the required parameters, when they destroyed it ..... i mean, if the laser was carrying a tag that indicate the power (example, "35mW etc" or "class 3 etc" indications), nothing to do, but if the tag was a generic "<35mW", that means LESS THAN 35mW, and no class indication, you can ask the postal system / TNT to proof that the laser that they have destroyed WAS EFFECTIVELY a class 3 or superior laser, cause "less than 35mW" include also an 1mW class 2 laser, that is not banned :eg: ..... but this only if you want to fight them

Yes, this is all very nice, but what can you do if the customs forced to accept as a fact that it destroyed the laser? Sue them?

 

[HIMNL9]

There's not too much to do, in that case (except if you are very rich, and have a lot of time and a team of lawyers with steel b*lls )

My suggestion about the double pack shipping was for try to avoid the problem before, anyway

And, about the "destruction", Italian custom don't have usually this feature ..... better say that, now, some custom office employee have a new toy in his pocket

 

[snoutke]

And, about the "destruction", Italian custom don't have usually this feature ..... better say that, now, some custom office employee have a new toy in his pocket

Yes. This is much more likely.

 

[toxinit]

So this is how the story ended:
This guy Frank from Dragonlaser is a very gentleman. He was continuosly in contact with me trying to solve my problem. By sheer coincidence I had a friend of mine travelling to China. I told that to Frank and we waited until my friend got to the hotel in Yantai. I sent the address to Frank who in 2 days shipped the lasers to my friend. So I thank Frank and Dragonlaser a lot for their assistance and seriousness. This is the way Wicked Lasers should treat their customers.

 

[snoutke]

So this is how the story ended:
This guy Frank from Dragonlaser is a very gentleman. He was continuosly in contact with me trying to solve my problem. By sheer coincidence I had a friend of mine travelling to China. I told that to Frank and we waited until my friend got to the hotel in Yantai. I sent the address to Frank who in 2 days shipped the lasers to my friend. So I thank Frank and Dragonlaser a lot for their assistance and seriousness. This is the way Wicked Lasers should treat their customers.

Happy to hear that.

But you didn't tell us if your friend has already came back from China to Italy and succeeded to pass the customs without the new lasers being confiscated and then delivered them to you, finally.

Please update, I'm curious.

 

[toxinit]

Well, everything went just ok. My friend came home ans gave the lasers to me. He didn't experience any trouble at all. To avoid any mistake I told him to carry the pointers disassembled though.