Sending cues with ivory thru' US Customs

[G-Man]

I would like to send a Bert Shrager cue to a cuemaker in US for refinishing. The cue has some ivory inlays in the points and an ivory joint.

I heard that a Bender cue with ivory sent from Singapore was confiscated at the US Custom in Alaska. I would hate for that to happen to my cue.

Any cuemaker knows what the rules are and how to prove that a cue's ivory is pre-ban and infact originated from US in the first place?

Thanks in advance.

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

I would like to send a Bert Shrager cue to a cuemaker in US for refinishing. The cue has some ivory inlays in the points and an ivory joint.

I heard that a Bender cue with ivory sent from Singapore was confiscated at the US Custom in Alaska. I would hate for that to happen to my cue.

Any cuemaker knows what the rules are and how to prove that a cue's ivory is pre-ban and infact originated from US in the first place?

Thanks in advance.

It's gamble.................your better off not to mention anything about ivory and label the customs papers "billiards equipment".
It's just plain a gamble.
Sorry.....not trying to scare you but thats the way it is.

 

[bandido]

Once you ship it out say good-bye. A package, coming from Asia, that looks to contain a pool cue more often than not gets inspected. And if the content contains any ivory by-product it gets confiscated by the FWS. This is one major contributory factor why US custom cue sales tapered off in Japan. Servicing their beloved custom cues became a problem if desire to send them back to the original maker will cost them to get their cue confiscated.

Have you any knowledge of any cuemaker sending out pre-ban documentation on a cue's ivory content? I haven't and even if the main supplier of the tusk has one US law states that once pre-ban ivory enters commerce it looses its pre-ban status.

This has been going on for the last 5 years and I know because I end up as the alternative for most of the Japan repairs. A few US cuemakers e-mailed or called me/my Japan dealer to say that they're glad for me to be here and capable of servicing their cues that went overseas. They hate recieving those almost an inch thick paperwork from the FWS when a cue is held for "safe-keeping". My existance also helped to somewhat arrest the decline of their overseas cue sales because I addressed the after sales service and repair problem. US custom makers don't have a problem shipping out cues, only getting them back, into the US for repairs, is.

 

[almer]

I would like to send a Bert Shrager cue to a cuemaker in US for refinishing. The cue has some ivory inlays in the points and an ivory joint.

I heard that a Bender cue with ivory sent from Singapore was confiscated at the US Custom in Alaska. I would hate for that to happen to my cue.

Any cuemaker knows what the rules are and how to prove that a cue's ivory is pre-ban and infact originated from US in the first place?

Thanks in advance.

I dont know about Singapore but i know Canadians cross all the time with ivory cues and never have any problems

 

[rhncue]

I dont know about Singapore but i know Canadians cross all the time with ivory cues and never have any problems

It is against the law to cross a national border with any ivory product, PERIOD. Just like any federal or state law, often times they are broke and the perpetrator gets away with the crime. At any time they wish, though, the item can be confiscated and with most federal laws, also fined up to 10,000.00.

Also, as has been stated before, even if a piece of ivory is documented as being legal, once it has crossed a border it now has become contraband and cannot be legally brought back in to the country.

Dick

 

[pdcue]

I would like to send a Bert Shrager cue to a cuemaker in US for refinishing. The cue has some ivory inlays in the points and an ivory joint.

I heard that a Bender cue with ivory sent from Singapore was confiscated at the US Custom in Alaska. I would hate for that to happen to my cue.

Any cuemaker knows what the rules are and how to prove that a cue's ivory is pre-ban and infact originated from US in the first place?

Thanks in advance.

Yoy didn't mention when you bought the cue, nor where it came from.
Just to clarify, if the cue was made later than 1989, there was
never any way to legally ship it into, nor out of the US.

as has been said, if it is older than 1989, there is no way to
legally ship it back into the US

The fact that the ivory is 'pre-ban' only makes it legal inside the US,
and then, only if it has remained in the US.

HTH
Dale

 

[Hidy Ho]

It's gamble.................your better off not to mention anything about ivory and label the customs papers "billiards equipment".
It's just plain a gamble.
Sorry.....not trying to scare you but thats the way it is.

I agree with Dave that it's a "gamble".

I've received some cues from Singapore Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Phillipines including cues with ivory. Some cues were inspected but lucky for me not any cues with ivory.

Coincidentally, my inspections occured when a shipment came through Alaska. I think the cues were shipped FedEx. I've had a lot more EMS shipment that came through San Francisco without a single inspection.

And when they open the bubble wraping for inspection, they don't do a decent job repackaging

 

[monski]

Wow! That means I got lucky. I have on a couple of occassions (around 2 years ago) sent cues, made by US Custom Cuemakers, to the US for sale and repair. They did have ivory on them. I in fact decaled them as Pool Cues made in the US, and even indicated their name of the cuemaker. Well, a couple of them remained in the US due to a successful sale. The one with the most ivory was repaired and I had it sent back here to the Philippines. Reading this thread now.... man that was a potential disaster that didn't happen!!!

I guess I was lucky...

 

[bruin70]

Once you ship it out say good-bye. A package, coming from Asia, that looks to contain a pool cue more often than not gets inspected. .

a friend shipped an ivory SW to japan, and it got held up for a year.

 

[DJEnD]

So importantly, there's no foolproof way to go about this. It's just luck involved on whether the inspection officer has had something go up his a**.

In any aspect, it is illegal to bring into the US, any ivory regardless of origin, unless you're well off enough to accompany your cue on holiday .

 

[nipper]

am i to believe that if i carry the cue into the u.s. it is o.k., or any other country for that matter

 

[nipper]

whoops sorry

 

[Ruthless]

The most common mistake that leads to them finding a cue with ivory is the high insurance value that some not so bright people put on the item.

Most makers I know won't be responsible in any way for a cue shipped accross the US border in or out.

Ivory is not just illegal to ship accross the US border but it's also illegal in 90% of other nations. To legally ship ivory takes a lot of paperwork by the country it's shipped from and the country recieving the item.

My luck is so bad that if I hit the lotto I'd owe the government money somehow..... so I only deal with people within the US.

 

[masonh]

a buddy of mine buys lots of those loaded up with ivory flashy cues made overseas and when the come in they are coated in a black rubber type substance similar to a Rhinoliner(for truck beds).it comes right off with some serious elbow grease and some solvent.

 

[Tommy-D]

> I'd like to see if I have this right. Is this only on shipping the cues,or do you run the risk of having US Customs confiscate your ivory-loaded cue if you are simply traveling to another country,for a tournament? Tommy D.

 

[rhncue]

> I'd like to see if I have this right. Is this only on shipping the cues,or do you run the risk of having US Customs confiscate your ivory-loaded cue if you are simply traveling to another country,for a tournament? Tommy D.

legally, once ivory leaves the country it loses it's pre-ban status and can be confiscated when attempting to re-enter the country.

Dick