US Customs

[joel77520]

I ordered a very large mosasaur jaw from the UK but it seems that US customs refused to let it come Ito the country. At first I thought it might have been because of the jaw but UPS told me its because of the timber used for the packaging. On the manifest the seller put a full Description of the jaw and that it was originally from Africa but was in the UK the last 10 years but Customs think the crate was made a package in Africa and not treated even though it's stated on the manifest. So im stuck here trying to get them to not send it back because of a little misunderstanding. Is there anyway to fix this? Anyone with similar experiences?

Edited June 13, 2016 by joel77520

[Troodon]

It's probably all about the crate and not the fossil. There are strict regulations with lumber being used as packaging material. The lumber has to have markings on it to insure it properly met these standards. I suggest calling customs to decide on a path forward.

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/720/~/import-and-export-requirements-for-wood-packaging-material-(wpm)-into-the-u.s.

Edited June 13, 2016 by Troodon

[taj]

Exactly . But on this one , if the crate does not have the markings even though the manifest says so , you might be in for long discussions ..( btw this should have been checked at shipping between sender and UPS ... )

[joel77520]

Yea I'm gonna call customs and see hopefully I don't get charged storage fees

[joel77520]

There sending it back until it's in another crate or gets a stamp on the wood. Now I'll have to wait another 2+ weeks.

[Troodon]

There sending it back until it's in another crate or gets a stamp on the wood. Now I'll have to wait another 2+ weeks.

Seller should have known better

[joel77520]

Unfortunately the jaw was broken clean in half during transit back to the seller. It's repairable but I just asked for a refund back. Hopefully someone else will get this nice piece.

[bcfossilcollector]

I often wonder if I were to say, buy a Keichousaurus fossil from a U.S dealer what sort of difficulties i might encounter at Canadian customs. Especially when one considers the import bans re: Chinese fossils I don't know if I would chance it even given proper documentation. In this case it was the crate vs the fossils but it definitely is food for thought. Thanks for posting your experience.

Les

[FossilDAWG]

If you consider the damage being done by introduced insect pests, I'd say the enforcement is well deserved. The Emerald Ash Borer, for example, was introduced via shipping crates from China and now has spread to much of the US and Canada. All native ash species are susceptible, and it is possible that ash trees will eventually go the same way as native chestnut trees. In the meantime, it is estimated that removal of dead/dying ash trees, enforcement of quarantines (removal of all ash trees within infested areas), and insecticide treatment of trees to slow the rate of spread will cost municipalities over $10 billion (yes with a "b") dollars between 2009 and 2019. That's real money, which could have been spent on other needs, and it will just slow down the rate of spread and keep dead trees from falling on people's houses. There is little reason to be hopeful that there will be any significant populations of native ash trees anywhere in the US or most of Canada 100 years from now.

I'm sorry that you have been inconvenienced, but the shipper should know of the rules and it is entirely their fault that they did not respect the law and use properly sterilized shipping materials.

Don